Re: Spooking and other problems you have asked me about....

["Karen Sullivan" <greymare@jps.net>]

----- Original Message -----
From: <DESERTRYDR1@aol.com>
> Some horses have been desensitized to many stimuli, which makes them less
> spooky.  They are used to things flapping, jumping out of nowhere or
touching
> them in unusual places. (One of the advantages of imprint
training--although
> you really can't say for sure that an imprinted foal is less spooky
because
> of the imprinting or because of inborn temperament)  This also explains
why
> most horses get less spooky with age "Been there, seen that"   jeri
>
I still think I have to believe that some horses just are more laid back and
not as spooky or jumpy.
I have two mares from a bloodline that is mainly Polish; my friend has a
colt from the same breeder.
These horses tend to be very curious, and non-spooky.  One I obtained as a 3
year old, and nothing much had ever been done with her-yet she was accepting
of strange things from the get-go....how many horses will calmly walk across
a tarp on the ground becuase you ask them?

My same friend had an Appy mare that was always really spooky, especially of
plastic things.  My friend spent hours and days trying to desenthesize this
mare-by the end of a sesson she would accept being touched by a white
plastic bag.........next day it was like she had never seen it and the whole
process had to be done all over again. She had bags tried all over the round
pen and corrals, to get the mare used to them.........when she got the colt,
he went along and untied all the bags, not fazed by them in the least.

Karen