Re: RC: !!!!SHYING!!!!

[C Eyler <eyler@mindspring.com>]

At 04:15 PM 5/2/99 -0700, Lauren & Allan Horn wrote:
>I don't know if you can change the way a horse shys. I doubt it. Some
>horses have learned how to dismount their riders when given an excuse.
>One of mine spins to the side real hard and I fall off over the
>shoulder. It has gotten to be a problem as I don't care to ride this
>horse anymore, even though I've only fell off twice. Others have fallen
>off too. You never know when it will happen. My other horse doesn't
>spook too often but when she does she stops and plants all four feet. No
>problem staying on. When I look to buy a horse I always ask "How does
>the horse spook?" I won't ride spinners or bolters and certainly won't
>knowingly buy one. Back to your question; I think that if your horse has
>done this type of "spook" more then twice, that is the way your horse
>deals with it and it would be hard or impossible to change. You can
>teach your horse to spook less by working with it a la "natural horse
>training" methods.
>
>Lauren

FWTW from a wannabie -- my horse was well-trained but had little trail
experience when I bought him at age 6, and his spooks were doozies.  He
would drop his head and do a 180 so fast I was lucky to still be on board.
As he's gotten more experience during the past two years, and perhaps as
he's learned to trust me, the pattern has changed.  Now he usually either
just tenses, or plants his feet for a split second, and then moves on.  He
reserves his 180's, blessedly slower ones now, for when he just doesn't
want to comply with my requests.  Then, of course, we move into tight
circles until he sees it my way.

Cindy Eyler
Baltimore
eyler@mindspring.com


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