| There are lots of techniques you can use to | | | | Next, start introducing objects to him that he's |
| de-spook your horse so when you ride him on the | | | | unsure of or scared of. Start with the small things |
| trail he won't jump out of his skin but if he does, | | | | and work your way to things that frighten him more. |
| you'll be able to control him. | | | | The key to de-spooking your horse is making sure |
| So many horse owners are afraid their horse is going | | | | you don't scare him too much. The plain truth is you |
| to explode out of control if he spooks. The big fears | | | | will have to challenge his fears but you don't want to |
| are not being able to stop him if he takes off running. | | | | overdo it because you can make him worse. |
| Bucking and rearing are also common fears of riders. | | | | Then as you introduce new objects to build his |
| First we have to ask why a horse spooks. He | | | | courage, you'll find he's scared of them. So you will |
| spooks because it's built in his DNA. He is a survival | | | | need to talk to him. Use a conversational voice as |
| animal. He survives by fleeing what's spooking him. | | | | you do. Don't chastise him for being scared. Instead, |
| Fortunately, you can teach a horse to get past these | | | | help him through it so he knows the object won't |
| fears. You can actually have him unafraid with nearly | | | | hurt him. |
| anything. | | | | How do you know he's accepted the object? When |
| Before de-spooking your horse, make sure you have | | | | your horse's head drops lower and he looks calmer is |
| a good foundation on him. He should easily and | | | | when you know he's accepting it more. Another |
| instantly stop, go, turn, and back on your command. | | | | good indicator is your horse licking and chewing. |
| The reason for this is it makes him more controllable | | | | That's another great indicator he's understanding and |
| when you start de-spooking him. | | | | accepting the spooky object. |