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| My point was that when she is scared she is out of control. She does not respond AT ALL to bit or leg pressure. She is fully capable of running sideways with her head bent all the way around.... in either direction. |
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| TimeFlys885 - 2016-12-05 10:13 PM
My point was that when she is scared she is out of control. She does not respond AT ALL to bit or leg pressure. She is fully capable of running sideways with her head bent all the way around.... in either direction.
it's all about redirecting her, try to catch her the moment before she blows and move her feet, don't give her the chance to react. Make running away really hard on her, if she takes off, smooch and kick and don't let her stop running until you notice her focusing on you again and then make her work for even longer. Take her back to what spooked her and let her rest looking at it. She'll get the idea that if she bolts and takes off, she's in for a long hard experience.
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Location: Sunny So Cal | Maybe try some THE calming cookies and powder to take the edge off. Also sounds like she may just need more mileage. My grey mare is a spazz and when she loses it she loses it. It has taken a few years for her to really be calm and ok with stuff. I just started taking her to more place and putting her in more situations that I knew she would be uncomfortable with but not lose it. Also I kept treats in my pocket so when she handled a situation wellI could give her a cookie or mint or something. I know not everyone agrees with this method but she is so food driven it is ridiculous and it can change her attitude to be focused on me in a half a second.
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 Too Skinny
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Location: LA Lower Alabama | Without being on it I can't help too much but if I cannot redirect with my hands or feet I would stop all signals and allow them to move and try again in a second praying it was in a safe direction and that the second attempt would be heard.
Some horses have a higher flight response and once in that mode any directions from you cause more flight.
Edited by cowgalsissy 2016-12-06 11:38 AM
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Regular
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| That's exactly what it is. When she is in flight mode any of my directions seem to make her more anxious and she goes off the wall. And then when she finally calms down she has turned into a combative/overly excited horse. |
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Regular
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| The most frustrating part about this whole thing it that even if she has seen something ten million times she still wants to react to it. I've worked with her with the whip almost every day I've had her and while she's better with it, she will still react to it like it's day 1. But only if something else is different. Example....
Whip + human = good
Whip + human+ ground pole on the other side of the arena that was never there before= bad
Does that make sense? Lol
So it seems like no matter how many times I show her something or desensitize her to something, she will still react to it at some point. |
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 Accident Prone
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Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | I won't mess with a reactive horse that mentally checks out. If they lack self preservation, that's asking to get hurt. Now, a reactive horse that keeps some brain cells firing while they panic, that I can work with through redirection, moving feet, and maybe some calming help through supplements or diet (I've had good luck with Springtime Daily Calm). Usually, you know it's coming before it happens and can teach them to think their way through and come back to you quickly. |
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Location: in the ozone | cheeka77 - 2016-12-05 9:56 AM
Ok, I literally sound like a broken record every time I say this so I hope people don't think I'm crazy by now but my mare was like that and has PSSM (type 2 ).  She would do dumb things like that as well and I thought it was a vision problem or something as well and it turned out to be that. Also, does her weight or muscle mass ever fluctuate?
Thank you! I cringe at all the horses that have (had if the horse is now dead) this disease & got punished/worked harder & harder for behavior they have no "choice" over. I am sorry you are dealing with this but so glad you are getting answers and trying to help. People need to get their heads out of the sand about this horrible disease! PSSM1 & PSSM2 are much more prevalent than most think! |
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Location: in the ozone | TimeFlys885 - 2016-12-05 9:13 PM
My point was that when she is scared she is out of control. She does not respond AT ALL to bit or leg pressure. She is fully capable of running sideways with her head bent all the way around.... in either direction.
THIS is a huge sign of PSSM. Please check in to it. For more, really thorough info, go to the PSSM Forum on FB |
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| I definatly will. Thanks!
She is new to me. I haven't had her a year yet but she was skinny when I got her and has since only gained weight.
Edited by TimeFlys885 2016-12-06 7:03 PM
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