It’s a scenario we’ve all ridden at least once during our equestrian adventures: you’re trotting along in the arena and then suddenly, your horse is veering off into the distance, spooking at something he saw – or didn’t see – in a shadowy corner.
All too often Ellesse Jordan Gundersen says riders do the same thing to try to combat what their horse is spooking at: “They literally point the horse in the corner where he’s spooking,” said the grand prix dressage rider. “By doing that, you’re basically saying to the horse, ‘Look at that scary corner. Look at it! Keep looking at it!’ And that is the worst thing.”
Ellesse admits there are probably mixed opinions on this tactic to overcome a flight-type moment. But she said it’s one of her biggest pet peeves.
“You’re basically proving to the horse there is something here and that they need to pay attention to it,” Ellesse described. “I see so many riders make a big deal over something spooky. That’s telling the horse that there’s something to be stressed about here. From their viewpoint, their rider is acting and riding differently now, and that gives them all the more reason to be stressed.”
Instead, Ellessee says riders should not make a spooky moment such a big deal.
“You’re better off either bending the horse or cutting the corner to get away from it,” she explained. “Then you can slowly start getting closer to it. Now you’re showing the horse that it’s not a big deal. Often times they then relax and realize it’s fine.”
In that way, horses are actually pretty simple, Ellesse said.
If you have a horse that’s spooky or spooking in that moment, really focus on ignoring whatever is causing the behavior and instead get the horse’s attention back on you.
“Do something else – like haunches-in or shoulder-in, to get him to focus on you,” she stressed. “Ninety-nine percent of the time, that works. Use common sense, give him a pat. But then move on and usually, they’ll come right back to you.”