I have noticed that there are many posts on horses spooking along with some reasons why they do spook. There is also quite a bit of blaming and shaming riders for having unruly horses. Some of these comments are out of touch with reality. Often, most of the comments are based on short videos, just showing a point in time. This does not necessarily present a full picture of the situation. Social media is good at snippets that don’t show the whole story! For instance, the field of vision plays a role in horses when they notice danger. If the horse’s field of vision is impaired – such as by placing its head in a faulty position – it may cause a bigger reaction when a horse spooks. However, a faulty head position may not be the prime reason for spooking. There are other factors such as poor saddle fitting and physical pain that could contribute to outburst. Horses are flight animals and when they perceive a threat, they will react – it is a natural response. In one case, my Boaz had 3 deer running behind him and in between my 2 arenas out of the blue. It was a bit much even for a seasoned horse. I have bred, trained, and ridden him for 19 years. Boaz is now 23 years young.

I think that there are a few points regarding the reality of riding horses:

First, one needs to be able to ride through some of these moments. I am not talking full fledged rodeo but there is a need for a rider to be able to handle some unpredictability.

Secondly, the rider and the horse need to have a rapport of trust so this may (but not always) mitigate the burst of unwanted energy.

Thirdly, some horses are more athletic than others and it is unfair for these horses to stifle their natural physical abilities. Safety is important, but many people use groundwork such overly long period of lunging to tire a horse. This may sour the horse and eventually create lameness.

Lastly, a trained horse, meaning a horse that listens to your aids is less likely to over explode…. again, not always. I had a large snake meandering under my horse’s legs while I was climbing on it and there was no way to control the debacle that ensued!

Think twice before spewing on Facebook – you may not have all the facts!