How to Train a Spooky Horses with Obstacles
Like 3 Dislike 0 Published on 13 Aug 2015
Ask the Expert: Training Spooky Horses and Obstacles
Hi, I’m Caroline Rider of Rider Horsemanship. This month’s Holistic Horse “Ask the Expert” Q&A is about training the spooky and unconfident horses through obstacles. This month’s viewer wrote in: “Dear Caroline, my horse becomes spooky around obstacles and either won’t approach them or panics and flies through them. How do I get him to quiet down, relax, wait and trust me?”
First thing I want to recommend is “don’t make the obstacle course your training area.” When I first begin working with a horse, whether I’m starting or re-starting, I always begin working on the ground and with specific exercises and techniques that engage the thinking side of the horse’s brain. Ground work is so beneficial to your spooky horse’s progression and ultimate change. The purpose of the ground work is to instill a foundation between the two of you that is based on trust, clear communication and subtle connection to your aids, relationship, confidence and partnership. Ground work should also be at least 75% of any horse’s education and beginning. Whether you have a naturally spooky and flighty horse or one that has become unconfident through negative training methods, my ground work method will assist in changing your horse’s mindset and reaction to stimuli as well as new and scary objects or environments.
How does this happen? It happens by developing the strength of bond in the relationship and your horse’s left brain – his thinking brain. Your relationship aids in creating trust and willingness and your horse’s left brain assists in problem solving and responding rationally. Horses are hard wired to use, and live in, their right brains. The right brain controls adrenaline and is controlled by sensory processing – processing environmental stimuli through the senses. The advantages of learning a natural horsemanship style of ground work are many with emphasis placed on exercising the left brain of the horse through various thought-engaging exercises.
In addition to demonstrating the many benefits ground work has on developing a horse into a trusting and confident partner, I also talk about how to handle your unconfident horse. In this video you will learn the following:
- How to help your scared horse through compassionate and consistently clear leadership
- How to change a scary situation into a positive experience for you and your horse
- How to see the world through your horse’s lens and perspective
- How to read, analyze, your horse’s expression and reaction to stimuli and scary objects
- Learn what strategy, exercise and approach, will work best for your horse – each horse is an individual, therefore each situation is unique and must be treated with sensitivity
- Learn how to assess your horse’s nature as well as learned behavior
- Learn how to become the “safe” place for your horse – safe enough for your horse to trust and try
- Caroline’s 3 “R’s” Method to shaping and developing a horse’s mindset: creating responsiveness, relaxation and rhythm
- How the obstacle should be used only a test (feedback), not a training tool or exercise
The following DVD’s explain in more detail Caroline’s method and ground exercises to developing a trusting, confident and willing horse:
Round Penning Approach to Developing Unity and Harmony DVD: http://www.shoppingcartdepot.com/c/RH-2011/products/DVD-Vol1-DVD1/7l7V707k7Z2
Ground Exercises to Improve Connection and Partnership DVD: http://www.shoppingcartdepot.com/c/RH-2011/products/DVD-Vol1-DVD2/7l7V707k7Z2
Lunging with a Purpose DVD: http://www.shoppingcartdepot.com/c/RH-2011/products/DVD-Single-Lunging/7w7d7Y7z7O4
For more information, please visit: www.riderhorsemanship.com