Question: Hi, I just wanted to know how do you “cure” a spooky horse? I have a great thoroughbred with an amazing jump, but she doesn’t do the jumps as she stops directly in front of it, and well… I usually go flying!!! She can jump 1 meter jumps if it is just a pair of uprights with a pole, but if you add anything else to the jump she won’t do it. It’s the same with our rides. She will see a dead branch 500 times and still walk past it and spook at it! So do you have any idea, of curing this spooky behaviour or hers?

 Answer: Spooking is a very common behavior, but can also be quite dangerous. There are many training approaches you can take to boost your horse’s confidence and help her get over her fear of “spooky things”. While spooky things can be anything from horse eating flowers attached to jumps or malicious horse biting sticks laying on the ground, your horse is reacting to objects because she is afraid of them. Horses are naturally prey animals, and we ask them to do extraordinary things, including riding through and near objects that a horse would normally avoid of its own volition. Another reason horses spook is to avoid work. Some horses have learned that spooking at objects (such as jump standards and branches) that they will be worked for shorter periods or not asked to do “hard” work such as jumping. During riding, the horse may still spook in reaction to objects she finds frightening, but the rider is often able to ease the horse through the moment. Younger horses also tend to spook more when they are being worked quite hard, as it offers them a brief break from the intensity of the training session.

Spooking may be judged as a minor or major fault (depending on the level you are showing at and the individual judge(s)) when performing in a show ring, so I suggest you begin by addressing the issue on your home course. First of all, give your horse the opportunity to thoroughly examine and look at the jump when you change it. It sounds as though your horse is new to the jumping scene, and that you may be as well. The first method of showing a new jump to a green jumper is to actually hand walk them around and past the jump, and even through the standards (without poles in place, obviously). This gives the horse an opportunity to realize that the new adornments are not horse eating monsters. Give your horse a few moments to examine the obstacle, allowing her to sniff and look at it from multiple directions. If your horse does not react to the dressed up jump while you are hand walking her, it is likely that she is spooking to get out of working. Another possibility is that you are not transferring your confidence to her as you ride her over a new obstacle. Horses are quite keen at reading body language, and your horse will be able to tell if you are hesitant about a new jump.

Make sure you are using your legs correctly and that your jumping position is good. You legs should be telling her that she is to move forward only, not sideways, backward, or screeching to a halt. Keep your heels down, and make sure your weight is going down through your legs to keep you in contact with the horse. If your heels lift up and your toes are pointed downward, you will not have as much contact or ability to control and reassure your horse of the appropriate direction as you approach the jump. Additionally, your horse needs to be in the correct position and working off her hind end when she approaches the fence. Setting her head will remind her to work off her hind end. If she is working off her front end, not only will she be less able to clear the fence, but you will be more likely to yank on her mouth via the reins. In show jumping classes and show hunter classes, good bascule is greatly desired. Bascule is the natural arc the horse’s body takes as it goes over a jump. In the long run, such actions will make her even less likely to move through the jump calmly next time, especially if she learns to associate her mouth being yanked on with jumping. As the rider, it is your responsibility to make sure her head is in the correct position and that your legs and body position are telling her that she must go over the jump. Calm confidence will help your horse complete the obstacle.

Ground work including having your horse walk over and around obstacles such as sticks, tarps, mailboxes, etc. should also help improve your horse’s ability to recognize that not all obstacles are scary. Your job is to make sure your are setting up your horse properly when approaching a jump (or ground obstacle) so that your body language is clearly telling the horse which direction she should go. By being consistent and patient, your horse will learn she can always trust your body cues. If you take control of her actions by giving her the proper cues before and as she spooks, your horse will learn to react in a controlled manner (completing the jump) or not at all (not spooking at the branch laying on the trail)!