Spooky Horse Behavior: What Causes it and How to Fix

Описание: I get into depth in the full-length video. Please click here to watch: https://www.taoofhorsemanship.com/vid...

In this video I talk specifically about the following areas that cause reactive, spooky behavior in our horses. I also talk about how to diagnose what’s bothering your horse and how we can fix it, make the changes needed to turn our spooky horse into a confident one.

First, we need to identify if the behavior is associated with a stimuli (movement), object or environment? Or, is your horse just reactive towards everything in general. Once we know what is causing the fear or anxiety, we can work on setting our horses up for success.

Creating success doesn’t always mean we need to desensitize our horse either. Too often we are taught that desensitizing is the best, right approach. It can help but if it doesn’t help in the beginning, we need to re-think our strategy.

See, if I find my horse is afraid of something, I won’t work them with the thing they are afraid of, nor in the place they are afraid of. While most trainers would argue this, I know for a fact that you can’t train a closed and defensive mind. No easier than trying to teach you when you are afraid. The last thing on your mind is listening to me talk about something when you feel you are in danger.

Same for horses and to make matters worse, they can’t rationalize. Their first reaction when they feel threatened or scared is instinctively driven and tells them which self-preservation mode they need to use: freeze, fight or flight.

So, the answer to your success in changing a fearful, reactive, and spooky behavior is to think outside the box and non-linearly in your approach. Meaning, work on the ingredients that develop confidence and trust in your horse and first and then “test it” as I say with the spooky thing or area.

Not to mention horses have thresholds, just like us. Meaning, if we exceed our capacity to handle or cope in a situation, we will feel over-faced, overwhelmed, and ultimately go into a self-preservation mode ourselves. If horses are pushed too far, too fast, they will self-implode.

We need to understand this and respect this and begin by working within our horse’s need for safety, comfort, and thresholds. It should be done through specific exercises that build your horses emotional agility, the ability to control their emotions.

If you would like to learn more about horses and how to develop the beste and safest riding foundation with your horse, my MasteryMembership Program will show you how and so much more. Click here for details https://www.taoofhorsemanship.com/mas...

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