damned pheasant shoots!

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firstponyMinto

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Just riding my mare home, on a public highway & in the field right next to the road a blasted pheasant shoot going on! loud bangs & shot raining down on us. Needless to say mare was seriously spooked! & so was I! so got off to calm her & myself down, a little bit of inhand grazing etc & a gentle lead home. Did I do right? or is that "giving in" to the mare, also any tip's on trying to desensitize her to gunshots? thanks xx
 
Hi
We live on an estate where they shoot 3 times a week. Horses dont bat an eyelid now...its just a question of time, they do get used to it, the pheasants themselves however are a different story...my boy will happily work quietly in the school while they are shooting in the fields but if the pheasants make a run for it he is off!!!!! think you did the right thing, especially if you were shaken yourself, always better to decamp I think and get both of you together so it is not a bigger fight...I do not see any shame in getting off your horse to calm them, better that than falling off....
 
The same thing happened to me last year. I dismounted too. Better to be safe than sorry. I was gutted because I had smacked my horse for napping when actually he had just heard the beaters before I did and was trying to tell me they were there. Thankfully he forgave me for that!
Usually they stop shooting if a horse is passing so they can't have seen you - next time shout! They shoot all the time not far from our field a lot so the horses are used to hearing them. But I think any horse would be in their right to spook if shots were raining down around their ears!
We generally avoid getting too close to a shoot and the horses are fine. It just takes a bit of gentle desensitising.
 
A lot of the farms round here have shoots - the one we are on had a shoot right next to the horses the other week. Our hacking routes often take us right past a clay shooting competition centre (equivalent of a Keysoe for shooting!). None of the horses bat an eyelid at guns or bird scarers but us riders spook a bit!
 
Personally I wouldn't have got off as I tend to feel I have more control on top of my horse than I do leading from the ground. My worry is always that if I'm leading and they dart off it only takes a split second for them to pull the reins out of your hands whereas if you're on top at least you're still with them.

Where you wearing hi viz? I find that the best thing to do when you're hacking around shoots is to make yourself as visible as possible. If you hear them shooting wait at a safe distance and then call to see if they'll pause to let you come past safely. On the shoots I know a fair number of the men shooting have wives or daughters with horses so they are pretty understanding of the needs of riders usually.
 
I'm glad I'm not the only one that gets off! I too think it's better to GET off than get THROWN off!
Shooter's didn't know I was there 'cos of high hedges & I didn't know they were there either until too late!
I'm hoping the mare will get used to it all too over the winter, as it's the farm where I keep her that runs these shoots. (I'll check dates & times from now on!)
We're also still getting to know each other (only had her 3 months) & I'm hoping we'll trust each other with more time & so I'll be braver about staying in the saddle! lol xx
 
I'm someone who would get off if my boy was genuinely spooked, but as I had him as a yearling we did years of in-hand work, and I know he is reassured if I'm on the ground. Once he is calmer though I would hop back on. He's 18 now and we've never had any problems, so can't see that this has affected him over the years - although the occassions I have dismounted in that time can be counted on fingers with some spare!
 
Unfortunately there is no easy way to desensitise them to gun shots. The horses at our stables (well the ones that have been there for years) don't bat an eyelid as they have got so used to the shoots and crow scares are always going off near us - tbh even the pheasants don't seem to care, they got wise years ago and just hide out at the yard now. lol

The only time our horses get worked up is when they stand in the top of our fields and shoot across the path, and then most of the horses just move down the field and stand and watch after a mad 5 minutes.

I would have got off too, I always find Herc is alot more relaxed if i'm on the ground with him as he's not picking up on my nerves and getting would up more.
 
we have had shooters over our land today and when i tried to ride my new baby horse this afternoon he was obviously wound up still and reared up and whacked me in the face ): Hoping this will be something he will get used to as they are goind to be out every saturday now...! X
 
Mine dont bat an eyelid at the gunshots, its the bloody pheasants that are the bain of my life from August to Jan. IMO Pheasants are the Avian equivalent to sheep, if in doubt PANIC and hurl yourselves into fences and bushes while making incredibally loud schreeching noises!!!! :D
 
We are lucky as Our livery yard is right next to the woods where they do weekly Pheasant shoots so most of the horses are quite used to big bangs. However I think it would be a different story if one went off next to us out hacking. Not had that pleasant experience yet :D
 
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