spooky horse

D0 you know for sure that he was abused?  If he was it must have been undersaddle then as you said he is a teddybear on the ground.  Most horses that have been abused from the ground have trust issues such as catching, leading or simply allowing you to brush them.  Others will let you do all that but have major issues undesaddle.
 
HOw old is he?  He sounds to me like a high strung horse that just reacts to every little thing without thinking about it first.  I would definatly look into taking him to a good trainer who will also spend the time with you.  Or I would advise getting another horse to ride.  Having a horse that reacts to every move or noise is stressful and is extremely dangerous for the both of you. 
 
In his mind running is the only corse of action and no amount of training will ever take that out totally especially if he is a high energy horse.  If you want to tackle this on your own I would really advise taking soem time to watch Clinton andersons Round Pening DVD as well as the gaining Respect on the Ground.  Craig Cameron's back to Basics is also a good one. 
 
You will want to work with him in a controled environment such as a round pen or small arena.  Don't try doing these things out in the open at first or he will drag you all over the place.  Start out by moving him around the round pen and let him blow off some steam.  Have him trot and lope in both directions.  YOu can have him saddled and bridled as well just make sure the reins are either off or tied up good.  Let the stirrups flop its good for him to get use to that.  After about 20 minutes spend the time just rubing all over him.  Make sudden movements and if he runs away let him but drive him away AFTER he makes that decision.   Have him go around a couple of times then bring him back in and repeat.  Each time he will spook less and less.  Halter him and flap the stirrups but when he spooks or wants to run keep his head tipped to you so that he can't just bolt and run off.  These are just a couple things that I would try but there are so many ways to work on this.
 
Teach him how to flex and give his head to you first is very important.  The more you do like this the more he will trust you and the more control you will have of his body and mind.  I think it was the January article on here that I talked about flexing and how to begin.  Give that a look and it will sure help.
 
Hope I gave you something you could use.  Good luck and stay safe!

Yes we do know that he was abused.
He is fine on the ground, i am able to rub him everywhere, me and him totally bonded on the ground and he does have respect for me on the ground (i had one of my cousins, who is a trainer come out and she told me that.)
He is 6 years old.
I did get him lounge for him already, actually i got him doing that along time ago, and i got him free lounging and with a lounge line.
The idea of running him in the round pen, letting all of the steam out and stuff like that sounds like an awesome idea! Right now we do not have a round pen since we had to take it down, but hopefully we will be able to get it up again sometime soon. Also the idea of keeping the sturrups down and flopping is also great since like you said, he would get used to that.  
I do think that he was abused undersaddle (that is one part I didn't know about, as in if he was undersaddle or not) since he is awesome on the ground, but once you get on him he gets a little gitery..i am able to ride him up to 2 hours and he will be fine, but sometimes he will be spooky.
I am defianly NOT getting another horse, i will do everything i can to get him the perfect horse!
Thank you sooo much for all of those tips, it totally helped!
 
 

When we are working with a young one or any horse for that matter.  We build them up from some of the simplest things to spook at to more advanced.  We even use empty milk jugs on the ground for them to walk over and in then after a couple of days we tie them to the saddle and send them around the arena.  After that we start working with saddlebags, plastic bags and things like that, but you have to BUILD them up to it.  Don't try to just walk out and tie a plastic bag to the saddle now or he will panic but after a while of all this isn't such a big deal for them.
 
Also when you ride don't just ride, use your time to school him on proper circles and work on keeping him soft and supple through out.  By keeping his feet busy he will consentrate on where they need to go more than what might eat him.  Have him trot poles or logs, cross ditches and things until he is comfortable with that.  Matter of fact you could even treat him as though he were just a colt and start from scratch on the ground.
 
I'm glad you are comitted to teaching him but remember to know your limits.  Should you have trouble with something, so will you horse.  Don't try and teach him somehting without practicing it first without him.  Its a bit comical to watch my clients out there tossing a lead rope over the fence with their other hand in the air but trust me it is so much easier to do after you practice minus the horse to worry about!
 
Have fun and keep us posted.

You have great advice already!
 
My $0.02
 
Keep his feet busy whenever you're with him. Don't give him the chance to think about spooking.
 
Train him to drop his head from the saddle, since that will help him calm down, and teach him to disengage his hindquarters, since that will keep him from bolting while you're riding him.
 
Good luck,
Kacy 

Thanks
Today, I rode him (undersaddle) at a walk in my outdoor arena, he was great and he never spooked once, even my dog was in the bush beside the arena making a bunch of noices and he didnt even get spooked by that. After that I took and lounged him for a bit (with a lounge line) with the saddle on and he was also good with that. I think me and my horse are going to get through this, I am just going to be riding him everyday, not for that long though.
I am also getting a new bit for him, since he isnt really liking this one since it's a little too small for him, and we are also using a curb, so when we go and get a new bit i think i am going to a D ring snaffle. Since a snaffle would be way better to train him with than a curb..but he does know neck reining pretty well (i tought him that myself)