Spooking

I am not naming names, but I might ride a horse or two that some would call "spooky". You know the horse... they trot by the same shadow 4 times and on the 5th time, they won't go by. The birds are scary when they are flying or sitting or chirping. When riding a spooky horse, we suddenly become aware of the coat someone left in the ring or the loud sweeping of the aisle.

It is easy to become frustrated when our horses spook. It always seems to be just before they come through and give, or right as you have relaxed and become one with your horse.

Just when you are tempted to give your horse a kick with the inside leg, after he jumps away from the scary door, or yell at him for stopping in front of a shadow, realize that this is the moment that your focus is most important.

Do not let his distractions distract you from riding. Every moment that we focus on what is going wrong leaves us open to getting thrown forward as our horse slams on the breaks, thrown sideways as our horse jumps sideways, etc. Focus, instead, on sitting deeply and driving your horse forward between both legs, into your steady hands.

Think of the spook as no different than any other moment when we become disconnected from our horse. Just as we prepare for a transition by checking that our core is engaged and our horse is balanced underneath us, we can (as quickly as possible) prepare for the spook by sitting deeply and keeping our horse forward and focused as soon as we feel their tension... or as we approach the bird/shadow/door/scary corner in the ring.