Advice pls on introducing a nervous horse to traffic

texansunrise

texansunrise

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If you were in the position of not having any willing volunteers to hack out with.. and needed to start introducing a unconfident spooky 5 year old to hacking out and meeting traffic, is it wise to start doing so by walking him out in hand first ?

I hacked out regularly with my 5 yr old every day last year and had a pretty confident boy - who would spook a little at cars - but would take pretty much every thing in his stride..

however after a road accident ( nobody hurt just bruised and confidence bit bashed ) last year and a break from hacking , i want to start getting my boy out and seeing the world again as he has become a bit to comfortable with his sheltered life style of field, school, stable .

I have him on livery but do not having many willing volunteers to ride with ( i think they are a little nervous to ride with me as they are mainly novice riders) i am thinking of walking him out in hand as i feel it might help his confidence having me there and also i am not risking my saftey as i feel just getting on his back and hacking out straight away is a bit suicidal !

I have been criticised by a few riders for not just getting on him and getting on with it but i have worked so hard to get my nerve back i want to do the sensible and safe thing for both of us with out making him worried or myself.

I would be grateful for any advice or experiences that could help me to get started. Knowing him as well as i do, he needs to go out consistantly to settle and relax with cars and the hedge monsters but i need to get started first!

As i have nobody to hack with , i just need a litle help/advice to get started to help improve his confidence !
Thankyou in advance x
 
Not sure if any of these are feasible but I would try to:

*Turn horse out in field next to traffic
*Go hacking somewhere quiet, so you can practice meeting monsters in a safe environment
*do as much de-spooking on the yard as poss - ride round on bikes, have men in the hedges trimming and strimming etc!
*Find someone sympathetic to hack out with
 
I would ride him rather than walk him. Imo you are safer on board than on the floor. o you have any place he can just stand and watch cars going past him for a while before you take him on a proper hack?
If not then start with a schooling session and then a short 5 or 10 minute wander around the roads. Sing, tell him stories anything to take YOUR mind off where you are.
If I was closer I would hack out with you, although Whisk has his moments when out and about he is fairly sensible. Good luck!!
 
I would find a quiet road, and a willing driver! Walk along it, in hand, get your friend to drive past you slowllyyyy and wide, then return, then do it again, and again, and again. If you just keep walking as if nothing is happening, hopefully he'll pick up on you thinking there is nothing scary!

If you think he'll really freak, try walking him past parked cars in the carpark of the yard, then with engines on, etc etc etc.

I think you're being really sensible, I'd have him in something you know you can have control over i.e. dually halter, bridle, whatever.

Good luck!
 
Is he good to handle and lead? If so I'd def take him out inhand first - he will take a lot of confidence from you being beside him ,and it's easier for you to stay condfident on the ground. If however he's likely to flatten you if he gets a fright you may be safer on top.

My young cob has taken a dislike to large traffic and I was taking him out inhand to see the world, which worked well. His leading is good and he's small enough not be be a danger to me on the ground. After a couple of weeks of traffic work he was very good. He's had the winter off but I'll be starting again fairly soon, inhand.

My current ridden horse is dead good in traffic but was a bit anxious and nervous being ridden out on his own, so I took his everywhere and anywhere inhand. It gave him no end of confidence and now he's great undersaddle too.

Leading out inhand really does help create a bond and trust. Toby was anxious, supsicious and silly in general, even at home, but the inhand walking really helped and now he's lovely to handle in all ways. He's turned into a proper Mummy's boy
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Everything mattilda says and maybe get someone to walk on foot with you to start with ? Good luck x
 
Definately take out in hand, that is perfectly ok to do so provided.. He has ground manners in general as in respect to you and your handling and that you take him out on a minimum 12ft line or a lunge line. NOT in a standard length lead rope that is asking fro trouble.
The longer the rope the better to allow space between you if he does freak at something. And if he freaks GIVE him length of rope, avoid resistance unless at the very end!
I'd 'poodle' along a quiet village road that has enough traffic to begin with.
If you're tense on top then that will only transfer down through the reins and seat and you add to the anxiety.

I used to believe in staying on top was safer (cos old school says) but it ain't, nothing wrong in getting off!!! It's better to dismount than be dumped!
 

I always think you are both much safer if you are on board. Much more control up there and you get a better view of traffic and can try to flag any down that you feel are too fast/scary.
Good luck!
 
I'm not sure how you should start out but I would definitely recommend riding with someone walking next to you. I got my OH who is totally non-horsie to walk with me as I hacked Belle just to give me and her extra confidence (plus she doesn't always stand still for very long so I showed him how to hold her if necessary).
 
It will help if you take yourself and your horse to a professional boot camp type yard for a couple of weeks. You need to find a pro rider with a schoolmaster who knows where they need to be to help you and your horse, before you have to ride with novice/nervous riders or alone.

I have the exact same problem but I'm trying to do endurance so I'm selling the horse.
 
I read the true story of a big cob that was so terrified of tractors and lorries that even at the sound of one in the distance on a hack he would panic. His owner resolved this easily by taking a friend on a bicycle on her hacks. Every time they even heard, never mind saw or met, a tractor or big rumbly lorry the friend would leap off her bike and rush to the horse's side and give him a polo. Horse soon cottoned on and gradually the friend wasn't needed - the owner would give her horse a polo from the saddle. The horse began to actively look forward to big rumbly lorries because, of course, it meant a polo! OK - problem solved and everyone happy. Owner told hubby the problem was solved and horse didn't panic at all any more.

One day, hubby decided to take the horse for a hack, not knowing how his wife had resolved the problem - what did it matter? It was solved. End of. Anyway, hubby and horse happily trotting along a road when horsey hears a rumbly lorry far, far in the distance. Hubby keeps on trotting. Horse, waiting for the polo from the saddle slams on the brakes and hubby flies over his shoulder into a particularly nasty patch of brambles. PMSL!

You could try this method but do let anyone else who rides your horse know what he's trained to do xxx
 
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