Answers to Let's Talk Questions about Spooking Horses

Nuzzling Muzzles did a blog post Let's Talk where she addressed the subject of Arabian horses spooking. Because she owns and rides Arabians she gets told a lot her problem is the breed of horse. So she put a list of questions to her readers. Since the source of these questions is the misconception that Arabian horses are spookier than other horses, I told her I would post my answers to those questions here.


Have you ever experienced a non-Arabian horse spooking?

Yes, lots of them. In particular when I was working at an Arabian show barn we had some track thoroughbreds in for legging up because of problems with the pipes at the track. That month the TB's were there, I saw more spooking than the whole 3 years I worked at that farm with Arabians. Those horses were a wreck.......now I'm not saying it was because they were TBs but more it was what they hadn't been exposed to....but those suckers can spook BIG TIME! They made our Arabians and half-Arabians look like light weights.

What usually triggers spooking?

I think anything unfamiliar or unexpected can trigger spooking. Heck sometimes things like that spook me.
I find the biggest type spook happens when my horse is concentrating really hard (like during a training session) and something breaks that concentration. That something can be anything sudden or unexpected....a bird chirping, a branch falling in a distance, a kid throwing a rock....some little thing that wouldn't normally bother the horse, will startle it when it's concentrating resulting in a spook.


What are the ways in which you've experienced horse spooks? (i.e. jumping to the side, bolting, jumping straight up, puffing up, snorting, kicking out...)

Me, I've experienced all of these things mentioned.

Do you believe that spooking is really tied into breed?

Not me, it's an equine characteristic period. I think that each horse reacts differently based on how observant they are. A horse that goes around in a fog may not spook as much as a very observant horse. But you can bet when that unobservant horse does spook, it's gonna spook big. I've actually seen those quiet horses do worse things because no one knew they needed to be taught to listen through a spook.

Do you believe that spooking can be worked out of the genes through selective breeding?

Nope! I think it will always be there. It's one of nature's defenses for the horse. I do think that some horses are more reactive than others but I think that has more to do with their awareness and attentiveness to their surroundings. Just like I said above, even those horses will spook and the odds are it will be worse than the reactive horse because their humans have taken for granted the horse wouldn't spook.

Do you believe that spooking is connected to the handler's reactions?

Yes, sometimes I think spooking can be directly related to a handler's reactions. When a handler lacks confidence and expects things to go wrong, they will probably go wrong. The horse can sense that lack of confidence and so it will be looking for something to go wrong too. At the first sign of something irregular, that horse will spook because it is expecting to be frightened by something.

If a horse and handler are in a new situation and the handler is nervous, most certainly the horse will be too.......unless of course, it's a seasoned horse that has seen just about anything. My horse like that would be Dandy......he's about as bomb proof as any horse can get. He does not pick up tension from his handler.

Do you believe that spooking is tied in with fear associated with abuse from humans or other animals?

Sure, horses have great memories. If they've had a bad experience and it involved humans, they're going to suspect humans unless they have good experiences to counter it.

I once knew a stallion who had been known for his kind disposition at the Arabian show barn where I worked. The horse was sold and several years later discovered in bad shape and labelled as a man hater.

Fortunately for the horse, he was returned back to his former residence where it took him months to regain his trust. That horse spooked at everything......even though he'd lived there before. He was hyper vigilant trying to protect himself. Gradually the horse regained his trust in humans and became the same sweet kind horse he had been before he was so badly abused. The spookiness stopped.

One can only wonder what was done to this horse to turn him so dramatically against people. Yet even with that terrible experience, the horse was able to work through it and trust again.

Do you believe that spooking is a survival instinct?

Absolutely! and a darn good one!

Do you believe that horses learn to spook from their dam and other horses?

I know horses learn to be affected by their dam and other horses. I have seen it happen. I have a mare that teaches her foals to be afraid of humans because she doesn't particularly trust people due to the way she was raised.

Her foals are born bold brave horses that walk right up to you. In five days times she has them climbing the walls to get away from anyone who approaches. It takes a while to get them through that "spookiness" and that can't even be started until after they are weaned. The only exception to that would be my daughter, Lindsay, who has bonded with that mare and cleans stalls and feed. Lindsay can win the foals over easily because the mare isn't worried about Lindsay either.

But by time these horses come out the other side they are back to being the brave, bold horses they were born. They are not spooky or jumpy about much of anything. Sure they will spook at things, but they get it under control easily.

Percentage-wise, how much of spooking is nature and how much is nurture?

I think that is probably different from horse to horse. It just depends on the individual.

If you believe spooking is isolated to Arabians, what is your logic? (i.e. Generations of Arabian horses suffering through sand storms, miles of desert with no exposure to anything but sand somehow got into their bloodline so that they jump at every new object and sound...)

I was going to do a whole post on this subject but I can't remember where I read the information I wanted to share. Even without the reference, I'm going to repeat what it said because it really made sense to me.

The characteristic head of an Arabian horse's has a lot to do with it's sensitivity. The placement and size of the eyes allow the horse to see farther distances than other breeds. The shape and placement of the ears capture sound more efficiently making the Arabian able to hear sounds frp, farther away. Also the way the nostril flare wide when excited make for a keen sense of smell. All of these things together make for a horse who will recognize a threat much sooner than other breed. Hence, you have horses that appear to be spookier when in fact they are much more sensitive and observant.

Do you believe that a horse can be trained not to spook?

Nope, but I believe a horse can be trained to handle spooking in an appropriate manner. Although I do think you can teach a horse not to spook at some things., that's for sure with proper desensitization. Mine don't spook at all kinds of things other horses do because we work on many things right from when they are first born.

The Chuck Kraft Clinic - Killer Part 3

Do you believe that a horse can be taught to spook in place?

Yes, I have done this and will continue to do this. God bless John Lyons who got me started on this in the first place. I've built on what I learned from him and can usually come up with a fix for any horse I've had issues with.

How are some ways that you have taught horses not to spook or to spook in place?

I've done different things with different horses. But I think it all comes down to teaching the horse what is acceptable behavior when it spooks in any given situation.

In hand I want a horse to be mindful of my position, to maintain the box I allow the horse to occupy and to listen to me. In the saddle I want the horse to stay soft, not change gait and listen to me. I guess the listening part is important to me because I want the horse to learn that he can trust me. As long as he listens he will be safe.

Right now we are working with Legs and his spooking in the show ring. We started with him on ground work . We crash things or whatever to startle the horse in the first place. When he does spook he hits that bit hard and he teaches himself that's not a good thing. So he's learning that he needs to stay soft and listen when he spooks. Then things turn out ok.

I had to de-spook Scandalous as well. With her I used trail obstacles, lots of raised complicated poles. She learned quickly that getting scared and trying to escape only made things worse. When she listened and let me guide her through the problem, she came out ok.



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