Spooks messing with my brain

[KingoftheRoad]

Could use some help - I’ve been riding jumpers for 20 years, and am currently riding a horse that has been fantastic for building confidence over jumps, after my last horse that was super challenging to keep a regular pace and get to the jumps.

The problem - he has a WICKED spook, that will come out of nowhere…and he will spin and dump me on the ground faster than I even can realize he’s spooked at something. Despite focused work, always being aware of what’s around us, making sure he is paying attention to my aids, I can never relax for even a minute. I can ride a lot of funny business, but this one is so explosive and so sudden, he’s gotten me off a couple of times, and it’s starting to mess with me.

A few weeks ago, we were finishing our jumping lesson, and over top of a 3’ jump he spots a deer 50 yards away down in the paddocks, didn’t even fully land before he spun hard, and dumped me off before I even had a chance to get my butt back in the saddle after the jump!

This is messing with my head - I can stick a lot of stuff, but I had no chance whatsoever to stick that spin - I’m busy looking straight ahead to finish our line, then get him set up for the turn, and he’s looking way off in the distance at a deer that I never even saw until after I was able to get off the ground.

I don’t know what to do; I don’t have a lot of riding options at the moment. This horse has done wonders for my eye and my riding, but after 3 kids, my interest in hitting the ground is definitely waning. Even after a 45-minute intense flatwork session, he spooked hard at who knows what outside the ring, and almost got me off. I don’t dare ride the horse outside the ring, especially since I’m almost always riding alone…but I also don’t want to always be sitting on him waiting for the worst either…

Any help or suggestions?

[Scribbler]

If you cant sit his spooks, can’t defuse them in advance by keeping him between hand and leg, if your confidence is getting damaged and you are en route to getting hurt, then stop riding him and find another option. Even if that means another barn.

Life is too short and horses too expensive for us adult ammies and returning riders etc to spend time being afraid or in an ambulance

How does he go for the trainer? What advice do they give you?

[beowulf]

I would stop riding that horse. A horse that spins and dumps its rider on a schedule like that is not a horse you would pay me to ride. There is nothing wrong about not being able to - or wanting to - ride a horse like this.

Riding is supposed to be fun. Find another before this uncharitable horse completely drains your “confidence bank”.

[2DogsFarm]

Agree with @Scribbler & @beowulf
I’ve ridden for over 40yrs - Hunters, Eventing & trails.
My TWH has the Telespook capability.
BUT he telegraphs through body language, so I can catch him.
And once caught, he is unlikely to try again.
If it were otherwise, he’d be a pasture ornament or gone.
No kids or spouse, I have 3 horses at home. I am the only caretaker & so cannot be Out of Service on the Injured List

[splitrockfarmnc]

If you don’t own this horse (it sounds like you don’t) then I’d start looking for a new ride ASAP. Up to you whether you continue to ride him in the meantime but it isn’t worth your physical and mental health to stick this one out if he isn’t yours and that “commitment” isn’t there. You say he’s built up your confidence working over fences - that’s awesome. But how long before that dwindles away if you never know when he might disappear out from under you halfway over a fence? Personally I would find that to be confidence shattering. Even just one time, and I’ve been known to ride through some Drama

But if you are feeling attached, committed, or just limited in your choices of mount, then what are your options for doing some de-spooking work with him? Is there someone who can either take the horse for a little while, or come work with you? Not saying it will completely solve the problem but there are a lot of competent individuals out there who may be able to help you tone down his reactions to things he finds scary. Maybe if his reactions weren’t so intense you would have more success riding through them, thus giving him confidence to follow your lead, even when he’s afraid.

[Horselove5]

Magnesium supplements don’t help?

[cbg]

I had one just like this. His spook and levitate came out of nowhere and was pretty impossible to predict. And it wasn’t just me that fell off him - a friend who breaks and trains racehorses (flat and steeplechase) and events fell off him on occasion as well. I didn’t really let anyone else on him because of how he was.

However, while he would do his “thing” in the ring at home, hacking in the fields and in the schooling ring at shows, he was an absolute freaking saint in the show ring. I learned to jump some pretty big classes on this horse and I had total confidence that he would walk into any ring, anywhere, anytime and march right around the fences. So, for me the trade off was worth it. But I certainly wouldn’t fault anyone who came to a different conclusion than I did.

Oh, and although I trail ride all my horses, for obvious reasons I didn’t take this one for the first couple of years I had him. Finally one day I did and it turned out he was super out on the trails - never had a problem with him there .

[Virginia_Horse_Mom]

OP - I a feel your pain. I just put a lovely 8 yr old warmblood mare up for sale, because of the unpredictable, persistent spooking while hacking out. I had her boarded out in a professional program for years, and enjoyed riding her there, schooling on there cross country course, etc. But, when I brought her home (I have my own small farm) last year during Covid, some of her issues became more challenging for me to handle. My home farm has an amazing shaded hacking loop, plus, I have access to 200 plus acres of neighboring hayfields to hack out on. I had some pro friends come ride out with me at my farm last summer and fall, and the mare did OK hacking out in that situation, when it was really hot, with rock solid company. There was still a fair amount of spooking though, and figured with time and familiarity with the loop we rode, we’d work through it. She had the winter off. Then, this spring, I brought her back into work. She was fine when riding in the fields, with no shadows, etc, But, if I tried hacking her out on the shaded loop (beside the pasture) with my 11 year old daughter, who is still on a small pony… it was a mess. It was not fun, and we had several close calls. I backed off, and I spent several weeks straight just hand walking the mare alone, on our hacking loop, before or after riding in the fields. She still spooked every time. Jumping at every other unusual shadow, birds, any noises we didn’t foresee, etc. And when this mare gets spooky… she thinks about going up. Shes done it while leading. And… She’s done it a few times when really young, and I had her out with a pro trainer in the tack. The behavior was addressed and she’s really a nice well schooled mare under saddle… but her brain definitely thinks “go up!” when she gets stressed and spooky. After the last few weeks and seeing no improvement just with hand walking even, I had a pro friend come over and ride her a few times for me. Same spooking issues. I finally accepted that this mare is a bad fit for my farm situation and riding goals… her brain just isn’t really suited for life outside the arena, except when hacking in open fields, in company, without any shadows or little birds in trees, etc. Soooo… she’s in a sales program and is very likely going to a 100% dressage home, and someone will probably love her and go up the levels. The mare is a gorgeous mover, and really nicely schooled.

I’m bummed though. I have put a TON into this horse. Lots of really good professional training. She’s also had just under a year here at my low stress home farm, and 24/7 turnout on lovely pasture, with relaxed herd mates and nice huge loafing sheds. She’s had a high forage low grain diet, lots of flax and plenty of vitamin E, etc etc. She just is who she is, and it was time I accepted it, and either gave up on really ever riding out and enjoying the neighboring hay fields, and hacking with my kid… or get a new horse that actually LIKES doing all that. This mare didn’t. She likes doing shoulder in and half passes in an arena.

I was pretty bummed and down on myself last week after making the call, and taking her to a sales barn. But I did also feel relieved. I e been riding since I was a kid, and lately, I knew it was a matter of when… not if… things were going to take a really bad turn for the worse if I kept on trying to make the mare adjust and ride out here. And I am now in my 40’s and have two kids and do all my own farm labor… and I don’t want to have a crappy fall involving a situation with a rearing horse…

[173north]

Honestly, I’d be looking for something else to ride. I have a lot of tolerance for silliness and don’t mind one that bucks or even bolts but I really, really don’t like those lighting fast spook-and-spins. I had a bad fall off a horse who did one years ago and that “on the ground before I knew what was happening” moment was so unsettling to me. I want to at least have the option to TRY to stay on!

[Impractical_Horsewoman]

That type of reactive spooking is so hard to work through. It’s not an issue that can necessarily be targeted easily in a training session, because the horse might be completely chill and fine for the hour or so the trainer is watching the two of you.

I agree with the others who say it wouldn’t be the ride for me, particularly since I can be an anxious person and transfer that anxiety to the horse if I have those types of experiences repeatedly.

You sound very level-headed, but it’s hard for even an amateur with nerves of steel to be happy on a horse you can never completely relax with. A competitive pro might take the trade-off of a talented and winning horse for the risk of landing on the ground every so often. But why not look for a horse that doesn’t pose such a risk to your confidence?

[KingoftheRoad]

Man, I hear you guys, I really really do, but I don’t have very many options… This is a solid citizen at 3’6", and I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to lease him for just expenses, which is unheard of around here.

I’m not in a position to be able to buy again right now, so this situation has been mostly ideal for me. The jump spook the other day just really threw me for a loop; I just can’t fathom how were in the middle of jumping a course and he’s worried about a deer half a football field away.

He’s put me on the ground twice in two years, and gotten me loose in the saddle maybe another 4 times… Am I overreacting? I’ve just never experienced anything like that spook basically over top of a jump, that didn’t even give me a fighting chance to hang in there…

[cbg]

I’m not really sure anyone else can answer that question for you.

I fell off my guy a hell of a lot more than twice in as many years - but he successfully did the job I needed him to do and I kept him a long time. So for me, two falls and a couple of unseats in two years on a horse that was super useful to me would be a no-brainer yes. I know other people who would be like see ya after a single spook, let alone a fall - and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that either.

So you’ll have to figure out whether - for you - the pluses outweigh the minuses.

[TheDBYC]

It sounds like a horse whose mind is always revving at a million miles an hour. He may get physically tired, but cannot settle his mind in spite of it. Hence the spooking despite the 45 minutes of flatting.

Is it a hunter? Jumper?

[KingoftheRoad]

He’s a jumper, but not hot at all. A push ride for certain, I’m always working to get him moving forward, which is what kinda makes the spooks so out of character…

[TheDBYC]

Are the spooks a new thing, then? Or worsening lately? You said you’ve come off twice in the last two years. How old is he?

[LSBC]

Spins are the hardest and it is so difficult when you have a lovely horse to deal with that. I rode two consistently that would spin, one in traffic (no horses coming at him) and one just because he was afraid of everything. Traffic was easy to control, he only got me off once. The other one was another story - I fell off at a long and stretchy trot after a hard flat ride when he spooked at a spot in the arena we had gone past probably 50 times by that point. However he was an absolutely lovely horse, forgiving to the fences that he wasn’t afraid of, and overall wonderful to ride. For him, his spinning kind of came in waves. Sometimes I wasn’t worried about it at all and he seemed like a solid citizen, and other times I only rode at the sitting trot.

I wish I could give you a solid answer. For me, both horses were free to ride and worth it. If you feel like him spinning is outweighing your good rides, then don’t ride him, that is clearly not worth it. If you think that is something that you can handle - keep going, lovely horses are hard to come by for cheap.

[2DogsFarm]

@KingoftheRoad

didn’t even give me a fighting chance to hang in there

This would answer the question for me.
Do your minimal lease expenses go on Hold when (not if) you get hurt & cannot ride?
Sometimes getting what you pay for is not worth it.
Switch to a safer school horse or lease.
Your show goals also get impacted by injury.
Maybe so far your falls haven’t resulted in disabling injury, but no guarantee the next one won’t.
My worst riding injury came from my reliable TB tripping after jumping a teeny X - on our way to the 3’ Schooling fences.
I rolled over his shoulder & dislocated my shoulder.
3wks in a sling was pretty disabling, even with no kids (or, at the time: horses) to care for.

[fourfillies]

Spins are just tough. I had a rock star A/A hunter that did this (but not o/f, I’d think that would be even tougher). Was rare (about twice a year) but when he did it I came off every.single.time. Spin right, me exit off left shoulder. He eventually sat me in a puddle with sand in my pants and in the walk back to the barn I was like just enough. Sold him to a long legged junior who was very successful both showing and sitting his (disclosed) spin.

[KingoftheRoad]

He’s 10, I think. The spooks aren’t new, although over top of the jump is. I’m just gobsmacked that we’re (successfully) jumping a 3’3" vertical, and he’s looking off into the distance for a tiny deer…

[MsM]

Coming off twice in two years wouldn’t seem too terrible BUT… it is the always on edge stuff and the spooks that didn’t get you off that make this more difficult.

I have come off my generally sensible horse twice in a little over three years. He has a spin that I find really difficult to stay with. BUT I dont have a fabulous seat, so that is part of it. And most of the time he is sensible, so I dont ride waiting for the spin.

We have an open back door to the indoor where the monsters seem to live. Even the horses that literally graze there can still be suspicious and spook. Then sometimes we are surprised by a deer, or cat (I think I am cursed by cats popping out unexpectedly) or squirrel etc. Whatever is moving or different can provoke a reaction that ranges from gawking to stopping to spinning or bolting, depending on the horse and the issue.**

I guess you need to decide if his jumping abilities makes it worth it to chance his spooks. Personally, I would not continue with a horse that I could never relax on.