Trail Tip 4 - Circling objects your horse is afraid of.

When your horse spooks to an object out on the trail, moving her feet left and right, and circling the object until she relaxes to it will help her become more calm and safe out on the trail.
One mistake people often make is avoiding objects their horse is nervous about or has spooked to. By avoiding the object, it clarifies to your horse that the spook was justified (since it saved her life of course!) and the next time she won't be any better. In fact, many times, the spooking gets worse.
Don't avoid these objects! Approach them by moving your horse's feet to the left, and then to the right, going back and forth until she takes courage and steps towards the object. Eventually, she should approach without fear and walk by without moving away for fear of the object.
If there is room around the object, like a large rock in the middle of a sandy wash, circle it a few times one direction, then change directions to the inside (facing the object) and go the other direction. Continue to circle this way until your horse can circle and approach the object from both sides without fear.
If you will consistently do this, your horse will not only become much better at listening to your cues and leadership, but she will trust you more and spook less! Don't neglect this key part of helping your horse be safer and more fun out on the trail!
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