after another unsuccessful ride, so here goes... how do you try to bombproof a pony?

[CautionToTheWind]

I know its a huge question, but I have no idea where to start!

I've just came back off a ride on Holly, on the hope it would relax me for my day of revision for the 2 A-level exams I have tomorrow ( which I am freaking out about :scared: ). I was just schooling, on the thought that schooling's the safe option since Holly is scared of everything outside the arena. My friend was riding her TB mare in the outdoor with me and it was nice to have the company.

I was just doing the general warm-up, circles, serpentine's, rein changes a bit of trot here and there and Holly was (at times) excepting my contact and going round, which is unusual for her as she seems to find it hard to concentrate and likes to look around. But in-between the nice, round, collected trots and circles she was spooking at the K-E-H side at stationary fanta cans stuck in the grass on the outside of the school. She'd come off the contact and literally sidestep from between K and E tll she reached the centre line and then she'd walk on. I understood her reaction for a couple of circuits of the school, but after that it puzzled me. She'd happily let me stop her at E (where the cans were) where she could stare at the cans then walk forward calmly, but then if I walked past them again the same thing would occur. Then I turned her in on the centre line to allow my friend to canter, and she was fine until I asked her to walk on after my friend had finished and a bit of the school floor was sticking out... and I had the whole "neck down, weight flung onto forehand, huge stare, bolt off" episode even though she'd stood next to that piece of floor for around 5 minutes. :rolleyes:
This was then followed by an unexplainable repeat of that 10 minutes later on the M-B-F side, but then a perfect canter a whole circuit of the school (past scary cans, and scary outer world!) leaving me totally confused.

So I really don't know what to do or where to start with making her less spooky. I'm used to riding spooky horses or horses that bolt off or act up, but I guess I never truly schooled them out of their habits, I was just able to not fall off by their antics and I'm confident enough to repeat that spooky situation until they learned. But with Holly, I see her 2-3 times a week, and I feel any progress I do make is small... and forgotten later. So do you have any tips for me? I have so much I want to do with her but just no idea where to start!

Thank you!
xxx

[BEX101]

Patience and repetition is you main thing. Maybe you riding 3 times a week just isnt enough for stuff like that to sink in.
Maybe you could try some ground work exercises? Parelli/join up - something along those lines to get a stronger bond, get her to trust your judgement more.

Good Luck. X

[My Crazy Clan]

Ditto above!

Also if you stressy she will know and it will make her worse.

[funkyboots]

sounds like my 6yr old madam......no concentration with the odd blaze of brilliance...then back to pain in the butt....send her to her room? lol

no seriously, try some NH.

[gallopinggelding]

Just really doing what your doing ,hacking out and going forward, i hacked my boy out for nearly a year by himself before with others ,just started approx six weeks ago i found even though i was lonely ,no one hacked out on old yard it was probably the best way-sometimes i think once you start hacking with another horse with a youngster they relay on company for confidence ,but difference things work for different horses you could try working on a short established route at first, then adding/changing it /lengthening /it .It will take a while though !Your doing well !

[~*Danni*~]

Hi :D
I haven't read any of the other replies so sorri if I'm repeating what others might have said :p I think it takes a lot of paitence and a lot of time - which, as I'm in the middle of my A2 Level Exams too - is really hard to find, but it is very important. This is what has worked for me in the past when I've worked with 'spooky' Horses so it isn't necessarily what Your Horse needs :) ....
It sounds silly but if you can, try to buy a 'Parelli' halter and leadrope as it helps to give you that little extra length of the rope and more control, but never tie a Horse up using one, obviously if you can't afford one it's not really a problem, but the level of control, I've found anyway, seems to be really beneficial :) In the safe, enclosed area of your outdoor arena make lots of 'scary' obstacles like tarpaulin and coloured poles (and even fanta cans and school letters if you like :p lol) and make sure you have a lot of time. Try to find a friend with a totally bombproof Horse to join you as that really helps build the confidence of the nervous Horse. Don't Tack your Horse up and ask if your friend doesn't mind helping you with their Horse in hand too, as that way there's not the extra pressure of dealing with a Rider who might be nervous in anticipation of what the Horse might do :p Then quietly reassuring your Horse, following the confident Horse, lead your Horse around the not-so-scary obstacles to begin with, then follow the confident Horse around the 'scary' obstacles and it might take a while, but especially if your Horse is driven by food, bring threats with you to reward not spooking and make a huge fuss of Her when She goes passed something, even if She isn't usually scared of it and seems to be taking the mick as it's important to build up a trust between you - you could even go over/through or tackle the obstacles too, so She realises these things aren't going to hurt Her and everything is ok :D I personally would even attempt Riding Her until She's totally unphased by everything in hand but obviously that has a lot to do with your situation as well as Hers :) Then move onto leading Her out on Hacks with confident Horses and then try going in the school with Her in hand by yourself before Riding Her in the outdoor arena then Riding Her out on Hacks when She's ready :D Be prepared to take two steps forward and one step back, but don't ever get angry or frustrated with Her as that's never the answer, so if you do feel yourself getting annoyed etc finish on a good note even if it's only been a five-minute session, as it's better to never start an arguement than to start one, lose it and end up back at square one :p 'Join-up' might also be a good confidence booster for both of you but it's far more beneficial in a round pen than in a rectangular arena :p Maybe you could even let Her off loose in the arena with scary obstacles everywhere - after, of course She's already been around them with a confident Horse in hand :p - so She becomes indifferent to them and confident in Herself too :D But always make a big fuss and make a really big deal out of anything She does that's brave as She'll be proud of Herself too, particularly if She hasn't always been treated in the nicest way by people :)
Anyway, Good Luck, I'm sure She'd improve with a lot of practice and paitence :D xxxx
(p.s Why not talk to black crow, She's an Equine Behaviourist and I'm sure She'd have some Fab ideas :D)