From: Christina
Hi Jessica,
I have been having a problem with my horse being inattentive and spooking lately. It has gotten to the point where most of my rides are focusing on damage control.
I moved him to a new barn this last spring. He now has a good sized paddock he can run around in and his stall is always open to it so that he can self-exercise whenever he needs to. His feed supplement was changed as a result of the move (the barn didn't offer the same thing). We started with Purina Senior feed (was too high in molasses) to cob (which still had too much sugar for the lively boy) to rolled oats (which is what he was on at a previous barn where he was more mellow). You could really tell that he was whacked out with all the sugar - he just had so much nervous energy. Well he has calmed down some. But he still spooks quite a bit in the arena at this place.
When I first brought him there I rode him in the arena and he was fine the first few days until the sugar kicked in. When we jump him in the arena he is fine - I suspect because he has something very interesting to do. But when we work on our dressage he will be flighty. He will tense up when he rounds a particular corner. He has a favorite side, although some of his more spectacular spooks and rearing have occurred on the other side.
I think we have gotten past the rearing and it was a function of the rider not letting the horse go forward into a spook.
Last week I took this horse to Bridle Trails for a dressage schooling show and he never spooked. Not even when people would ride down out of the woods. We had a much better ride at Bridle trails than at home. I have ridden him out in the field at his stable and he is more relaxed there than in the arena.
I don't know if the horse really fears something or has lost interest in dressage/basic flat work. He moved so well at Bridle Trails that I know he is capable and his back was up and relaxed. I just don't know if he is truly afraid or just unwilling.
I have been watching his ears too when I ride and I wonder if he has just decided to blow me off at times. I have tried talking to him, clucking, squeezing with the inside leg and tweaking the rein in order to get one ear to cock back at me, but it doesn't happen very often and more importantly it doesn't stay there. I have tried nagging at him but I don't think this will help either.
Can you offer any insight or suggestions? Do I need to do some ground work to get his attention focused on me before I get in the saddle? How do I keep his attention once I get it? How do I make it important enough to him to give me his attention? I suppose it is easier for him to give me his attention and not spook (whirling is a lot of work) but he doesn't seem to think that way.
P.S. You might remember us. A couple of years ago, you and Sue Brown came out to a barn in Woodinville, WA called Carousel where I had him at the time to do a lesson with me. You may remember my horse he was a 16 hand bay with a white blaze. We worked on shortening my stirrups and on the canter.
Thanks for your help! You have been a valuable resource.
Regards,
Christina
If your horse prefers to work outdoors -- and most horses do -- why not work him outdoors as much as possible? Dressage isn't just for dressage arenas. Horses can get, if not bored, at least very tired of repetitive unpleasant experiences, and if your horse has become tired of arena work (for whatever reason), you might try working him outside instead.
I often hear that horses that seem "bored" indoors perk up visibly when they go out. That's normal. Horses tend to be much more alert when they're exposed to sights, sounds, breezes, and smells that are all lacking in an indoor school. Even the shift in footing can help them become more focused. Going outdoors also tends to make the RIDER more focused on the horse -- riders can become very complacent in an indoor school, and begin to do their work by rote instead paying close attention to their horses. Outdoors, you're always looking up, listening, and you're always aware that Something Interesting Could Happen. Indoors, it's very likely that you may be looking down and thinking of things other than your horse. ;-)
If your horse has had an actual bad experience -- perhaps one that didn't involve you -- in the indoor school, he will be unlikely to feel safe and secure there, and a nervous horse is not going to relax and lift his back easily or consistently. The quality of your work will probably be better if you take the horse elsewhere to school him, at least for a while. If there's a flat field you can use, or even a slightly-sloped one, you can do everything that you would do in the arena, and gain the extra benefit of learning how to maintain consistent, steady gaits whether you are working up or down the slope.
If you have no field, but there's a trail or path nearby, use that. Your horse will already be thinking "forward" as you go down the path, and you can improve your lateral work tremendously by doing it from side to side of that trail or path. Leg-yield, shoulder-in, half-pass, travers, renvers, and all manner of transitions are perfect for work on trails.
It's a good idea to watch your horse's ears, but if he isn't paying attention to you, it's not because he's made a conscious decision to "blow you off". Horses don't think that way. They are very, very reactive, however, and will become tense and upset if they are constantly being pestered by the rider. If your horse's ears are swiveling around to catch sounds, that's normal. If one ear keeps swiveling back toward you, that's normal too -- but don't try to do things with your seat or reins or voice just to make the horse bring an ear back. For one thing, it won't work, and for another, the effort will interfere with your riding.
Ground work is fun, and can be an excellent way of teaching riders more about horse body language, but there is not going to be an automatic carryover to under-saddle work. Body language isn't so useful when the horse can no longer see you. ;-) Instead, I would suggest working outdoors and then going into the arena to cool down, have a few treats, and have fun. If your horse learns to associate the arena with pleasant, relaxing communication, he will become much less spooky about it, and much more attentive to you when he is being ridden indoors.
Jessica
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