Chasing motorbikes????

noblesteed

noblesteed

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Hi guys!
Wondered if anyone had experienced problems with motorbikes, while hacking out. Tonight cheeky horse and I went out up the main road as we can have a canter on the verges when the road is quiet. Horsey now knows that we canter when there are no cars coming and even stops cantering if he hears one approaching. He is pretty much as fearless in traffic as you're going to get. However he also gets a bit excited as we approach a junction as sometimes we cross the road and go up the hill onto the moor, whereas most days we turn left and head home.
Anyway approaching said corner today, trotting along the grass verge 2 motorbikes come up behind us. Horsey was fine but as they went past he took off AFTER them, bucking! I managed to stay on and turn him into the hedge to stop. I gave him a smack as what he did was dangerous, and carried on with my ride.
I am not sure if he thinks they're horses to run with, or if he is scared! Any ideas/tips on what to do in future?
Cheers!
 
Most likely I'd guess they went by fast enough that his confused head got as far as the 'flight' instinct but missed the 'spin first' part.

You know your horse learns by association (hear cars = going to slow down = does it by himself) so be careful building a new path by smacking him when he might be scared (hear motorbikes = going to be smacked = get more scared/make a protest by himself).

If you're going to use a whip when he bucks it should be an aid to send him forward through it not to punish him and put his nose in the hedge.

Totally understandable as you were surprised but it can be confusing for a horse to be given a forward aid and then asked to stop.

ETS: try being incredibly calm (or faking it!) next time and sitting nice and deep, all your usual, 'nothing going on, nothing needs to be done, nice and steady' type aids :-)
 
hmmm I dunno that's what I'm not sure of - was he scared or just taking off? He doesn't usually buck when scared, it's a naughty thing he does from time to time! Just wondered if anyone else's horse had attempted to run with a motorbike!!!

No I didn't smack him as he was bucking - that would make him do it harder - I was concentrating on staying on!!! Lol!!! I turned him into the hedge in preference to the road which had cars on it!!! It was pretty much an emergency stop!!! He is so bold in traffic I think he lacks respect for it.
 
I used to ride an arab gelding who had a penchant for racing cars.

I remember a Reliant Robin going past (yes, it was a fair few years ago :o) and it couldn't get past him. He only stopped when the verge ran out!
 
Where I am the accepted code of conduct is to be at a walk when passing any traffic, or being passed. As it is difficult to always look behind you etc , and as the direction of the wind can mask engine noise, I would only canter on grass verges in the remotest of areas. In my opinion recing cyclists are the most likely to spook a horse as they approach quietly and quickly.
 
My boy does this. He hates motorbikes (we were chased down a track towards a main road once - scariest ride ever). Now, as soon as he hears the bikes coming, his ears go back, he tenses right up and tries to spin. I try keeping calm, not reacting at all and continue to walk forwards, but if the bike doesnt stop or slow down, he will just bolt - even if it is towards the bike, it is just a flight reaction.
 
Our driving mare does this with cars, we normally keep her at a steady trot on the roads as don't like hammering along incase she hurts her legs, but when a car goes past us she speeds up almost like she wants to race each car, like your boy she is 100% bombproof in traffic so its not that she is scared
 
I used to ride a young clydesdale who was brilliant except if two or more of something overtook us and then took off again (like your motorbikes from the sound of it). She would then bolt off after them (be they motorbikes, cyclists, runners etc) and 17 hh of clydesdale coming up behind you probably gave them as much of a shock as it gave me!

I always assumed she felt like she was being left behind and her flight instinct kicked in - how old is your cheeky guy? I dealt with it by pulling up as quickly as possible and normally growling a sharp "No!" if we took off, and lots of reassurance /good-girls when things did overtake us. I couldn't tell you this is what you "should" do, but it worked in this instance.

Good luck
x
 
If I am out hacking alone, then Harry will sometimes chase after cyclists or runners that have overtaken us. I know from his reaction that he sees them as other horses and is b*ggered if he's going to be left behind.

He never does this with cars, or motorbikes. Cars he tries to slow down, by deliberately walking slowly and sticking his bum out into the road if I don't stop him and he does not care too much for motorbikes (thanks to a middle aged pratt on his HD tassel tractor :mad:).
 
my horse has a penchant for chasing trains! There are a few fields we can go in alongside the railway and on more than one occasion we've been having a lovely canter when we get overtaken right beside us by a train. Horse LOVES it! She also once chased a sparrow hawk down the lane, i swooped down in front of us and flew there for about 5 mins teasing us before flying away again!
 
Yeah timefort my horse is 11 so not a youngster, and like I said before, bombproof in traffic, and has been used to 'nanny' young/spooky horses on the road. He is also very accustomed to motorbikes as they drive through our village every Thursday - they all meet up at the pub! So I don't think he is scared.
There must be some instinct where he feels like he's being 'left behind', so has to try and catch up - maybe he thinks they are bolting from something? He will follow after people on foot when we hack out, tries to 'herd' dogs etc - he is the cheekiest creature!!!
However, when he does get scared he will run forward, spin violently or spook, but never bucks - he does those when he's feeling full of himself.

I think in future we will walk on the road when motorbikes approach, so that he knows it is NOT an appropriate time for a good prat about!!! I will have to think up some ways to make him respect traffic a bit more. Like yours, NeilM, he also happily sticks his bum in the road if he can get away with it!
 
timefort said:
I used to ride a young clydesdale who was brilliant except if two or more of something overtook us and then took off again (like your motorbikes from the sound of it). She would then bolt off after them (be they motorbikes, cyclists, runners etc) and 17 hh of clydesdale coming up behind you probably gave them as much of a shock as it gave me!

I always assumed she felt like she was being left behind and her flight instinct kicked in - how old is your cheeky guy? I dealt with it by pulling up as quickly as possible and normally growling a sharp "No!" if we took off, and lots of reassurance /good-girls when things did overtake us. I couldn't tell you this is what you "should" do, but it worked in this instance.

Good luck
x
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My shire X also is fine until there are more than 2 of anything, I don't punish him for it though,just pull him up and reassure him, even if we're still cantering after it...

OP Sounds to me like its fear IMO
 
noblesteed, did the bikes go up the road to the moors, that he wants to go? Maybe he was being naughty and using them as an excuse to go that way and got excited? hence bucked? Just an idea, dont know your steed. Just the first thing that came into my mind....Thought it was worth a mensioning :) Glad you are ok, and stayed on ;)
 
Sounds like they surprised him. As someone above said, i would think it was just the flight instinct rather than chasing them. I would also see the fact he sticks his bum in the road as insecurity. It's a defensive behaviour.
 
If you dont think it was fear, and you say he is normally 100% in traffic and can be very cheeky I think it was probably his idea of a laugh.

Beau is 100% in traffic and my mum and I swear he makes a point of jumping in the air as cars come past to make them slam on their brakes. He only does it when he is feeling full of him self or bored (i.e trying to avoid being schooled). He gets firmly told to stop and grow-up when he does do this.
There is a long, straight grass verge near the yard and given the chance he will race packs of cyclists, I think he does it for fun rather than any sense of fear/pack instinct.

I think alot of people understimate horses sense of humor.
 
lol yeah he DEFINITELY has a sense of humour!

He plays with me in the field, we run together and chase each other so I know how playful he is. He used to pick up and throw his headcollar in his water trough if he was the last horse to be brought in from the field. He is also naughty when we hack out in company, he's really good at winding up other horses- and farriers, dentist, vet, my OH and most of the people at my old yard who hate him as he's so cheeky. So I wouldn't put it past him to find it entertaining to goon around after motorbikes, or get excited about wanting to go for a gallop on the moor!

It's interesting to know what other people have experienced. I think horses are sometimes much more intelligent than we give them credit for. I certainly have learned to listen to mine when he is trying to tell me something, and our relationship has improved hugely.

I will monitor his behaviour around bikes and try to work out if he is scared of them, and if he is scared I can do some de-sensitising with him. I'm sure he'll let me know one way or the other, he usually does!
 
noblesteed said:
lol yeah he DEFINITELY has a sense of humour!

He plays with me in the field, we run together and chase each other so I know how playful he is. He used to pick up and throw his headcollar in his water trough if he was the last horse to be brought in from the field. He is also naughty when we hack out in company, he's really good at winding up other horses- and farriers, dentist, vet, my OH and most of the people at my old yard who hate him as he's so cheeky. So I wouldn't put it past him to find it entertaining to goon around after motorbikes, or get excited about wanting to go for a gallop on the moor!
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He sounds great!

Our two share an infantile sense of humour when it comes to matters toiletry! I have not been to the field this week, but in a typical example, my OH told me that yesterday one of them dropped a neat pile on the mudguard of my trailer, charming.
 
My mare likes to follow/chase bikes and runners, plus the other day there was a scary sofa (Yes I did say SOFA) dumped in the lane, and it was so scary she wouldn't go past it and we were frozen in the lane, a nice girly came by in a car and I literally put the mare's nose on the bck windscreen and she followed the car past the sofa! Voila!
 
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