Q. I recently got a thoroughbred gelding who used to be a race horse. He is a chicken when it comes to jumping. I always have to let him look at a fence before we jump it. When I take him out to ride him, he always has to refuse the first fence we try to jump, no matter how many times we have gone over it in the past (he isn't green). Sometimes, even if I do show him a jump first, he will refuse it. I always start off jumping small. I think he is just scared of jumping because if he does refuse a jump, I'll circle him to try it again. Then if he does go over it, he'll run away from the jump after he jumps it like he's trying to get away from it. He is a really good jumper. He has been to many shows and jumped high fences. So, does he refuse the jumps because he is lazy or because he is afraid? It's not only jumps he's afraid of; he spooks at a lot of different things. Do you think the fact that he used to be a race horse has anything to do with why he's so spooky?

His previous owner told me that he needs to be warmed up a lot, so I have been giving him a good warm up before I jump him. I usually walk for 10-15 minutes, then trot for 20-30 minutes, then I do a little bit of cantering. Is this a good warm up? I also do bending exercises with him when I trot to help him relax. I hope you can help me!

A. It does sound like you've got yourself a very sensitive and responsive horse there. It also sounds like he may not be the most secure animal in the world, and it's very possible his nerves are a bit on edge from the big changes in his life - new rider, new home, new best friend.

This horse's sensitivity can be a real asset as long as you have absolutely perfect control over your own physical reactions at all times. But who can honestly claim to have that? As you've probably discovered, this horse mimicks your own responses; you tense up, he refuses or runs away from the fences. He's taking his cues from you, and it's up to you to let him know jumping's no big deal. If you're anticipating and expecting his initial refusal, your body will tense up approaching that first fence. If your horse feels that anxiety from you, that could be enough to stop him dead in his tracks. Make sure you approach that first fence calmly, confidently, optimistically, and enthusiastically. Don't expect the worst, or it'll be bound to happen.

If, however, this horse is spooking at many or all of his fences, and if this is a fairly new behavior on his part, I would suspect a physical cause of some sort. I've seen a number of horses in which physical discomfort was manifested in spooky behavior. In these cases, it is not the actual object they are shying from; it is the pain associated with the object they are trying to avoid. It's also possible your horse may be experiencing some trouble with his vision. If he can't see the fences clearly, he won't be able to jump confidently.

In any event, my primary suggestion to you would be to get an equine vet out there to fully examine your boy. If the vet can find no physical cause for his behavior, you will most likely be correct in approaching this as a training issue. However, if you try to deal with this as a training issue when it's actually based in some sort of physical ailment, your training will go nowhere, and you may end up causing significant physical injury to your horse.

Given your horse's working history of both racing and jumping high courses (both of which are known to be very hard on the equine musculo-skeletal system), I would guess he has one or more arthritic-type conditions started in his joints. If that is, indeed, the case, he'll require long, slow warm-ups to get comfortable in his own body before he'll be comfortable jumping. If he's not being adequately stretched and warmed up both on the flat and over low, single jumps before being faced with a complete course, he's likely just anticipating the physical discomfort associated with that first big jump. I'd certainly be inclined to refuse to do something I knew was going to hurt. Though your warm-up routine sounds adequate, assuming you're working up to a nice, long, stretchy trot in both directions, you might want to incorporate just a bit of hand-gallop in each direction for even more stretching before you take him over the first little jump.

And don't forget to cool him out slowly and thoroughly at the end of each workout. It might also be advantageous to spend some time after each ride rubbing down his legs with a brace. Even if he doesn't really need it, I bet he'll be grateful for the extra attention ... not to mention the feel-good of the rubdown itself. Make sure you use a mild brace so you don't risk burning his skin.

You'll soon establish a trusting relationship with this horse. Things are bound to only get better as the two of you get to know what to expect from one another. He sounds like a very talented boy who may just require some extra time and patience from you to get comfortable in his new life.

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