Training Tip: Ask Clinton: Reacting to Other Horses

Q: I consider my 10-year-old Quarter Horse to be bombproof, but she starts acting up when we trail ride and come across horses in pastures. Any thoughts on how to handle this? – Amanda B.

A: It’s common for horses to get excited when they see other horses on the trail. Anytime a horse starts to use the reactive side of his brain and it feels like you’re losing control, redirect his energy in a positive way. You need to put your horse’s feet to work to get her to use the thinking side of her brain. When a horse uses the reactive side of his brain, the only way to get him to use the thinking side and put his focus on you rather than what he’s worried about is by moving his feet forwards, backwards, left and right.

Normally, I recommend cantering and trotting the horse, but after reading your question, it sounds like there’s not a whole lot of room where you’re riding to do that. If that’s the case, you may have to work at just the trot or even the walk as opposed to the canter. Use one rein to bend your horse in a circle around your leg. Then bend her the other way. Or, do a series of serpentines. What you do with your horse isn’t important – what is important is that you move her feet forwards, backwards, left and right, constantly changing directions.

You can head off most of your problem by not waiting until your mare reacts to the other horses before putting her feet to work. Most people would not like to go trail riding with me because I’m constantly weaving in and out of trees, jumping over logs, circling around bushes, sidepassing my horse across the trail, etc. I very rarely put my horse on a loose rein and just let him go down the trail looking for something to spook at. Before you even reach the other horses, put your mare to work, bending her in circles, two-tracking her, practicing transitions, etc., anything you can think of to get her feet moving forwards, backwards, left and right. The more you move her feet and change directions, the more she’ll focus on you and not on the other horses.