I saw a THING.....Velomobile!

[Landcruiser]

One of these things slowly and silently went past my house minutes after I'd come in from a ride on my old boy with my youngster in hand. I can't even begin to imagine how bloody terrified they would have been of it silently approaching, had we still been out. I think it was this one:

https://krisdedecker.typepad.com/.a/6a00e0099229e888330133f4a58e3e970b-pi

Researching what the actual feck it was, I realise they aren't new, but I've never seen one before. How the heck can you desensitize your horses to something like this???

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

The same way as you desensitise them to horse-drawn vehicles, disability scooters, pushchairs etc. You don't, you teach them to trust you and believe you when you say it's OK.

 

[SilverLinings]

Several horses in this area have trouble coping with a reclining bike with a very tall flag pole plus multiple flappy flags on the back ridden by a local man to get to the shop and back. Some eventually settle but many don't, and I suspect it's because they don't see it often enough or for long enough to properly assess the 'threat'. It probably also depends on how much they trust their rider/handler in a novel situation.

I can imagine the same would apply to any unusual vehicle that wasn't seen regularly. Mind you horses can always surprise us so maybe they would just see a velomobile as a tiny car and take it in their stride?!

 

[SEL]

There's a para cyclist who I sometimes see around who has all sorts of flags on his very low bike. I've seen some pretty solid horses spin at that.

I think mine might be ok with this because they see all sorts of odd cars around. It's more the random fly tipping I'm struggling with right now.

 

[Landcruiser]

The same way as you desensitise them to horse-drawn vehicles, disability scooters, pushchairs etc. You don't, you teach them to trust you and believe you when you say it's OK.

I guess that's as good as it gets with unfamiliar and uncommon stuff. The really worrying thing about these is how stealthy they are, and how low and undefined in shape...like a predator, much more so than easy stuff that is just unfamiliar but DOESN'T speak to the prehistoric instinct of the horse. Like low planes, for instance. Horses don't have flying predators so don't see them as a threat, generally. But something like that velomobile - eeek! My old lad was afraid of EVERYTHING 15 yrs ago - road markings, drains, blue flowers, big leaves...and 15 years on he's solid as a rock with those and with pretty much everything else we meet (although pushchairs are STILL a bogey). He does trust me - up to a point, but I strongly suspect that velomobiles are a step too far...and as for my youngster in hand......shudder.

 

[webble]

It looks like something out of a 90s Sci fi film

 

[Spottyappy]

Try the autonomous delivery robots in Milton keynes.… ours are ok if they have fallen into a stream and aren’t moving,but are not keen at all when they move. We have to exit the other way asap! We don’t see them often enough, when hacking, to get them used to them.

Milton Keynes celebrates 5 years of delivery robots

Starship Technologies is celebrating five years of delivery robots in Milton Keynes.

www.mkfm.com

 

[Esmae]

There's a para cyclist who I sometimes see around who has all sorts of flags on his very low bike. I've seen some pretty solid horses spin at that.

I think mine might be ok with this because they see all sorts of odd cars around. It's more the random fly tipping I'm struggling with right now.

My old horse had a total meltdown the first time he spotted something like that. He saw the flags before I did and they were, according to him, in full attack mode and it was up to him to get us out of there!! Caused quite shemozzle at the time, but the next time he saw it he didn't bat an eyelid.

 

[criso]

I've had one pass me on the roads and bay thorought**t wasn't even remotely bothered. I was more curious in a what on earth sort of way. He's far too busy checking the hedgerows for rogue daffodils or suspicious looking leaves.

 

[awelshandawarmblood]

Oh wow! Looks like a top box on wheels!!

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

I stopped a cyclist going through the yard one day. The public ROW runs parallel. He couldn't wrap his head round the idea that him flying down the lane as I was bringing the horse up would be a serious issue.

Mine was not exposed to much, he was retired and had an occasional pootle round the grounds next door before that and was sometimes quite spooky. I think that thing would have freaked him right out!

 

[TRECtastic]

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Someone regularly goes past my field on one of these , I have met him while out riding and pony took no notice but maybe he thought it was just some kind of bike
They do go quite fast !

 

[Highmileagecob]

Good grief I'm glad my lad is retired and we don't hack out any more! Think the only time he seriously had a melt down was a Boxing Day hack a few years ago when a young lad was playing with a drone with flashing lights on it.

 

[Bernster]

Finn did his usually yesterday # in this case it was road signs and road works - he goes over to take a look and give it a sniff. I think he’s trying to work out if they are edible! He’s always done that with ‘scary’ things, he’s curious. Only horse I’ve known who does that but I like his boldness!

 

[winnie]

I didn't know that was what they are called. There is one which very occasionally comes our way and I call it the tube. The first time I met it while out riding I was bricking myself but the horse didn't bat an eye. So perhaps you need not worry.

 

[asmp]

As I was leaving the yard yesterday (thankfully in the car) a couple of joggers went past. One had a panda head! I did wonder what the horses would have thought of that.