How do you make sure your horse is road safe?

S

Shilasdair

Patting her thylacine
Joined
26 March 2007
Messages
23,686
Location
Daemon from Hades
Visit site
Following on from a number of threads complaining about driver behaviour, I thought it might be useful to look at what we do to traffic proof our horses before venturing on the roads.
We need to do more to look after our own safety, I think, rather than pinning the responsibility/blame on other road users.
So - your ideas?
S :D
 
Ned was walked from another bombproof horse when he was being re-broken. He saw/experienced quite a few things. He was then lead out with a rider and then he would be covered by another horse (no lead) and finally he would be behind the other horse.
We're lucky with Ned that he's pretty good in traffic, he only makes a fuss if he can't see it (he had a spook at a motorbike he couldn't see) but he doesn't actually do much when he spooks.
I also do bombproofing in the school and when we go for walks in-hand or with my parents :)
 
We long rein down the road and once they are riding out they are take round different areas of the town.
 
Flosscanterseven.jpg


My grey is good in traffic. When young she was turned out in a field by a very busy, fast road. I'm sure that this helped her to get used to traffic. :)
 
I cheat and buy 'bombproof' horses!
However I have still been known to have drivers come so close I could touch them or pass me (and the 30 sign) at 60 mph outside the school.
I do make sure that I ALWAYS thank those who pass properly, or in anything other than a dangerous manner, and we are decked out in hi-viz gear so no-one can say they haven't seen us.
 
I think more riders need to be road safe too, I have met some incredibly spooky riders who could do with a fair bit of bombproofing before they would be safe :cool:

I think if you can't control your horse in the school/field, preferably in all paces, and carry out the basic school movements, you shouldn't be hacking them out on the roads.

Never underestimate the value of a truly bombproof horse as a companion either :)
 
We have a saying 20 minutes riding around town, does more for the horses education than trudging round the school for an hour.
 
Mine get used to flappy wavy things in the field first, then they are taken for walks along quietish roads that are wide and straight so give drivers plenty of time to see them and give them a wide berth, they are also taken to the end of our lane which has a busy road running across the end of it that way if they are going to be stupid we are off the main road and relatively safe. So far they have been good with everything they have encountered, except drains in coblets case :rolleyes:, even walked passed the watermill when it was turning with scarcely a blink.
 
I have zero tolerance for spooking, planting and napping on the road. Id far rather give a horse a crack up the arse for being silly, than have it splatted all over the road by the car it has jumped out in front of. Mine seem to learn quite swiftly that nothing is that scary that its worth getting a wallop for. Mean? Probably, but not as mean as letting it get squished.
 
As well as all the usual bombproofing stuff I think it is important that when ridden your horse knows leg yield and is reactive to the leg. I like the feeling that if I gave my horse a boot with my right leg they would jump to the left and vice versa to get out of the way.
 
Mine were also turned out next to a very busy dual carriageway their whole yoofs. I've never had to worry about traffic proofing them, they were already like it! lol
 
I once loaned a horse who seemed fine out on roads but then one day 10 - 12 motorbikes went past us at about 60mph. I then had an unplanned dismount :o and the horse went home on his own. I got in touch with a biker friend who visited my horse at the yard on her bike every day for a week and produced apples, carrots etc. Horse loved bikers after that :)
 
I had OH help me with this with my youngster. He see's a lot of farm machinery as we livery on a farm but they're usually big slow and lumbering and don't speed past like cars.

Once there was a shoot on the farm and a few of them passed us as we were walking up the track and he bucked a bit so I thought hhhmmmmmm... and then enlisted OH to drive up behind and past us on the track. He was under strict instructions to go as fast as the bumpy farm track would allow, and as close as would be reasonable, and not to be nice to us! I said pretend your an angry van driver or something!

First couple of times coblet bucked, then he just looked then nothing... Now we walk out on the roads and so far he's been fine with everything, we even had a car with those flags on pass us the other day and he didn't bat an eyelid.

Desensitisation is your friend!! :D
 
If i have them young I start young we drive on the yard in front of the stables
We drive tracctors up to their doors take vehicles into the fields with them.
They see lorrys dropping off food I lead them up and down and my OH drives behind them past them towards them.
I lead them off another horse in a group on the roads when they are just backed them indroduce ridden work in traffic as soon as they can be ridden about and feel secure. I get cars driven past them on our road etc etc. before we go out in public I invest a lot of time in this it's an investment in their future and my safety.
I see a lot of riders out and about who frankly don't look secure in their positions ( usually riding far to long) who just look as if the unexpected happened they would be passengers .
Hi viz is not a talisman it's great to be seen but the majority of the responsiblity for the control of the horse in unexpected situations rests squarely on the riders shoulders to train the horse and themselves to react correctly.
 
I personally am a huge fan of tethering on the grass verges of dual carriageways.

If you dont have one nearby then the centre of roundabouts is pretty good too.
 
rockysmum said:
I personally am a huge fan of tethering on the grass verges of dual carriageways.

If you dont have one nearby then the centre of roundabouts is pretty good too.
Click to expand...

A few plastic posts and a strand of electric rope and round abouts make excellent round pens, don't bother with electricity though the traffic will keep them in !!!
 
Since I bought my horse as a yearling he has lived on a busy yard where he regularly sees tractors, vans, cars, trailers and forklifts.
In the first year of owning him I took him short walks along quite roads with and without company. We also walked places where we would meet cyclists, dog walkers, pushchairs, children and workmen
As a two year old he occasionally was led out on hacks with my very road safe mare.
He is now 4 and will hack alone and in company (usually up front) and has shown no fear of any traffic we have met whilst out on the roads.
 
nags live on a very busy working farm with massive tractors coming and going as well as the jcb and every other sunday they have the local gun club using the back feilds and those people dont really understand the idea of "Please pass wide and slow" that helps alot :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top