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Post by caroline23 on Dec 5, 2011 17:59:58 GMT 1
i have a 5yr old that has always lived in the country, straight onto off road hacking so has never really seen big traffic before, he is ok with tractors, cars, small vans, but anything bigger and he freaks
ive just moved to a more urban yard, where there is a 60mph road off the yard and then a 30mph road leading to the hacking routes, so i need to get him used to them so i can safely go out
since its not really riding weather im planning on doing this over winter time (obv not when its snow + icey). there is an estate nearby so my first plan was to get my dad to walk him in his bridle (or i have a dually but my dad hasn't used this before so not sure which would offer more control - he can be quite strong!)round the estate a few times to get him used to sight of parked motorbikes, lots of cars together, slow moving traffic, push bikes etc and then hopefully move on to the busier roads once he has a bit of confidence?
his field is next to the road and he isnt bothered when they go past when they are next to the fence, its just when big things are coming behind him he tried to shoot forward away from it
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Post by helenj on Dec 5, 2011 18:19:07 GMT 1
Hi Caroline. would not be going for one person taking him out in hand as a starting point, especially if he's a bit strong and freaks out. If he lost the plot completely, your dad is not in a safe position on the floor and if your horse got away in unfamiliar surroundings near a busy road, he could cause a major accident, not to mention the damage he could do to himself.
The trick is to get him used to the traffic without frightening him, so treat him as you would a baby having first contact with traffic. The fact that he is fine with traffic he is used to is a great starting point. If you have all winter to deal with this, go at it a bit more slowly and use what's easily available.
Do you have the option to have him in a field next to the road, as this would be an easy starting point, especially with other traffic savvy horses.
Can you lead him down to the yard entrance and feed or give him a haynet, or let him eat grass so that he is starting to see the traffic, but has something nice to do at the same time to encourage relaxation. This is a good one for you as well, becuase you are not on the road, you can be totally relaxed and he will pick that up from you.
If there is someone with an bomb proof horse on the yard, ask if they will come out with you - if you can get one in front and one behind, even better - and have your dad walk out with you at his head, that way, he can feel protected and not needing to take control, and will pick up the energy from the other horses and riders (pick your times to avoid buses to start with).
Do you or does anyone on the yard know someone with a motorbike? Can you get them to come and do some work with you, including just showing your horse that there is a human inside the helmet.
Sorry, rambled on a bit there. But please take this step by step and do what you need to do to keep yourself, your horse and other road users safe - expect the best and plan to avoid the worst.
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Post by caroline23 on Dec 5, 2011 18:59:49 GMT 1
there is a grass verge near the driveway so i will let him graze there in hand until he is ok with that and then progress, i meant me walk with him , dad is just there for the muscle haha and his friend alfie (horses best pal will walk out with us as he is very good in traffic so can use him as a buffer)
he is already in a field next to the 60mph and is fine when traffic goes by, i think it is when he is just on the actual road and they are closer to him that he worries when bigger traffic goes by
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Post by jen1 on Dec 5, 2011 22:36:13 GMT 1
id just watch it at a distance, set off and arrive at a bucket , or clicker him when he is calm, he will be if you keep your distance and get that bit closer each day, or walk away when somthing has gone by and he has stood still, even just to re-enforce his manners at home and work your way to the veiw of the rd would be good, just set your self up for success , traffic taining is just my bag, i take horses in for just that as part of pre-training,
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Post by caroline23 on Dec 9, 2011 23:37:11 GMT 1
is this something an RA could help with? as in once he is ok at end of driveway to get them in for the actual first bit out of the road? ive never heard of them help with this before?
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Post by outoftheblue on Dec 11, 2011 11:52:37 GMT 1
If there were some shows going on, it works well for us to take babies to a show and let them see the traffic on the show ground. The only one we had real trouble with, we held him grazing in a paddock and drove a Land Rover round, gradually getting closer. He is fine now. Its not quite the weather for driving in fields though at the moment!
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Post by fth on Dec 12, 2011 10:57:46 GMT 1
I genearlly like the idea of riding out with a more experienced horse -- he will then be able to get used to traffic coming behind him with an experienced horse to observe and copy -- with my young horse I rode out with two friends and started with my horsein the middle, then at the front, then at the back -- and if he got worried I put hin in the middle again --
over time he got used to the lorries not being an issue and settled down....
another thing to think about is to look at doing some groundwork and ridden work to generally address the issue of "things coming up behind" and teaching him its ok -- I use inflatable balls, tarps and so on to help my horses realise that they are safe -- an RA would be a great help with this!
Cathy
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Post by Hannah on Dec 12, 2011 12:20:47 GMT 1
Yes caroline23, an RA would definitely be able to help.
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Post by mc on Dec 14, 2011 18:56:05 GMT 1
Hi-I like the way you are planning ahead for this.
One thing I tried with a youngster who I could not decide was napping or scared in traffic was to take his shoes off. He had had plenty of experience and no actual bad ones in company and his field backed on to a dual carriage way and this is a busy farm- but out on his own he was not confident. Without his shoes on, feeling his way and thinking about his feet which felt different -he was instantly oblivious to any traffic/ bikes etc. He was also much more stable and didn't slip at all- I have a lot of slippy down hills leaving the farm which when he was also napping wasn't helping. I was lucky he has sound feet and he suffered no illeffects from a couple of weeks gentle hacking around the lanes without them- it improved my confidence no end which also helped him and if I did get off to lead past something I was less worried about one of those nasty glancing ankle whacks. This was a make or break time for him and me- I had actually got his shoes removed because I had had enough of him and was going to use him as a companion. That was awhile ago and he is still challenging me especially if he has been turned out a while -so I simply start out with lots of ground work and shoeless till we get through what ever the current 'it' is.
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