Puzzling Dante

Puzzling Dante

Ellen has been having a tough time with Dante, and it is wreaking havoc on her nerves.  Amazingly, she hasn't given up, yet.

The river is still bothering her, but there is a new complication.  He is spooking at airplanes.  Over the years, he has spooked at airplanes periodically, but this year, he has spooked more at the planes in a single month than he has his whole life.  It has been puzzling.

We keep our horses very close to the airport, so the planes are low and loud.  Last fall, they changed their altitude on take off and landing, so they got louder, but he wasn't that worried about them in the fall.  He has spooked enough at them over the years, that Ellen stops and lets them fly over and then asks him to go forward.  He often stops on his own.  Why would he be so frightened, now?

It didn't start out on the trail, but right in our driveway.  He hears them every day, multiple times, in his stall--just feet from where he spooks outside on the driveway.  It doesn't make a lot of sense.

He is spooking by spinning.  He likes to spin to the left, so that means if you are leading him, he spins right into you.  It isn't just for Ellen--we thought her nerves might have been doing it.  We tried it with me holding the lead rope--when I was sure he wouldn't spin; only to be proven wrong.  I know I wasn't giving him a cue--because I didn't think he would do it in the first place.

The other day, I led him down the hill, and there were no planes.  At the bottom, right before I gave him to Ellen, a plane flew over.  I had him standing still--and he spooked.

She rode him across the river.  On the other side, a loud plane came over and spooked him, again  Poor Ellen!  Twice in one ride!  Her nerves started to go downhill--fast.

We went on the ride, came back and had to cross the river to get home.  She was worried that a plane would come over while she was in the water.  She asked him to go down the bank, and he refused.  She kicked and kicked and kicked--and he wouldn't budge.  This went on for about 5 minutes, and she really started stressing; shaking and ready to put a for sale sign on him then and there.  I told her to switch horses with me. 

She took Cole across.  I got on Dante, and he went right down the bank.  It might have been because he wanted to be with Cole.  When he stepped out of the water, he took off running up the bank!  I got him to stop before the top, but I was so disgusted with him with the whole ride.  He was fine the rest of the way home.  Ellen was miserable.  After 6 years, he has transformed into a--I don't know what he has transformed into, but we don't like it.