How would you deal with this silly problem?

ImmyS

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So I have a slightly ridiculous problem with Arlo at the minute. All is going really well, hacking out alone and in company, building fitness and all is pretty perfect... however we have a frustrating silly problem and I was just wondering if I could be doing anything else to deal with it.

Since bringing Arlo back into work he seems to have gained a suspicion of parked cars and other parked vehicles. He didn’t have this when I was hacking out last year before his break and he hasn’t had any bad experiences with parked cars. This is completely irrational and I feel this is the Welsh side of his brain overriding and basically making him be a twit, that little welsh devil sitting on his shoulder telling him he HAS to be scared of something.

It’s ridiculous because literally any vehicle, bus car, motorbike, lorry, livestock trailer, you name it can drive passed from any direction and he doesn’t bat an eyelid!

Now when walking passed parked cars he doesn’t do anything bad he just gives a very suspicious ear and eye towards the car and he wants to give a very wide berth. Some cars are apparently scarier than others and then he scares himself when he kicks a stone and hits the car or something. It really is comical.

Currently I’m just giving a good gap but not too much. Plotting a straight line and looking ahead to stick to that line, I just ask him to stay straight with my outside leg and try I ignore any suspicious behaviour. It’s not a massive problem and he generally listens but he isn’t getting any better and I would like to nip it in the bud as one it’s a pain and two it’s totally irrational as otherwise he’s not a spooky horse at all.

Any suggestions for the numpty welcome!

Said numpty on his hack this morning

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Goldenstar

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If he where one of mine I would turn his head to the right put him in shoulder in / leg yield in a fairly impolite way until he passed to object .
By the time I have had them a while they get into habit of adopting this positioning themselves when they see something they don’t like .
 

ImmyS

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If he where one of mine I would turn his head to the right put him in shoulder in / leg yield in a fairly impolite way until he passed to object .
By the time I have had them a while they get into habit of adopting this positioning themselves when they see something they don’t like .

Thank you I will try this. I’m just hoping with persistence he’ll get over it.
 

Mucking out - still

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My second pony was like that - nothing dramatic, but all needed a good distance! I didn't know whether he'd had a previous experience of a door opening on him before I had him and it was never a problem. For your man, I would do as Goldenstar suggested, especially as he's choosing cars to be more wary of - bless him!!
 

ihatework

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Teach him leg yield.
Then leg yield towards car - any corrections you then give will be for his lack of response to the leg yield aid and not about the car per se
 

ImmyS

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Can you get somebody to walk by the side of you past the cars that might help? or another horse in front?

Have tried this and doesn’t make a difference unfortunately. He doesn’t always do it, some cars he walks passed fine, but most are suspicious and should be passed with caution!
 

ImmyS

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Teach him leg yield.
Then leg yield towards car - any corrections you then give will be for his lack of response to the leg yield aid and not about the car per se


He know how to leg yield. If there’s a row of cars I just try and turn his head to the right a bit with outside leg on to keep straight. If there’s just one car as I go passed I ask him to leg yield over so he has to move towards the car back into the left side of the road. I think it’s just a case of persistence, it’s just an annoying habit he’s got himself into
 

pistolpete

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How about you telling him when it’s safe to go really wide around them. So the behaviour is directed by you. He may start to think you’re s good judge and slowly you can make the arc smaller. Just a thought?
 

ImmyS

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Could it be that he is distracted by either his reflection, or low winter sun shining on windows/mirrors?

I think this does play a part, as it does seem to be worse on particularly bright days, when more reflection on the cars.
 

JFTDWS

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Honestly, if he's just being a bit gawpy at it, I'd be inclined to ignore him entirely - take up a contact, walk him past, in a straight line, of your choosing, and just push him past - no arguments, no escalation. Utterly boring. If he tries to stop, shy away or be a twit, just correct and keep sending him forward. As he knows how to leg yield, you should have sufficient control to be able to correct and straighten him without any drama.
 

ImmyS

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Honestly, if he's just being a bit gawpy at it, I'd be inclined to ignore him entirely - take up a contact, walk him past, in a straight line, of your choosing, and just push him past - no arguments, no escalation. Utterly boring. If he tries to stop, shy away or be a twit, just correct and keep sending him forward. As he knows how to leg yield, you should have sufficient control to be able to correct and straighten him without any drama.

Thank you this is what I’m doing really, just trying to create as little drama as possible as walking passed cars really shouldn’t be an issue, so I’m hoping the more I ignore the behaviour and ride passed he’ll get over this little blip. It’s just frustrating, as as I said in all other ways he’s a super hack for a rising 5 year old.
 

ycbm

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It is very strange, but I have known a lot of horses which were much more suspicious of parked cars than moving ones. My four year old is like it at the moment. A friend and I were comparing horses the other day and both commented on how many horses are like it.

So first, don't worry about it too much and don't turn it into an expectation of a battle. It's not you, it's normal.
 

JFTDWS

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Thank you this is what I’m doing really, just trying to create as little drama as possible as walking passed cars really shouldn’t be an issue, so I’m hoping the more I ignore the behaviour and ride passed he’ll get over this little blip. It’s just frustrating, as as I said in all other ways he’s a super hack for a rising 5 year old.

I'm sure he will - assuming he's being a muppet and not trying to deck you at every parked car, it's really not a big deal. One of mine went through this phase, at around the same age - he's now very nice to hack. It does seem to be a "thing"!
 

ImmyS

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I'm sure he will - assuming he's being a muppet and not trying to deck you at every parked car, it's really not a big deal. One of mine went through this phase, at around the same age - he's now very nice to hack. It does seem to be a "thing"!

It’s reassuring to know it’s a ‘thing’. As I’ve only really experienced horses that are scared of big moving traffic where as Arlo couldn’t give a monkeys about that. He doesn’t do anything dangerous at all, it’s just irritating more than anything. I hope one day it will just click and it won’t be ‘thing’ anymore!
 

ImmyS

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It is very strange, but I have known a lot of horses which were much more suspicious of parked cars than moving ones. My four year old is like it at the moment. A friend and I were comparing horses the other day and both commented on how many horses are like it.

So first, don't worry about it too much and don't turn it into an expectation of a battle. It's not you, it's normal.

Thank you, it’s reassuring it’s a relatively normal ‘phase’, hoping he gets over it soon as it’s just a bit annoying. If only you could tell them they don’t need to worry about these things! :rolleyes:
 

JFTDWS

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It’s reassuring to know it’s a ‘thing’. As I’ve only really experienced horses that are scared of big moving traffic where as Arlo couldn’t give a monkeys about that. He doesn’t do anything dangerous at all, it’s just irritating more than anything. I hope one day it will just click and it won’t be ‘thing’ anymore!

All you can do is keep riding positively and ignoring silliness (and, of course, correcting any misbehaviour) - if you went after him all guns blazing, you're more likely to make an issue of it long term. I really wouldn't be very concerned - he's young, he's just working life out :)
 

PapaverFollis

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As above. Just shoulder in (head away from car) past them. Gives them something else to think about and means they aren't swinging their bums out into the road while gawping. The Beast has been through a number of silly phases of being spooky at random things. They've all so far been phases and gone as suddenly as they arrived. I just didn't make a thing of it as much as possible.
 

Coblover63

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My 8yo traditional cob has recently taken to being majorly suspicious of cars that give way to us! Honestly.... life would be so much easier if they kept moving, but those lovely kind drivers who stop and wait for us to pass will see her freeze, then me pony club kicking, her passing sideways on and then trotting away with relief! Major embarrassment and I have NO idea why this behaviour has started!! I'm not nervous in traffic!!
 

ycbm

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Thank you, it’s reassuring it’s a relatively normal ‘phase’, hoping he gets over it soon as it’s just a bit annoying. If only you could tell them they don’t need to worry about these things! :rolleyes:


Bottle that and your fortune is made 👌
 

ImmyS

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My 8yo traditional cob has recently taken to being majorly suspicious of cars that give way to us! Honestly.... life would be so much easier if they kept moving, but those lovely kind drivers who stop and wait for us to pass will see her freeze, then me pony club kicking, her passing sideways on and then trotting away with relief! Major embarrassment and I have NO idea why this behaviour has started!! I'm not nervous in traffic!!

They are strange creatures sometimes!
 

Pc2003

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Totally with what ycbm said. My horse will stand quietly on a tiny verge to let a combine past but a parked smart car..... well totally different ball field that one 😂
 

nikicb

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If he where one of mine I would turn his head to the right put him in shoulder in / leg yield in a fairly impolite way until he passed to object .
By the time I have had them a while they get into habit of adopting this positioning themselves when they see something they don’t like .

I love the OP's description about the Welsh side of his brain!! Anyway, I digress..... having watched the eternally boring PC Riding and Road Safety DVD countless times, and trained many young riders for their tests, this is what is advised for going past parked cars, so that your horse/pony is less likely to gawp into the car and spook into the path of traffic. I'm not necessarily saying the PC way is the only way, but it does make sense to me in this instance. :) x
 

eggs

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I've ridden a number of horses over the years who had absolutely no issue with traffic passing them but were rather suspicious of parked cars. It was never anything dramatic, more of a suspicious look and trying to edge away. I tended to just ignore it.
 

TheHairyOne

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We had one who we made love parked cars a bit too much after silly behaviour with them...and not moving ones either. As its me and my sister one of us would drive, park somewhere and then feed mints! Said horse now peers in through almost every window if you let him and rather than jumping if a door opens he tries to get in it!!!
 

tankgirl1

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Well I would approach this from a totally different angle, and take him past parked cars with a friend in who he knew and who would fuss him through the window and poss feed a few mints.
 
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