The Spook Factor!

Taurus Footwear sponsored rider, show jumper and instructor, Michaela Huntington, shares her advice for the rider when coping with a spooky horse at an indoor venue. 

Indoor Arenas are less common in the current economic climate, with high building, lighting, maintenance and planning costs for the owners; not to mention exorbitant business rates. Centres have become much more focused on their new superb outdoor facilities which are being used eight or more months a year, after which they accept a virtual shut down over the worst months, leaving us with few and far between places to go in winter. Accordingly, our horses become less used to jumping indoors, and therefore can become more spooky, and less fluent in their jumping.

Top Tips from Taurus Rider Michaela Huntington

1. Where possible, try to replicate the objects of fear that your horse would be likely to react to – banners along the sides, pots of flowers, fillers, water trays, etc. Utilise what you have at home, eg. empty feed sacks, tarpaulin etc.
2. A good tip is to improve your leg yielding skills, so that you are able to get the horse to move sideways off your leg in either direction, as it can be very helpful to prevent and block a spook that you feel is about to happen.
3. Training on the flat will improve your ability to move forwards or sideways at will, and concentrate the mind-set of the horse on your instructions and his subsequent obedience, rather than his own free thoughts, which may run him into trouble! For example, if there is a scary banner on your right hand side, you should get left bend, so that the horse is not looking at the ‘monster’ on his right. Next, leg yield from left to right, so that you are still riding alongside the foe, where you want to be, but you are in control.
4. Another option to think about would be sheepskin bridle additions which cover each cheek piece, slightly restricting the horse’s view to a more central line. These are quite legal in British Showjumping providing they are not too thick; around 3cm is acceptable.
5. Once again, we must follow the tried and tested methods of training and practice. Identify all possible indoor facilities within an acceptable radius, and attend clear round shows when possible, consider hiring arenas for you own or shared use, and maybe jumping at club nights even at lower levels until confidence has been built up.
6. At a competition, it is a good idea to enter the ring as early as you can, and ride around the obstacles. You are given a 45 second countdown after the bell goes and before you go through the start, which – indoors – is longer than you think, and can be a real help in settling your horse.

Taurus Footwear is proud to sponsor Michaela Huntington. Here at Taurus we produce competitively-priced, high-quality leather equestrian footwear for all ages, sizes and disciplines. Michaela’s personal favourites include the Lancer Competition Boot, the Kentucky Jodhpur Boot and the Colorado Boot! To find out more about these boots or a wide range of equestrian and countryside footwear visit www.taurusfootwear.co.uk.