Spooking Isn’t the Problem

“If your horse spooks often, don’t rush to desensitise. There may be something deeper going on — and it might not be fear at all.”

So many horses are labelled as spooky — tense, reactive, unpredictable. And often, the advice given is to expose them more. Desensitise. Push through. Get them used to it.

But here’s what I’ve learned, again and again: Spooking is rarely the problem. It’s the symptom.

The body stores tension. The nervous system remembers discomfort. And when a horse is spooking, it’s often because something in their internal or physical world feels unsafe.

Recently, I worked with a gelding in Australia who was described as spooky and anxious — particularly in contact work. But it wasn’t about the arena, or the bit, or the wind.

When I used the AAA approach, I found:

• Ask: The horse was trying to tell us something. We just weren’t listening properly.

• Assess: The issue wasn’t fear. It was pain — deep tension in the pelvis and back.

• Adjust: Once we made space for that pain to shift, everything changed. His behaviour softened. He let out a breath. His entire posture shifted.

  
  

The spooking stopped — not because we “corrected” it, but because we understood it.

Your horse isn’t broken. They’re communicating.

The AAA method works anywhere in the world because it’s not about one fixed solution — it’s about building a language of connection.

If your horse is spooking, try asking:

• What might their body be holding?

• When did this behaviour start?

• What are they trying to tell me?

  
  

Spooking isn’t the enemy. It’s information. The real work is learning how to receive it.