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Veteran
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| One of my horses is scared of everything it seems like when you are on the ground. But if you are on his back riding he is a joy to ride. He may snort but never seems to lose it when you are riding him. I was told he was snake bit on his face not sure if anyone has expirience with that or not. But any suggestions on how to get him not to flip out over everything when I am on the ground? |
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Rad Dork
Posts: 5218
Location: Oklahoma | I'm in a similiar boat. I just bought this horse a week ago and he's always "alert". He hasn't done it in a way that's harmful, he's just more than I'm used to. I just give him plenty of time to look around and we move at his pace when we're on the ground. Under the saddle, like your horse, he'll snort, but he's not as nearly as "alert" and he's more business like. He will set back at the trailer if you don't let him have enough space to see his surroundings. I tie him on the corner with a Be Nice halter and a Blocker Tie ring and as long as he can get 4-5 feet of slack in the rope to turn around and look he doesn't pull back or do any harm. He's not hurting anything or anyone so far by being so looky (with the exception of before the new halter and tie ring), just gotta give him his space and time and he comes around.
I think it's just how some horses are.  I'm very curious to see what others say! |
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 I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
  
Location: MD | curious to see what others say here too. I've got a goose for a horse but both on the ground and on top. and as long as there isn't any cows or any other terrifying monsters, letting him get a good look at everything usually gets him over most of the scary things in this world. And I can never get lazy and wear not protective shoes around him. |
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Veteran
Posts: 220
| I am so glad to see others have the same thing. And yes mine is the same way, when I am on him he is not near as alert or goosy. He sets back also but not in a way to hurt you, he is just trying to get away. And I can never be lazy around him either and I always wear protective shoes because of his quirk. He is so gorgeous to look at and I feel like he will come around just needed to reassure myself it is worth it. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1432
Location: Never in one place long | I've known many horses that are this way.. that the safest place you can be is on their back! I don't know why some horses are like this. Sadly the only solution I can think of is for you to be really careful around him and maybe over time, with exposure and experience he will get better. What a frustrating thing though! We had many horses like that at a large farm I used to work at. We just dealt with it... |
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  Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | Firemanswife - 2014-05-15 7:07 AM One of my horses is scared of everything it seems like when you are on the ground. But if you are on his back riding he is a joy to ride. He may snort but never seems to lose it when you are riding him. I was told he was snake bit on his face not sure if anyone has expirience with that or not. But any suggestions on how to get him not to flip out over everything when I am on the ground?
I had one snake bit that we ended up selling to a canner. He was bit as a coming 2yr old right on the top lip. It pretty much fried his brain. We had him started and spent a lot of time with him and he was just a nut.
I do have a 3yr old that was super sweet as a weanling, turned him out to pasture and then sent him off to be started a couple months ago. He's a dream to ride, the guy did a great job with him, but he can be an a$$ on the ground. Not sure what his deal is. I try and spend a lot of time babying on him, petting etc and if he snorts and runs to a corner, I just go after him and bug him some more. It's really helping. I think he's just miffed he has a job now and not just a free loader lifestyle like before lol |
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 Expert
Posts: 2457
| Get ready to roll your eyes but ... Clinton Anderson has some REALLY good basics for desensitizing horses on the ground. You can find his methods on YouTube and don't need to buy the videos ...
I am a testimony for his methods working. When I bought my mare at 6 y.o. (in my profile pic) she had been in a trailer once, was freaked about everything, refused to walk through doorways that you can drive a truck through, and had her previous owners so bullied she would only back into a stall. She spooked at EVERYTHING. And when she spooked ... SHE SPOOKED and had some major issues that resulted with a broken rear door on a trailer, a broken valve on an automatic waterer, and several fence panels being destroyed (among other things).
So, I bought my stick and string. Watched some videos and got to work. The key is to keep the pressure going until the animal stands still, licks their lips, and accepts whatever pressure you are giving. If you quit before that point, you are only teaching them to move away and react to the pressure. Yes, it will be messy to begin with, but these methods WORK. I have used them on several different horses besides my mare but she is by far the best success story I have. My little mare has been a 100% turn around for the better - She does EVERYTHING and anything you ask, willingly and without question. I trust her and she trusts people now too.
Just my 2 cents. Good luck ya'll. |
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Expert
Posts: 1695
Location: Willows, CA | We showed a cutting horse for years that was this way on the ground only. His barn name was Snort. Fear in a horse is more dangerous than bad habits. With time you can usually fix the bad habit, but many horses that live in fear never get over it. Ours didn't. We won a lot of money on that horse, but he had his own set of rules that I could never get him over. Fear can result in blind panic. When that happens, it is easy to get hurt. These horses are not for everyone. |
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Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | lindseylou2290 - 2014-05-15 8:14 AM Get ready to roll your eyes but ... Clinton Anderson has some REALLY good basics for desensitizing horses on the ground. You can find his methods on YouTube and don't need to buy the videos ... I am a testimony for his methods working. When I bought my mare at 6 y.o. (in my profile pic) she had been in a trailer once, was freaked about everything, refused to walk through doorways that you can drive a truck through, and had her previous owners so bullied she would only back into a stall. She spooked at EVERYTHING. And when she spooked ... SHE SPOOKED and had some major issues that resulted with a broken rear door on a trailer, a broken valve on an automatic waterer, and several fence panels being destroyed (among other things). So, I bought my stick and string. Watched some videos and got to work. The key is to keep the pressure going until the animal stands still, licks their lips, and accepts whatever pressure you are giving. If you quit before that point, you are only teaching them to move away and react to the pressure. Yes, it will be messy to begin with, but these methods WORK. I have used them on several different horses besides my mare but she is by far the best success story I have. My little mare has been a 100% turn around for the better - She does EVERYTHING and anything you ask, willingly and without question. I trust her and she trusts people now too. Just my 2 cents. Good luck ya'll.
no eye rolling here. I do think he has turned his methods more to selling DVD's to the novice horse owner, but he is one of my favorite trainers to watch. I can't stand the methods that sissy foot around a horse. Doing that can take 10 years to get one broke. We use ours when they are 3-4 to do actual WORK. He also won't tolerate rude, step on you, get in your face horses. Another of my biggest pet peeves. You can learn something from every trainer (what to do and what not to do lol), but I really think people that use Clintons methods can fix some of the issues they have at home. |
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Rad Dork
Posts: 5218
Location: Oklahoma | Firemanswife - 2014-05-15 8:53 AM I am so glad to see others have the same thing. And yes mine is the same way, when I am on him he is not near as alert or goosy. He sets back also but not in a way to hurt you, he is just trying to get away. And I can never be lazy around him either and I always wear protective shoes because of his quirk. He is so gorgeous to look at and I feel like he will come around just needed to reassure myself it is worth it.
 My guy is racebred (top and bottom) and he looks absolutely stunning when he extends his neck and perks his head out.... He's gorgeous and he wants to let the world know it!! Regardless if they mean to hurt us when they set back or not, it's 100% possible and I freak out and probably make him worse. As soon as he's free he starts nibbling on grass a foot away and gives me no problems re-catching him. It's frustrating!! I made him stand tied for about 45 minutes to an hour yesterday and he acted so much better with the tie ring. I think he's clausterphobic and as long as he can see on two sides of the trailer and his surroundings and have a little bit of leeway he will stay tied. (not to be confused with standing still or standing quietly tied! lol)
I made the mistake of wearing Sperrys the night I picked him up. He got the heel of my shoe (not actual my heel, thankfully!) and I couldn't move my foot at all. Never again. Always boots from now on!
My guy is 11 and I doubt that he's ever going to come around, but I know that he also hasn't had his legs hauled and run off so I have hopes that with some new consistency he'll calm down somewhat.. but I'm not going to hold my breath! lol
How is your guy bred? Mine is Bully Bullion on the bottom and I've read that a lot of them act similar and you can't fight or force 'em to change it. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2276
Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | I have a guy like that. Goosey on the ground but ALL BUSINESS when someone is on him(most of the time) he has gotten a lot better though. The more I get him out and about to see things the better he gets and I don't tolerate him getting in my space. You can get bug eyed all you want but you won't step on me or get in my space. He's learned that and it helps. I don't think he will ever totally be over it but he isn't dangerous or overly spooky so I can handle it.
Edited by lexyy12 2014-05-15 9:30 AM
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Veteran
Posts: 220
| http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/index.php?query_type=horse&h=POCO+R...
here is is background. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 222
Location: Texas | I have one like that too. The best thing I ever taught him was to hobble. Now it's his security blanket. He was known for setting back when you walked up to him with a bridle or spinning to kick. Now when he's hobbled he's fine. And I DONT back down when he snorts or acts scared I tell him to knock it off and I keep doing what I'm doing. Also I got him to if he's nervous about something ( ropes bridles etc) to move towards them. Not away. That's helped his confidence tremendously. These horses are quirky and definitely have their own set of rules but they can be managed |
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Expert
Posts: 2457
| wyoming barrel racer - 2014-05-15 9:21 AM lindseylou2290 - 2014-05-15 8:14 AM Get ready to roll your eyes but ... Clinton Anderson has some REALLY good basics for desensitizing horses on the ground. You can find his methods on YouTube and don't need to buy the videos ... I am a testimony for his methods working. When I bought my mare at 6 y.o. (in my profile pic) she had been in a trailer once, was freaked about everything, refused to walk through doorways that you can drive a truck through, and had her previous owners so bullied she would only back into a stall. She spooked at EVERYTHING. And when she spooked ... SHE SPOOKED and had some major issues that resulted with a broken rear door on a trailer, a broken valve on an automatic waterer, and several fence panels being destroyed (among other things). So, I bought my stick and string. Watched some videos and got to work. The key is to keep the pressure going until the animal stands still, licks their lips, and accepts whatever pressure you are giving. If you quit before that point, you are only teaching them to move away and react to the pressure. Yes, it will be messy to begin with, but these methods WORK. I have used them on several different horses besides my mare but she is by far the best success story I have. My little mare has been a 100% turn around for the better - She does EVERYTHING and anything you ask, willingly and without question. I trust her and she trusts people now too. Just my 2 cents. Good luck ya'll. no eye rolling here. I do think he has turned his methods more to selling DVD's to the novice horse owner, but he is one of my favorite trainers to watch. I can't stand the methods that sissy foot around a horse. Doing that can take 10 years to get one broke. We use ours when they are 3-4 to do actual WORK. He also won't tolerate rude, step on you, get in your face horses. Another of my biggest pet peeves. You can learn something from every trainer (what to do and what not to do lol), but I really think people that use Clintons methods can fix some of the issues they have at home.
I agree and totally have learned what not to do watching trainers before! I agree that most of his advertising/ methods are for novice horse owners but I have taken away A TON of good knowledge from it that built on what I had been taught before... and don't consider myself a noob by any means. I had the opportunity to watch a few videos of his advanced method dvd's (borrowed from a pal)... he was breaking down how to teach some of the more advanced manuevers correctly - like spins/turns for reining and how to keep shoulders,ribs, hips all positioned correctly ... I like how he makes it simple for anyone to understand. He explains feel in some of the more advanced videos too and acknowledges that not everyone is going to understand or get it. I like that he's super honest and doesn't pussy foot around - like you said!
I do feel for these people with horses that are snorty, scary, and disrespectful on the ground. I've been there and have been hurt by those horses before. Every single one that I have tried the CA desensitizing methods with has improved 100 fold - no matter the age or background. I kinda feel its' a diservice by trainers that don't acknowledge and correct the ground issues but build a nice riding horse otherwise.... JMO. |
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Expert
Posts: 1695
Location: Willows, CA | I agree on the desensitizing thing, and have seen it done to great effect many times. I am not sure that is what the person who started this tread was experiencing. As I said above, fear is much more dangerous than bad habits. By fear, I did not mean that the horse is a little spooky or looks at everything. I was talking about blind flight. I owned a horse that was like this for over twenty years. The person who I bought him from told me up front that a person needed to be careful around him on the ground. I can be fairly handy and was also younger at the time. I felt that with patience I could get that horse, or just about any horse, through this and to a better and safer place for him and me. Well, he died in our pasture last year at the age of 29, and never did get over it. We won about $50k with him, and he was amazing in the cutting pen. He was also great to ride out. But, I have never seen the flight instinct so strong in a horse when someone was near him on the ground. I felt so bad for him because I could tell he want to trust me, but just could not let himself. A few are just like this, luckily not many. I learned to get around him safely, never surprise him, or make him feel trapped, and go slow. That worked for me, but he was sure not safe for anyone who did not know how to cope with him. As someone who has always been able to get around troubled horses pretty well, this was just a different deal altogether. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Maybe their feed is making them this way, if to much surgar is getting in their systems it could be making them a little high. |
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Rad Dork
Posts: 5218
Location: Oklahoma | Southtxponygirl - 2014-05-15 3:48 PM
Maybe their feed is making them this way, if to much surgar is getting in their systems it could be making them a little high.
I forgot to mention this! This is the reason I'm weaning my guy off the sweet feed he was eating. He wasn't on straight sweet feed, but it was 1/3 of his feed. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 975
Location: The barn...where else? SW Missouri | lindseylou2290 - 2014-05-15 9:14 AM
Get ready to roll your eyes but ... Clinton Anderson has some REALLY good basics for desensitizing horses on the ground. You can find his methods on YouTube and don't need to buy the videos ...
I am a testimony for his methods working. When I bought my mare at 6 y.o. (in my profile pic) she had been in a trailer once, was freaked about everything, refused to walk through doorways that you can drive a truck through, and had her previous owners so bullied she would only back into a stall. She spooked at EVERYTHING. And when she spooked ... SHE SPOOKED and had some major issues that resulted with a broken rear door on a trailer, a broken valve on an automatic waterer, and several fence panels being destroyed (among other things).
So, I bought my stick and string. Watched some videos and got to work. The key is to keep the pressure going until the animal stands still, licks their lips, and accepts whatever pressure you are giving. If you quit before that point, you are only teaching them to move away and react to the pressure. Yes, it will be messy to begin with, but these methods WORK. I have used them on several different horses besides my mare but she is by far the best success story I have. My little mare has been a 100% turn around for the better - She does EVERYTHING and anything you ask, willingly and without question. I trust her and she trusts people now too.
Just my 2 cents. Good luck ya'll.
It works. If you stick to it and stay dedicated your horse and you will benefit greatly from using his methods. Desensitizing is very important in order to not be hurt by a spooking horse running over you or taking you out. I look back at horses I've ridden and owned over the years and wish I had known about CA then so I could have worked with them using his methods. I had a super nice breakaway calf horse that the safest place was on him. I'm sure I could have helped him with desensitizing. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 746
Location: Missouri | I had a filly that was super flighty on the ground, life pretty much scared her. She had 30 rides last fall and did great other than when her rider wasn't on her she found the most random things to snort/spook at. After the ride time, I kicked her out with a winter blanket (first time she had one) and the sound of it moving startled her quite a bit for the first couple days. After that she relaxed and has been so much quieter on the ground this spring. Although she aged a bit while she had her time off, I think most of it was the blanket noise she couldn't get away from helped her realize noises weren't so scary. Obviously it is warmer weather, so may not be an option unless it was a fly sheet or may not work for yours. |
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 Member
Posts: 33
Location: Texas | I have a weirdo abuse case that I run and he is almost unbearable to be around unless he's on his magnesium oxide supplement. I've used this with success on many horses that are nervous on the ground. I feed about 2,000 mg a day.
ETA: I have friends who feed their arabs 4,000 mgs a day with no ill effects
Edited by SerenityOaks 2014-05-15 6:40 PM
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 Chasin my Dream
Posts: 13651
Location: Alberta | Have you ever had him looked at by a chiropractor. One aspect I've learned (from my chiro) is that subluxation can cause not only pinched nerves but also reduced blood flow to the horses brain which can affect eye sight (same idea as people who get migraines) . |
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Veteran
Posts: 160
| I have a crackhead in my barn too!! Actually I swear this horse hides crack in his stall LOL! I believe it has something to do with that busy cow horse brain of his, if he is working he is a wonderful horse if hes on the ground or on auto pilot when riding he will find something to spook at etc. He can spook at anything and everything if not kept busy, my breathing, grass, rocks, air, monsters and ghosts etc. When he gets to acting spooky I immediately start trotting him and making him work ( trot safe enough to handle spooks) and within 10 mins hes over being spooky but I keep on trotting I figure if he has all that energy to act like a crack head then Im gonna put it to good use!
I have talked to a trainer about it and he said some horses are just spooky, just in their personality. YOU can learn how to handle their spooks and help them out with it but they will probably always be spooky. My guy when i first got him would bolt when he spooked or buck hard or run 10 feet to the left or right, now its just a spook in place and i laugh and we keep on rolling. Is he over his spooks yet...heck no but sure is better because I learned how to deal with them and laugh it off. PUT THEM TO WORK :) |
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Horse Scared on Ground