Then she got an umbrella - both objects he was curious about - but he didn't think much of the umbrella going up - but still alot better than most spooky horses she said - he stayed with us and didn't try and run away. He kept facing the 'scary' object and Fiona would approach and retreat (as a reward). She then got me to walk around him with the umbrella and she taught him to simply move his head to the left or right to see me come round the other side rather than turn 180 and face it - this will help with when I am riding him - currently if he spooks at something from behind he will spin 180 to see it. Not what we want!
After he was pretty happy with the umbrella we got a tarpaulin. He started off really well and we even managed to get it on him like a cover, but when Fiona started flapping it (like the wind catching it) he ran sideways and it fell off - he faced it again. If it was on the ground he would come and check it out though.
What Fiona got from this was that he wasn't actually as ok as he looked initially with the other things - he had just 'put up' with them as best he could and then he had reached his limit. This of course explains sudden explosions at a show or whatever. So we worked more with the tarpaulin being rubbed over him - and she said there is no rush - no time frame - just as he can handle it.
But what she also said was that the idea is to actually get their adrenalin pumping - then let them calm down again and be reassurred. She told me to introduce something new or unfamilar to him every day. She said I need to stimulate his brain a bit more - and that he would have been getting bored just mainly doing flatwork each day without any kind of stimulation.
Also - now he is not part of a herd - he has his own paddock - so that 'excitement' has been taken away.
After he was pretty happy with the umbrella we got a tarpaulin. He started off really well and we even managed to get it on him like a cover, but when Fiona started flapping it (like the wind catching it) he ran sideways and it fell off - he faced it again. If it was on the ground he would come and check it out though.
What Fiona got from this was that he wasn't actually as ok as he looked initially with the other things - he had just 'put up' with them as best he could and then he had reached his limit. This of course explains sudden explosions at a show or whatever. So we worked more with the tarpaulin being rubbed over him - and she said there is no rush - no time frame - just as he can handle it.
But what she also said was that the idea is to actually get their adrenalin pumping - then let them calm down again and be reassurred. She told me to introduce something new or unfamilar to him every day. She said I need to stimulate his brain a bit more - and that he would have been getting bored just mainly doing flatwork each day without any kind of stimulation.
Also - now he is not part of a herd - he has his own paddock - so that 'excitement' has been taken away.
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