Young horse - changing eyes under saddle = bolt!

[Boomer]

I’m not really sure where to post this. But I have a coming 4 yo (he will be 4 in May) that is at a cowboy being started. Going to left with a rider he’s pretty good, but when you change directions or bend to the right so that you can see his right eye, he bolts.

Going from right to left, he startles a little, but not bad. I’ve had two different vets check his eyes (one at PPE, the other when the problem showed up) and also had his back x-rayed - no issues.
Cowboy doesn’t seem too worried about overcoming the issue with work. He’s great on the groundwork - long lines and ponies well.

Anyone have experience with this issue? I have not talked to many that do.

[Scribbler]

What does calling an eye under saddle mean? What are you doing with your body and aids?

What happens if you are standing still and ask him to flex his neck in both directions so he can see you in the saddle, or take a treat from your hand? Is he scared of seeing you on his back?

If he’s not afraid of seeing you on his back, I wonder if something is causing pain when he turns right? Neck, hoof, back pain? Saddle fit issues?

[S1969]

I agree that I have no understanding of what “call to the eye” means. I find it hard to believe that a horse is unaware that you are on his back until he sees you…I’m thinking there is discomfort somewhere instead…an impingement in the back or neck, for example, or some kind of saddle issue.

[Boomer]

Ok so if you are going left with a small inside bend then go to change directions, when you can see the right eye a little from the saddle, he bolts. If you are walking to the right, then try to go left, he startles but not bad.

You can lean over his back from a mounting block and ask him to bend for a treat without issue either side. You can stand next to him on the ground and no problems bending.

But sit on the arena rail and ask him to walk up next to you with his right side to you… he will tentatively do it, but you move around alot, he either shoots forward or startle steps a little. Same scenario to the left and he won’t startle.

When I first got him, you couldn’t stand on a milk crate next to him on his right side without him trying to shoot forward. But now, that is ok and the mounting block is ok.

So the problem is really 2 fold: something up high and on his right side. It’s a super strange issue.

[Scribbler]

Not that strange IMHO.

Horses process things differently on different sides. You need to do everything on both sides and directions. Plenty of well broke horses will look at something going one way in the ring and at then find it terrifying going the other way.

But standard practice is to handle ftom the left side.

So start doing a lot of ground work from the right side. Keep up with the arena fence. Mount and dismount right side. With young horses lots of exposure to things is key.

[candyappy]

Could be his particular reaction to dealing with the stress that being started under saddle can cause. He is 3 and you sent him to a new place, to be handled by someone he doesn’t know and he is being asked to do all these new ( scary) things . He is going to process all this change in his own way.

Spooking, minor bolting etc is not something uncommon when backing a youngster early on. A hired trainer may push them a lot faster( than the owner would) because they are being paid for results.

Sometimes you can go too fast.

[Abbie.S]

Sounds like a pretty standard, albeit ingrained, response to being asked to take the world in through the eye he’d rather not use as his dominant eye.

OP, have you (or the person starting him) done any flag work with this horse? That’d be my first go to if it’s “the things up high” that get him when he switches eyes. You can use the flag in all the places a rider would be and get him better about the switch that way. Otherwise, I might opt to go a bit slower with this fellow - if he’s okay being sat on but just has trouble with the swap, go slower. Don’t ask for more than a walk while switching bends and allow him the time to process before moving up to a trot, etc.

I would also do a lot more from the rail. Practice asking him to sidle up next to you but request it twice as often from the right as from the left. Take away the pressure of being ridden and just get him better about accepting paying attention through his right eye.

[Maggiemoy]

If your horse works out of it he may just have some muscle soreness. See if you can find a good massage therapist or Chiropractor to work on him.
My husband works on my young horses . There are times I can see an issue but he says no big deal. When I palpate it I may find a knot… Palpate both sides of the neck and feel for any abnormalities. If it is one side there is usually a problem.

[Boomer]

Hi - i should have specified that he will be 4 yo next month, but yes, I understand what you are saying. I have told the cowboy that I want him to take the time that is needed - if it’s more than 90 days, I’m good with it.

[Boomer]

There really isn’t a “working out of it” (like soreness with a riding horse) … I did 90 days of ground work (with a trainer’s help) before sending him to the cowboy to be started, so he has improved from being scared of anything done on the right side to fine with it unless it’s up on his back. So I’m thinking the “on his back” part will take time as well.

This is my 3rd young horse, and neither of the other two had this problem, they were quite easy to get going.

[Boomer]

Yep - we have done flag work. He’s generally good with it. The first time or two he’s a little uncertain but then relaxes and really doesn’t care if I touch him anywhere with it. I also took him to a “confidence clinic” - they had all kinds of obstacles for us to play with; inflatables, ghosts hanging in the trees, pool noodles, tarps on the ground etc.

Also have done a little “clicker and target” type training - if he’s a afraid of something I point at it and tell him to “touch” - when he does I click with my mouth and give him a treat. That’s how he learned to load into the trailer - used a huge traffic cone as the target.

[S1969]

@Boomer

Yep - we have done flag work. He’s generally good with it. The first time or two he’s a little uncertain but then relaxes and really doesn’t care if I touch him anywhere with it. I also took him to a “confidence clinic” - they had all kinds of obstacles for us to play with; inflatables, ghosts hanging in the trees, pool noodles, tarps on the ground etc.

If you’re working obstacles like this from both sides and your horse doesn’t react, I think it reinforces the idea that it’s not vision related but something else. Maybe he simply gets worked more to the left than to the right? Or maybe there is an issue under saddle (neck, saddle fit, etc.)

[Angela_Freda]

@Boomer

There really isn’t a “working out of it” (like soreness with a riding horse) … I did 90 days of ground work (with a trainer’s help) before sending him to the cowboy to be started, so he has improved from being scared of anything done on the right side to fine with it unless it’s up on his back. So I’m thinking the “on his back” part will take time as well.

This is my 3rd young horse, and neither of the other two had this problem, they were quite easy to get going.

How long have you had him?
How many different places has he lived at this point?

[Boomer]

I bought him Sept 2020 from a lady who had health issues so he didn’t have all the handling my other youngsters had. He has been a good egg since I’ve had him and adapted to lots of new things in his narrow experience. So I am being patient and understanding of that.
At first he didn’t like anything touching his right side - not towels, grooming was even a little scary - and the pool noodles touching his right side made him anxious at the confidence clinic until he’d done it a bunch of times.
So I think a lot of this will resolve but will just take longer than another youngster that was handled more.
He’s got a good brain, the trainer I’ve had help me really likes him. He’s very sweet and smart, so I think he’ll come around. I just didn’t know if others had similar experiences.

[Boomer]

I was working both sides, but admittedly I probably tended to be left more than right . It took some effort to remind myself that he has two sides, not just a left side, lol.

[WildGooseChase]

Horses have monocular vision for most of their field of view. That means, the right eye sees things that the left eye doesn’t, and vice versa. When you switch sides, you’re also switching sides of the brain.

Honestly, it sounds like they’re not balanced in their training. It’s incredibly important to work on both sides (1/3 on the good side, 2/3 on the bad side) to keep them balanced. I saddle, mount/dismount, bend, lunge, round pen etc EVERYTHING on both sides and will double the work on one side if they prove to need it.

[lenapesadie]

@Boomer

But sit on the arena rail and ask him to walk up next to you with his right side to you… he will tentatively do it, but you move around alot, he either shoots forward or startle steps a little. Same scenario to the left and he won’t startle.

Well horsie says right here he’s not comfortable with you (general) in his right eye and above him.

If this was my horse, I’d stay on this step of the training scale until it was perfect.

[Angela_Freda]

So about seven months?

[Boomer]

Yes, about 7 months. Progress at the cowboy is super slow, but that’s ok. I’d rather have things done right and not take a short cuts.

[lm1089]

Hi, I know this post is super old but my 4 y/o gelding has the exact same issue (even down to it being the right eye) and I was wondering what the outcome was here. Were you able to figure out a solution/successfully fix the issue?