| By :
Josie Amani
When a horse spooks or shies he is dangerous not only to himself and his rider, but also to others, this is especially so if the horse is ridden on roadsides. Horses, being prey animals, often respond to objects they perceive as being threatening by shying and bolting from them. Some horses shy at virtually anything and they are often deemed as problem horses that are dangerous to ride. Horses can spook from everything, from plastic bags to wheelie bins, if the horse finds the object scary, he will everything in his power to avoid it. There are some things you can do to desensitize your horse. This problem horse training is ideally started when the horse is young and in training as it will ensure a spook proof horse. Start by lunging the horse a little to help him to settle down. Leave a halter and lead rope on the horse and approach him slowly with an old saddle pad or blanket allowing him to sniff it. Work at the horse's pace and if he spooks or takes a step back, introduce the blanket again slowly until he is comfortable having it close to him. Once he's more at ease around the blanket, you can start moving it around and swinging it slowly. This will help desensitize the horse against flapping objects. The horse will most probably feel uncomfortable and may even shy, so be patient and work with him until he is accustomed to having the blanket swung around him. The next step is to touch the horse with the swinging blanket, gently swing it onto his back and all over his body. Once the horse accepts the blanket on his head you're halfway there! Place the blanket by his feet to help desensitize him to objects under his feet, this is an essential part of the desensitization exercise. That's it; reward him profusely for a job well done! The next desensitizing exercise you should try is to use a soft rope and work with it in much the same way as you did with the saddle pad or blanket. This teaches the horse to tolerate having a rope moving around his legs and body. Teaching your horse to tolerate this type of sensation can prove to be lifesaving if tack fails and the horse finds himself with bits of tack flying around him. This makes the horse much safer in dangerous situations when tack breaks. Throw the rope on the ground and in-between the horses' legs and belly until he is no longer afraid of it. If the horse allows you to move the rope around his face and head, you've successfully completed this exercise. Last but certainly not least is the plastic bag. The majority of horses shy from plastic bags and by doing this exercise you will help your horse overcome his fear of fluttering objects. Show the bag to your horse and allow him to smell it, then tie it to a long lunge whip and wave it around while holding your horse on long lead rope. The horse will inevitably shy and try to get away from the terrifying object. Shake the bag around the horse until he becomes comfortable to having it around him, once this happens, touch him with bag all over his body. Move it around his body and under his belly, when he allows you to touch his head with it, you're done. Work at your horse's pace and always end your training session on a positive note and with a lot of pace. Never pressure your horse in a difficult situation as you may cause him irreparable psychological damage. Make sure you do these exercises regularly even after the horse has become desensitized to ensure the horse doesn't fall back into his old familiar patterns.
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