DappleGreyDaydreamer
Well-Known Member
I have a really wonderful horse who, even though he gets a bit edgy when in traffic, barely acts up at all. At least, that was the case until our horrendous ride last weekend... I went out with my YO on her dressage horse, and it was a bit blustery and in order to get into the field we wanted to ride in, we had to go for a 1/4 mile down quite a busy road that would get us out of the village. There were cars every other second coming past us, but it wasn't those he was frightened of, it was everything else! A window cleaner scared him so bad that we were spooking in the middle of the road and holding up the traffic. Then there was a 'Christmas Crafts Fate' billboard and a plant pot which were clearly monsters, and countless other things I couldn't even identify.
Anyway, what I'm trying to say throughout this long-winded story of our disaster; is that I don't think it's the traffic necessarily that bothers him - as on a country lane a bus can pass within 3 feet of him and he wouldn't bat an eyelid - I think it just makes him, and probably me, very on edge. I certainly don't like traffic, but I live in the middle of a village and stable him pretty much next door to my house (lucky me!) so in order to get out onto the field and forest trails we both love so much, we have to go on the road to escape the bustle.
He normally doesn't bother at all at these sorts of things, but ever since he's been much jumpier even on country routes, and in the school as well he's been spooky which is so unlike him. I think it's shaken both of us up quite a bit, as he backed into several stationary cars last weekend, and I almost fell onto the tarmac in the middle of two lanes, and I was just wondering if anybody had any advice on building his (and my) confidence before we head back out there? I'm probably being pathetic, but he means the world to me and I'm so scared that next time something like that happens, I'll fall, he'll bolt back to the yard and end up run down by a car, as let's face it, drivers really don't slow down..
Anyway, what I'm trying to say throughout this long-winded story of our disaster; is that I don't think it's the traffic necessarily that bothers him - as on a country lane a bus can pass within 3 feet of him and he wouldn't bat an eyelid - I think it just makes him, and probably me, very on edge. I certainly don't like traffic, but I live in the middle of a village and stable him pretty much next door to my house (lucky me!) so in order to get out onto the field and forest trails we both love so much, we have to go on the road to escape the bustle.
He normally doesn't bother at all at these sorts of things, but ever since he's been much jumpier even on country routes, and in the school as well he's been spooky which is so unlike him. I think it's shaken both of us up quite a bit, as he backed into several stationary cars last weekend, and I almost fell onto the tarmac in the middle of two lanes, and I was just wondering if anybody had any advice on building his (and my) confidence before we head back out there? I'm probably being pathetic, but he means the world to me and I'm so scared that next time something like that happens, I'll fall, he'll bolt back to the yard and end up run down by a car, as let's face it, drivers really don't slow down..
