Off Property Anxiety

[Ottb5627]

So I have a gelding who is green, started late so just beginning his show career at 8 yrs old. Last year we just worked at home due to life being in the way but I’ve started going to a few little off property schooling shows this year. He is quite confident at home, can be spooky but looks for one second and quickly goes right back to work. He is very observant, notices everything but typically stays calm and focused. Off property however he becomes quite overwhelmed and gets very nervous, the busy warm up rings are too much for him and gets nervous at the gate. I do feel like over time with more experience he will settle and be fine, but time and money are limited for my off property excursions so I’m looking for any ideas to help him become more relaxed.

Someone suggested ear plugs, he doesn’t seem to be sound reactive but I’d give it a try if he will tolerate them. I’ve never used them before what kind are the best, do you need to put a bonnet on to keep them in?

Along the same lines those little blinder things on the cheek pieces? Maybe keep him a little more focused and not as much to look at?

Synchill / perfect prep or anything else recommended?

Ulcer prevention, my vet won’t prescribe anything without first doing a scope, anything otc you would recommend for prevention? I don’t believe it is currently a problem but with him being so stressed would like something preventative.

Thanks all!

[GraceLikeRain]

He really needs to go off property without showing pressure or even riding pressure. He’s scared because he’s a prey animal surrounded by totally new things and he doesn’t have any tools to be relaxed and confident.

He needs to go and just hang out, hand graze, and get to a point he can be totally normal in a stall or tied to a trailer with a hay bag. If he isn’t his relaxed normal self on the ground you are never going to have the same ride off property.

[FjordBCRF]

@Ottb5627

I do feel like over time with more experience he will settle and be fine, but time and money are limited for my off property excursions so I’m looking for any ideas to help him become more relaxed.

Agree with @GraceLikeRain - I don’t think you’re going to find any quick fixes to this. My recommendation would be as many low key/low stimulation fields trips as you can manage until he starts to settle, then build from there.

[Christa_P]

Your off-property excursions don’t need to be shows to begin with. Meet a friend at a public arena or trail head and just hang out until he settles and then go home. Repeat until he’s relaxed, maybe just do some groundwork the first few times and ride a little when he’s quiet. Then find out if there are any schooling or fun shows around you. Maybe a low-key clinic or lesson.

[trubandloki]

I agree with the above.

Take him places that do not cost you a whole bunch of money but give him a great experience away from home.

Heck, even taking a lesson not at home would be a great place to start.

Most small schooling shows do not even have a grounds fee, so you can go there and try to hack in the warm up area, or maybe not in the warm up area, but around it where things are less busy.

As far as ear plugs, If you want to just try them just use some of the cotton batting like the Gamgee cotton roll. You have to shove it down in there for it to stay. No ear bonnet required.

[dmveventer]

Fellow owner of an anxious OTTB here. Like everyone else is saying, mine just needed time and exposure. We spent several of our first outings just walking around for a while until he relaxed and then we’d go home. When we started showing we’d spend plenty of time walking in warm-up while he took everything in, and if he was having a bad day I’d scratch rather than give him a bad experience in the ring. Putting him to work before he was ready just made things worse, and I think earplugs/blinders would have done the same. He knew something was going on, distracting him or blocking things out wouldn’t have convinced him otherwise. He just needed time to process and realize for himself that everything was going to be fine. It took a while, but as he gained experience and learned to trust me he would start out calmer and relax faster every time we went somewhere, and he’s become so much more confident in general.

FWIW mine started showing symptoms and I was SURE he had ulcers given how anxious he was all the time, and then his scope was pristine. Definitely scope if he starts having issues but otherwise I would save the money on prevention and use that for more trips off property instead.

[GraceLikeRain]

Ask around and see if anyone trailers out for lessons and would want someone to split gas with and go with no agenda. Unload and just hang out at the trailer with good hay, groom him, load up, and go home.

Alternatively
I also understand some barns truly don’t go anywhere except shows and if you don’t have a trailer it’s expensive to go to a show and not show.

If you have to take a show or not go approach, hand walk so so much. The goal isn’t to tire him out but movement helps the brain. Let him walk and walk and when he seems settled, hang out and just stand around. Before a formal warm up or perhaps entirely instead of a formal warm up I’d do a long hack around the show grounds on as loose of a rein as is safe. Let him absorb everything and take that big audible breath and nose clearing snort.

I went through a long season being at a barn with no trailer and friends that only left to show. For me, ultimately I found that taking a season off from showing was more meaningful but I know that’s not the right path for everyone.

[ClearDonkey]

Ulcergard does not require a prescription. Our vet recommended us to use a dose the day before travel, the day(s) of travel and the days off property, and the day after returning home. I personally decided to use it just the days of actually travel and being off property, and it seems to work just fine for my mare.

Ear plugs aren’t allowed in my discipline, so we have a noise dampening bonnet - one from Lemieux. I know Equestrian Stockholm also has them, but has limited sizing options. I believe the difference is noticeable when using it, however my mare isn’t so much bothered by the traffic of the warm-up ring, but instead the unfamiliar noises of a show facility (loud speaker, sand flicking against dressage boards, generators, etc.).

We also haul weekly to lesson, every other week to trail ride, and a couple of times a year to clinic. Traveling places regularly has really helped make it not be such a big deal, regardless of venue.

[Ottb5627]

Our few outings have been pretty low key schooling shows / open training days at local barns. I do have a trailer but unfortunately extremely limited on haul in options in my area, most barns don’t allow outside haul ins, the few that do allow it only if you are lessoning, which would be fine but said barns are gone horse showing most of the summer. Add that to my work schedule and the opportunities are limited.

I know the best thing is to keep getting out, it’s just tough to do so I was thinking anything that might help would be worth looking into.

[nutmeg]

My revered and venerable vet suggests 45cc’s of Pepto Bismol as a cheap and effective test of stomach issues. Not for showing but great for schooling rounds in an unrecognized setting. Bring wipes, that stuff gets everywhere. Pop it in a few minutes before you bridle up.

[trubandloki]

@Ottb5627

Our few outings have been pretty low key schooling shows / open training days at local barns. I do have a trailer but unfortunately extremely limited on haul in options in my area, most barns don’t allow outside haul ins, the few that do allow it only if you are lessoning, which would be fine but said barns are gone horse showing most of the summer. Add that to my work schedule and the opportunities are limited.

I know the best thing is to keep getting out, it’s just tough to do so I was thinking anything that might help would be worth looking into.

Do you board at a barn with a trainer?

If yes, talk with your trainer about options for taking your horse out for desensitizing.
They might be more than willing to help you find another barn to take your horse to, even for a lesson in - the world is not scary.

I realize every area is different, just tossing this out there. In my part of the world there is a relatively active local horse related facebook group that all kinds of unique horse activities are advertised on. Organized trail rides, barns that offer open/reserved time schooling in their ring, clinics, hunter paces, etc.
It might be worth looking to see if there is anything like that in your area and then using an open mind for how you can use that event to be a learning experience for your horse.

[fivestrideline]

@Ottb5627

I know the best thing is to keep getting out, it’s just tough to do so I was thinking anything that might help would be worth looking into.

You’re going to have to bite the bullet and go to outings without getting in the ring. Until you can confidently hand walk him around and let him watch all the things, he’s not going to be able to down-regulate to a comfortable mindset to show. Treat him sort of like a dog and drag him around with you everywhere until he can take a deep breath and settle in. Trail riding and lessons off property are super helpful, but showing is a different beast.

IME most calming supps are placebo for the owner, but they can work if your horse is deficient in magnesium. Ulcer prevention and treatment if indicated is always good, but at a certain point it comes down to more good experiences than bad ones. Just like anything else in training, you need to start small and build the foundation.

Schooling shows are cheap. Start with the one-day outings, then try a weekend and plan only to show on Sunday. Sometimes they settle in when they’re there for multiple days… and sometimes they really don’t at first. But until he can come off the trailer and reliably hack around off-property (maybe not in the warmup, but around the grounds), you should keep working on cheap day trips.

[bingbingbing]

With or without scoped ulcers, I give all of mine gastric support in stressful situations.

[PaddockWood]

Do you have a friend with a super chill horse? I’d load up, go somewhere quiet with grass and unload and graze. In 30 min load up and go home. Do that a few times and then expand. We all know relaxation is so key to performance.

Start small and work up. And have a buddy.

[TatteredDaydreamer]

This!! My plan is to take my gelding off property as much as I can this summer and just let him chill/hang out while my barn mates show. Wonderful experience for them!

[equest]

It is very common to use preventative Ulcergard or other omeprazole products (Abler tubes or granules, which can be ordered online). Prescriptions are not necessary to purchase these. I have used them with my TB’s for at least 2 days leading up to a show, and each day during the show. Many people do this with show horses, regardless of their level of experience.

I agree that the goal should be to bring him off property for exposure, starting with low-stakes situations. For example, a park/trail riding destination or even just a barn that allows you to use its arena (could be a Western barn even). I second the suggestion about bringing your horse with a “been there done that” buddy.