In her video series on EQUESTRIAN+, dressage and horsemanship trainer Monique Potts works with a rider on a horse who gets easily distracted by new objects. She wants the rider to pay attention to where the mare’s ears are focused. When the horse’s ears fixate on something, Potts has the rider do an exercise like a small circle or transition to get the ears to switch back to the rider. With time and patience, the horse gets closer to the scary object in a positive and non-forced manner.

Watch the Horse’s Ears

“I want you to do your warm-up, thinking about exercises that you would already incorporate into your routine. But I want you to time them at the moment that her ears fixate onto something. Like a walk-trot transition or a small circle or a little extra bending or a leg-yield. I want you to do that when both of her ears lock onto something, and I want you to do it with enough intensity that both of her ears switch back to you.”

“Most of the horses who have a tendency to be a little bit looky at something will tell you way before you even realize it. You might be coming around the corner just a little on the far end and that might be the moment her ears focus on this end of the ring.”

“A mistake that I see people make is that they go right toward the scary thing. I’m all for going head on, but I really want you to think if you have her attention enough to put her in that situation and not set her up for failure.”

“The more distracted she is, the more mentally stimulating you have to be.”

Make a Change to Regain the Horse’s Attention

“For her, if the energy feels like we have to trap this anxiousness, then we might go burn off some of it. Not like we are trying to make her tired—we aren’t going to get her tired. But if we can use a little bit to where she is like “okay, I don’t feel like you are trapping this energy that I need to get out.

“Once it starts to feel soft, take that same 20-meter circle two feet toward the new object. And ask yourself if you start to lose the cadence and rhythm that you had at the far end of the ring. Don’t go any further than that point where you lose her attention.”

“Make sure that you breathe and that you encourage that too.”

Get Creative With Directing a Horse’s Movement

“This exercise tests too that if there are any sticky spots where she didn’t respond or didn’t listen.”

“She gets to have a little bit of a break over here right now, and she is willing to stand by the tarp and not be bothered by it.”

“Before when you were trying to go directly towards it and she was stuck, I simply changed it to an exercise to gain control of this shoulder and that shoulder.”

Watch & Learn on E+

• You can watch Monique Potts’ entire series on riding a distracted horse here on EQUESTRIAN+.
• For additional videos featuring Potts’ top tips and training strategies, click here.
• From short training tips to how-to videos and insider-access to private clinics and lessons, learn more from top dressage experts on EQUESTRIAN+.

About Monique Potts

Monique Potts grew up on a small farm in Erie, Colorado, and developed a deep love of horses. She learned from numerous trainers, including Buck Brannaman, who helped her recognize the importance of communication, patience and trust. Potts turned her passion into a career as a trainer, focusing on dressage, horsemanship and cow horse events. She has earned her USDF silver and bronze medals and found much success in the dressage ring.