Practical Tips for Coping with a Fresh or Spooky Horse
- Gillian Higgins
- 6 hours ago
- 7 min read
Freshness and spookiness can be a real challenge during the winter months. Shorter days, reduced turnout, colder temperatures, clipped coats and more time spent in the stable can all have a significant impact on a horse’s behaviour.
Understanding why your horse feels more reactive at this time of year and taking practical steps to support them can make all the difference. In this article, I am going to share with you some tried-and-tested strategies that I use with my own horses and regularly recommend to others - plus there's advice from two other experts.
1. Turnout As Much As Possible
Wherever possible, turn out as much as you can, ideally with other horses. Turnout supports all five freedoms and has a huge influence on both physical and mental well-being. Horses that can move, graze and socialise are generally more relaxed and settled when ridden.
If full-day turnout isn’t possible, even a few hours out can help. Every little bit counts.
2. Set Yourself (and Your Horse) Up for Success
If your horse is prone to being fresh or spooky, try to avoid riding in particularly challenging conditions, for example strong winds, half-light, or very spooky weather.
I appreciate this isn’t always easy with work and daylight restrictions, but where you do have flexibility, choose the best time of day to get in the saddle. If timing can’t change, consider hiring an indoor arena. Do some research and build up a list options that are local to you – variety is important, so don’t always go to the same place.
3. Beat Winter Boredom
A bored horse is far more likely to express that energy under saddle. During winter, make a conscious effort to keep your horse mentally stimulated, try different hacking routes and ride in different locations. Get creative with your schooling sessions - mix it up so they’re not repetitive. Do things that are going to help keep the your horse's brain occupied.
4. Stable Enrichment Matters
If your horse is spending longer in the stable, enrichment becomes especially important.
Here are some simple ideas to try:
Hide apples or carrots in different places around the stable and in piles of hay
Use slow feeders
Add large, smooth stones to the feed bowl to slow eating
Hang swedes on a string from the ceiling
Use small-hole haynets and feed hay in different positions around the stable
These small changes can make stable time far less frustrating.
5. Review the Diet
Ensure your horse is on a balanced diet appropriate for their workload. Think fibre first - over-feeding can contribute to excess energy. I personally work with Clare McLeod, independent equine nutritionist, to make sure feeding is exactly right for each individual horse. Here are a few tips from Clare to help with spooky behaviour.
Feed a balanced diet and don’t overfeed. Often owners are trying to build up muscle in their horses, or they've got one that’s too thin, and what happens is they end up overfeeding for what the horse needs, and that can cause them to be more reactive.
Forage first. If you have got a horse that doesn’t hold condition, try and get as much out of your forage. Picking a nutritious forage and feeding ad-lib means that you don't have to add so much concentrate feed, which can help to keep some horses a bit more sane.
Always maintain a low dietary starch intake. You want to be aiming for less than 10% starch, ideally less than 8% for any kind of concentrate feed where you're having to feed more than handful daily. So feeding a low starch and high digestible fibre and oil concentrate for the horses that do actually need hard feed is going to help because it's starch that can cause excessive exuberance. A lot of owners think it’s sugar, but that’s not the case – it’s the starchy feeds.
Don't Blame the Diet. In my experience it’s actually how the horse is handled, trained, exercised and their lifestyle that has a much bigger impact of spookiness than the diet.
6. Prioritise Social Interaction
Reduced turnout often means reduced social time. Horses are social animals, and this loss can affect behaviour. If turnout is limited:
Can they have playtime in an arena with a companion?
Can they interact over a stable door with a friendly neighbour?
Stable mirrors are another option that we’ve used very successfully. While not the same as real company, they can significantly reduce stress for many horses.
7. Sunlight and Vitamin D
Even in winter, horses benefit from sunlight on their backs. If possible, allow some time, even just 15 minutes a week, outside without a rug on a bright winter’s day. This supports vitamin D synthesis and overall well-being.
8. Keeping the Body Comfortable
Regular massage, Pilates-style exercises, and thorough grooming are hugely beneficial, not just riding alone. These help maintain comfort, mobility and body awareness, especially when overall movement is reduced. In a previous article, I shared which 3 Stretches all Horses Should do.
9. Find Your Horse’s Best Time of Day
Every horse is an individual. Work out what time of the day your horse is most relaxed when you ride him. For example, my horse Artie, who was always quite spooky, was more settled when I rode first thing in the morning during the winter. Yet, in the summer was better if I worked him in the afternoon. Be prepared to experiment and adapt.
10. Keep Them Warm and Comfortable
Cold, wet and hungry horses are far more likely to feel fresh. If your horse has been standing at the gate wanting to come in, consider giving a haynet before riding. Also, make sure they’re adequately rugged and comfortable. Comfort has a direct impact on behaviour.
11. Giving Horses Choice
When we moved to Wavendon Grange, we had far more freedom to experiment with turnout. Using a centralised system, we leave gates open so horses can choose when to come in. I appreciate that this is quite a luxury and you may not have this option at livery but what I’ve learnt from my own horses may influence your routine
In deep winter, my horses often choose to come in around 1–2pm
Cold, wet conditions and reduced grass value make stables with hay appealing
Allowing choice reduces pacing and protects the land
In summer, interestingly, they often chose to stand on softer surfaces rather than hard ground. Given the option, horses are very good at self-managing.
12. Warm the Tack
Cold equipment can make the whole experience less pleasant for your horse. Tack rooms can be cold and damp places but a few simple changes can make all the difference:
Tumble-dry your numnah for 10 minutes before using it, so it’s warm
Store saddle pads and the rest of your tack (including your bit) at home so they don’t get cold and damp
13. Use Groundwork as a Positive Outlet
Lunging or long reining before riding can be extremely effective, allowing horses freedom to move and release excess energy. I would suggest doing plenty of trot and canter. Make sure you are working on a large circle and to avoid tight circles. Get training if you’re unsure, good technique matters. Take a look at a previous article - How to lunge effectively for lots of practical advice on how to lunge.
14. Make Lunging Mentally Engaging
Lunging won’t make a horse “too fit” if done thoughtfully.
Avoid endless circling and make sure your lunging session has a proper structure.
For example, use lots of transitions with frequent changes of rein. Think about lunging as giving your horse something to focus and think about. The goal is a relaxed but mentally occupied horse. Looking for some inspiration? Have a read of my Top Tips for Effective Lunging.
15. Smart Warm-Ups Under Saddle
If a horse has had limited movement, keeping them stuck in walk can actually increase tension. With sharper horses, I often find that trotting and cantering early in a training session works well. Use pole work to encourage them to think about where they are putting their feet. Riding exercises that involve turns and transitions are great for helping a horse listen.
This helps them focus their energy and reduces explosive behaviour. If you can keep it fun, active and challenge them mentally, you will often find the spooky behaviour disappears.
16. Keep Schooling Varied and Active
Rather than repeating one exercise endlessly, keep testing them mentally by asking for different things. What I find works really well is a circuit-style session where I move from one
one simple exercise to another. The exercises don’t need to be difficult, they just need to be different.
17. And Finally… There’s Always Another Day
If it really isn’t working, stop and try again another day. Listening to your horse and yourself is never a failure.
A Final Thought
“What causes your horse to spook more in winter than the warmer months? Less turnout, more days off, blustery weather affecting their hearing and a full clip will enliven most horses!” says Kelly Marks from Intelligent Horsemanship
When it comes to dealing with fresh or spooky horses, Kelly has some words of wisdom.
Thinking carefully about how much you clip
Avoiding the craziest weather days
It makes sense after tacking up to put your horse on a long line and start with walking exercises to warm him up and assess whether he’s good to go or needs further exercise from the ground.
She also shares a favourite quote from Monty Roberts, that he said with humour:
“There are old heroes and there are bold heroes. But there are no old, bold heroes.”
Choose your days wisely, prioritise safety, and remember that a sensible level of self-preservation is a strength, whatever your riding experience.
Do let us know what you think and comment below if you have any affective techniques that help your horse!
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