26/ NOVEMBER 2021 THE RIDER Unexpected Spooking: Why Does Your Horse Do It?


By Anne Gage for The Rider, No- vember 2021


Have you been surprised by your horse unexpectedly spook-


ing? You may have been told that your horse is just trying to be dom- inant or avoid working. That’s sim- ply not true. Horses’ brains truly don’t work that work (and that


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dominance thing is an outdated the- ory).


While it may be true that your


horse may sometimes try to avoid doing what you’re asking of him. That behaviour is generally caused by confusion, pain or a lack of proper training. It’s untrue that his unexpected


spook (or any other “bad” behav- iour) is a way to get the better of you. So, what’s with that unexpected spook? Remember that there is always


a reason for your horse’s behaviour. So, even that unexplained spook has a reason that makes complete sense to your horse. Here are 3 possible reasons for


that unexplained spook.


1. Your Horse Is Aware of Things That You Don’t Notice. Horses’ senses work differently


from ours. That means that your horse can see, hear, smell and even feel things that you’re not aware of. When you think “there’s noth-


ing there” and you’re surprised by your horse’s unexpected spook re- member that it is possible that he did see, hear or smell something that in- dicated a potential danger to him. And as a prey animal, he needs


to put a safe distance between him- self and the perceived threat. And then stop and look from a safe dis- tance. That’s what he’s trying to do


when he spooks.


2. Horses Spook Because They Learn From Repetition. It only takes as few as 3 repetitions for your horse to


notice a pattern. So, it’s really easy to inadvertently teach your horse


to feel nervous at a certain spot in the arena or on the trail. Or when asked to perform a particular transition or move- ment.


And that pattern can be created just as easily for you


as it can be for your horse. For example, your horse unexpectedly spooks when


you ride by a certain area or object (or when you ask for a transition or movement) Then because you anticipate him repeating that behaviour in the same place so you become tense. Your horse picks up on your tensions and that of course affects how your horse feels. So, he spooks again. A vicious cycle is created.


3. Your Horse Give You Signs Before The Unexpected Spook A relaxed horse does not suddenly explode or unex-


pectedly spook. If he is startled, he is more likely to have a smaller behaviour like stopping and raising his head or scooting a wee bit forwards or sideways. Bigger spooks happen because the tension has been build- ing. But nothing has been done to help defuse that tension. Your horse gives subtle signs of tension that might


have gone unnoticed while you were bringing him in from the paddock, grooming him, or tacking him up. Or the ten- sion might gradually build up during your ride. The more the tension builds and is unnoticed. The


more likely you are to get a big spooking behaviour. But, when you’re tuned in to how your horse is feel-


ing in every moment, you are more likely to notice the ear- liest, subtle signs that he’s feeling a bit tense. Then you can take steps to defuse his tension and help him to relax and feel safe.


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