Spooked Horses and How to Help Them

 

Anyone who has ever ridden a horse probably has first-hand experience with that horse becoming spooked. Even horses that are deemed “gentle” can become spooked by something unexpected. In my new historical Western romance, Hope in Her Heart, which released today, I created a scene in which my heroine, Emma, is riding her family’s horse, Tulip. Tulip is an older mare who gives the impression of needing to be put out to pasture, certainly not the kind of equine that would be considered for the job of chasing down wanted criminals. But lo and behold, Tulip surprises everyone and does really well until she’s spooked by . . . butterflies.

Yes, you read that right. As I was researching what kinds of things have a tendency to spook horses, looking for one that might fit the scenario in my work in progress, I found butterflies listed on more than three websites, so it must be a more common occurrence than I originally supposed.

Other objects that horses tend to shy away from include: plastic bags, umbrellas, footballs, plastic cones, water hoses, and just about anything that is new or unfamiliar in their environment. Why are they so skittish, anyway?

Horses have eyes that are quite different than humans. They are positioned on the sides of their heads, and they can see approximately 350 degrees around them (wow!). Wouldn’t you like to have eyes in the back of your head like the popular myth for mothers states? It might be nice, except that horses’ eyes are not able to focus as well as human eyes, so even though they have a broader range of motion, they can’t see objects as well.

Horses are also prey animals. I have to admit that I don’t usually think of a horse as being one, but several websites I searched through stated that horses are often preyed upon by larger animals like bears, wildcats, alligators, and some species of snakes. They are always alert, and they don’t sleep lying down. So, knowing these two important facts about a horse’s eyes and it being a prey animal, it becomes clearer why a horse might perceive a garden hose as a venomous snake or a plastic bag blowing in the breeze as a large animal coming to get them.

What can a person who is preparing to ride a horse do to minimize sudden movements born of fear? First, they can choose a trail that the horse is already comfortable on. Second, they can slowly acclimate the horse to a new object by allowing it to stare at it from a distance and circling it, moving a little closer into the circle each time. Third, they need to know their horse. Like humans, horses are different from each other and react differently to the same stimulus. Be observant and figure out a strategy that works best for your horse. And fourth, they need to stay calm and in control. By taking the horse through the scary episode step by step, the horse will remember and react better the next time. One other tip: teach your horse to step sideways. These tips and other helpful information can be found at: https://horseracingsense.com/why-are-horses-so-skittish-spook/ and https://ihearthorses.com/why-horses-spook-easily-plus-tips-to-help/

 Read about Emma and Patrick's adventure in my latest Brides of Hope Hollow sweet historical romance, Hope in Her Heart, available on Amazon. You can click on the graphic below to learn more.