very spooky nervous horse

Question
QUESTION: I have a beautiful paint mare.  She is 8 years old and has foaled once.  She is so spooky and head shy.  Noises she has heard daily still send her into fits- the grain bucket the chain on the gate ect.  She has bucked me off once and after a lot of consideration it was for no apparent reason.  I have joined a horsemanship club with her and she seems to do fine in a contained area with the others though she is still jumpy.  I'm scared to ride her out in the open however.  I have tried all sorts of desensitizing. Any thing anyone suggests I try and it doesn't seem to work.  Just this morning taking her her grain she balked and bucked and ran around her stall and sent me over the rail. I want to ride on the trails and just love and have fun with my horse, can I fix her??  I have heard some horses attitudes are just that and can't be changed is that true?  Her colt seems to be just the opposite of her, calm and happy and fun.  Would it be worth keeping her for a brood mare?  Help, and thanks so much!
Kristy

ANSWER: Hi Kristy!

Can you fix her?  It seems to me that she may just be a little too much horse for you at this time.  Not that she really needs "fixing" so much as you need to decide if you can come up to her high-spirited level and strongly contain her flighty behavior.  

You are correct when you say "some horse's attitudes are just that and can't be changed".  So, you must ask yourself...."Can I see us out on trails, she gets all fussy, then she turns outright stupid and tries to dump me.  Can I quickly and correctly anticipate the situation and stop it all together BEFORE she turns stupid or can I at least bring her back to obeying me and then push her on to finish the trail ride calmly and politely?"  Really.....close your eyes and picture the whole situation.  How does it make you feel?  Scared and queasy with dread OR determined and looking forward to the challenge?

So, the real question here is not "can she be fixed?" but, "do you want be the strong and decisive dominant rider she needs?"

If you do decide to keep her a riding partner, you need help and lots of it.  Speak to your vet, farrier or club and ask them to recommend a local QH trainer that can come out, evaluate your situation and discuss your goals.  You need hands-on help form a professional to get you two going in the right direction.

As for breeding her again, that is up to you and a vet to decide.  I personally abhor reckless backyard breeding.  This country already has too many average horses that no one wants.  Breeding for the simple sake of breeding and to give a mare a job is incomprehensible to me.  I advise you have a steady and reliable need for foals before you start making them.

Good luck and remember to always wear an ASTM/SEI approved helmet!

Solange



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I have had a few suggestions on how to de-bunk my spooky horse.  For instance, tying shopping bags to her halter so they rustle around her head, or putting a tarp down so she has to walk on it to get to her water.  What do you think of these ideas?

Answer
Hi Kristy!

Yes, these are some commonly used tricks to desensitize a spooky horse.  But, you must lead up to them slowly.  Any nervous horse must be desensitized in an intelligent and logical manner.  You just can't go out and start tying things to her and making her walk over a tarp.

I suggest you Google the Clicker Training method.  It is mainly used for dogs but, works well with horses too.  Start her off on something very, very easy and non-threatening and then once she proves she has a mind for it....THEN think about adding some other things.

Start small, move slow and think fast!

Solange