If your horse gets tense, distracted, or spooky, especially at one end of the arena, you’re not alone.
In this video, I’m working with Mercurio, who was a little on edge thanks to people working in the bushes nearby. While I hadn’t planned to film this, it turned out to be the perfect opportunity to show you what I do when my horse’s focus goes out the window.
These exercises and desensitizing strategies will help you stay calm, keep your horse on the aids, and work through those spooky moments in a constructive, confidence-building way.
Is Your Horse Spooky? Let Them Look First
Sometimes the best thing to do is… nothing. If your horse notices something new or spooky, give them a moment to look at it. This allows them to assess the situation without pressure. I like to let the horse see it from both sides, because something that’s fine on the left might be terrifying on the right!
Once your horse has had a chance to look, give them a pat and move on. This initial curiosity is natural, and by allowing them to satisfy it calmly, you’re reducing the chance of an overreaction later. This is also an important part of horse desensitizing, helping your horse become more comfortable with unfamiliar sights and sounds.
Keep Your Spooky Horse Busy and Bending
Once your horse has seen the spooky object or area, it’s time to refocus their brain. One of my go-to tools is bend. I find that supporting your horse to stay looking inside the ring and pushing the haunches towards the scary object can help. This might look like a shoulder-in, a spiral-in circle, or serpentines.
Bending your horse and activating the inside leg helps shift their focus from “what’s over there?” to “what’s my rider asking me to do?” It’s not about cranking their head around. It’s about encouraging them to follow your aids and engage their body.
When Mercurio started glancing up at the workers in the bushes, I used bend and rhythm to bring him back to me without getting tense or restrictive in my riding.
Calming Your Spooky Horse with Circles and Spiral Exercises
Spiral-in/spiral-out is a fantastic exercise when your horse is distracted. Start on a 20-meter circle, spiral into a smaller circle (around 10 meters), and then leg yield back out. It builds control, responsiveness, and gets your horse listening to your leg and seat again.
If the spooky corner of the arena is too much at first, work at the other end where your horse feels safe. Then slowly expand your range until you’re able to approach the challenging area with bend and confidence.
You can also do smaller pattern work, like half 10-meter circles or figure eights. All of this helps keep your horse mentally busy and physically balanced.
Make the Spooky Spot the Happy Place for Your Horse
This is one of my favorite desensitizing techniques. If there’s one corner of the arena where your horse tends to spook, make that the place where they get to rest.
Down at the “safe” end of the arena, do your more intense work. Then head to the spooky end and let your horse rest. Halt, pet them, maybe even get off and end your ride there. This teaches them that the scary place isn’t so scary after all.
Final Tips for Riding a Spooky Horse
The most important thing is to stay calm and ride with intention. Don’t react with tension. Breathe, sit deep, and guide your horse with confidence. These spooky moments are great opportunities to build trust and connection.
I hope this gave you some helpful tools to try next time your horse gets a little distracted or spooky! Let me know in the comments which technique works best for your horse and which one you’re going to try next time!
Happy Riding!
Amelia
P.S. If you’re struggling with a spooky or distracted horse, be sure to check out my Free Groundwork Webinar! I’ll walk you through simple groundwork exercises to help improve your horse’s focus, responsiveness, and engagement so you can build a stronger connection with your horse.
