4 years ago my big guy ( 18hh Ottb) and I were in an accident and I broke my leg pretty good we have healed and moved on for the most part from that … 2 years ago … I had a staff member at a barn blind my horse in one eye… we have fought an uphill battle on that both physically and mentally . He was my hunter jumper … he’s healed physically … he can still jump and he’s actually pretty good boy to ride most of the time …spring / summers/ early fall …but since the accident he is very sound reactive … so we have the ear plugs … we have the Equifit silentfit Bonnet … and those help good amount as well … but come late fall/winter when it’s snowy/ gross weather where I live … we ride in the indoor … this is where we struggle . Every single sound ( horses kicking the wall/ a person coming in the indoor or coming in the door of the barn) causes him to spook and rear . or spook and run … or spook and jump … and once he’s done that … I can’t get him back … and the ride is just a mess but if he’s lunging and the horse kicks … it’s less of a big deal but he still spooks a bit … anybody have any ideas? Any favorite calming supplements? I’ve worked with an on-site trainer who states well he’s just reactive now … but this isn’t an everyday all the time thing … we can be fine and then the horse kicks the wall ( same wall as the indoor) and he just comes unglued … thanks in advance!
Does this get better or worse depending on what you two are doing? My lease mare is like this - intensely sound reactive in the indoor specifically, especially when there is a lot going on around us. Barring any physical/pain issues (we treated for ulcers and this behavior decreased significantly), the best thing I’ve found is to get her very focused on a task. Polework, lateral work, changes in pace. If we’re just farting around with no purpose, she will spook at someone picking up poop in the aisle when the shovel scrapes the ground. If she’s got a task, I’m fairly certain a bomb could go off and she’d ignore it.
I will also say, she got me off a time or two and I found that without realizing it I was absolutely getting tense waiting for a sound to set her off and making her worry. You mention he’s a bit less reactive when you lunge which makes me think you may be physically or mentally anticipating a spook, which sort of self-perpetuates it. (Usually I’d say check saddle fit but if it’s onky happening inside…) Luckily the same thing works for that too. If I’m coming up with tasks for her, I’m not thinking about the sounds either.
He’s a little better if we are working on something that requires more … attention for sure . If we are just walking around the indoor … anything will just set him off for sure . It could also be both of us as a factor … I definitely tense up once he’s spooked ( a very bad spook was the reason to the accident that broke my leg badly and that was the first time he had spooked with me) so part of me could be doing that as well … but he’s still spooky on the ground when lunging on the side of the indoor that has doors to the outside where he anticipates… you can see him trying to see and then he flies around in a spook and then settles and it happens again . But when he’s super focused over poles on the ground he’s a little better … still will react but less … dramatic for lack of a better word. But I will have to try to work on more things ( pole work and lateral work) … and keeping busy and see if that helps at all! Thank you!
As always, investigate potential causes of pain causing spookiness
That being said, he’s gone though a huge change and now his main way of keeping himself safe is sound. And an indoor can act like a drum, amplifying every sound so it sounds loud and weird. I’m not shocked he’s scared. Could your barn allow you to turn him out in there for a hour or so for a few days? Maybe some time in there where he can investigate on his own would help.
I would also ask, as said above, ‘when is he spooking?’ One of my geldings will act like this one tree has a monster living in it if we aren’t working particularly hard. But if I have him on the bit, or we are jumping, or doing something he deems interesting, suddenly the tree is safe to pass.
And also it sounds like you’ve had a really bad accident on this horse. Sometimes it’s just time to sell, let that horse move on to someone who doesn’t have that ‘baggage’ of bad rides on them, and start fresh with a new horse.
He’s already on indoor turnout so the indoor is not exactly … new to him. Selling him isn’t an option as well . I’m thinking he’s not using his brain enough when we do ride to stay busy enough to keep his mind off the “scary sounds”
If it were my horse, I would be doing groundwork for relaxation in that indoor. Then – and only then – would I ride in there. If you’re not familiar with groundwork for relaxation, there’s plenty of YouTube videos, articles, and books out there. I’m also a big fan of Warwick Schiller’s approach. He deals with a lot of horses with anxiety.
How’s your horse’s turnout situation? Sometimes barns turn out less in winter, which can make the horses more fresh to ride. That may be contributing to your problem. It’s definitely a problem for me! I tend to do a quick chase or lunge before I ride in winter if my horse is giving me the crazy eyes.
ETA: I do think magnesium helps a little. I have used SmartCalm Ultra from SmartPak.
I would used a two pronged approach for this.
You and your horse both have issues.
For yourself I think you could consider some therapy for your PTSD. You were badly injured both physically and emotionally. The leg has healed but you still have the emotional damage.
A good therapist can give you ways to effectively deal with your fears, and rebuild your confidence.
- Your horse
I highly recommend Warwick Schiller videos. There are plenty of free videos and you can also subscribe.
He has several videos that directly address how to teach horses to calm themselves.
You are nervous, understandably so, expecting him to spook, so he reacts to your tension. So he spooks. It is a vicious cycle.
Watching the videos will give you some ideas and tools to change how and your horse handle stressful conditions.
Also, have you had a vet check his vision?
Good luck. Hope this helps.
I’ll look into that ! Thanks!
I ride an Arab (motto: Constant Vigilance) and it took the better part of a year to progress from regular teleportation to being comfortable riding on the buckle (albeit still with the occasional quick step and snort) — and he doesn’t have any trauma in his past!
I agree with the PPs above who suggest finding ways to keep your horse’s mind on his job. If that means changing direction/flexion/gait/tempo every 3 strides, do it. When he settles, even a little, that’s when he earns a stretch or walk break and LOTS of praise.
Another part of our routine is an initial lap in each direction to survey the horse-eating monsters. We make stops near the known unscheduled departure points, sit for a bit, watch the show, and I tell him how handsome and brave he is. I am really conscious of my relaxed body language, and work to keep my voice encouraging, but not So! Excited! And! Chirpy! that he takes it as a signal to wind up. (Voice in general is big for him. Remember, it’s an aid for a reason.) If he notices something while we’re working, I’m generally OK with stopping to get a good look or sniff, provided he acts like he’s been in public before. In return, he’s learned that I’m OK with taking whatever time he needs to meditate on scary stuff. But I’m not OK with bolting, spinning and other escape nonsense.
When we began our partnership, he clearly felt like it was his responsibility to keep both of us safe, because he was stronger and smarter and what the hell did I bring to the party? (Editor: He was right.) Over a long stretch of time, I’ve proven that I’m going to take care of him and not put him in a situation that’s beyond his capabilities. And that’s made him willing to relax a lot.
The trail out from where I board passes a skateboard park. (Urban housekeeping is just delightful sometimes.) My horse goes by it okay, and he’s become less and less reactive to it. Some horses new to the barn have a harder time, so I’ll just pass along what has worked for others. One hand walked her horse past it with alfalfa hay strategically placed and that desensitized the mare to the sound. Another guy there made a recording of the sound and played it on a loop in his horse’s stall. That worked for his horse and others.
I’ve never found a calming supplement that worked very well, but it might help to change his feed. Some horses are very sensitive to alfalfa, so maybe switching to grass hay but using rice bran or beet pulp to add “cool” calories would get you through the winter months.
Oh my God, the poor thing!
I agree with checking the vision in the other eye, and it’s possible that even if it’s normal, he still hasn’t fully adjusted. Is he more spooky going one way versus the other.
The vets check the vision every 6 months . The other eye is just fine but the one that was damaged has very little sight in it . We knew that . His retina was damaged .
How? Did she get fired? NEVER to work with horses again?
I agree with above about the cooler feeds, I would lunge in side reins for at least 2 weeks and then before you ride.
Side reins do not kill and maim horses. People using side reins incorrectly kill and maim horses. If you don’t know how to lunge in side reins you need to be taught by someone who was taught to use them correctly.
I would not ride in side reins, but a running martingale is very useful with a spook.
I once tried a lovely 18hh WB in someone’s backyard. Beautiful horse, nicely trained, but he spooked at a gardener walking up the driveway, so I walked away from that one. A year later leading through Dressage Today, there he was featured in an article on how running martingales can help focus the spooky horse.
@Bristol_Bay I presume you need to edit your post to lunge in side reins. Nobody said anything about riding in side reins.
You said it, but maybe you meant lunge?
LOL. I WILL go and edit. I swear my fingers said that, not me!
Done.
They say she was fired … she disappeared for a while and then after we left I heard they hired her back … and then she was fired again . Why they hired her back … I have no idea …
Does he spook going both ways of the indoor? You mentioned his using his brain – I imagine his brain has changed with his eyesight; he used to be able to see going both ways of the arena, now he can’t see the same as before,
Is he on indoor turnout only? Is he ever out at grass? Just hanging out with pasture buddies being horses?
Ridden a few and been around others with compromised sight. IMO you are not going to make this behavior completely go away. Certainly not in just two years. They can learn to compensate over time but are still wired for split second fight of flight decisions without a full field of vision.
You cant fix being blind in one side with supplements or quick training fixes. Its long trust building work and he will still be vulnerable to overreact to sudden noise or movement on the blind side.
IMO best course of action is to modify what you ask of him based on his disability. Don’t expose him to situations where he’s likely to be surprised. I should think he’d be more comfortable outside in bright daylight.
I showed a one eyed horse over fences and was instructed to anticipate possible reactions to anything on the blind side, plan longer, straight approach tracks to fences and no short turns towards the blind side. Horse lost the eye about 10 years before, did very well when handled correctly but still could, and did, over react.
Another experience with a veteran one eyed horse was not so pleasant. Was hand grazing mine with several friends, dog came flying around a corner on the blind side of a veteran one eyed horse who blew up spooking all the others. Got knocked over and broke a wrist, yes, I was careless too but that one lost the eye 15 years earlier and “ never blew like that before” according to owner who was holding him. Until he did. Found out he had done that before, they just didn’t tell her and she never had hand grazed him with other horses around.
Think OP needs to redirect thinking to learning to adapt to that condition and not try to train it out. It is what it is and everybody working with or around him needs to be aware of it to keep everybody safe.
