Palm Partnership Training™
Building a Partnership with Your Horse
Riding the Spooky Horse
To review, we have discussed important steps to prepare for training on the trail, including reading the
horse to recognize his inner energy level and working with him to release it, preparing the rider through
warm up and stretching exercises, and building safety and confidence on the trail. We covered training
tips for dealing with two of three common trail training issues: the horse that wants to always be in the
lead and the horse that wants to run up from behind.
When dealing with a spooky horse, go
back to the routine we suggested before
to prepare him for his first trail ride. If
he is spooky on a trail, it is better to work
on overcoming spookiness issues there
rather than moving on to a different trail.
If he has been on a trail before and he
has spooked or resisted, stop and figure
out the reason why this happened. Was
he reacting to something permanent
that cannot be changed along the trail
like a tree stump or a water crossing? Or
did he spooked at something temporary,
like a gush of wind, a grouse that flushed
in front of him, or a sound in the bushes?
It’s Okay to Dismount!
If it was something permanent, to
improve his training on the next ride get
off his back and on the ground before
reaching the object he spooked at.
One key to controlling a spooky horse
is that you must stop him before he decides
to stop and spook. In this way you
keep control so the horse can address
the offending obstacle before he stops
and spooks in fright.
How do you do that? By being alert to
the horse’s body language. Watch for
these cues that tell you he is getting
ready to spook. His ears are alert. His
eyes get bigger. His breathing gets
stronger. As soon as you hear stronger
breathing than normal, this is the point
where you want to stop and dismount.
Showing
While on the ground be sure to give
the horse his head to let him study the
obstacle and swing his head to see it
&with both his left and right eye. After he
TRAINING studies it and seems to ignore the obstacle,
take a few steps toward it. Stop and
let the horse study it again. When he
appears to ignore it again, continue the
process until you reach the spooky spot.
Allow him to smell it. This will really give
him confidence.
74 www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com does not stand still, reposition him exactly
where he was standing. Do not circle to
reposition him. If he moves to the right,
reposition him to the left. If he moves left,
reposition him to the right. If he moves
forward, back him and vice versa until
he is positioned right back to where
he was originally standing. This is very
important to do to keep his respect and
keep you in charge of the situation. Get
him accustomed to approaching the
scary spot from the opposite direction.
On the Ground . . .
Remember, when on the ground, be
ready to use the “move away from me”
commands. The horse’s first instinct will
be to herd or get close to you. This is
dangerous, and puts him in control of
the situation. Do not let him move on
top of you! Make him move away and
respect your space as he learns to accept
the obstacle.
When you are between 15 to 20 feet
away from the obstacle you can
remount and move on to whatever
you were doing prior to the spookiness.
Continue with the same short segments
if his spookiness returns. Take a few steps,
stop, study the obstacle, etc. The more
time you take time to let him study an
obstacle, the shorter time it will take him
to accept it. On the other hand, if you
rush this process or force him, it will take
you longer to get him to accept it.
The way to handle spooky behavior
while mounted is basically the same as
on the ground. Stop before getting to
the spooky object and allow the horse
his head so he can see it with both eyes.
Once he seems to ignore it, take a few
steps towards it, stop, and let him look
again. If he does not stop, but starts
“dancing” around, reposition him to the
exact point where you asked him to
stop. Instead of using the “move away
ay
from me” command, use your seat,
Once he seems to accept it, the lesson
is not over yet. He must learn to accept
the obstacle when 1) it is behind him,
and 2) when approaching it from the
opposite direction. In the first situation
the scary obstacle that he accepted
and walked past is now behind him.
Horses sometimes show more spookiness
when an obstacle is behind him. This is
because a horse is a flight animal. His
reaction once he has passed a spooky
spot may be to flee or overreact to
spook away from it.
In the second situation, a horse may be
spooky approaching an obstacle he has
already accepted when he comes at
it from the opposite direction. This is because
a horse sees things differently from
each direction. If you get him accustomed
to the scary obstacle coming at
it only from one direction, when he approaches
it from the opposite direction
he may ignore it, spook with the same
level of concern as before, or spook
even worse. Be sure to accustom the
horse to obstacles from both directions!
As you start to leave spooky spot, such
as walking past a scary stump, take a
step or two and stop. Let him look and
swing his head and let him look at the
spot with each eye. If he moves and
/www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com