How to Prevent a Horse from Spooking

Create a 'clamp circle'. With one hand, grab the reins and slide your other hand down along the reins to form a tight 'clamp circle' around the horse’s neck. This will affect the horse’s cervical vertebrae, making it impossible for the horse to rear. Be sure to squeeze with your legs, and the horse will begin to move backward. Once it starts calming down, relax both your legs and the reins.

If your horse starts rearing, move back in the saddle. Push your heels down and lower your shoulders, then pull the reins up sharply to prevent the horse from lowering its head. Remember, a horse cannot rear while its head is raised.

If you feel unsafe, dismount but don't run away. The first thing you should do is lean back to reduce the risk of falling forward and injuring your head. However, if you're not an experienced rider, you might find it easier just to jump off the horse. It may seem like a bad idea, but think about it: would you rather jump down or let the horse throw you off?

If you're familiar with your horse, let it smell you. The first step to preventing a horse from rearing is to eliminate any perceived threats. The second step is to signal your horse with your scent (identifying characteristic) by blowing air near its nostrils. Horses have highly sensitive olfactory glands and can distinguish many scents, which they use to recognize different people, animals, or even other horses. Once the horse smells your scent and recognizes you, it will typically calm down.

Keep the horse's head raised, with a flexible and slightly curved neck. Achieve this by gently loosening the reins and creating a connection between the horse's mouth and your hand. Avoid letting the horse bite the bit and pull your hand, and refrain from making the reins too tight or resting your hand on the horse's neck.

• Most horses perform a rear with their back legs, which is a less intense version of rearing. In full rearing, the horse's head is positioned between its front legs, and its back legs are kicked up toward its tail.
• Rearing can assist the horse in maintaining balance. Some racehorses tend to do this when galloping in open areas or at racetracks.

Maintain your center of gravity – avoid leaning forward on the horse's back. Your body weight serves as an effective communication tool with the horse. Sit comfortably in the saddle, imagining the direction you wish to go. Slightly tilt your head toward that direction, shifting your center of gravity to subtly signal the horse to turn without excessive hand movements.

• You need to give commands firmly but not too harshly. If the horse perceives you as rough or associates you with pain, it may be why it attempts to throw you off.

Keep your forward momentum. Hesitation is immediately noticed by the horse and can be perceived as an opportunity to throw you off. Keep your feet firmly placed in the stirrups, and when you sense the horse preparing to rear, encourage it to keep running – a horse can't rear if it doesn't have stable footing.

• Do not let the horse stop. A horse may rear and then halt; the reason it does so is because it knows the rider will allow it to stop for misbehavior. Continue moving, and the horse will realize it gains nothing from this action.

When having the horse jump, avoid any hesitation right before the jump. If your horse tends to buck, it will take advantage of the moment to plant its front legs and throw you forward. Ensure that you've measured the distance for a smooth landing. Once you've done that, keep your momentum going!

• Help your horse by loosening your legs and giving it enough space to extend its neck by guiding the reins and shifting your weight forward.
• When a horse rears, it lifts both back legs off the ground. This can be dangerous for you if you're riding and for other riders around. If another horse rears, direct your horse to move away from it.

Stay calm to help keep your horse calm as well. You should not project your fear or anxiety onto the horse, as it can sense it from your voice and scent. If you're on the horse, lean down and keep your head near its neck, away from the shaking head. Speak to it gently, continuously mentioning the horse's name.

• Do not speak to it as if it were a child; treat it as a scared child. After a few seconds, you can speak louder and firmer (but not angrily) to give commands it has been trained to follow. This will reassure the horse. It's a good idea to give commands while moving, but avoid doing so when the horse is galloping fast as this could make it run faster and cause you to lose control.
• Helping the horse overcome its anger and fear is the best you can do. If you're on the ground, stay calm and gently turn your head away, avoiding eye contact. Speak softly and calmly. Remember, it's panicking, so try smiling, yawning, coughing, or laughing loudly. Over time, you'll develop the skill to calm your horse when it becomes uncontrollable.

You need to understand your horse. Horses often throw off inexperienced riders or those they don’t know. In these situations, take time to bond with the horse. You must understand your horse and develop a relationship with it. This way, when you ride, it will trust you.

• A good way to build mutual respect with your horse is to dismount and walk it around with you. Talk to it and calm it down first. Walk it around the arena or treat it to some snacks and teach it some tricks! Developing a close bond with your horse is the key to mutual respect, and true bonding goes beyond just riding it.

Check all tack and equipment. Look for signs of discomfort such as a sagging back, drooping ears, or restlessness. It may be in pain somewhere and rearing to escape that discomfort. In short, there must be a reason for the horse to act this way.

• Ensure the equipment you use is suitable for your horse. For example, a saddle that is too tight not only causes back pain and fear in the horse but can also create physiological fear when being ridden, making it harder to control.
• Ask a professional to inspect the saddle for proper fit along the horse's back and spine. After checking that, inspect the reins and bit. Once all potential issues are checked, turn your attention to yourself.

Understand how your horse is feeling. You need to identify the problem. Has the horse been exercised enough? Are you sure it's not in pain somewhere? Look at its ears; if they are forward, the horse might be enjoying itself and trying to release excess energy. If the ears are pinned back, it may be feeling discomfort or pain.

• Sometimes, a horse rears or bucks to communicate with you. Listening to your horse is crucial because often, it’s trying to tell you something is wrong. Another reason may be pent-up energy – even the best horses can rear if they have excess energy to release. In this case, let it run in a circular arena or allow it to roam free until it calms down.
• Letting your horse run a bit before mounting can help. It will release discomfort and excess energy before you ride, ensuring a smoother ride for both of you. You should also loop the reins and put the stirrups on, then lead the horse around so it gets used to the pressure of the reins and becomes familiar with the situation.

Observe if external factors relate to your horse rearing. If it has previously been spooked by a fence, it will likely rear when approaching it again. Try various methods to guide and calm it down. If it becomes difficult to control during specific exercises, reduce the time spent on those exercises or offer positive reinforcement when it performs well. Then, let it do activities it enjoys.

• Don’t force it to do uncomfortable exercises for long – instead, gradually increase the time dedicated to those activities.

Be patient and study your horse's behaviors step by step. If you can’t mount it without causing it to rear, start by leading it on foot and figure out a method of riding that suits both you and the horse. Study the horse to understand when it tends to rear, using both rewards and, if necessary, corrections.

• For example, if your horse rears when you ask it to canter, gently but firmly show it that this behavior is unacceptable, then continue to issue the command. Repeat until it no longer rears when asked to canter, at which point reward it. Positive reinforcement is an essential part of training, and it’s important for the horse to understand whether you’re pleased with its actions.

Re-train the horse. Don’t overlook the possibility that your horse may have been intentionally trained to rear. Perhaps it was trained for rearing in competitive events, or maybe someone with a grudge against its previous owner trained it to rear frequently. You may realize that re-training is necessary, or for safety’s sake, you may need to sell it and buy a different horse.

• Horses quickly learn that rearing is an effective way to get inexperienced riders off their backs. If this problem arises repeatedly due to a lack of proper training, your horse may not respect you. In such cases, it’s best to send it for retraining and also work on improving your own riding skills, or consider purchasing a horse that’s more suited to your level.
• If you decide to continue riding the current horse, be aware that it may “test” you on the next ride (even after retraining), so if you feel like you can’t handle another buck, it might be time to get a new horse.