Keep in mind that first, horses are flight animals, and second, they are herd animals that like to follow a leader. You cannot control a horse’s instincts, but what you can control is your reaction. Becoming tense and clutching at the reins, or punishing the horse for spooking, are never the answer. You can either make it worse and increase the flight response, or you can make it better by staying calm and becoming the leader.
“Bring it On” Days
Unless you train in a completely controlled setting, there are always potentially spooky things around your training environment, such as baby strollers and barking dogs. Spooky objects are also virtually guaranteed to be part of any horse show environment.
Every few months at my barn, my students and I stage what we call a “bring it on” day. We introduce potentially spooky objects – tarps, umbrellas, plastic bags full of cans – into the horse’s world. It’s important to know your horse; if he tends to be noise-sensitive, then I will gear the exposure toward that, as opposed to a horse that is more visually spooked. By bringing scary items into the arena, I create the situation in a safe environment in which I am more able to remain calm and in control. I introduce all new objects first in hand before mounted.
“Bring it on” days are an opportunity to teach horses, through positive reinforcement, to trust us when we ask them to approach a scary object. I am not a big treat feeder, but I do reward good behaviour. If my goal is to have the horse walk over a tarp, I will reward with a treat when the horse does what I have asked. I stay calm at all times and reward the horse for standing still.
I like to use fitness balls for de-spooking, because they make excellent moving objects that are not dangerous. After the horse has accepted the ball being kicked around by people on the ground, I will then have the horse go up to the ball and get him to make it move.
My rule of thumb for repetition is five times, although this will vary according to the individual horse and situation. What is most important is to get an acceptance response: licking, chewing, lowering of the head and the ears going “soft,” relaxing to the side.
Babysitters
With young horses, I will often have an older, quiet horse in the arena as a “babysitter.” A young horse is more likely to walk over a tarp or accept an umbrella snapping open in the presence of another horse that is calmly accepting the situation. Of course, dressage is a solitary sport; if you are in the competition ring and the judge drops some papers, the horse has only you. The babysitter approach is a good aid, but it doesn’t replace the trust you want your horse to develop in you.
Another natural trait in horses is that they are creatures of habit. De-spooking should not just take place in one setting. Once your horse accepts a balloon in one corner of the ring, put it in the opposite corner. Then take it outside, and then to another place altogether.
I tell my students not to train in a bubble. If the environment at home is too quiet and too controlled, your horse is going to be less tolerant of new things in a show setting where you don’t have control.
