Taking the Spook Out of Your Horse

Owning a horse is a wonderful experience. The bond a person can have with this majestic animal can defy description. One day you take your horse out for a leisurely trail ride. Something blows across your path, and BOOM! You suddenly find that you and your horse have parted company. It happened so fast that you feel you've had a Wiley Coyote moment of being suspended in mid-air, and then you experience the crash. If you are lucky, you will come away with just a few bumps or bruises, or if not so lucky, a serious injury that could life altering and life threatening. All you horse people know what I'm talking about. If you've owned a horse for ten years, or ten minutes it will be worth your while to try these exercises to take the spook out of your horse.

To begin take a look at your horse's temperament. Is the horse an outgoing assertive horse? If so, the job of de-spooking will be quicker and easier. So what do you do if your horse is a fearful neurotic weenie? You work slowly to build this horse's confidence in you. Always remember that horses are prey animals and they consider presentation of any new object a potentially life threatening event. Just because we know it is a harmless grocery bag, does not mean they know that. Stay calm, stay rational, and help your horse to overcome his fears.

The effectiveness of these training methods will depend on where your horse is in his overall training. It is suggested that the horse be halter broke, and ground safe before you attempt your de-spooking program. If not, you increase your risk of potential injury with an out of control horse. Put safety first!