Advice please on passing other horses while hacking out

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Bens_Mum

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Hoping for a bit of advice here.. My horse is absolutely bomb proof in traffic, wind, you name it brilliant the only thing that seems to get him going is when we are on a hack and pass other horses in a field. He gets excited if they ignore him but if they come over and make a fuss he gets really worked up and shys into the road snorts, plants, jogs, poo's you name it! Although he doesn't do anything 'awful' as such its not good on the roads if cars are coming as they have to wait for him.
In this senario would you push the horse on and past the other horses or wait and let him have a look at the horses? I push him on and have given him a smack but my friend who is into natural horsemanship thinks that her approach would be to let him look and then move him on.
I want to take him to some endurance rides and would like this sorted out before as apparently he has got quite excited around other horses at pleasure rides too. Any ideas apreciated. He is not naughty generally so im not sure what the best approach would be..
 
I would turn the horse's head away and push him past - take the attitude that when you are riding you want his 100 percent attitude and anything else is rude.

Easier said than done I know but try doing shoulder out (??) at other parts of the hack so it doesnt come as too much of a shock and it is quite important you ignore the other horses too!
 
I would do as you are already & push him on. You can't stop & have a chat to every horse you pass. You'll have squealing & striking & it may wind the other horses up more.

I know how you feel as we often have to pass 2 cobs in a field who suddenly appear at the gate, then trot behind the hedge as we pass, which excites my boy, just on a blind bend. I'm worried he may shy into the road, but I use my outside leg & growl at him a bit.
 
Thank you. My friend looked horrified as I did a pony club style kick and growled at him! One of the horses is a stallion and they are able to follow for about 60 meters so when they are really going for it its quite scarey. Friends horse took no notice whatsoever but mine found it VERY exciting! I will try the lateral work too and see if that helps!
 
my pony does a similar thing just dont look a them and completley ignore them and if possible try to stop your horse looking at the other ones
 
I am going against the grain slightly. Mine used to be a bit si lly like that. I let her have a look as she seemed to be more worried if i didn't.I think she needed to see where they were and what they were up to. I didn't let her go over or stop though, I just kept her moving and talked to her. There were two young highlands that used to tank along between the hedge and fence and made a real racket and she eventually didn't even bother about them.
 
Argh my horse used to do this. One thing I tried was hacked him past the "wild Bunch" every day for a week until he got bored and didnt show any interest. Did work.
(infact one day the road was quiet and I rode him up and down three times I think) and didnt show any interest. Did work.

Wild bunch was a name I gave to the group of galloping yearlings that made my bombproof and rather plodding cob pull like a train, snort, poo and generally turn into a nutter for five minutes.
 
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