Unless you are a pretty accomplished veteran horse rider, a spooky horse can spook you. I know it very well; once upon a time I rode with the possibility of my horse spooking nagging at the back of my mind. I have seen plenty of other riders in the same boat.
I am past that stage, and I hope the tips I give you below will help you get an idea of the factors that can make a horse spook and what you can do about it all.
To begin with, please understand that spookiness is a by product of equine evolution. For ages, horses have lived in herds as prey animals, and they survived because they gave in to their natural instincts – flight or fight – when faced with threatening situations. The next time your horse spooks, don’t get irritated or apprehensive, just talk calmly and compliment him on his survival instincts. You can also reassure him that nothing is going to happen to him as long as you are around.
Even after you start to tolerate your horse’s spooking tendencies, you could still get upset by his spooking from the same objects he saw just a couple of minutes back. If this does happen, dismiss it as something to do with the “dominant eye theory “.
This theory relates to the fact that one of the two eyes that most creatures have is dominant. It is easy to find out your dominant eye. Stare straight at something with both eyes open. At arm’s length, point your finger straight at that something. Close each of your eyes alternatively. You finger will still be pointing at the object when one eye is open, while your finger will appear to have moved when the other one is open. The eye that does not distort your finger’s position is your dominant eye.
This theory explains why a horse can shy twice within a few minutes from the same object. Assume you are riding a horse whose left eye is dominant, and you are travelling in a curve to the right. Your horse will proceed comfortably, since his dominant left eye is on the outside, which enables him to see more of his surroundings. However if you switch directions and start circling left, his dominant left now is on the inside, restricting his field of vision, and he will constantly turn his head right so he can check out his surroundings with his dominant left eye. This makes him spook from unrecognizable objects that suddenly appear to his right.
I have a list of “don’ts” for you in terms of dealing with spooky horses.
Never ever punish your horse if he spooks. Fear engenders shyness. When you punish your horse for being shy, you are simply reinforcing his conviction that he was spooky with justification.
Conversely, don’t make a fuss over your horse, complimenting him for his bravery or sagacity or whatever. You don’t want to encourage negative behaviour.
Don’t compel your horse to go near something he found scary: this is probably the worst thing you can do. It is rather like him to charge a cougar when all of his instincts are telling him to flee.
And here I have a list of “dos” for you.
If you are in a ring and your horse is spooked by something at one end, keep circling in the ring’s center. You horse will begin to relax after a while, and when this comes about, gradually expand your circling so that you are going nearer and nearer to the object at the end. At each pass, the fact the object has not moved or made any other threatening gesture or noise will gradually ease your horse’s apprehensions.
At about 15 meters from the object, use the inside rein and firmly but gently turn your horse’s head inwards so neither of his eyes is able to sight the object. Don’t forget that horses have binocular eyesight like we do and also monocular vision, which enables them to see separately with each eye. When you turn him such that he is unable to see an apparently threatening object with ether eye, he is not going to be spooking.
When you are directly at the side of the object, let both reins go absolutely loose. Horses have claustrophobic tendencies, and when you free the reins you are preventing any possibility of his feeling restricted with no way to run. That can develop into a very scary scenario.
Your horse tends to follow your eyes. Thus, it is advisable you don’t stare at the object. Look elsewhere.
Breathe normally! When you are tense, you tend to unconsciously breathe shallow, and abnormal breathing on your part will intensify your horse’s apprehensions. Inhale and exhale normally, or even deeply but evenly.
About the Author
Heather Toms loves horses and is passionate about horse riding.
For more articles by Heather Toms and permission to reproduce these articles free on your own website, visit this link.
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