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Post by tinkerflight on Oct 28, 2013 18:10:50 GMT 1
Hello, I am looking for some advice on my lovely mare. She is a 14.3 gypsy cob, 9 years old. I have had her for a year now and things have been going really well. She is very forward and a very confident mare but up until a couple of weeks ago I haven't had any problems with her.
I had a lesson and decided to do a couple of jumps. This seemed to completely blow her mind and she ended up doing massive leaps in the air and although I didn't fall off , it scared me enough that I am now at the stage where I cannot get back on her.
Anyway, my question is, can this over excitability be schooled out of her, or will she always do it. I don't know whether to send her somewhere to be schooled or to sell her, which would break my heart as she is really lovely.
Thanks for your help
Victoria
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Post by avril on Oct 30, 2013 22:20:42 GMT 1
Hi tinkerflight, you can overcome more or less any problem or change behaviour with enough time, knowledge and patience if it is not pain related. It would be best to get her saddle, back, and teeth checked first. If everything is ok you can look into finding the right kind of help. We hope everything works out for you both.
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Post by erika george on Nov 11, 2013 23:33:46 GMT 1
Hi there,
Avril is absolutely right. I have seen this behaviour in two safe horses, one who went from a ride suitable for a disabled rider to a menace who bucked people off, to another who took off like a rocket at the first sign of a fence.
The horses? My friend's horse Murphy who 12 months later was diagnosed with a severed tendon in his hind leg; the second horse, mine, George who was so stressed out by being asked to jump that he galloped at them to get them out of the way as quickly as possible. Murphy eventually underwent surgery to correct the damage is now back to his normal steady self. George was taken back to basics with lots of pole work, a little jump which moved around the poles so that he wasn't stressed by it. For George this was a confidence issue on his part, once he realised that he could jump, he really enjoyed it and became a forward going, keen and safe jumper (I think he is still on the letters page).
Get expert help before it becomes learned behaviour,
Erika & George
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Post by anakin14 on Nov 25, 2013 15:06:33 GMT 1
Hiya - as above, it is really important to make sure there is no physical reason why the horse may become anxious about jumping.
It is really common for inexperienced horses to become nervous/excitable jumping, for the same reasons as you might get nervous for example doing something at work that you are not quite sure how to do. It is vital to make sure that all the proper flatwork has been done so that your horse is balanced and physically capable of doing what you are asking her to do. It is possible that in the past, someone has tried to jump her before she was ready and she remembers that it was difficult and she lost her balance. Horses very easily begin to associate one off bad experiences with fear and anxiety.
Definitely rule out any source of pain/discomfort, get a dentist to have a look at her, get her tack checked and have a chiro/physio assess her. After that, I think it would be best if you looked for an instructor who specialises in confidence and who can help you help your mare gain confidence.
Good luck - let us know how you get on!!
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