I have a 10 year old Arab/QH mare. I've had her for a year and shes a complete doll in the ring, anyone can ride her and she listens well. Just on the trails she bolts alot. We cant even make it up the driveway without her getting spooky. She jumps at everything from a bird to a shadow and she tends to bolt. I dont want to have to sell her but I do alot of trail riding so I might have to.

training
work with an experienced rider

When your riding her and she freakes out like that, just pull back on the rains slightly and just say woah! And pet her on the side of the neck to confurt her. Eventually she will calm.

pull her head to your leg and make her do some circles..she will learn that going forward is more fun then spining in circles..

Your horse is, needless to say, very fearful and lacks confidence and trust in you. She obviously does not have basic foundation training, because if she did, she would not react this way. You need someone to help you. there should be training for the horse, naturally, but also training with you so you know how to train and maintain the training with your horse and so that the two of you can progress together. This is not a big deal if you are willing to take the time to learn and put in the time with the horse. If not, then sell her to someone who would be and get an older dead broke bomb proof trail horse that will plod along quietly no matter what the distractions. As things are, your horse is very afraid and it is cruel to take her out and have her be so scared time after time. Not to mention how dangerous it is for you and for her. Make the decision that is best for both of you and move forward. Good luck no matter what you decide. Be safe.

You need to start training a one-rein stop. To do this you start in the ring at a walk. Move her forward, after several strides pull on just one rein by moving your hand back to your hip where your breeches or pants side seam is--if your hand goes past this point your rein is too long. Your mare will begin turning do not tell her whoa let her stop on her own. Move her forward again and several strides later repeat the process. You will need to turn in both directions( one direction at a time) the same number of times. When she does not resist at all and you are comfortable with this move to a trot and do the same thing. Then work with her at a canter until she is totally reliable in the ring. pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
Now move out to a trail. Do the same training here. Start with a walk, when she has mastered that move to a trot, etc. You should now be able to stop her if she bolts. She may give it up if she realizes that she is not getting anything out of this.

Another good exercise to work on getting her to listen to you more is to do an exercise using a lot of changes of directions. Start along the rail at a walk and make a circle or half circle every quarter or third of the fence line between corners. Mix it up with halts and backing also. You want her to do the movements without resisting you at all. I do this and the previous exercise for at least 5 minutes at the beginning of every ride. When she is good at the walk move on to the trot and then when she masters that on to the canter. When she is good at all the gaits then I mix up the gaits that I ask the horse to perform between the exercises. Good luck with your horse.

That is an Arabian for you!! I have dealt with a lot of them and they just look for things to spook at. We used to train a lot of horses and it took so much longer to train an A. because of their
spookiness. Most of them would just find something outside the arena to be so scared of. We would let them miss a meal and then leave them in the arena at night and put their hay near the spooky place. They would eigher go there and eat or they would go hungry.

If you are not rider enough to fix her you may have to let her go and get something a little more coldblooded that would be easier for you to work with.

hours of ponying is what I would do let her not have to worry about the rider or anything just let her be lead from another horses back make sure their is more than one horse and rider and that you have someone who is experienced in ponying misbehaving horses ponying her

She doesn't trust you enough to quit spooking. i got a horse that was 8 never been messed with and here i am 2 years later, with a horse that spooked about everything and threw fits and would literally start shaking all over if he couldn't get away. he was scared of his own shadow. i can do almost anything on him and he will do anything i ask. long hours everyday and just the experience of being out there riding and figuring out it won't hurt him. everytime he bolted i'd real fast spin him and make him go strait to what scared him and i'd get him wher he'd smell it and touch it. now he hardly ever gets scared and when he does i get on to him and let him no he's not allowed to do that. when they face their fear and discover it won't hurt them they don't pay any attention to it no more. i'd do this and like someone else said pony her to a horse that never spooks and let her get over herself, trust me she aint gonna run to far tied to that other horse, maybe 2 feet than that rope will be pullin her right back around, she'll figure it out eventually. give her time