The Sensitive, Spooky, Nervous Horse
There are many other labels I could use—reactive, worried, distracted, scared of the world... and some less kind, like idiot, stupid, drama queen, chicken... and worse. But you get the idea.
They say the greatest pain we can suffer as humans is “uncertainty”… and the horses described above are all the pain of uncertainty in horse form!
They are not fun to ride or handle.
Some are predictable in what they tend to shy or spook at. Some go along fine until they don’t, and then they do that horrible spin-and-spook move at some "evil-looking" leaf or random thing. Some appear to have phobias about certain places (scary corners) or things that can be frustrating and shrink your riding area. In fact, I know someone who removed every bush, tree, and fence post from around their arena just to be able to practise riding dressage tests in a full-sized arena because her horse had so many phobic spots!
Anyway, it was one of these horses that shaped who I am today. His name was Skuda, and I often tell his story. He taught me my first lesson about horses labelled as “sensitive.”
Although he frustrated and depressed me, and his incredible athleticism in spinning unseated me countless times (I never got hurt, as he spun so low to the ground I wasn’t far from it! LOL)… he humbled my ego and showed me that all I had to do was change, instead of hoping and praying he would!
He set me on a path that has led to what I do today, and I’m proud of how I now help people with my understanding and approach to forming partnerships with horses.
Skuda was also the inspiration behind my deep dive into the root causes of why some horses turn out like him. Even though his problems stemmed from my well-meaning but innocent mistakes, I had ridden other horses who didn’t react as he did. What made him—and these other horses—different?
What I found is that there are a few key reasons. But they can be understood, and with awareness, you can navigate them and prevent a horse from becoming a Skuda, as well as transform those that are already this way.
I have written about aspects of my understanding in many blogs and articles. If you’ve attended my clinics, presentations, or my weekly Zoom Q&A sessions in the CWCH Society group, you’ll know I talk in depth about why horses can become like this and what you can do about it. But I’ve never put it all in one place.
Until now.
So this is my gift to everyone who has been frustrated, disheartened, or had their confidence eroded by a sensitive, spooky, nervous, reactive, distracted, worried, or phobic horse!
It’s a manifesto that will help you see horses differently and replace frustration with understanding, and hopelessness with a clear, pragmatic, and logical path forward.
You can access and learn more about the resource HERE
