Monty Roberts Equus Online University | Monty's Horse Training Post: horse spooks from gravel

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Monty says, “We hear that ‘actions speak louder than words,’ but generally we do not live by it too successfully.” Now Monty has taught thousands of people worldwide how to build trust in animals through our actions and body language.
Monty’s principles really amount to common sense and immense patience. He believes that children and horses have the same behavioral patterns. They are both naturally “flight” animals. "If you frighten them and resort to confrontation, you’ll lose their trust." ~ Monty
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Horse Behavior and Training

horse spooks from gravel

By:

nathanielbowman6677

Date:

2022-Jun-27 at 09:12PM

i drive my horse a lot and she really spooks from the sound of gravel, if i drive her on a dirt road
and gravel starts flying even a little bit she REALLY takes off. what should i do? also she fights with the reins a lot as well and any suggestions are most welcome thanks

JoHewittVINTA 2022-Jun-28 at 11:02AM

Hi Nat & welcome to the Uni. Would I be right to assume that your mare was sold to you as drivable coz she's showing signs of a training job badly done - she's not relaxed & accepting, she's stressed & anxious. I would study Monty's methods, practice your controlled breathing & your body language, use Join up, a Dually head collar & longlines. Your aim is to work with your mare to achieve acceptance. Work incrementally, making sure you work at her pace. Stop using the cart & harness until she works quietly & comfortably in the Dually halter with you on the ground. Progress to dragging things, like a log or a tyre, but using the Dually halter so no blinkers or bit. I think her training has been rushed & she's been forced rather than allowed to understand what is required, hence her spooky, irritated attitude. Follow Monty's methods to retrain her & you'll get a relaxed, happy partner as well as have great fun & a real sense of achievement. Good luck. Cheers, Jo.

nathanielbowman6677 2022-Jun-28 at 02:19PM

You pretty much figured it out i think, i have driven her as is for about 4-5 years now as is
and have only come across the monty roberts method in the last year or 2.Since then i have come to the same conclusions as you but i have yet to find a source that gives me a detailed and complete understanding of the Equus language and i only obtain bits and pieces from watching monty's videos, therefore when attempting join up i think i might be missing essential bits of information because i haven't had luck getting join up to work.

JoHewittVINTA 2022-Jun-28 at 04:02PM

Hi Nat, again. Get Monty's book 'From My Hands To Yours' - it's a great investment. You'll get a very full & complete explanation of Equus, Join up, everything. It's not a fun read, it's work - often parts of the reply to the weekly Q & A are direct quotes. However, when I say not a fun read that's because all of it is pertinent so full concentration is required. Put a Join up video on & practice, with Monty, in a mirror. You can practice controlled breathing almost anywhere. Even if all you do is slowly take a very deep breath & slowly fully exhale your mare will react - showing some sign of reduced anxiety/relaxation.

If you want to know what's possible, there's a post in behaviour & training from 2016/17 - Trust is a two way street. My ponies were just pasture pets at the time, no Join up, no rider & they let me take a real liberty. Keep in touch. Cheers, Jo.

nathanielbowman6677 2022-Jun-28 at 05:03PM

Alright thank you!