>>wish I knew what would make him spook like that. If he wouldnt spook at >>jumping a giant fake tree surrounded by potted daisies while a crowd of thousands cheered and waved flags and hot dogs... what would spook him? I guess you never know!
Horses get used to whatever they are exposed to, and sometimes things out of context worry them. Our Big Mac lived in a stall from the time he was a yearling until we bought him at age five. When we bought him and took him home, he was terrified of everything outside. He was very used to sparrows and swallows INSIDE the barn, but if a sparrow flew over him outside, he went nuts. Luckily, Mac was by nature, a very calm and sensible horse, so just being exposed to the real world was all he needed. He was much better in an hour or so, but it took him several weeks to fully settle. I think it would have taken him less time to settle if we could have put him outside 24x7 from the beginning, but we had to limit his pasture time at first since he wasn't used to being on grass. I can't imagine what it might have been like had he been a hot, nervous horse by nature. After he got used to being on the grass, he lived the rest of his 24 years outside in the pasture. Karen Thomas, NC
