Hacking out today got me thinking...

[Kellys Heroes]

...do your horses/ponies have any strange/irrational fears??

Out today reminded me of one of Kellys.
We passed a Lotus sports car outside one of the houses - and would she go past it??
It was like !!!! She stood looking at it, with me trying to push her on past it then she walked past it with her body curved outwards and her ears flicked towards it - halfway past it, she tucked her bum under and shot forwards!
She's like this with any car that's low to the ground..??!

 

[magichorse]

My horse is exactly the same with sports cars! The guy who owns one near to us said that lots of horses seem scared of his car!

 

[Bay_Beasty]

I remember my old mare was 100% in traffic at all times, the biggest lorry or tractor never phased her even if I was like "holly molloly that is HUGE" and yes she always shied at parked cars. She would put her ear on them from miles of and always walk looking at them and taking the widest path I would let her past it. Silly Billy. She was cool though.

And the horse that broke my leg, he was only scared on Ants Nests, we have massive ones in the woods near us and I think they must of smelt funny, he always jogged passed them, he was also 100% in traffic too and even passed the wolves going for their walk with no probs.

Jim is really good in traffic but doesnt like drain covers he always keeps an ear on them

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Mine can deal with helicopters flying directly over his head and soldiers running around him (we used to ride in a military training area); BUT with him its not noise and that sort of thing that scares him, its PEOPLE doing stupid things. He just can't stand people shouting or screeching, due to his background I would suspect, or joggers running towards him, or kids playing football where he doesn't know where the ball is gonna go; where I think he's afraid of perhaps being hit or something. Poor chappie.

Once we were in a situation where a tug of war started up very near us, and he just couldn't deal with all the shouting connected with it all and wanted to put space between him and the situation PDQ, but on a hack when we met three trials bikes in a very narrow lane making a helluva racket, he was fine with that!! I wasn't! I practically had a misshap with me-self, but horse was fine.

Also he's fine with dogs baying and barking - on one hack we have to go past a whole pack of Rottwilers barking at a gate, and he's just so chilled with that.

Yesterday someone was using a chainsaw in a hedge (didn't see us) and we had no option but to go past it, homewardbound, which was helpful, and he was OK with that. But he really doesn't like kids in pushchairs or flatbed trailers very much at all.

 

[zandp]

One of mine is scared of low cars and shiny cars (probably because mine is never clean enough to shine !). She's also petrified of prams and buggies but then she spooks when a leaf is a different colour than the others on the road.

The other has never been scared of anything until the other day - a cow coughed on the other side of the hedge and she exploded. Once she worked out where the noise came from she clambered up onto the verge to poke her head over the hedge to see what it is. She met a buggy with child the other day and pulled me over (we were longlining) to see what it was, licked the child's hand and walked on.

 

[Kellys Heroes]

She met a buggy with child the other day and pulled me over (we were longlining) to see what it was, licked the child's hand and walked on.

That's so sweet!!!!
Some little girls asked to stroke Kelly the other day - I stopped her and as they were patting her legs (they couldn't reach anywhere else!) Kelly reached down to sniff at them and promptly swung her head into one of the little girls and knocked her over!!
I was SO embarrassed but luckily the little girl was laughing and got back up - the other one ran away!!

ETA redmone, haha I know!! There's an Aston Martin Spider which comes out in summer near us - but we haven't hacked that way yet!!

 

[loz9]

my veteran was petrified of gates if they werent in their usual place, ie if they were usually closed but happened to be open that day, he would freak. Usually walking on the opposite side of the road to avoid them. He also hated emergency sevice vehicles, even when they were parked!
My mare is petrified of soft top cars & if any car is parked up & there is someone sat in the seat she wont go past them, even if they arent doing anything, eg reading a map. Completely plants herself, until we get a lead past.
She was also recently walking calmly back to the yard & in a spilt second was on the other side of the road, the problem....a small lump of grass on the road! lol!
im sure they must have a vivid imagination!!

 

[Kellys Heroes]

Must be..
That's another thing - if a new fence panel has been put in, or if fences have been painted she will not humour it!
And my mum's old p/l cob would not attempt grids - at one point on our estate there is two next to one another and one night he stood there and you could almost see his cogs whirring in his brain trying to work out how to get past them without going on them...
He didn't go between them.
Or round either.
He jumped them from a standstill - with my mum who hadn't ridden for a good 30+ years! She did well!

 

[caitlin95uk]

mine hates cows full on.
and different coloured leaves. such as if we were cantering or anything and all the trees are green then a brown leaf is there she will spook and gallop off :L
also twigs that stick out on the path :/ weird horses!

 

[Cinnamontoast]

Dunno: mine's fairly good with most things but a red rose freaked him a bit today-weirdo was so fascinated looking at it that he went sideways into someone walking with us!

 

[dreamcometrue]

Mine is scared of children. And who can blame him! Especially when they are playing with their little shrieky voices and leaping about.

The only time I have relented and let him go a different route was when we approached a school at playtime. It was his nightmare-come-true!

 

[blitznbobs]

Pigs... my big boy HATES pigs (which is a problem as our next door neighbours are pig farmers)

I had a horse that lost the plot if he saw a donkey... it was like he had a total panic attack and used to stand and shake...

Blitz

 

[niagaraduval]

Mine is totaly bomb proff, except when it comes to painted lines on roads etc.. and drain covers!! he throws a fit ! - stupid horse

 

[Supertrooper]

Where do I start!!

Drain covers
Drain covers with concrete round them!
Leaves in the road
Lines in the road
Slow down signs painted on the road!!
Cows looking at her
Donkeys full stop
Sleepy bumble bees in the road!!
Buses but only when she saw her reflection in the windows

This was all from my sadly missed 24yr old cob and her 30yr old part arab friend, as we told them many a time they should know better

 

[mytwofriends]

A horse of mine used to be scared of freshly cut logs. Not ones which had been lying around awhile, but the ones where he could see the rings at the end. Oh, and moss, mostly moss on stone walls. He was a 16.2 Trakehner, brave as you like ...... except for killer logs and moss!

 

[Kirstyf]

Mine is scared of sheep - but only if they are in a field next to the road or behind electric fencing! This morning she simply dug her heels in and had to have her mate take the lead to get her passed these scary creatures that were the other side of an electric fence (this was the most extreme response she has had!!). Strangely she is happy to ride in a field full of them - no spooks!!

The other one is the sheep with the elongated necks - or llamas to you and me! We met a couple the other month and she had 40 fits and when she got level with them ran forward snorting at them!!

My friend's horse is scared of pigeons, black bits on the road (when it has been resurfaced) and anything that wasn't on the ride yesterday!!

 

[clairefeekerry1]

another one for parked cars! ace in traffic but parked cars are a whole different ball game. locks on from a mile out!!

 

[criso]

We happily go past and through entire flocks of sheep but there is a small paddock on one of our hacks that sometimes has a sheep on its own.

Beware the lone sheep!

 

[Kellys Heroes]

Ah well lone sheep are OBVIOUSLY plotting our demise!!
Another one for Kelly is the shadows of posts or road signs at night when we used to hack out in winter...why?!?!?

 

[Boysy]

Scared of his own farts, runs a mile with his tail between his legs if he lets one drop out on a ride...................

 

[VioletStripe]

I used to ride a horse that was scared of anything white. Ironically he was a grey xx

 

[devilwoman]

Love these posts, horses are so divvy at times ! lol

Kids on scooters or skates and my mare has a meltdown, its ok if they come up behind her but if they come towards her, we do a 180 degree turn and charge off back towards home (well she does, if I manage to stay with her all well and good, if not she waits for me at the gate to the yard )

Ive been seen many a time walking down the lane with my hat on and whip in hand but no horse

 

[criso]

We also had a meltdown one time when we met a woman in a burkha and it flapped in the breeze.

 

[Kellys Heroes]

I'm so glad its not just me!!

 

[SillySausage]

Lady is scared of purple flowers ... have recently worked out I think it's because she thinks they're thistles. We either spook round them or jump over them!

Jacob is very wary of traffic behind him and new words painted on the road, but the only things he's genuinly scared of are cows!

 

[the ginger one]

today we were attacked by the most evil, acid spitting, devil in disguise butterfly!!!
It flew into his face and he nearly fell over! lol

 

[madeleine1]

a friend of mines horse is scared of yellow things. mainly daffoldiles

 

[madeleine1]

today we were attacked by the most evil, acid spitting, devil in disguise butterfly!!!
It flew into his face and he nearly fell over! lol

im sorry i realise this may be hard to ride through at might not have been funny at the time but its flipping hilarious and i can image my mrs doing this. it actually made me laugh out loud

 

[criso]

On the other hand they were harvesting today and a combine in full flow right next to us didn't even merit looking in that direction.

 

[rubysmum]

her own shadow - sad but true - esp if we are riding at sunset & she can see her shadow on the road
she also likes to monitor & keep me informed about the potential risks of
cars with open boots/hatchbacks
teeny tiny plant labels
leaves looking at you funny
the goat that lives on its own
teeny tiny fly fringe left in corner of menage
dustbins & the horror that is bin day
carrrier bags - but NOT the ones tied to her fencing to try & stop her jumping out
HOWEVER - she is not at all phased by low flying helicopter practise and a hot air balloon crashing nearbyo