Help! I have a three year old filly, Cricket, that spooks at almost everything - cars, deer, birds, dogs. You name it. If it moves she spooks at it. The moment that she sees something stirring she tenses up, jumps sideways and tries to run off. I try to calm her down by reassuring her that there's nothing to fear but she won't pay me any attention. I really like this mare but I want to be able trail ride her. I ride every day for thirty minutes to an hour, time permitting. What can I do to get Cricket over these fears?
James R., Pennsylvania
The first step to handling Cricket's fears is to step inside her mind so that you can understand how she feels and can learn how horses generally deal with fear. This is important because, too often, we assume that horses deal with fear the same way we do. And that's not totally true! Understanding these differences is the key to changing Cricket's fear of unknown spooky moving objects into an attitude of complete confidence towards her rider. Then and only then will James have a filly that can place her trust in her partner's judgment instead of acting like a scared little girl, lost in a big city with the boogie man after her.
This is not a whimsical analogy. Horses handle fear more like young children. They react rather than reason. When fear enters the brain of a horse, his mind allows only two choices: fight or flight. We can relate to this primordial urge but our "advanced" brain allows us to reconcile our fear with reason. We can tell ourselves "that forest fire isn't going to cross the river" or "that snake is not poisonous even if it does look menacing". We control our fears with clinches like "there is nothing to fear but fear itself" , a thought that never runs through the mind of the horse.
This basic contrast in approaches to handling fear, probably, is the cause of the rift in communication between James and Cricket. James is sure that birds, dogs, deer and cars are not causes for alarm. A quick glance in the direction of the "spook" immediately tells him there is nothing to fear - so it passes through his mind without demanding any attention.
Cricket`s interpretation of James' lack of attention is that this human is so insensitive to the environment that he has not even noticed that a "booger" is in the area intent on devouring anything within its path. (It is well known among horses that booger-like creatures love horse flesh.)
In the half a second it takes Cricket to digest all this information, James is sure to notice that she has became frightened and that she is about to opt for the "get-out-of-Dodge" choice in her flight or fight code.
Again, James's response is typically human. Using logic and reason, James tries to reassure her. "It's alright, Cricket" See I'm not afraid of that "booger". It won't hurt you. "Relax." Unfortunately, horses are not known to be reassured by this kind of logic especially when it is being expressed by someone who has not shown the slightest concern about being attacked. Cricket's response is typically horse. She assumes that this homo sapien is demented and that the prudent thing for her to do is to leave this herd-reject human for the booger to eat (quite possibly curbing it's appetite for horse flesh)
To change this situation so that it has a more desirable outcome, James's first response should be to become aware of the "spook" in such a way that Cricket realizes he is aware of the potential danger; in other words, he must mimic a mild equine startle response. To explain this further, let's put Cricket back in the herd and assume that something unusual pops into view. The first horse to see it will come to attention: his body tensed ready for flight. Fixing all his senses in the direction of the intruder, his head will raise, ears perk, nostrils flare and eyes widen, in an attempt to gather information about the trespasser. This behavior will alert the rest of the herd and they will all fix in the direction of the invader.
But, the moment that a high ranking herd leader decides there is nothing to fear, the tension leaves his body; within seconds the rest of the herd relaxes and goes on about its business.
James must assume the position of the guardian of his herd of two - Cricket and himself. At the first sight of a "booger", James should tense up and fix all senses in that direction. Then, within moments, he can relax and tell the mare that there is nothing to fear. Then and only then will Cricket believe him .
It is still going to take a few sessions to gain her trust. Horses are not stupid and while they'd prefer to be taken care of, they are not willing to place their trust in someone undeserving. This means that James is going to have to prove himself to Cricket. He must always see the "spook" first and react accordingly and at the same time, be able to control his fractious filly. You see, the first couple of times James exhibits this guardian-type behavior, Cricket is going to assume that it's an accident (Another typical horse response!) But hang in there, James, and maintain this approach and she should become putty in your hands. But remember, gaining the trust of a horse is a major responsibility and should never be taken lightly.
Copyright © 1994. Dr. Jim and Lynda McCall
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