Help please, irrational, naughty or scared.

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Louby

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My boys been back in work about a month now since fracturing his radius 5 months ago but he is terrified of push bikes. This hasnt just started, hes always been like this since I bought his as a just backed 4 yr old. Thing is sometimes he doesnt bother at all especially if they come from behind but today I nearly fell off, he was awful. Two bikes came towards us at speed on the bridleway and he just freaked. I managed to stop him spinning but then he was all over the place even when the poor cyclist stopped.
Ive tried the nicey nice approach but today smacked him a few times to make him go forward as one of the horses I was riding out with is a known kicker and although she was at the back, I couldnt risk running into her which could have happened if he'd spinned and got away with me.
Weve rode past his stable on a bike lots of times and he hides at the back of his stable with his head in the corner with that 'I cant see it, so it musnt be able to see me sort of look'. Weve rode a bike out with him on a hack to try and get him used to it but hes irrational.
He is very spooky at stupid things, does switch off and is quite lazy really and doesnt seem to have any self preservation, by that I mean he would rather fall off a cliff than face up to his fears.
Is he trying it on with me, if not what would you do to make him braver.
 
I think by what you are telling me that your horse is genuinely scared. I think that you need to be firm (i.e, when he sees the bikes make him stand, try not to let him spin round) but at the same time, pat and reasure him that he is fine. Once the bikes have gone past really praise him and tell him what a good boy he has been. He may never get over this fear but taking the right approach may help the situation. Dont make him feel presured, if you can put him in a gateway as the bike goes by, so as he can see it but doesnt feel under thret by it being to close to him. Worth a try!!
 
Difficult one! LMAO at the hiding in the box so the bike can't see him! My gelding is also scared of both bicycles & motorbikes. He used to do the spinning round / jumping about thing all the time, but over time has become much better. There are lots of cyclists in our area so the de-sensitisation thing has helped. Also, being out with my Mum's more placid TB who doesn't bat an eyelid has taught him not to be scared - he uses his reaction to judge the danger of the situation - do you have anyone you could hack out with who has a sensible type? I find nowadays that when I am out with my Mum, we have no problem, but when I take him out on his own, I still panic a little bit when I see a bicycle coming & he picks up on this - which then leads to more silliness! Hope some of this might be helpful?
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or put the bike outside his stable at first so he gets used to it, not too close, just where he can see it and move it near until its outside his stable. Not sure if its a good idea to put one inside, if he freaks he could really hurt himself on a bike
 
How about you put a pushbike in a field/small area with carrots/treats placed on it. Once he learns to accept these treats, maybe get a friend to cycle the bike towards him and stop by him. When he stops being a prat, get the person on the bike to give him a treat. Maybe keep doing this, and if he gets better, try bells etc.
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Is he scared of bikes in general? Or maybe it is the movement? Or the noise they make at speed (whirring noise)?

Either way he needs to be de-sensitised. I think he needs to be exposed to bikes in the confines of the yard/school. First stationary, then moving both behind and towards him, until he is totally bored of them (Not too much at once, just a little every other day then every day). Careful not to push too much too soon or you will freak him out.

It's a bit like horses being scared of noise, e.g. guns. If they hear guns firing all the time in the background when they are on a yard they will eventually become de-sensitised. I suggest this kind of work in conjunction with a calmer.
 
Please please please dont put a bike in the stable with him!! Ive got visions of a panicky horse sticking legs thru spokes and all sorts.

Think the only thing you can do is condition him with exposure and being accompanied by somebody on a bike for what may turn out to be a very long ride may be the answer!
 
ive got the same thing with Chantin atm. Livery came out riding with me on her horse. It decided to bolt througha tunnel but ran straight into Chantin and scared the living daylight out of her. Realised a bike had scared him but for no other reason than it had a light on the front. Since that day she gets really panicky.

Have arranged with my brother to come out on his bike when I take her out and hes going to ride next to her , past her etc.

Could you try and arrange someone to help you like this?
 
My previous mare used to be terrified of bikes too in the same way your boy is by the sounds of it.

To get her used to it bikes were left around the yard, against the barn, against the fence, people ridng through the yard, building up and up to the point where she would go over to a person standing still on a bike and take a polo from him.

Then came the stage of riding out with the bike, starting with just walking her alongside it in the yard, then progressing to hacking out.

Within a few months she associated bikes with polo's and praise so whenever she saw a bike she would perk up and half the time wanted to follow the bike LOL.

It can be overcome, my mare was a right madam but this was something she was genuinely scard off, its knowing the difference and reacting accordingly that determines whether you will have any success.

It sounds like your boy is genuinely scared too, so time patience but being firm so he knows you are not scared too, will all help.
 
Thanks for all your replies.
Yes I'd say he was scared of push bikes in general, whether stationary or moving but he's fine with motorbikes. Maybe its the fact that they come so fast but dont make a noise as such.
I think I will cycle to the stables and leave it near his stable. The exercise will do me good too! I couldnt put it in with him as Im sure he would do himself an injury or even come over the door to get away from it.
The horse I ride out with doesnt bat an eyelid, I was at the side of him today with the mare at the back.
Hes such a wimp, I bought him a yellow tub trug for water today and he wouldnt go near it even for food. I ended up swapping it for a purple one. He was fine with that!
I feel quite bad now for smacking him.
Thanks again
 
Is it not so much the bike itself as the brightly coloured clothes, helmets etc. they wear?

Seriously though, when my horse was a youngster he was terrified when he saw his first bicycle. I think it was somebody riding one into the yard. I solved the problem by leaning a bike agains his stable door, on the outside, when he was in it and pretending that it was his friend by doing silly voices (look, Ruey, it's your friend! etc. etc.) We then progressed to riding out with a bike and the more you do it the more he will become acclimatised to it.

Now clothes themselves are a different matter. Wherever you go you are bound to meet somebody wearing something unusual. We once met an old lady walking along the road when we were hacking. She was wearing a full length white mackintosh with white scarf and black sunglasses. My poor horse didn't know what on earth she was and it was quite embarrassing. There is only so much acclimatising you can do...............
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Hes scared of illuminous yellow coats, I should have thought about it when I bought the bucket really.
I often lack confidence so I wonder if I am transfering it to him although I am aware of it and do try not to tense up etc.
Thanks everyone.
 
BTW - I usually know if my boy is genuinely scared as I can feel his heart beating. The other day we were hacking down a road we always go down - normally a horse in the field there - rounded the corner & there was a bl**dy male peacock there! The damn thing then spread it's feather out in the way they do which made it look about 5 foot tall / wide!! Couldn't blame neddy for being petrified - pretty unusual obstacle! If he could talk, I was sure my horse was saying "What the f*ck is that?"! His heart was racing, but he did go past after 2 attempts
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Bikes are scary but the more you show them stuff the better they will be. i lead my ponies arround pushing an empty pushchair so that they get use to it or push a wheel barrow leading them, although they are well use to that because i take the hay out in one. I get mine walking over blue plastic sheeting and going past alsorts of obsticals, they will get use to it eventually..
 
A lot of horses 'get' frighted by bycicles rather than 'are' frightened of bikes. We have a lot of cyclists by us, and the horse quite often tells you before you've heard them that they are comming - their hearing is much better than ours.

I always say hello or the like, because you find that as soon as the person on the bike speaks the horse is less wary of them.
 
Sounds like a confidence issue to me - have you thought of doing a handy pony type of thing with him in the school - that way you could introduce a cyclist and be able to control the situation in the way you want too?

My neddy has been through this - had Kissing spine and pain made him really spooky and scared of everything - might be worth a physio giving your ned a once over just to check there is no soreness that is making the situation worse. I just found I had to keep going and that hacking him out alone, although really scary for us both to start with has actually helped his confidence no end and he is dealing with scary moments far more calmly and is a peach in company - just some ideas but hope they may work for you too. Agree with Caritas let him stand and watch and take his time but don't let him spin or reverse. If need be you could always get him to walk backwards past a stationery cyclist and will be over before he has realised it - it worked with Ryan and the cows!
 
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