Training a Spooky Horse
Deal with a Shying or Frightened Horse Using Desensitisation
It can be incredibly disconcerting to ride a horse that jumps at every little thing. Find out equines can be trained to be more confident and less spooky.
Shying, often referred to as ‘spooking’, is when a horse moves off the line he was travelling along, usually to avoid a frightening object or noise. If the horse is given a fright at the same point in the journey, on more than one occasion, this behaviour may even develop into a habit, with the horse shying in anticipation, even if the source of his or her fear is no longer there. Shying can be incredibly dangerous, especially when the horse is being ridden on the road, as the horse may leap into the path of oncoming traffic. The abrupt movement away from the scary object may also dislodge the rider from the saddle.
Run First, Look Later
When dealing with a spooky horse or pony it is important to remember that, first and foremost, it is a herd animal. Even though the era when all horses ran wild on the plains seems a long time ago to us, the ‘prey animal’ mentality is still deeply ingrained into the horse’s psyche. Because of this a horse will still instinctively turn and run away from anything that he thinks will hurt him. In his opinion, staying to check out the source of the sound or movement could cost him his life.
The physical make-up of the equine also has an influence on how they react to strange or troubling objects. The horse has monocular vision which means that he has two blind spots directly in front and behind him. If something suddenly moves out of his blind spot and into his circle of vision it may startle him.
Teaching a Horse to be Courageous
There are a number of things that can be done at home to desensitise a horse or pony. Many horse trainers gradually accustom their equines to scary objects using a process called ‘sacking out’. Trainers slowly introduce each frightening object to the horse from a distance. Over a period of time they will progress to allowing the horse to sniff and touch the object and, ultimately, getting the horse to such a point of familiarity and comfort that the trainer can rub the object all over the horse’s body.
Playing music while carrying out stable duties will also get the horse used to different kinds of noises.
If the horse is a young or novice animal or he has recently moved barns then he may spook if he is taken out on rides alone, due to a lack of confidence and nerves. Riding out in a group of other horses for a few weeks is recommended so that the horse can relax and draw confidence from the group leader. The number of horses ridden out with can gradually be decreased until the horse is confident enough to be ridden out alone.
The Human is the Herd Leader
Horses that consistently shy are usually lacking in confidence. It is the rider's job, as herd leader, to reassure their steed and to teach him that he does not need to be scared of anything when the rider is with him. It is very important that an inexperienced, nervy rider is not teamed up with a young, spooky horse. A rider that is not knowledgeable or confident enough to support the nervous horse will make the situation even worse.
The rider should remain calm and collected when their horse spooks at something. The situation can be dealt with by turning him towards the object that he is scared of and talk ing to him in a low, soothing voice. When the horse is calm, he can be given a pat or a rub on the neck and ridden on. The horse may spook the next day and the next week, even at the same object, as it takes a lot of repetition and reassurance for a horse to get over a fear of something. However, if the rider is perseverant and resists getting angry or frustrated, they will soon start to see results.
More advice on training and handling horses can be found by reading these articles on 'Horse Training for Softness' and 'Gentling Horses'.
