Hacking question

Supertrooper

Supertrooper

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Would you risk going out knowing you may meet tractors and or combines. They where harvesting opposite us yesterday and looked like a good bit still to do today and I've just texted friend that I ride with to say I don't want to risk it. Am I being a wuss? Xx
 
You know your own horse! My two couldn't care less about any sort of farm machinery, lorries or plant equipment, so it wouldn't bother me. In fact, Ari HAS to go and sniff and inspect any lorries or diggers etc that are parked up...he seems to have a fascination with these things. FB is just much more 'meh! Whatever....' and keeps walking.
 
Depends on what I was riding,with my old traffic proof lad - yes every time, with my new mare - maybe, depending on how brave I was feeling that day ;)
 
Well personally i'd still go hacking but thats because i only have a small amount of road to go along before i reach off road hacking and my horse is very sane in heavy traffic. Nope your not being a wuss your being sensible. x
 
He's not good with big things although my friends mare us. However I think the size of the trailers on the back of the tractors may freak him out even with her there xx
 
As long as my horse didnt completely freak out then yes i would still go :) My 4yr has met quite a few tractors etc and as long as she can see them and they go nice and slow shes fine.
 
Given where we live, tbh I would not want to ride any horse that wasn't 100% in farm traffic.
When the new colt arrives, he will most definitely be tractor-proofed long before he's even sat on. That will involve exposing him, gradually and under controlled conditions, to all kinds of traffic and farm machinery (not to mention lots of other things). I'd do the same for any new horse. So in answer to your question, no I wouldn't ride out if I didn't trust my horse.
 
You have to do what you feel comfortable with. What you could do is get up early as the combines don,t get going till the dew is off and the air is dry you could also avoid some of the flies.
 
My horse lives on farm with lots of huge farm machinery, walks past it every single day, listens to it and watches it from his field and yet, when out on the road freaks out when he has to walk past it. He hates it and has never accepted it. He has been exposed to it for over two years now and is no better now to the day he first arrived. He has chased it, sniffed it, but just hates it.
 
I know what you mean, its really busy around here at the moment with lots of tractors and combines as well. I tend to try and pick quiet times!!! He is fine with the tractors that are not moving, that are in the field or coming towards us. But freaks out if they come behind us. I had a bad experience with him cantering off because of a tractor behind us on a small lane, we couldn't turn off and the tractor was right up our backside.
 
To be honest I never even think about it, I just go out. I actually think a lot of problems horses have with 'scary vehicles' sten from us riders putting the fear there! That said, my old pony has never liked and still does not like tractors or anything larger than a transit but i justhave to get on with it. You can just about guarantee whenever you take him out you'll meet something big but I don't think about it before hand others he really would pick up in it, he's a very sensitive soul!
 
I don't. Not because my mare is tractor scared, but because it's to dangerous. My OH turned a silage trailer over in the village one year,(naughty boy) in the rush to get it into the clamp and it's all just to fast on our narrow country lanes to take the risk.

Much more sensible to pop up the woods for a few days until they are done.
 
If your horse is likely to go loopy then I wouldn't.

It doesn't effect me because my mare is fine with tractors but if I was on a horse that wasn't as good then I wouldn't risk it.

Fwiw it sounds like you made a sensible decision :)
 
Don't bother in the slightest. Horse couldn't give a toss! In fact she gets cross if they expect her to pull over out of the way and prefers to steam past!
 
Depends what I'm riding. I know my lad is fine with farm machinery so wouldn't bother me but if I was on something which I know wasn't happy I wouldn't bother. At the end of teh day it has to be enjoyable for both horse and rider. :)
 
On my traffic proof gelding - yes I would go out - he is so traffic proof he would happily walk into one...on my newer mare I would - but I would always wave my arm up and down to request that they slowed down slightly when passing me. She is good, but we are a fairly new relationship and she is very fizzy natured so I try to keep everything as quiet as possible just to reduce the risk. I don't think you should do anything you're not happy with as your tension will go to the horse - why risk it when you can wait til another day when they're not about?
 
Depends on your horse! On my boy, I wouldn't think twice about it - but this is a horse who can pass a combine harvester quite happily on a single tracked road!! :eek: :D
 
I would but that is because BH couldn't give a toss. He deals with much worse without batting an eyelid. I'd go out as long as whatever I was on wasn't going to get dangerous. I don't mind looking and spinning and running backwards but if I knew the horse was likely to bolt or fling itself under said tractor or lay down in the middle of the road (yes, I did ride a mare who did this for a while) I might skip it until I knew it was quieter.
 
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