My horse "fake spooks" to throw me off?

I would use the principles of approach and retreat if your horse is really scared. He could be playing with you, but I bet he is scared or was, and this is just a bit of a habit for him now. Here's how it's done. He should look at the scary object and face it. Let him see if from all different ways of approaching it. If he goes to get scared, that's okay, but bump his nose to keep it pointed at the scary stuff, you ignore the scary stuff as best as possible, and wait for him to relax. Then go a bit aways from it and work like CRAZY. I would probably have him in a rope halter and work work really work on transitions, changes of direction, maybe some caveletti. When he's been good, and is rather tired, as a reward, go stand as close as you can get to scary stuff and just hang out and let him catch his air over there. If you really want to show him how great this area is, you can put some hay bags over there and let him put his head down and eat. Putting the head down releases endorphins and he will be really happy and pleased to stand there.

Repeat, repeat, repeat.

P.S. because his spook is a shying type of move and he ducks and runs away, be SURE, to keep the nose tipped toward the scary stuff. The point is to get him to edge of where he's thinking about spooking but can keep it together. He's got to learn to stand there and be scared, not run off. This is what will keep him from shying and dumping you.

P.P.S. Not all horses get over this completely. Some spook their whole lives long. But you can usually train quite a bit of it out of them.

Kendall,

Horses do not "fake" "act" or deceive in any other way. What you see, is what is there.

This is the only hard and fast rule in horsemanship.

You either have a horse that is truly spooked or one that has trained you to do an emergency dismount.

From your description, your horse is trying to avoid your abuse that he has learned happens there.

Update: avoid that area except to rest.

Work him at the other end. Do transitions, trot circles and 8s. then mosey down there or dismount and loosen the girth and lead him there for a good rub down.

Amazing Grace · just now

Make the spooky area his special rest place.

First turn him out in the arena for a few hours. Then lunge him briskly, make him WORK. Then ride him. Don't even go to that side of the arena yet. Stay on the other side and ride him down to NOTHING. Work him, non-stop for 30 minutes, whatever his fitness level is, wear him down to NOTHING, until he's breathing hard and sweating hard, then ride him at a trot to the spook spot and halt. Let him stand there panting for 5+ minutes until he catches his breath. Then back to the other rail, trot him over there briskly with energy and WORK HIM AGAIN. WORK WORK WORK. 15 minutes of difficult stuff. I don't mean walk around, I mean direction changes, extensions, lead changes, whatever is challenging to him mentally and physically. Once he's getting really tired, back to spook spot for a break.

Next day, same deal. Give him plenty of turnout time in that arena so he can come to terms with the smells and sounds on his own time. Then when you ride make it a special happy place where he can get rest and a pet.

3 or 4 days of this and he'll get over it,.

His associated that spot with spooking. The first time he got you off, the wieght on his back was released and it taught him, if he did it again no more pressure for him. He'll keep doing it just because he knows each time he goes past, he can get you off, its negative reinforcement (removing pressure) and thats how horses learn. You should try on walking him past the spot, if he trys to spook or do anything, you make him walk forward, mantaining pressure until he does exactly, after release the pressure staright away and keep going past it. You can always try lots of different things, just always make sure the pressure isnt released until he responds correctly to what you are asking of him.

Try turning him out all day and night in the arena for several days to give him a chance to investigate, get used to, and eventually become bored with the noise.

Also work him every day right next to the noise, lungeing him if you're concerned that he'll throw you again. Add some groundwork exercises to give him something else to think about.

When you're satisfied that he's less distracted by his noisy neighbors, spend the next several sessions doing nothing but walking or maybe trotting back and forth along the noisy side of the arena: use the time to practice your leg-yielding, shoulder-ins, turns on the forehand, and rein-backs -- till he's so bored he could just about go to sleep on you.

You could try turning him out in the arena where he spooks, start him on a calming supplement (smart pak)

Its not fake spooking.