I used to think a spooky horse was just spooky by nature and there was nothing you could do about it. Then I found out that 'good' riders can ride their horse through a spook, so it doesn't jump out into traffic or bend round a flappy thing in a hedge etc.
But can you go one step further and actually teach your horse not to be spooky, as in not just stopping a spook but the horse not going to spook in the first place? So if a pheasant suddenly flies out from underfoot the rider doesn't have to correct the spook the instant it happens, but the horse self-corrects and doesn't even try to spook?
If so, will this training last the life of the horse, or will it revert back to its spooky nature when it's ridden by less experienced riders?
But can you go one step further and actually teach your horse not to be spooky, as in not just stopping a spook but the horse not going to spook in the first place? So if a pheasant suddenly flies out from underfoot the rider doesn't have to correct the spook the instant it happens, but the horse self-corrects and doesn't even try to spook?
If so, will this training last the life of the horse, or will it revert back to its spooky nature when it's ridden by less experienced riders?