Horse owners have things happen to them they'd never suspect would.
There's a reason for that.
It is unpredictability of the horse.
Horses can be so unpredictable, that I know a lion trainer that would rather train lions that horses.
Why? Because you NEVER let your guard down with a lion.
With a horse, it's easy to let our guard down.
After all, they seem docile one moment and out of nowhere they can explode out of control from fright.
This exploding out of control happens because the horse is simply trying to survive.
The trick is getting him to remember you're on his back before he goes ballistic.
In other words, you want him to think of you instead of himself.
A spooked horse can react so fast you could wind up on the ground before you know what happened.
This explains why it's paramount your horse thinks of you before himself when spooked.
You may be wondering how to do that.
You achieve this through respect and being the leader with your horse.
What does being the leader mean? It means you can't be a dictator.
It also means you can't be a softie.
The leader is in between these two extremes.
Plus, you must have feel.
Feel is timing.
Feel is balance.
And feel is patience.
Timing is teaching or correcting something when it matters.
For instance, correct something when it happens, not 30 minutes later.
Balance is the amount of correction.
For example, does the punishment fit the crime.
If your horse bit you, he should be punished more than if he came in your space.
Patience speaks for itself.
You can't rush your horse's learning.
Plus, he may need re-corrected on a behavior.
Have patience.
Follow this model and your horse will be more apt to take care of you when he spooks than not.