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WHEN YOU TAKE YOUR HORSE OUTSIDE THE CORRAL, do all you can to make sure those rides are successful. A good experience sets the stage for future training, making it easier; a bad one will make future lessons more challenging. As with earlier lessons the horse will encounter many firsts — a first big, scary-looking rock; a first hill to climb; a first deer bounding out of the brush; a first bird flying up in front of him. How you help him get through these experiences will determine whether he learns to relax about the outside world or develops phobias that are difficult to resolve.
Safety Precautions
If you’ve done the proper ground work and have trained him consistently, by now your horse should be accustomed to many things, but having someone on his back while he travels will be a new experience. He is used to your encouragement and control while working on the ground but is not yet secure with “on board” control when something unexpected happens. There may be situations he can’t handle, spooky or confusing things, and he may react explosively out of fear.
Though you’ll try to be in tune with his mood and in control of his actions, you can’t always predict what will happen. Use safety measures to ensure that a spook or a buck doesn’t turn into a wreck. Try to prevent being bucked off during an early training ride — for your own safety and to avoid a bad experience for the horse. You also don’t want the horse to learn he can get rid of his rider by bucking or spooking and whirling!
Tie the Halter Rope to Saddle Horn
If you are starting your green horse in a Western saddle—as many trainers do, even if they plan to ride him English — a simple precaution is to tie the halter rope to the saddle horn (see page 450). This keeps him from getting his head down far enough to buck hard. Use a rope of proper length to tie to the horn. It should leave him enough slack for the head and neck movement that occurs during ordinary travel at the walk, with his head level with his withers, but should not allow him to get his head much lower.
You don’t want it too tight or it will inhibit his head as he makes balancing movements or will cause him problems when going up- or downhill or through a gully. Too much restraint of his head can frighten him if he gets in a bad situation and will cause him to rear. You want his head to be comfortable during normal actions, but you also want to halt his ability to put his head between his knees. An overcheck on the bridle can serve the same purpose, but it will put pressure on the bit rather than on the halter if he puts his head down.
Use Side Reins
Because your greatest help in keeping a horse from bucking is being able to pull his head around to the side, you may want reins attached to the halter as well as to the bit. The green horse is not accustomed to having his head pulled around by the bit with a rider; he may know the fundamentals of turning, from driving and other ground work, but still needs to learn about being cued from his back. If he panics and starts bucking, you don’t want to hurt his mouth by yanking his head around with the bit. Having a rein snapped to each side of the halter gives you the leverage you need, as it spreads the pressure between bit and halter (see page 253 for more on this topic).
Side reins snapped to the halter give the rider added control.
Reins on the halter can also be an advantage if your horse wants to go too fast. You can check him partially with the halter as well as with the bit and not make him hard-mouthed by constant use of the bit to slow him down. Reins on the halter give a good measure of added control that’s comfortable to the horse.
If you are not used to having four reins, make sure you have the proper tension or slack. Hold two reins in each hand — the halter rein and the bit rein on that side — separated by whichever fingers feel most comfortable and enable you to put slightly more pressure on either rein when necessary. This way, you can check him lightly with the bit alone, use both together, or use the halter rein more strongly, depending on the situation.
Check the Cinch
Before you go, make sure the cinch is snug. This is especially important when you start riding outside the pen, where unexpected things might spook your horse (see Shying on page 270). Tighten the cinch in increments before you get on. Always lead the horse a few steps, or longe him, after saddling, then recheck the cinch in case it needs to be tightened a notch before you mount.
Enlist a Helper
Your first mounted ventures away from home should be careful, well-planned sessions. If your horse is quite insecure, have a helper walking with you; he should carry a lead that can be snapped to your horse’s halter, under the bridle, in case of problems. A frightened young horse may disregard the rider if he hasn’t been ridden much and encounters a situation he finds intolerable.
Should this happen, the ground person can snap on the lead rope and help keep the horse calm or move him safely past the obstacle, preventing a serious problem or a bad experience. You can acquaint the green horse with new things in easy stages that he can handle emotionally and prevent bad experiences that might make him reluctant to leave home. When the youngster is farther along in training, you won’t need a ground assistant. At that point, a mounted companion on a calm horse can be a help to give the youngster confidence when encountering new and scary situations.
Use a Companion Horse
If the horse is nervous or skittish, your first rides out will be less risky if he has a companion. A baby-sitter horse can keep the insecure youngster calmer (see page 255). You may want to have a buddy accompany you until you and the green horse are more at ease with these excursions. But don’t become dependent on a baby-sitter. You don’t want your horse thinking that he can’t leave home without another horse. Make some rides alone as soon as you can. Even if he needs a baby-sitter to help him overcome new obstacles, do some riding alone on paths he has already seen; this will give him confidence. He must ultimately depend on you, not the other horse, for guidance. When you ride with another horse, accustom your horse to being in front, behind, and on either side, so that the whereabouts of his buddy won’t matter. Don’t let him think he can do things only a certain way.
Everything Is New and Different
Things you take for granted when riding an experienced horse may send your new pupil into orbit. Be prepared for this. You must be able to stay in control if your horse suddenly jumps and to ease him through each scary situation with reassurance and praise. Stay alert, and don’t be caught off guard or he may jump out from under you. Don’t be angry if he suddenly leaps or bucks because something scares him; try to understand how your horse feels and why he does what he does.
Riding in Brush
If there are bushes or sagebrush where you’ll be riding, the first time your stirrup drags through a bush, your horse may feel jumpy because he doesn’t know what the noise is. Even if he has encountered bushes in his home pasture, this is different. He knows what the sound and feel of bushes against his own body is like, but he’s never heard a bush hitting your leg or the stirrup.
PREPARE THE WAY
Your horse has never heard the sound of a tree branch on your hat; if you ride under trees and he hears a strange noise, he may think a cougar is attacking. The sound of sagebrush hitting stirrup bows, the feel of tall grass tickling his belly, even the sound of a sudden sneeze — any of these may cause him to explode in alarm. Expose him to some of these things ahead of time. While still in his safe home environment, make rubbing sounds on your straw hat and brush-crackling noises near his stirrups. Sneeze a few times. Your goal, to ensure an uneventful outing, is to get him used to some of the things that might startle him.
Travel along the edge of the brush at first, until you know how your horse will react to branches touching him.
The first time you ride through a patch of sagebrush where it will be hitting your stirrups, get him used to it gradually. Don’t head straight into the brush; he might panic and start bucking when he hears it on both sides and crash deeper into the brush — now the two of you are getting into an uncontrollable situation. Go alongside the brush for a moment, so if your horse gets scared, you can head away from it again and get out of it. Go in gradually.
Use the same cautious approach riding through trees. Go along the edge of the trees at first, until you know how the touch and sound of branches is going to affect your horse. If you head right into the trees and he blows up, you’ll be dodging branches as you try to control him; if he starts bucking, he won’t stay on the trail.
Allow Him Some Leeway
If he panics at something, try to see how your horse looks at it. His reaction is to run first and ask questions later—this is the flight-or-fight response (see chapter 1). Danger he can run from is always less scary for him than danger he can’t escape. If he spooks and tries to take off and you hold him right there, he might fight very hard or try to buck you off so he can run away from what is frightening him. But if you allow him to take a few steps away from perceived danger, he may not become panicky and probably will be more apt to listen to your reassurance that it’s just a tree stump or a grouse sneaking through the grass, not a bear.
Go with him a little when he’s scared. Let him take a few strides away from the frightening object before you make him halt, and don’t create more panic in him by using tight restraint. If you try to make him stay there, disregarding how he thinks or feels, he will be even more scared and may buck you off and then run. Try to understand your horse and to think the way he does.
Short and Sweet
If your horse is nervous about his first ride out of the pen, keep the ride short. Be in tune with his mind and judge how long the ride should be by how he’s handling it. It’s always better to ease into the big world gradually to avoid a panic situation you can’t handle.
The object of training is to keep your horse relaxed and thinking, to acquaint him with new things in a nonconfrontational way. If he panics and loses his concentration, you’ve defeated the purpose of the ride. A bad experience on his first ride in the open is hard to overcome. You get only one chance to make a good first impression on his first trip out; don’t ruin it by overdoing it and risking a problem.
If the horse is nervous, you may be nervous, too, wondering if he is ready for this. It’s best to make a very short trip and to end it on a positive note, rather than trying to do too much. If everything is going well, quit for the day, even if you’ve only been riding outside the pen for 15 minutes. If you can make a good, short ride and get home again with no problems, you’ve accomplished something and made an admirable first step. A very short, successful first outing will give your horse confidence and reinforce his trust in you. You’ll both be more relaxed about the second one.
Keep His Mind Occupied
A horse is less likely to get into trouble on first rides if you keep his attention. If his mind is on you and what he’s doing, he won’t have the opportunity to worry about a buddy at home, for example, or about something in the distance that might be scary. He’s also less likely to daydream and be startled inadvertently. When startled, the inexperienced horse usually jumps or bucks without thinking — and you may find yourself suddenly on the ground. If your horse is concentrating on something, there’s a lot less chance for an unanticipated problem.
FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS
Do your best to keep the horse’s undivided attention. When not doing exercises for maneuverability, keep him focused on walking straight lines; he should never be “on his own” when ridden. You are always directing him. Whether traveling across country or in an arena, you are the pilot. Pick an imaginary spot ahead of you, and try to have your horse walk as straight as possible toward it. If you are continually directing him with constant communication, he’ll stay focused and become more responsive to your cues.
When on a green horse, always stay in communication with him. Always keep his attention focused on you and his mind busy. You want him alert and interested. Maneuver him around rocks and bushes, ride off the trail into interesting terrain, make him go left and right or fluctuate his speed — all to keep his mind challenged and interested and focused on you. If you just head up a road or trail without asking your horse to do anything he will become inattentive and may find something to spook at or decide suddenly to buck. A horse with an idle mind is sometimes trouble!
Calming a Nervous Horse
Sometimes a youngster will be eager and interested and not a bit worried — until you turn for home. Then he suddenly starts thinking about his buddies back in the barn or pasture and wants to hurry. As you try to keep him down to a controlled walk, he may become nervous at being restrained. On early rides, this can be the difficult part — getting safely home on the horse who wishes he were home right now.
In this situation, keep talking to your horse. Sing and hum to him. Hearing your voice helps him keep his focus and pay more attention to you. Keep yourself relaxed, even with constant control on the reins; relay your relaxation through the bit so your horse will settle down and relax, too. Singing or humming helps you both relax.
HOME, SWEET HOME
Some horses are so interested in the big wide world that they want to keep exploring and seeing new things and are not at all interested in coming home until the novelty wears off after several rides. Others are more insecure and think constantly about home. The length of the ride and how much you expose a horse at first will depend on the individual horse and his security level. If you take your horse too far, you may find it hard to get back home without a problem.
Getting through a Tight Spot
If your horse is unsure about something along the trail, your attitude will make a big difference. Because he has confidence in you from earlier handling, he will stay calmer and listen to you, especially if you are merely steadying and reassuring him as you go past or through the obstacle rather than trying to force him. You are his security if he trusts you. If you try to force him, however, he loses confidence in you; your actions merely add to his fears.
Build on Every Success
The next rides out will be easier for both of you because you made sure the first one would go well. The horse is less confused and more prepared to pay attention to you. He feels more stable under you. He’s had time for the first ride to soak in. He’s ready for the next one — he’s interested in seeing new things. Now you can build on his success.
Overcoming Fear of Strange Obstacles
Most horses are a little afraid of new things; some are very nervous about strange obstacles. A bold young horse will quickly get over his hesitation, but a nervous or timid one may require a lot of patient training to overcome his fears.
Spooking at Rocks and Bushes
A horse who’s never been out of a small pasture may be afraid of things he encounters on first rides out. He may hesitate to travel through bushes and timber. He may be afraid of large rocks and low shrubbery that tickle his legs or brush his belly. Gradually familiarize him with these things. You never, ever want a horse so frightened that he gets out of control. New experiences, such as traveling through bushes or past large rocks, are often more easily accomplished if he has an experienced horse to follow.
SAFETY TIP
A lead horse should go slowly when traveling through brush or trees followed by an inexperienced horse. If this isn’t done, the young horse may be so fearful of being left behind that he rushes through the trees with no thought to his or your safety, increasing the possibility of injury.
Reluctance to Step over Logs
A horse who has never seen a log across the trail may refuse to go over it. To him it represents an impossible barrier. This situation is avoided if you’ve practiced at home, first leading, then riding him over poles on the ground (see page 144). After he walks willingly over them, set them up higher to simulate a large log on the trail. If you haven’t had an opportunity to prepare him this way, and his first experience with this type of obstacle is out on the trail, don’t get into an argument.
If your horse is adamant in his refusal to step over it, dismount and lead him. Usually, a horse will lead over or through an obstacle because he has more experience being led and trusts your guidance. Tap your horse’s hindquarters with a stick if he balks. Just make sure to be out of the way in case he decides to jump it.
If you are riding with another person, stay on your horse and let the experienced horse go first. The green horse won’t want to be left behind. Though he hesitates and fusses, he will usually go over the obstacle so he can catch up with the other horse. Be prepared, however, in case he leaps over the obstacle rather than stepping calmly. If stepping over a log is a real problem for him, take some time later at home, with posts on the ground, to help your horse overcome his fear.
Balking at Water Crossings and Bogs
Your horse must learn to cross rain puddles, streams, and ditches if you ride across country or on back-country roads and trails. With the inexperienced horse, ground work with water crossings is helpful (see page 145). If you have already led the horse through puddles or little streams, he won’t be so fearful of these obstacles when you start riding. You can cross bigger streams, and he’ll learn to handle them, especially if you are riding with other horses and he can see them crossing calmly. He usually will follow — perhaps with a bit of urging.
Tips for First Water Crossings
One way to get the green horse over his fear of water is to find a shallow place in a stream or a puddle-covered dirt road after a rain and ride around in the shallow water. There’s no place to go to avoid it. After going up and down the stream or around and around in the large puddle, the youngster learns that this is nothing to fear.
If your horse balks at a shallow stream, ride him across; don’t get off and lead him, even if there are rocks to give you dry footing. If he is spooky about the water, he may jump onto the same rock with you or knock you down in his lunge across. It’s safer to stay on him. If you absolutely have to lead a horse across a stream or up a steep bank, be prepared for him to jump or lunge.
If he knows how to pony — that is, to lead from another horse — one way to get a reluctant youngster to cross a stream the first time is to have another rider lead him as you ride the horse or as you follow along behind on foot with a switch. There may be times when he must cross, and this method will generally do the trick. Once across, go back and forth again a few times so your horse realizes that he can do it without problems.
With swift-flowing water, ride across at an angle, facing slightly upstream. The inexperienced horse may be confused by the swift water and move downstream with the current. If you’re facing upstream, it’s easier to keep him traveling across — and you won’t become dizzy if you face upstream and keep looking at the opposite bank. A rider can become very dizzy looking down at the water. On the downstream side of the horse, stay focused on the bank upstream.
SAFETY TIP
The green horse may rush a stream crossing at first or may try to jump it if it’s narrow. Be prepared for this so you won’t be unseated by a sudden lunge. Even a small ditch or stream that could easily be stepped over may be broad-jumped by the nervous green horse who has not yet gained confidence about crossing water. (See Narrow Streams on page 268 for more on this topic.)
DON’T LET HIM WALLOW
If a horse starts pawing in a stream or pond when you are acquainting him with water and letting him stand in it, quickly ask him to move for ward. Some horses want to lie down and roll in water, especially if they’ve been sweating and are hot and itchy.
Water Crossing Practice
If there’s a nearby stream for practice sessions, take some time to acquaint your horse gradually with crossings so his first experience won’t be out on the trail, when crossing it is essential. Having the time to convince him it’s his idea makes future crossings easier; he won’t associate water with struggle and confrontation, as he would had he been forced. Lessons for water crossing will be more pleasant for both of you if you have already ridden the young horse enough to have him responsive to your signals and direction.
Ride along the edge of a shallow stream at a distance your horse feels comfortable with. If he’s not being forced into something, he’ll be more relaxed about it. If he’s nervous, spend some time just being by the water, or going back and forth, or coming and going to the stream. Keep riding back to the water. If he’ll stop briefly by it, ride away again as a release and reward. Don’t ask him to cross yet. Soon he’ll discover that his reward for going to the water and staying calm is being ridden away again, and he’ll become more relaxed about standing by the water. If he can drink from it, this too will relieve some anxiety. He may even decide to walk into the water on his own.
When you ask your horse to cross, encourage forward movement with your legs but not so much that he becomes defensive. The instant he takes a step forward toward the water, release the leg pressure. If he gets nervous, ride him away from the creek and come back to the same spot again. Your goal is to keep getting one step closer; release all pressure when he does.
Let him stand and relax and check it out, then ride away again before he tries to leave. Don’t increase pressure if he’s trying; talk reassuringly to him to make him feel safe and comfortable by the creek. It may take several tries, but your horse will eventually attempt to enter the water. Let him move forward without urging. If he goes in, let him stand in it for a moment if he wants, or go on across. Once he gets out, ride a few feet away, then come back to the creek. If you follow these positive steps, he will gain confidence and be more willing to do the lesson again.
PLAN FOR SUCCESS
For water lessons, choose a shallow ( fetlock deep or less) stream with ground-level entry and exit points, good footing, no big rocks or steep or boggy banks, and enough width that the horse will not try to jump it.
Narrow Streams
Most inexperienced horses will try to leap a narrow waterway rather than walk through it or step calmly over it. Try to avoid narrow streams and ditches until you’ve ridden your horse more, have better control over how he handles himself, and have crossed wider streams, during which he learned it’s okay to get his feet wet. Leaping a stream or ditch can be hazardous if the footing is bad or if the young horse decides to turn the leap into a bucking spree on landing.
If you must cross a narrow stream, select the most level spot with the safest footing and approach it parallel rather than straight on. This makes it a wider obstacle, and you’ll have better luck at making your horse walk through it rather than leap it. If he gathers himself for a leap, steer him away from the water and approach again, encouraging him to go slowly and walk through it. If he does leap it, turn him around and go back over it. Cross several times in a more controlled manner until he crosses the water properly.
Dry Ditches and Gullies
The same methods for teaching him to cross water generally work for a horse who balks at a dry ditch or gully. Choose the easiest place to cross, where the bank is the least steep and deep. Ride him across rather than lead him, in case he leaps, so he won’t knock you down. If he’s very reluctant, it helps to have another rider go first. Not wanting to be left behind, your horse will usually try to get across. If he still won’t cross, have the other rider lead him while you encourage your horse from behind.
Once a youngster realizes he can do it, it’s usually easier for him the next time — especially if you were patient and did not make him more fearful by using an angry voice or punishment. He can understand a light touch on his hindquarters with a willow, especially if he is being stubborn rather than truly afraid, but inflicting pain with a sharp spanking is never a good idea.
CROSSING WATER
A. Let the horse check out the stream but keep him facing it.
B. Stay facing the stream until he tentatively puts in a foot.
C. When he thinks he can do it, encourage him to go across.
CROSSING A BRIDGE
The green horse may hesitate to cross a bridge, especially if he’s never seen one or the footing seems insecure or noisy. If he balks, either lead him across the first time or follow another horse. Feel your way with each situation; he may just need a little encouragement. Choose a safe method that is best for your horse’s ability and confidence level.
Rushing gullies. When crossing a deep ditch or gully, the green horse often picks up speed going down into it, then lunges up the other side. To prevent this, halt him before you start down, then make him go down in a controlled manner. Halt again at the bottom if he wants to hurry up the other side. Turn him parallel to the steep bank, make him wait until he relaxes, then ask him to turn and walk quietly up the bank.
If he is following another horse, he may think he’s being left behind and panic. Unless he is too insecure to try the gully on his own, have your horse go first. If he’s simply too fearful, have the other horse go first, but slowly, and have him wait for you on the other side of the gully so your horse can see he’s not being left behind.
Shying
Some horses spook at things: they snort and leap sideways or whirl 180 degrees to bolt. The young horse is often spooky because he’s inexperienced; his instinct is to flee from anything he perceives as dangerous. He may never have encountered a bird that flies up in his path or a plastic bag billowing in the wind beside the trail.
Some shying is to be expected when you take a green horse out on the trail, but your goal is to develop a calm, easygoing horse who will stay relaxed in the face of new encounters. Develop communication and trust. Use various lessons to acquaint him with new things gradually. Teach him to accept these matter-of-factly or with curiosity instead of panic and leap-away avoidance. This is what training is — gradually getting your horse accustomed to different things so he can accept them without reverting to instinctive evasion.
Your horse may still be afraid of something or shy occasionally when he’s feeling exuberant, with energy to burn, but if you’ve trained him through the basic scary stuff, he will be less likely to develop a habit of violent shying that may unnerve or even unseat an unprepared rider.
Sometimes It’s Eyesight
Horses see things differently from the way we do. They have a broader field of vision and see a different picture with each eye. They can’t focus as readily on close objects, however, and their straight-ahead view is more limited. In the wild, this type of vision makes it difficult for a predator to sneak up on the horse. He can see behind himself with just a slight turn of his head; he can see movement behind and on both sides and be prepared to flee from danger instantly.
Although the horse has a wide view with his head up, there’s a blind spot behind his body and beneath his nose. He can’t see anything closer than about 3 feet in front of his forefeet unless he tips his head. With his head raised, a small log just in front of him may be difficult to focus on until he lowers his head to examine it closely. Anything that appears suddenly along the path beside him or in front of him will usually cause him to shy because he doesn’t see it clearly.
He may react strongly to movement at the outer edges of his vision because his instinct tells him it could be a predator. Many horses spook at anything unusual along the path until they have a chance to examine it and satisfy themselves that it is harmless. Some horses have poor eyesight and are unable to decipher visual stimuli around them, and these animals may spook even at familiar objects. In such cases, all you can do is strive for understanding and patience. It’s futile to succumb to frustration and anger. Being aware that the horse is going to spook at every big gray rock and preparing yourself for that is the best tactic. Simply reassure him, and try to dispel his fears. If you stay calm, your horse will be calmer. If you ride nervously, anticipating a spook, the horse feels insecure and probably will spook.
The horse’s field of vision
Wildlife and Dogs
The unanticipated often poses the greatest risk when riding a green horse. A playful dog, a bird that flies too near, a deer bounding out from a bush — all will likely alarm an inexperienced horse. If he’s not used to wildlife, its sudden appearance can really frighten him. Until a horse gets used to darting wildlife, you must depend on keeping control while reassuring him. Once your horse starts listening to you so you can help ease him through his fears, it will get easier.
It helps to ride with another person if you know you may encounter scary wildlife or barking dogs. Your horse will be less likely to try to whirl and bolt home if there is a stable horse to give him confidence. He sees that the other horse is not afraid, and he’ll also be reluctant to leave the other horse. A calm, dependable horse can be a good anchor for the insecure one, helping him hold his ground and minimizing his desperate desire to flee.
Think Ahead, and Be Prepared
When riding a green horse on first trips outside, remember that there are some things he hasn’t seen before, and he may be alarmed by objects an experienced horse takes in stride. It’s up to you to recognize a shy potential before it happens, ease your horse’s fear, and bolster his confidence. Give him time to check things out.
FACING HIS FEAR
A horse will usually stay calmer if he can see what’s spooking him, especially a moving object like a bounding deer or a dog coming up behind him. If you attempt to ride away from it, it’s more likely that the horse will try to run, and a dog may be inclined to chase you. Face the dog, or ride calmly toward it. This often prompts the dog to leave.
Any time a frightening object is coming in your direction — a barking dog, a curious kitten, a noisy lawn mower — it’s better to face it than have it coming from behind. If a plastic bag is blowing toward you, keep your horse facing it; circle around it. If you must ride away from a moving object, ride at an angle or zigzag, so the horse can keep it in his sight until he’s safely away from it.
Learning how to handle a shying horse is an important lesson for you. You may never totally defuse his reactions of panic, especially if he has poor eyesight or a nervous nature, but you can tone them down and make the shying easier to handle.
Many horses snort and spook at strange things, but if you give them a chance to look them over, they’ll realize there’s no danger and relax. The best you can do with a skittish horse is to exercise simple patience. Instead of trying to force him past the scary object, let your horse stand and snort and check it out at his own pace. He’ll relax more quickly if you don’t try to make him confront it at close range. When he’s calm, he may want to go closer and smell it. When he finds it’s no big deal, he’ll continue on his way.
Gain His Trust
If you developed a good working relationship during early ground work, the horse looks to you for support. You must further that trust and communication while riding on his back. Reassure him when he panics; don’t increase his fear by punishing him when he shies at something. When confronted with something scary, horses don’t stop to think what it might be. To reassure a horse, you must relay the message that this “bogey” is harmless. Fighting him, punishing him for spooking, or trying to force him closer to a scary object will make him feel the scary object is truly bad, reinforcing his determination not to get any closer. A spooky horse can be made more skittish by an inconsiderate rider. Your goal, as always, is to instill trust.
You can’t prepare a horse for every situation he might encounter, but you can increase his confidence level and develop his trust in you. If he listens to you, you can help him work through his fears. The dangerous horse is one who panics and pays no attention to his rider. If he has learned to trust you, he learns that spooking and bolting are not necessary to “save” himself in a frightening situation; he can rely on your calmness and your direction.
Think Like a Horse
In a herd situation, horses rely on one another to warn of potential danger. The first one to see something suspicious will come to attention, body tensed, ready to flee. He focuses on the strange sight — head raised, ears pricked, nostrils flaring — and snorts. This alerts the rest of the herd, and they, too, get ready to flee. But as soon as a member of the herd decides there’s nothing to fear, he relaxes and drops his head to continue grazing, and the rest of the herd takes the cue — they too relax and go about their business.
Be the Leader
The rider has the role of herd leader. At first sight of a spooky situation, you generally tense and focus in that direction, just as the horse does. This tension is conveyed to the horse through your seat, legs, and increased rein pressure. You must relax and reassure the horse that there’s nothing to fear. If you stay tense, he will, too. After several episodes in which you relax, he’ll usually start to believe you, and you can more readily encourage him to calm down in the face of something alarming. Your reaction — positive or negative — can greatly minimize or accentuate shying.
Riding the Shy
If you realize your horse is going to shy, don’t stiffen your seat or shorten your reins to try to hold him steady or to prevent the shy with sheer force. You can’t really stop an agile horse from shying. When a horse shies, do your best to stay in balance and keep light hold of the reins. You don’t want to inadvertently punish a horse by accidentally jerking the reins.
With the green horse, however, you don’t want the shy to turn into a whirl-around bolt for home. Keep an easy seat and calm rein, but be ready to halt a whirl. Any attempt to actively inhibit a shy may just induce your horse into more violent shying in his claustrophobic efforts to get away from what he perceives to be imminent danger. Your tension and apprehension (and possible punishment with bit and legs) are proof to the horse that this is a perilous situation.
Your ability to relax and ride through a shy without clamping your legs and hands, yet still keeping him under control, can cut down the incidence and intensity of the shying. And after-the-shy anger or fear on your part will increase your horse’s tension, making the situation more frightening in his mind. If you react harshly to his shying, this initiates a vicious cycle. His reaction is to shy more desperately. Outbursts from you after a shy will reinforce his idea that scary things are dangerous. Get yourself under control. Understand your horse’s reactions, and never punish for what is in fact an instinctual response. Remember, too, to speak to him reassuringly when the situation has passed, and praise him when he’s calm.
Some horses tend always to be spooky. It is their nature — a way of expressing high spirits. As you train a youngster and gain better communication, you can often tone down these explosive moves and mold them into something that can be more easily handled. If he is high-strung or timid, his insecurities can be greatly diminished and his trust in you greatly increased by consistent patience as you work together. After a while, you can minimize his cause for fear and the kind of insecure behavior that makes him a challenge to ride.
HE’LL FOLLOW YOUR LEAD
When riding through a spooky situation, stay as relaxed as possible. Go with the horse on as loose a rein as you can, looking straight ahead rather than at the scary thing. If it’s a moving object, like a dog coming at him, he will probably have to face it. But a stationary scary thing can often be calmly ridden past. Pick a distant object to ride toward and keep your focus ahead; your horse may find it easier to follow your focus, gaining confidence from you. If you don’t make an issue of the spook, he’ll learn not to react strongly as well.
A Little Quiet Time
Sometimes a nervous horse needs extra lessons on relaxation and patience so he won’t get into the frustrating habit of always wanting to rush home to the security of his pen, stall, or pasture buddies. The way you handle him during early rides can make the difference in whether or not he develops the rush-home habit.
Some Time to Relax
During rides away from home, find a place you can let him stand for a while. If it’s a hot day, pick a place in the shade (a place that’s comfortable for him), and ask your horse to stand and relax. Whether you dismount or stay mounted will depend on the horse and the situation and on what makes you both feel most comfortable. Let him know he can be comfortable out there and doesn’t need to rush home. Make him stand quietly. Talk to him and rub him until he relaxes. If he is too nervous for that, it may take several sessions on several rides before you find a way to take his mind off his worry.
You may have to resort to letting your horse nibble a little grass somewhere out there, or have a rider along on a familiar horse so the young one will relax and stand, knowing he has the security of his friend. Whatever it takes, it pays to teach him early on that he doesn’t always have to be traveling and working with a rider on his back. He doesn’t have to rush home to get relief from being ridden. If the only time his work ends is when he’s taken home, he becomes too eager to get there. He needs to know he can sometimes just stand and relax. The earlier you can impress this on him, the better.
Riding along Roads
One of the most potentially hazardous situations when starting a green horse is riding along a road. Until your horse gets used to traffic, his unpredictable reactions can be dangerous. He may try to bolt or perhaps whirl into an oncoming car. How you handle this phase of training will determine whether he becomes safe to ride along a road or develops a permanent phobia.
Get Him Accustomed to Vehicles
Acquaint your horse with cars and motor noises in safe and controlled conditions before you take him on a road. If you have a quiet lane, a driveway, or a back road close to home, ask a friend to drive a car slowly past you and the horse. If your horse becomes frightened, have the friend stop the vehicle, and speak to the horse while you ride past, so the horse recognizes something familiar. Take as much time as he needs to be reassured that the vehicle is nothing to fear. Let your horse approach and sniff it and check it out on his own terms so he can see for himself that this monster is not threatening. If the horse is skittish while being ridden, lead him past the car during the first lessons.
If a frightening vehicle comes up behind you, turn your horse to face it, and keep him facing it as it goes by.
Ride with a Helper
If you must travel a road with traffic on a horse not yet acquainted with this, go with another rider — on an experienced horse — the first few times (you may have to ride along a road to get to a place where you can ride across country, for example). When meeting a vehicle, halt both horses off the side of the road. The green horse will gain courage and confidence from the calm one and be less apt to try to bolt or whirl away from the car. After he is more accustomed to cars going by, he can follow the experienced horse along the side of the road, not having to stop and face every car that comes along.
Handling Panic Situations
Sometimes you’ll meet a vehicle that is more noisy, larger, or more frightening than anything the horse is used to. In this instance, try to find a place where you can get completely off the road before the vehicle meets you. This will give your horse more space. If a truck or scary vehicle — even a bicycle — is coming up behind you, turn the horse so he can see it better. Ride along the edge of the road, as far off as possible, toward the vehicle, and keep your horse’s head facing it as it passes.
If the traffic laws in your state say that riders must move with the traffic, do not take a green horse out on a busy road; noisy vehicles coming from behind will be too frightening for most horses. Get him accustomed to traffic in a more controlled situation, such as on a less busy, quiet back road, before you have to ride along a highway.
Be Prepared
If there is time, find a safe place to get off the road when meeting a frightening vehicle. If you often travel a busy road, make mental notes of places where you can get off in an emergency. Do not, however, try to beat a vehicle to a safe place if it means increasing your speed to get there. This will create a potentially more dangerous situation. At a faster speed, the horse is more likely to panic and bolt or to start bucking.
Dismount If Necessary
If you can see there is no room to get safely away from a frightening vehicle and you know your horse is likely to panic, get off and hold him. This may be safer, with a horse who’s well halter trained, than trying to stay on. If the horse is so alarmed that he might pull away from you while being held, he needs more basic training before you take him into this kind of situation again.
Know your horse. You may prefer to stay mounted. If you don’t have really good ground control, you may be unsafe on the ground. If he pulls away from you, he may bolt through a fence or into traffic. When riding out, always have a way to keep control if you dismount. Ride with a halter under the bridle; you’ll have better control with a halter rope than with bridle reins.
Advance Preparation Is Best
Part of good training is knowing the objects and situations with which your horse needs to be acquainted and getting him used to these things, step by step, ahead of time. There are always things you can’t anticipate, however. This is why it’s important to build good communication and trust, so your horse gets into the habit of listening to you and relying on your judgment. If he has learned early on to take his cues from you — remaining calm and relaxed because you are — there will be less risk of serious problems out on the trail. Lessons in relaxation, using your voice and neck rubbing as prompts, for example, can teach him to relax on cue and be more steady and stable when a trying situation comes along.