Even with the very best of training, your horse is still likely occasionally to get scared or spook. He may unexpectedly jump to the side, came to a jarring stop or take off like a rocket. It is a good idea to begin to know what spooks your pony, and stay always alert to any circumstances that will pop up.

If your horse is especially liable to shy, it is vital that you get him in a totally calm mood before you take him out on a ride. You can take the hard edge off him by working him for approximately 20 minutes on a longe line. This could put your pony in the right mindset to be absolutely cooperative as you mount and ride him. When your pony has total trust in you, he isn’t very likely to start violently at sudden noises, or at a bird or little animal popping suddenly out of the under growth ahead.

To an enormous extend, it is possible to get your horse to conquer his spooking bents by introducing all sorts of things to him while in coaching, particularly items he is likely to encounter while out riding. When you personally handle these sessions, you’re also instilling confidence in him that he does not have much to fear with you around.

As the rider, you need to be alert to objects that blow and flap. You also have to look for weirdly shaped or colored or sized objects that your horse could find weird and frightening. You need to remain in total control of the pony at all times. Ensure there is steady bit contact through your reins, never drop them or hang them up on the saddle. This is often a perilous practice because if the pony bolts you are left with no way of bringing him under control and relaxing him.

You need to also take care to never allow the reins to get so loose you can’t instantaneously apply pressure when needed. When the horse shows signs of being spooked, or appears hesitant to proceed, stop him and take time to get him to familiarize himself with whatever is bugging him. Talk with him calmly. If need be, back him away and get him to approach the object from an alternative angle. Try dismounting and leading him forward slowly and calmly right past the offending object. Allow him to sniff at and give it a good inspection. On the return leg, take your pony at a walk past the same object, at a little distance. You will find that your horse starts accepting the object and the surroundings without any further terror. One thing you don’t ever do is run your horse past the object, you are laying the grounds for a very dangerous habit.

Do not indulge yourself in stunts with the horse unless under the close supervision of a veteran stunt rider. When you try to ride side saddle or slide off the horse’s back or stand up on your saddle, you are a mishap waiting to occur. If you have others around, ensure they also don’t resort to stunts and other risky activities that are bound to create issues for your pony and you.

Responsible riders are careful about avoiding any explicit objects they know engender negative reactions in their horses. They’re going to try to get their horses used to these objects with some mild desensitising. Just to name one example: if your pony does not like motorized autos, don’t take him to roads and highways, especially those with high traffic volumes. If your horse has a tendency to get highly excitable on occasions of stormy weather, don’t ride him at such times. If you’ve got access to a covered arena, take him there for some work out.

Horses are Heather Toms passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers, like all things about simco saddles