Is it always to one direction? That could be indicative of a zillion things
from tack trouble to the way you sit occasionally. Are these violent spooks?
Always in the same place on the trail? Are you sure you don't see them
coming? Look at her ears, watch her neck, try to keep a good feel of her
body to head it off at the pass. Do you get the impression she's really
trying to get you off? Or is she legitimately scared?
If however you can find no real reason for it I would suggest some NH
techniques - Lyon, Parelli, Hunt, etc - it doesn't matter really - it's the
building of the relationship through better communication that is the real
crux of that stuff. The stuff isn't hard and is a great way to spend the
winter when it's dark in the evenings. I started doing some ground work with
Tony and that has made a big difference in him both on the ground and in
the saddle.
Along those same lines, the other thing I have found most useful for Tony
(Arab who has always been a *good* spooker and jumper) is to let go! The
more I relax the better he is. Of course that's a catch-22 - you get too
relaxed and you might be in orbit at some point - which I have done a few
times. However, in the last 6 months his bolting has reduced dramatically so
I have relaxed more so his bolting has reduced....this is one time when the
cycle is a good one. Tony lives in a general state of low-level fear (as
lots of Arabs I know do <g>) so any kind of punishment for spooking was
extremely counter-productive.
Tina - who has developed some serious stick-um riding this horse
Tony - i.spook@everything.com
hickst@nichols.com