Hi everyone!

I am new to horse riding and horse owning, I’ve had my mare since July. We’re bonding pretty well, she takes time to warm up to people, but I think the hours of scratching paid off and she is now very mellow around me. And so, she started trusting me. But it comes with an issue – while in liberty, if she spooks, her reflex is now to come way too close for comfort to me, then proceed to explode right next to me. I can see she dodges me, but it doesn’t make me feel safe, which brings the whole topic on the table. Under saddle (or on the ground), if she starts spooking once, she’ll then spook for everything. Literally everything. She just doesn’t seem to calm down! What I do: When she spooks, she’s going to either try to bolt or do a weird semi piaffe, going sideways in a crab way, awkwardly. I need to stay a bit hovering over the saddle to not be moved around too much. I stay calm, talk to her calmly while staying firm so she doesn’t take off with me. I then proceed in walking, I try to put her to work and do some lateral work, something that would require her focus but she just…checks out. Looks everywhere for the next spooky thing.

On the ground she can go as far as cantering around me several time when she starts to be in her spooky mode.

I guess there’s horses that take longer to emotionally settle, but is there anything I can do to help?