Best de-spooking/desensitising ideas?

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maya2008

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Trying to develop some kind of a plan to use with the young ones. So far we have:
- plastic shopping bags
- haylage bags
- blue plastic
- bin bag
- tinsel
- kids jumping out and making silly noises
- usual yard stuff like wheelbarrows
- walking through water
- being hosed on legs

As well as general life off the yard being led from other ponies as good examples.

Feel like I could do more though. Any tips anyone else has? I think this latest batch will be grown out of sooner than usual so keen to get it sorted right from the start. My children are growing like actual weeds right now!
 
Whip cracking, football rattles etc to address the noise aspect?
Also, pool noodles are great for making car wash style small space walk throughs, overhead branch training etc.
 
Umbrellas! Nothing worse than going up the CL on a horse who's never seen one and doing a good Spanish riding school cabriole impression as the heavens open 🤦

Strips of plastic on a long whip to stroke them with like hacking under branches or through brambles. Flower pots with flowers in. Lunge whip to rub all over. If you can borrow a few farm animals or take them to a farm that's also brilliant especially if they have pigs, donks and llamas
 
Empty plastic bottles on strings, either dragged along the floor, or hanging high to walk under.
Umbrellas are fun!
 

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Tarpaulins- flap about, walk over, drape over pony.
Light chains attached to a roller- even if you don't intend to drive.
General yard chaos- throwing headcollars/brushes into the grooming box from across the yard, strimmers, power tools.
Walking over/under (switched off) electric fence- depending on your setup you may not want to teach this, as it also creates a certain disrespect for electric fencing when they can sense it's switched off, but it's come in handy with mine from time to time when we've had to get them out of a fenced off area they shouldn't have been in without taking down the whole fence 🤦‍♀️
Flags, on the ground and in the saddle
Tents
Clippers
Prams
Dogs
Teaching a stop and wait when a leg is caught in a loop of rope/chain.

These next are perhaps harder to come by, but mine have seen-
Roadworks
Parties (barn dances/village fêtes etc)
Fireworks (local regular display)
Cricket/football/sports days
Fires/smoke
 
I’m planning on roping in OH on his motocross bike when I want extra desensitisation.

Lawnmowers, (the robot ones too if possible) strimmers, hedge trimmers etc.
 
People carrying dogs... highly suspicious Second prams... also suspicious
Dogs in cars or vans
Sheep in trailers
Tree surgeons in trees
Crossing bridges
Children on trampoline
Children on scooters/bikes
 
We do flag, work up to cantering about with it in one hand, brolly, I use a brolly to turn out in the rain, I hoover mine with a wet and dry Wickes vacuum, have done flapping bunting in the Ménage on windy days as well, strung up high so as to ride underneath, I bought a cheap Wickes chain saw, obviously didn't fit the chain, then gradually got mine used to it revving right next to them, if the yard telehandler is operating, I try to get close, or ride on the other side of the Ménage fence right next to it.

Video of flag and brolly work
 
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