If you have/had a traffic shy horse or pony, did they ever become completely reliable?

[maya2008]

Traffic shy as in terrified from bad experience rather than just inexperienced and needing exposure.

I had one - took years to get her mostly safe - and even then she was only safe with a confident adult rider. We did gradual exposure, went at her pace, made sure she was always safe. What she learned in the end, was that an adult she trusted could keep her safe from the vehicles. That was as far as we could get her. Her teenage sharers had to ride my horse on the road and swap back once on the bridleway. I had her all her life from age 4 onwards, until she died from an autoimmune disease aged 20. Never fully got over it but hacked out plenty, so we had exposure galore.

Anyway, have a friend considering buying a traffic shy pony for a young child. I said that I wouldn’t - that it would be dangerous based on our experience, even on LR on the roads. But is that always true? Is there something we didn’t do maybe? Any success stories?

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I wouldn't. I have had nervous horses that would take their cue from another, very confident horse with an adult rider that they knew well. That is very different from putting a child on, unless you have Miles of easily accessible off-road hacking.

 

[AmyMay]

For a child? Never.

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

Not for a child no.

Having said that, it wouldn't bother me if I had a traffic shy one. I only have to cross a road then I'm on the open forest.

 

[HayleyUK]

Not for a child.

Mine goes in the field next to a fairly busy B road, delivery lorries, skip trucks etc all go along it and she can get literally to the narrow verge from her field. Doesn’t bat an eyelid in the field now but will still throw herself sideways and try to run if you are caught by anything bigger than a 4x4.

She’s never been reliable in the 12 years we’ve had her, despite living so close to traffic. We are stabled very close to a motorway so she hears traffic noise 24/7.

I don’t think they’re ever 100% if they’ve ever felt cause to panic.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

I had one that had a bad accident when pulling a cart when she was younger. She was a wreck. Two years of hacking her everywhere both in company and alone and she was almost as bombproof as Kia was.

It was hairy in the beginning as her go to was to tank off when she got scared and she didn’t care where she went.

 

[Pinkvboots]

I wouldn't consider it for a child not worth the risk as not all horses get better with exposure and time.

I know I have one Arabi has never liked any kind of motor vehicle was terrified as a young horse, if a tractor was even in the distance I was in trouble, he did get better but I still avoid roads with him and his 20 now.

I tried various things to try and get him over it but some days were better than others, and although his really not bad if the vehicle is going slowly or stops he can still spook.

My main worry is not all cars will slow down and if they whizz past he looses the plot so it's just not worth it.

 

[spotty_pony2]

In a word no. IME they do get better but a true traffic shy horse always has it in them to be wary and the problem is bad drivers tend to set them backwards again.

 

[Melody Grey]

Not for a child- there’s a limit to how much influence a child can have over a pony and how quickly they can react to an issue.

 

[irishdraft]

I wouldn't dream of buying a traffic shy pony for a child unless they were in a position of never having to go near any traffic. My previous mare would panic with anything over small car size because of a lorry incident and never got over it.

 

[Gloi]

No. I had one that was scared of high vehicles and never got over it in the years I had her. However on the hills away from traffic she was fantastic and like a mountain goat. I blamed it on a very sheltered upbringing in the mountains and a sensitive nature.

 

[maya2008]

I wouldn't dream of buying a traffic shy pony for a child unless they were in a position of never having to go near any traffic. My previous mare would panic with anything over small car size because of a lorry incident and never got over it.

That’s the issue with this one. Lorry air brakes, a rattling trailer, anything big and there is panic - scrabbling at the floor, running forwards then back to the limit of the rope. Has got away from current owner a couple of times apparently. Once set off, is nervy and panicky for the rest of the outing.

Friend thinks with time and exposure pony will be fine. I was kind of hoping lots of people were going to say yes it’s fixable, but you’re nearly all matching my experience!

 

[Barton Bounty]

I have managed to turn a couple round that have been like this but you would need a super confident rider.

 

[planete]

I bought a two year old, spent time grazing where he could safely hear and see traffic, grazed in company in a field next to a road, had him twenty years. He never had a scare, he just always hated traffic unless it was going at crawling pace. In the field if the horses were grazing near the road, he would be the only one running off if anything bigger than a small car went by the other side of the hedge. I certainly would not bet on a traffic shy horse becoming reliable. My spooky pony is bomb proof in traffic though!

 

[SpeedyPony]

It depends- traffic shy because of a minor incident (frightened but no injury) yes, although it could take years to be 100%.
Traffic shy because of a physical incident I wouldn't hold out hope of them ever being completely okay. My old boy was frightened by a bus- he is now fine with any traffic, but the bus didn't connect with us, just scared him with airbrakes + wet road noise. Similarly, mum's young lad was frightened by a tractor- no physical interaction, but noisy/fast and startled him- he shows every sign of getting over it, but again wasn't harmed by the initial experience.
If they haven't been harmed (physically) and you can expose them in a safe way (i.e. field next to busy road) then I'd take a punt if the price is right, otherwise I'd be inclined to look elsewhere.

 

[ester]

Prior to us as a 4yo mum's mare had an accident where she fell back up the kerb when she got scared by a skip lorry. Despite having a solid as a rock hacking buddy for 17 years she never really improved with anything 'big'. She was fine with cars, could occasionally get questionable with vans, her default was panic and reverse which when you live in ditch country is not great though we only had one small ditch incident and we managed her differently after that. She was mostly then shoved in a gateway with solid frank in role as protector. She would 'stand' as knew the command but would do so while shaking violently. Thankfully she was recognisable enough that our local contractors/farmers knew that we would get her out the way asap (mostly single track roads) and that the more space they gave her the quicker we could get her out the way. She could be a bit tricky tied up in lorry parks too.

 

[maya2008]

People who’ve turned one around - any tips? Pony is small - 11hh - so adult rider isn’t possible, but adult leader is fine. Needs to end up safe enough on B roads and at shows, PC etc for small child on LR or slightly bigger one off.

 

[Tarragon]

I had a traffic shy pony as a child. And I went from being confident on the roads to being a bad as the pony! That said, we got by, but I used to spend the ride making mental notes of all the safe places we could go if we saw something. I always knew where the nearest safe place behind me and ahead of me was, so I could make a snap decision whether to trot on or turn back, and this is in rural Suffolk in the 1970s.

 

[Wishfilly]

People who’ve turned one around - any tips? Pony is small - 11hh - so adult rider isn’t possible, but adult leader is fine. Needs to end up safe enough on B roads and at shows, PC etc for small child on LR or slightly bigger one off.

I think if the owner wants to go out to shows etc, and the pony is specifically bothered by rattling trailers, this sounds like a no go. I do think you can get horses to improve with time, especially with a foot soldier they trust, or a reliable, solid companion BUT a lot of nervous ponies find show environments overwhelming and there is a huge amount going on, and it's hard to replicate that exact environment in a safe way. Given the pony has already got away from a leader, I'm assuming it's not a small reaction, and I just don't think this is safe for a child.

I'm lucky my pony has always been really solid in traffic, but there are other things that caused a major reaction when I first got him (such as farm animals). At home, with careful exposure, he's much better now (although he will still react, it's usually a much smaller reaction than it once was). If he's out at a new environment which he finds spooky, then the reaction will often be much bigger. Theoretically, I think you could get a pony to be fine with one trailer at home, but they could still have a big reaction with multiple trailers all moving around at a show. I guess it's a form of trigger stacking?

I will also say that I don't think turning out next to a road is always helpful- I used to livery at a yard with fields right next to a busy(ish) road. I think for the ones who didn't really react to traffic, or just needed a bit of desensitising to the noise, it could be helpful as they saw lots of different things in a safe environment. For the ones who were already bothered by traffic, I think it could reinforce their natural reaction to e.g. run away- because of the shapes of the fields, they could get a good distance from the traffic by cantering across the field. In theory, I think this could reinforce the idea that running away from the scary traffic means you end up safe?

How patient are they willing to be? Are they hoping to get out to shows this summer?

Personally, I wouldn't risk it with a child, but I will acknowledge I'm pretty risk averse.

 

[PeterNatt]

I have trained horses to be able to be ridden without company through central London traffic without reacting to anything. However, in my many years of experience, it is all based on the temperament of the horse.

 

[planete]

I have trained horses to be able to be ridden without company through central London traffic without reacting to anything. However, in my many years of experience, it is all based on the temperament of the horse.

I agree. The two year old I mentionned earlier never became good in traffic. I was able to lead him on the roads eventually but I would never have trusted him if ridden, unlike all my other horses.

 

[SEL]

I would never knowingly buy one not good in traffic. A lady I used to be on livery with had been side swiped by a car and her once great hacking horse could only go out with at least 2 other horses - one in front and one behind. I swear the poor boy held his breath until we left the roads.

 

[maya2008]

I would never knowingly buy one not good in traffic. A lady I used to be on livery with had been side swiped by a car and her once great hacking horse could only go out with at least 2 other horses - one in front and one behind. I swear the poor boy held his breath until we left the roads.

I was worried I was biased through our one pony sample - but this was her exactly. She could go out with one other (strategically placed, that she trusted) but would occasionally randomly lose it even then. Most memorably, at a purple van (red vans, blue vans, white vans no problem but PURPLE??). So there I was, heading downhill on a busy B road on a bolting pony, with the purple van chasing us as he tried to overtake . Luckily I managed to shout at him and get him to stop so her panic would go enough that I could pull her onto a verge. It was an interesting experience to say the least, and that happened in a ride with one in front, one behind, down a road we knew and with a pony who had been successfully ridden in traffic for 4 years.

 

[Caski]

People who’ve turned one around - any tips? Pony is small - 11hh - so adult rider isn’t possible, but adult leader is fine. Needs to end up safe enough on B roads and at shows, PC etc for small child on LR or slightly bigger one off.

Whilst it may not work for your circumstances, we did ride and lead for an 11.2 pony (without child on board I hasten to add!) took a while but as we were fittening our own big ones so not too onerous. Ended up with a super reliable pony for a young child having seen a lot. Worth the effort as pony was respectful of the bigger horses (17.2 and 11.2???) and learned voice commands quickly. The only issue I had was when the little chap went under my boy at at gate... what a pickle that was!!!

eta: pony was 3 and rider was 4.. start em young!

 

[Jellymoon]

That’s the issue with this one. Lorry air brakes, a rattling trailer, anything big and there is panic - scrabbling at the floor, running forwards then back to the limit of the rope. Has got away from current owner a couple of times apparently. Once set off, is nervy and panicky for the rest of the outing.

Friend thinks with time and exposure pony will be fine. I was kind of hoping lots of people were going to say yes it’s fixable, but you’re nearly all matching my experience!

Panicky and scrabbling and then nervy once set off for the whole ride? Got away from current owner? And your friend is going to put a little kid on it - Does she not like her child??!!
Seriously, no.

 

[Melody Grey]

Panicky and scrabbling and then nervy once set off for the whole ride? Got away from current owner? And your friend is going to put a little kid on it - Does she not like her child??!!
Seriously, no.

My thoughts exactly exactly. There seem to be plenty of lead rein ponies available at the moment (have been looking as about to sell one)….why would you choose one with a bad track record to start with?

 

[mustardsmum]

Absolutely not. I actually struggle to believe any parent would even consider this tbh. While we had one who was scared of tractors years ago, she got better but every now and the the situation would overwhelm her and her default was a sort of backward bolt. She never got rid of her fear, it was managed but when it surfaced she sometimes lost it. She was ridden by an adult. We have another pony who was hit by a trailer but her temperament is such that out hacking, trailers can pass her and she barely blinks. But a lead rein pony? Nope, there are plenty of traffic proof ponies out there.

 

[MissTyc]

Absolutely not.

I have a homebred who has no reason to be bad in traffic, but she is. Really bad. I am experienced rider and trainer. My horses trust me but ...

She was fine as a youngster, then became reactive, spinning and rearing away from moving traffic, then got better through exposure and reassurance to the point of being "quite good" and pretty much reliable in traffic including very heavy traffic.

Then, completely out of the blue as an 8yo, she bolted backwards and fell when she saw a large vehicle in the FAR AWAY distance coming our way. No one else was handling or riding this mare on the roads, and we saw trucks most days. Nothing bad had previously happened to her.

After that incident she was awful under saddle but was fine to lead, so I got off and led for roads for a while and built back up to riding over a few years, until we were fine again and she was back to how she was before the truck incident. Until suddenly, she suddenly became ultra reactive again, even to smaller vehicles. Again, nothing had happened, nothing had changed!

At this point, we called it a day for road riding,. She's not been ridden or led in traffic in over two years except for emergencies. It's been very limiting as we are surrounded my roads, but we've accepted it and she seems generally happier now. She's now 14!

 

[maya2008]

To be fair to friend, she isn’t suggesting putting a child on it until it is 100% in hand. So no children will be harmed in the making (or not) of this pony. The question is more about whether it will ever be 100%.

 

[sassandbells]

To be fair to friend, she isn’t suggesting putting a child on it until it is 100% in hand. So no children will be harmed in the making (or not) of this pony. The question is more about whether it will ever be 100%.

The horse may never be 100% in hand. It could take years, it could never happen. I have a 6 year old who I’ve had since 9 months, never a bad experience in traffic but still doesn’t like big Lorry’s / anything rattly. We’ve done tonnes of work over the years but she’s still not 100%, and I doubt she ever will be.

Why take the risk when there’s plenty of traffic proof ponies, especially when there’s a child involved?