HOW OFTEN DO you listen to your horse? When he spooks or shies, when he refuses to walk on, or when he wants to turn back to the yard what do you do?
Many riders will push on, reasoning that their mount is just misbehaving or that he is being silly. But what if a horse is trying to tell their rider that something really is amiss and that they could be entering a danger zone?
This was the case for Steph Dunn, who headed out for a ride aboard her loan horse, Splash, one sunny Sunday morning.
“The hack started as normal and it was one I had done more than a dozen times before, both solo and with company, so it was a familiar route,” recalls Steph. “When we left the yard we were both relaxed. To get to the bridleway I wanted to ride alongThis had never been a problem before, but on this day Splash wasn't keen on going through the gap. I had to really coax her through, which wasn't like her. She can be sharp and sensitive, but she has a good brain and is usually reliable to hack. She never misbehaves and so I knew that something wasn't right.”
