Overcoming My Horse's Fear (and Mine!): Part II: Where Do We Go From Here?

You now know where our fears originated (see previous post) but what can I do to remove them?

Stop Anticipating Bad Stuff!

Every time I mount Cruz now – and I mean every time – visions of him rearing/bucking/bolting go through my head. I have to remind myself that he has never done any of those things without cause, and certainly not while being mounted! He is not a rearer/bucker/bolter. I take a deep breath and remind myself to act like a confident leader.

Be Cruz’s Comfort Zone

As I wrote in a previous blog about spooking I need to take charge and ride Cruz with quiet but determined purpose. Whether he pretends to be afraid or is truly worried, it’s my job to steer him through that anxiety/naughtiness.

I must be careful not to increase or cause fear in him by anticipating a bad reaction. Instead I have to ride as if I expect everything to turn out well. If I do this, Cruz will worry less and concentrate on his job.

Dwell on Victories, Not Defeats!

There have been many occasions when Cruz has acted up yet I’ve managed to ride him through it and perform a good test.

This includes our last show of the 2010 season, when he panicked and bolted in the warm-up because an empty trailer rattled noisily past. He followed this with a series of half-rears round the dressage arena because he suddenly developed separation anxiety from Double Clover, my husband's horse who was competing at the same show.

I am encouraged by the video of my two rides that day. Although I felt terrified inside, I was determined to make my talented bay do the tests! Onlookers remarked on how calm I appeared throughout – and I hope I fooled Cruz, too.

He tried to duck out a couple of times, then buckled down to work (albeit resentfully) and we missed first place (to my friend on my husband’s horse!) by half a point, with marks in the mid-60s.

So: I need to stop focusing on the bad times and remind myself that I’m perfectly capable of riding Cruz through his fears as long as I don’t allow myself to be afraid.

Next: Completing the Cure

Overcoming My Horse's Fear (and Mine!): Part I: Where It All Went Wrong

Over his eleven years of life since I bred him, Cruz Bay has had a lot of accidents. Not all of them have involved me, but a good many of them have!

Here are some examples of what I’m talking about.

Accident One

When I took him to his first show, the four year old panicked and jumped over the breast bar of the trailer. He squashed me onto the floor where moments earlier I’d been standing and trying to calm him down (big mistake!).

He scrambled to his feet, then dived out through the jockey door on the side of the trailer. This exit is designed for humans, not horses, but somehow he survived the narrow squeeze with only a few scratches.

I, on the other hand, needed months before I could use my left shoulder again!

Accident Two

Another time he panicked on tarmac between a stationary truck and a trailer. He slipped and fell, throwing me to the ground with him, then kicked me under the trailer as he scrabbled to get up and flee for home.

A few more scratches for him and several weeks' recuperation for his owner!

Accident Three

This is the accident which scared him and me the most. We were at a huge licensed show in New Jersey and had no business being there. I didn't realize that we would be warming up for First Level together with Grand Prix horses coming at us from all directions and performing 'menacing' half-passes and canter pirouettes.

Cruz freaked and reared vertically. I survived the rear but ricocheted off him on landing. Upshot: he was terrified of other horses in the warm-up and I was terrified of my horse. ( While hobbling with the help of two walking sticks for three weeks!)

The Blame Game

It took me a long, long time to stop blaming Cruz for what happened and take responsibility for having put him in that situation. Oh, how I wish I could take back that day!

Instead of thinking we were ready for the Big Time, I should have swallowed my pride and taken it slowly at more schooling shows. It now takes one small thing to ‘go wrong’ in the warm-up at even local schooling shows for Cruz to go ballistic. Mea culpa, mea culpa!

Next: Where Do We Go From Here?

Anyone else have horse accident stories? Let me know what happened and how you and your horse coped afterwards.