They say an ounce of prevention is worth its weight in gold - did I get that right?
It surely can be true, especially when it comes to our frantic four-legged friends of the genus Equus and their ever-dedicated, (preferably) strapped-in-for-the ride bipeds (us)!
I mean, if we know that the spook is going to come, we can do something about it, right?
There are many ways that horses communicate their desire for self-preservation, if only we know how to "listen" to the signs. Here are some ways to know that the horse is about to spook - or already did before you had a chance to recognize the sign!
1. The jaw and poll tighten
This is the first and most classic sign that something is amiss. If you're sensitive enough, you'll invariably feel a locking of the poll and/or jaw before any of the other signs happen. The horse has to tighten through the poll in order to raise his head, deke through the withers, move his legs quickly, or do anything else while being startled or afraid.
2. The horse looks at a particular spot
Have you ever been riding along happily only to find your pretzeled horse contort his body so he can swing his head in the direction of a scary object? Many horses need to look at something until they can identify it - and it helps if they can examine it with both eyes.
Never mind that you might be riding in trot and intending to go in the opposite direction!
3. The horse takes a bad step
Then there's the horse that jumps in his skin and stumbles because he reacted before his legs finished the stride. This is when you're not quite sure if the horse just took a bad step? Or maybe there's some sort of lameness going on?
But the stumble doesn't continue. Or maybe it does, because the horse can hear the terrifying sound repeatedly and reacts each time. (I'm thinking of the sound of air brakes on a tractor trailer, or the rattling sound of huge farming equipment slowly driving down the dirt road.)
Oh it can be so helpful if your horse isn't sound reactive!
4. The horse is suddenly less responsive
You're riding along and you notice that your normally accommodating horse is simply. Not. Responding.
And you have a moment to wonder why? What am I doing wrong? (Because you're that kind of rider.)
Only to realize that your horse has only tuned you out in favor of tuning in that extremely interesting (and potentially terrifying) unidentified object!
5. The horse slows down/stops
I have to say, if your horse HAS to spook, this is the safest sign of all. It's not particularly dangerous, especially if it isn't an abrupt stop. And you can overcome the lack of forward motion in time, with practice and repetition.
6. The horse rushes/runs away
We call this "scooting." If your horse is cantering along merrily and without warning, drops an inch or two and shifts into overdrive - all within a nanosecond - you know he saw or heard something somewhere behind you, and he's ready to "get out of Dodge!"
This sign can be somewhat unnerving, especially if you're not a fan of the whiplash effect one usually gets from spontaneous acceleration!
The upside of this sign is that IF you can control the rush, you'll have incredibly brilliant movement that will excite you enough to want your horse to spook again and again!
7. You feel this impressive lifting of the front end
It truly is a wonderful feeling when your horse elevates - and seemingly levitates!
There's that sense of awe that when you realize your 16-hand horse can morph into a 17-plus-hand stallion when he really wants to! There's that moment of suspension, when all movement stops and the air around you becomes crisp and the sounds are suddenly crystal clear... and you invariably hold your breath even though you know you shouldn't...
... because you don't really know what's going to happen next!
Will your horse deke? Rear? Buck?
Well, your guess is probably as good as mine, because this is the posture that allows the horse to demonstrate his athletic agility and true potential!
8. You feel an equally impressive drop of a shoulder
You might not get the memo for this move!
It will happen fast and furious, and good luck to you, dear rider, in hopes that you have the seat that will follow your horse even before you know what happened! The shoulder drop is the most difficult sign of all to prevent because it can happen so quickly.
But if you know that this is something your horse will do, you CAN "catch" the shoulder just as you feel it stiffen against your (usually inside) leg. An inside leg aid that asks for a leg yield out can often mitigate the shoulder-drop because the horse will shift his weight to the outside (rather than the inside), bend a little toward the inside, and thereby look away from the offending object.
9. You feel/hear the horse's heartbeat!
Some horses can be very stoic and show relatively few signs. They're not the ones that are interested in being over-exuberant in any way. But if you can sit quietly, you might be able to FEEL their heartbeat as blood races through the horse's jugular! My mare, Roya, was like this. She'd do #2 and raise her head high to look at the worrisome object, but not make any particular leg movement at all. If she was VERY afraid, she'd stand still as a statue and I could feel and actually hear her heartbeat! Plus her body would quiver even though she was taking tiny breaths and pretending to be invisible!
OK so let's go back to the prevention part of the scenario.
It is definitely possible to reduce and sometimes eliminate spook reactions through careful, systematic training - of both you and your horse. It might take time for you to become "listening" enough to change a small aspect of your riding technique just as you feel those first mild signs, long before they become loud and clear. It might also take time and commitment to teach your horse to continue to respond to your aids even though his emotions might elevate because of an outside stimulus.
Just like all other riding skills, it all takes time and practice. But it's oh-so-worth-it!
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