On Facebook recently, a poster described a spooking incident
and wondered what the horse learned from the rider’s response. In this case,
the rider dismounted for safety’s sake, then later, worked the horse vigorously
back at the barn. The post sparked some good answers, most of which were dead
on: The dismounting served to reward undesirable behavior and the later workout
would not be connected by the horse to the spooking incident. One rather snarky response poked fun at the
idea of dismounting for safety’s sake, saying he’d never heard of such sh*t.
That set me off.
Anyone who says or implies that he or she has never been
hurt by a horse has simply not ridden much. Do not listen to anything this
person says, especially when it might inspire you to ignore your own
self-preservation instinct. Furthermore, the full context of the event makes
all the difference in the world when it comes to the proper course of action.
If the rider is confident about staying on the horse’s back, spooking is a training
opportunity. If not, getting through the incident safely is the top concern.
Let’s take the first situation. It is the nature of horses
to spook at things that surprise or frighten them. The primal response is to move the feet, a
manifestation of the flight instinct that has served the species for eons. The
good rider does not react emotionally – with fear, anger, or embarrassment –
but simply gets to work dispassionately applying an aversive consequence such
as disengaging the hind quarters repeatedly, rolling back repeatedly, trotting
tight circles, and so on. Why are these aversive? Because the horse
instinctively wants to preserve his energy, his straightness, and his air.
These maneuvers also require the horse to pay attention, which takes his mind
off the spooky object, and reinforces the rider’s role as a benevolent leader
who will protect the horse from danger. Two practical tips: Move away slightly
from the spooky object to do this and try to keep the object in the horse’s
field of vision. When the horse gets winded, let him rest near the spooky
object. Voila, the spooky object becomes a place of rest. This is a
well-accepted strategy among teachers of natural horsemanship.
Now, for the second situation. Don’t worry about doing any
of the above. If you don’t feel safe, get off the horse and forget about
training entirely. YOUR SAFETY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANYTHING ELSE. The worst
thing for you and your horse is for you to get hurt, especially if it
undermines your future enjoyment and interest in riding. You will continue to
get better at the physical aspects of riding a horse and understanding equine
behavior. One day, you will be that confident rider who calmly puts the horse
through a training exercise when he spooks. Someday, you may even look forward
to those opportunities and the little rush of adrenaline they bring. Someday,
you may even be able to share what you’ve learned with an inexperienced rider
struggling to do what’s right in a difficult situation.
