Can you teach a horse to not spook

Bodshi

Bodshi

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Apr 23, 2009
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I used to think a spooky horse was just spooky by nature and there was nothing you could do about it. Then I found out that 'good' riders can ride their horse through a spook, so it doesn't jump out into traffic or bend round a flappy thing in a hedge etc.

But can you go one step further and actually teach your horse not to be spooky, as in not just stopping a spook but the horse not going to spook in the first place? So if a pheasant suddenly flies out from underfoot the rider doesn't have to correct the spook the instant it happens, but the horse self-corrects and doesn't even try to spook?

If so, will this training last the life of the horse, or will it revert back to its spooky nature when it's ridden by less experienced riders?
 
Good question and I will watch with interest to hear what others say! I'm not sure if you could ever remove the surprise element of spooks, but certainly for novel objects, I think clicker training could be very powerful in encouraging a horse to embrace novel and scary objects - my limited experience of doing this has brought pretty good results.
 
No idea but I'd love to know the answer too. Tommy thought about spooking today as a random piece of machinery , I felt him slow very slightly and tense up but then he seemed to realise it was ok and we carried on our way. I know if I'm relaxed then he is alot less likely to spook ( same with frankie).
 
This is kind of two parts the first riding through a spook.

A good rider will not 'rise' to the spook as in the horse will spook but the rider will just apply leg (either right or left) bring straight back to original pace and carry on like nothing has happened. Not even comment on the spook.

But as for teaching a horse not to, If you watch any showing, dressage etc on the tele or in person you will see some of the top horses spook at things, A confident rider will do as above so in effect a spook to a novice might feel massive and slightly out of control a confident ride will just make it look less.

Personnel I ignore Chanters spooks and just carry on like nothing happened but when I have been with friends they often ask how I don't get scared, tanked off with, or mad at him as some of them are just plain silly.

But a confident rider will make a more confident horse.
 
I reckon you can (to a point! some horses will always be flightier than others I guess), simply by getting then used to 'stuff' and building their confidence by eg despooking in a safe area. so many people simply don't put the time in eg on foot etc. of course you can't prepare for EVERYTHING, but I reckon that a confident horse that's used to 'stuff' will always be safer to hack etc than one that's kept in a bubble.


edit to say: by this I mean avoiding an unnecessary reaction to start with eg. I would prefer if my horse did not see the need to think about spooking eg on the road in the first place because she's already used to most of the 'classic' spooky things like bags etc.
 
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I don't think you can prepare for everything. For example, Ziggy is not really a spooky pony, and when we are out on our own I can generally ride him through or past anything. But if we are in company and the other horses spook, you can bet he will too. He doesn't always think for himself.
 
I think you can to a certain extent. Look at Police horses for example.

Some horses are naturally more spooky than others but a certain amount of it can certainly be reduced by good riding and getting the horse used to different things.
 
OwnedbyChanter said:
This is kind of two parts the first riding through a spook.

A good rider will not 'rise' to the spook as in the horse will spook but the rider will just apply leg (either right or left) bring straight back to original pace and carry on like nothing has happened. Not even comment on the spook.
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I try to do this and BREATH!!! AND RELAX MY BODY!! X X
 
I think the more they are exposed to the better they get.

I think some horses are naturally more 'spooky' by nature - after all that is how they have managed to evolve and continue as a species by having a healthy sceptisicm - if it moves it will eat you and if it doesn't move it will eat you!!

I do think though that allowing your horse to have a heart attack every day is good for them, they then have less heart attacks!

Tobes used to whip around and gallop off, now he just clatters or at worst whizzes to one side. This is just due to continued exposure to scarey things really - like the child with a dog that was lurking up a lane today that was actually put there as a Toby eating combination - cue much hoof clattering and whizzing sideways!!

It no longer worries me, I just keep going and don't make anything of it.

My friends cob however, rarely does this, it is just she is of a more placid nature and it burns up far too many calories to get stressed over!
 
I don't think you can to be honest, yes to a certain degree you can desensitise them to things but sometimes it makes no difference, for example, Belle is the most saintly girl usually nothing much bothers her, if she sees a plastic bag she has to go make sure there is no food in it! Dogs again don't worry her, bicycles, geese, joggers, tractors, lorries etc even the pigs at the end of the lane just get a snort and a little jog past (I think it's the disgusting smell) yet some days she'll spook at a bit of paper on the floor or even someone carrying a big bag to put hay in! Even though we've done all the groundwork with tarpaulins, umbrella's etc etc if they have one of those days they will still spook.
 
Interesting. I completely agree that the more a horse is exposed to stuff the more relaxed it will become and yes I can see that doing work with them, eg clicker training or other de-spooking exercises could help train them not to react to new things. And that a confident rider helps the horse be confident. Good point about the police horses too, I should have thought of that as my RI is also a police horse trainer. Police horses are very carefully selected aren't they? Both for physical suitability and temperament - my RI says she doesn't go for the laid-back ones (as I'd expected) but for the switched on ones 'with a brain'. Completely agree too that some days they just want to spook or jump about or generally be idiotic, no matter how sane they are normally!

I asked because my RI is trying to teach me to do just what OBC described. She said Raf isn't a baby any more, I've to stop treating him like one and in other words 'take it by the scruff and ride it'! So practising today our hack took us round a field next to a very rustly hedge - lots of birds, rabbits, lions etc. Raf isn't very spooky any more but he does 'bend' a lot to look at spooky or interesting things so I have to use leg aids to keep hiim straight. And I was being quite successful if I say so myself (not too many lions today). Towards the end a pigeon flew out right next to us. I expected Raf to give a little jump and was ready to correct but instead he dropped his head, mouthed his bit and carefully carried on. I wondered whether he actually had thought to himself, 'must not spook, not allowed', or whether it was complete co-incidence.

Oh yes and re letting your horse have a heart attack a day - a friend rides her warmblood very properly all the time - he doesn't look left or right but works in a wonderful contact the whole ride. However, friend still can't relax and enjoy her ride - she's always expecting a big explosion. Maybe keeping it all contained like that really isn't as safe as letting them have little heart attacks?
 
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I personally think this subject is a little more complicated than first appears. Several things can affect how spooky a horse is. There are the obvious ones like temperament, lack of familiarity with the stimulus, or rider confidence, but the horse's diet, routine, physical condition and even their view of people can also affect how they behave when they meets something potentially scary.

I think some of the less obvious ones are often overlooked. Horses that are under exercised, not turned out enough, fed too much or have a niggling physical issue which mean they are in constant low level pain can all overreact compared to a horse where this isn't a problem. Dietary deficiency eg magnesium can also cause theses sorts of issues.

I would have thought that despooking work, and relationship building would help most spooky horses, but looking at the bigger picture is important too.
 
Yann said:
I personally think this subject is a little more complicated than first appears. Several things can affect how spooky a horse is. There are the obvious ones like temperament, lack of familiarity with the stimulus, or rider confidence, but the horse's diet, routine, physical condition and even their view of people can also affect how they behave when they meets something potentially scary.

I think some of the less obvious ones are often overlooked. Horses that are under exercised, not turned out enough, fed too much or have a niggling physical issue which mean they are in constant low level pain can all overreact compared to a horse where this isn't a problem. Dietary deficiency eg magnesium can also cause theses sorts of issues.

I would have thought that despooking work, and relationship building would help most spooky horses, but looking at the bigger picture is important too.
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I echo this and know first hand with malaika that its true.malaika was very nervous spooky and highly spirited you might say when I got her,with time,patience,lots of ground work,getting physical things ticked off the list and a more suitable diet she got better by the day,she needs to be in regular work to help her stay more balanced,she needs routine and we build on desensitization with new things when time is right.
Since my op at the end of Jan she has slowly started showing her original traits she carried when I first got her,not as extreme she has been an angel with me while I've bot been physically fit.physically all is fine,diet was changed to suit the lack of work etc.I kept her in her routine and spent a lot of time in the stable with her,its in the last 3 weeks I have been able to start doing a little more and I know she will soon be back to how she was before my op.
Due to her nature I have to make a conscious effort to be calm and not take any of my anxieties to the yard with me as this will bring up her tense spooky side,a bad day at work has to stay at work so to speak.
So I do think how we do things etc effects spookiness but I don't feel its a training thing exactly but more of a bond with your horse and your horses temperament,some horses are naturally more spooky/nervous as are people.I hope some of that has made sense :eek:
 
Maybe keeping it all contained like that really isn't as safe as letting them have little heart attacks?
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I don't think so, I think there's a balance to be struck between giving guidance and showing leadership on the one hand and suppressing the horse's natural reactions on the other. I think this especially the case when fear reactions are concerned, because adding punishment into the equation (which is technically what we're doing if we drive them on or tell them off for spooking) might be effective in the short term, because a lot of horses will comply. But you do risk having a pressure cooker effect and the horse reaching the end of its tether and taking matters into its own hands when you least expect it. I'd much rather be riding a horse that is happy to tell me when it's worried and more importantly trust me enough to look to me for guidance about what to do about it. I think a horse staying with you mentally despite being afraid is what makes them safe to ride, as much as a lack of reaction to stuff.
 
I think it depends how the horse processes fear, are they the type to jump, go sideways, buck, run.
My other chap would spin and buck, he always did that option but it got less as he got older and saw more.
The unteaching part you can get to the stage of feeling their body do something before they do something. They think of the movement before they so it, though its lightening fast. I used to watch the ears as his signs that a buck could be coming my way.

It is natural for a horse to spook though. Some are more with weather changes, wind or cold, spring grass.
The cob isn't what I call spooky now she has grown up a bit. She was initially to everything new. The more I get her out the more chance she has of seeing things.
 
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