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leg, and hand aids to put him back in
position. If he goes to the right, use your
aids to make him come back to the left
and vice versa. If he backs up, send him
forward to the spot where you asked him
to stop.
What to do when a horse spooks? Turn
him with the inside rein quickly and just
as quickly loosen the outside rein. Keep
him turning in as tight a circle as possible
until you get control. Be very careful not
to keep a tight outside rein. The horse
may react to this by rearing. Do not pull
on both reins either. The horse will only
“run” through the reins. Don’t look down
at whatever the horse is reacting to,
instead look up and away from it. Hold
the saddle horn with the same hand that
is holding the outside rein.
For example, if the horse spooks and
moves to the left, quickly shorten the
inside left rein to turn him tightly to the
left while loosening the outside right rein
held in the right hand. Look over your
left shoulder as you turn him to the left.
Grasp the saddle horn with the right
hand. Keep the horse in as tight a circle
or turn as possible until he submits to you
and control is regained. Then go back
and address the obstacle again.
If you have a horse that tends to be
spooky, go with a rider with a gentle
horse who can give your horse confidence.
Or teach your horse how to
pony on a longe line next to a calmer
horse that will give him confidence while
he is training outside the box.
Make a note that the next time you
plan to go out on the trail, exercise the
spooky horse by longeing him before
riding more than may have been done
prior to past rides. The goal should be
not to get him tired out, but just to make
him more humble to accept his new
surroundings while on the trail. If possible
make arrangements to out on the trail
ride with another rider mounted on a
quiet horse or try ponying your horse with
a calmer partner.
Repeat the same trail, but hike it before
going out with your horse. Analyze spots
where you may need to stop to allow
him enough time to accept areas he
might be unsure about. By doing this,
you will be prepared to help your horse
accept spooky obstacles while staying in
control of the situation.
Riders must understand that when a
horse is taken into a new environment,
his level of sensitivity and tendency to
overreact will tend to increase. He is
being placed in a new situation or being
asked to do something he has never
done before. Often riders who are
surprised at their horse’s spooky reactions
will say to me “my horse has never done
this before.” Chances are that is exactly
what is causing the spooky behavior.
Because the horse has no experience
with the situation, he becomes overly
sensitive and reactive. It is the rider’s
responsibility to anticipate that these situations
may happen, and be prepared to
handle them effectively.
Your Next Step…
Here are some tips for the rider when
dealing with a spooky horse.
1. Don’t look down at the spooky areas.
Always look over and beyond
obstacles that could have the
potential to spook your horse. Why?
Because when you look down and
have negative thoughts about the
obstacle, the horse picks up these
negative feelings. He knows what
you are thinking. Give him positive
thoughts instead. Say to yourself: “I
am going over to the other side of
this water crossing.” “I am going to
keep my horse responding to my
aids and commands.” Be confident
and build your horse’s sense of
security.
2. If you are hesitant about dealing
with issues of spooking, or if you are
inexperienced, trail ride in a western
saddle. The security of a western
saddle, with its easy-to-grab horn,
will give you more confidence than
an English saddle.
3. Take every negative or nervous
thought and turn it around to a positive
statement. It is important that
the rider has positive thoughts for the
horse to be positive, too.
4. When riding away from the barn or
trailer, make sure you and your horse
are well exercised and warmed
up. The horse should be walking
quietly. Schedule “forward” work
when going away from the barn or
trailer. Forward work includes walk
to trot, trot to lengthening trot, trot to
canter, and yielding at the trot both
to the left and right. The more often
you change gaits, and speed within
gaits (transitions), the more it will improve
the horse’s concentration on
you rather than being worried about
the outside surroundings.
5. When coming back to the barn, trailer,
or turning around on the trail to
return “home,” do “slow down” work
to keep his focus on you rather than
mindlessly rushing back, and possibly
discovering something to spook at.
Slow down work includes slow trot
to walk, walk to stop, yielding at the
walk both right and left, stopping,
turn on the haunches and forehand,
mounting and dismounting.
6. Don’t get frustrated if a horse continues
to spook over an object or situation.
Some horses simply take longer
to get over these issues than others.
The longer it takes and the more
patient you are, the more you are
building a foundation for advancing
his training outdoors.
The key to solving the issue of a spooking
horse is not allowing the horse to
take charge of his rider. If he does, the
horse is being allowed to go out on the
trail prematurely. Both horse and rider
need to go back to work in a big field
or arena until they gain more confidence
and skill together.
Until then, follow your dreams…
Lynn
Lynn’s Training Tip…
Remember… a horse knows what you
are thinking. You have to be a positive
rider to bring out the best in your horse!
For more information about Lynn Palm,
her trainings in Florida and other parts
of the U.S., DVDs and more,
visit www.lynnpalm.com or call
800.503.2824. EE
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