"There is nothing there!" or is there!?

Spooking is one of the biggest things to be aware of when working with a horse. Some spook often, and some very seldom. One of the most common causes of spooking is absolutely "nothing". You see, horses memorize locations like a skyline. You may be riding on a trail that your horse has ridden on a thousand times, the horse is casually walking along the trail when he notices something different in his skyline. A tree has fallen down that wasn't ever down. The horse spooks because its different than before, but the human doesn't even notice the fallen tree! So next time your horse spooks, remember, its not always as big a deal as you might think!

*all credit to my amazing trainer Sharon for always providing the best knowledge!*