My horse does not like traffic - any ideas? (long)

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hessy12

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hello peeps

Had my 15.2 8 y o Welsh D cross Norfolk Roadster (like cleveland bay) since July 2010. A few early teething problems (bucking) which you guys were very helpful about.

He is good to hack alone, which is what i do a lot of. BUT, he hates traffic. In his previous home, he didn't see much traffic.

I had an expert help me out when i 1st got him and she suggested turning to face lorries and slowing or stopping them, then walking past. This works to some extent but he is still far from comfortable with some vehicles. Most people slow right down, as i have a sign on the back of my high-viz, in large letters saying "SLOW', but there is nearly every time i ride just one idiot (and i meant a complete idiot) who will zoom past and scare the lights out of him.

My question is, do you think this horse will ever get any better? I was hoping that, by now, he would be starting to realize that vehicles are not too scary, but although he has made a lot of progress, he is not altogether happy. We have made a lot of progress from how he was when i got him, but he is not going beyond this point.

When we encounter horrid vehicles, I stay calm, talk or sing to him (which he likes) and took advice to put him in a pelham as he was spinning and cantering off (FAST!) away from lorries, both with me and the expert rider. This was very, very dangerous and we both had a few near misses, so the pelham was a must. He was in a Myler comfort snaffle. I hardly, hardly ever have to use the pelham to stop as he stops on my seat and voice aids. So although he no longer does this (spinning and cantering off), he is still nervous, at times. And you can feel that he wants to run away, but now listens and respects the aids I give him.

I have had horses all my life and have never had one like this before. In all other ways, he is an absolute angel and has stopped bucking. He is lovely to hack away from traffic and loves jumping. We have bonded and the trust is pretty good too.

Anyone got any ideas or tips to help further his education? Don't suggest hacking out with company, there is no-one!!
many, many thanks in advance and a happy new year to you.
 
Find a field next to a busyish road ..... consider sending him to a livery yard where they can pop in such a field, maybe when you go on holiday?

Worked for Black Beauty (remember the field next to a railway line?) - and my horses!!!
 
You could longrein OR lead him along the roads. My boy doesnt like quad bikes nor tractors,so I will lead him amongst hem soon. All takes time. I know\ its nerve racking isnt it!!! I wont ride on the busy road cause of the buses and Im afraid he would bolt.

Good luck.
 
canteron said:
Find a field next to a busyish road ..... consider sending him to a livery yard where they can pop in such a field, maybe when you go on holiday?

Worked for Black Beauty (remember the field next to a railway line?) - and my horses!!!
Click to expand...

I was going to ask whether this situation would be possible for him. My horses are kept right next to the motorway and have a railway line running along the back of the fields- it's really worked for them and they are both totally unfazed by anything. I've had my mare since she was 2yrs and she's just become totally desensitized to all the sounds. It could be a good arrangement, he can hear/see everything on his own terms and it could bring him around if he realises that they aren't going to 'eat' him!.
 
I second (or third!) that. My horse used to be a nightmare in traffic but i turned her away for a few years (i'm not suggestion you do that!) because of lameness by a busy back road and now she is fine! We even came across a tractor yesterday and she didn't give too hoots about it- previously she reared up and went over backwards. :eek:

Its a case of building up confidence for you both. Good luck :)
 
Thanks for the suggestions, it makes sense to have him by a busy road - i agree that would de sensitize him. I shall ask around and see if I can find another field.
 
Keeping him by a busy road may desensatize him to a certain extent, but what i found was, it was being on the road, with the cars/ lorries being funneled towards her and no visable excape route that was the problem. Start out with desensatising (sp) him somewhere safe, when you do ride on the road try to keep him moving forwards all the time, so that he does'nt feel traped by the traffic. I may be shot down for saying this but, if you are on a road that is slow enough, ride towards the middle, so any traffic behind you, HAS to slow down.
It can be done my mare is a lot better than she was when she was younger.
 
canteron said:
Find a field next to a busyish road ..... consider sending him to a livery yard where they can pop in such a field, maybe when you go on holiday?

Worked for Black Beauty (remember the field next to a railway line?) - and my horses!!!
Click to expand...

This made me laugh, not at you canteron, but we did this^^
with a new horse. When we bought him we did'nt even think about him being scared of the steam train, as all our other ones had grown up with it, but he was terrified, so we put him in a field that it ran right past. As OH let him go, the train came along the line, he took one look at it, charged down the field, over the five bar gate, turned left on to the road :eek: cantered up the road, turned right up another road, and was waiting at his field gate when OH finally caught up with him. :eek:
Really NOT funny at the time, If a horse has nine lives like a cat, this one has used up three of them!!
 
I had a very spooky mare who wasn't afraid of traffic, but every different coloured leaf in the hedge and to avoid us landing on the bonnet of a car I made her halt and stand still to allow the car to come past. This worked a treat, but I live in reasonably quiet lanes so it wasn't like going along a busy road where you have to keep moving or you would be their all day.

Keeping next to a busy road is the obvious solution although it doesn't always work, particularly for a horse that has had a fright. I don't blame any horse for being a bit nervous of a large lorry or tractor, so in that case keep up with the High Viz and ask them to stop if necessary.

Try singing to him and make sure YOU breathe long deep breaths if you think something may frighten him. You give out long sighs, theywill match your breathing so if you hold your breath or start taking shallow nervous ones the horse will wonder what is the matter.
 
Hmm, I don't necessarily think having the horse in a field next to a busy road will actually help to be honest. Our field is surrounded by the farmer's field and they regularly drive tractors about and the horses see them all the time.However, the pony I have had for about 16 years still does not like large vehicles!

Your horse is welsh x - for some reason i think welshies are often bad in traffic. My mum's welsh used to leg it from a anything bigger than a transit van!

My pony hates large lorries, tractors whatever and you can guarantee we'll always meet something whenever I am out on him. What i discovered with him was it wasn't so much the vehicle itself that wasd the problem, it was more he felt the space that was between him and the vehicle was not enough and that was what causes the panic.

He is actually ok with vehicles passing from behind as he does not have the chance to react so i actually prefer the lorry/whatever to just come past and not hesitate too much, jst keep going so then it's gone and done with. If there is something coming towards him and we are on a narrowish road then i will try and get the vehicle to stop and then attempt to get past - usually I find the way to pass it is to reverse my pony past (bizarrely this works, he is very good at going backwards and will normally resort to this tactic himself anyway!). I would NOT turn and face the offending vehicle, this will just make your horse think there is an issue to be made. the best thing you can do is just try and ignore it as much as you can. Ride firmly and calmly - if he realises you're not scared then eventually he will trust you and will improve. He may never be 100% (they can't be good at everything) but try and not instill his fear by tunring him towards things or running him away.

Funnily my pony is much better on wide main roads than the narrower lanes - I think a lot of the issue is claustrophobia asmuch as anything else.
 
disagree with welsh=bonkers in traffic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJocKE8r-uM
(down side of A1(M))



anyway, i have one fantastic (above) and one who doesnt do hacking (and consequently went splat on aforementioned level crossing :()


he is beginning to improve slightly (i tend to avoid hacking as much as possible tbh) by walking him inhand, sticking to quiet roads and not trotting if possible.
if we do meet something dodgy, then i just hop off. i dont like doing so (always believed more control on top, teaching them to worry etc etc) but seriously, we would probably be dead several times over if i didnt (which is why he bolted through the barriers last time, i dont push my luck any more with him) i jump off, he stops with me, "thing" passes, give him a pat and get back on. previously he would just pump with adrenaline and wind himself up until he exploded- his feet have to move so i just let him.
oh and turning to face it works better for him aswell

i do truly believe that horses are born not made, these both had the same upbringing, no bad events just different breeding!

ETA- oh and its nothing to do with him feeding off my "fear" i've hacked on my own and with my mum on these routes since before i can remember, its second nature, i love every second and have plenty of confidence for him to feed off, hes just an arse.
 
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do you know his history? has he had a previous accident? i traffic proof all my youngsters in the train field! well fenced but next to the train track. a couple of weeks in there and they all seem perfect on the road .. the odd crisp packet still gets them !! i would also suggest turnout, in a well fenced field with a sensible friend next to a busy road/train track. welsh d's are known for their irrantional sharpness, and also taking the mickey.
 
I got my mare as a 4 yo and have had her nearly 8 years. She has never been great in traffic! I kept her by a busy road for nearly a year but that didn't help. She is better with things coming behind although she still visibly shakes. She is better on wider roads with a verge with oncoming traffic. My solution is to just jump off her and lead her past anything scary as I can get her past anything inland. Luckily our roads aren't too busy so it means jumping off maybe once during a rid. I also try and ride early to avoid traffic! I think it is more or less impossible to traffic proof a horse which is already frightened!
 
My share gelding is the same. Apparently he always has been. We have to hack out on some fast and busy roads to get to any decent off road riding, so i tend to stick to the quieter times. I also go on the pavement on the steep slippy road down back to the yard. Have had far too many near misses now with people flying up and down it. If someone is walking on it i step off onto the road, but it does make him much calmer, and there's big trees dotted all the way down so it seems to make him feel safer.

I find he is better if i get tough with him and ride him strongly, do some slight schooling movements to keep him listening. I do make him 'keep his head in' as this stops him spinning/tanking and takes some spook out of him. Normally hate forcing a horse into an outline but on a scary road safety comes first. But i guess he will always be that way so i just always ask people to slow, and try to stop him shooting forwards/ out into the road.

I don't blame him to be honest, as you say there is always at least one absolute tool who speeds past, waves back at your slow signals with a stupid grin, revs their engine or nearly takes their legs out flying past cm's away :mad:
 
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not sure if this will help but thought would say my welshie is an absolute saint in traffic and he is hacking companion to my Mum's anglo mare. She had an accident with a skip lorry as a 4yo, reversed, tripped backwards over kerb, lost rider and ran home and I do think she has never got over it. Generally she is ok with anything up to transit size. She is not good with anything bigger including when on show grounds trailers/lorries etc even if she goes every week. She reverses then tries to spin despite having had a solid hacking companion for the last 6 years it has been a case of managing her rather than curing. Most of our local farmers know her (she is palo!) and give her plenty of space and know if we let her get in a gateway they will get past much quicker.

It is worth noting that when due to a long term road closure we were forced to ride her along slightly busier roads and she did improve with this and never had a problem going over the motorway bridges but we kind of decided it was safest for everyone if we then kept to our quieter hacking routes traffic wise.
 
We have a yard on the edge of a busy road and share the access with a sawmill, its made all ours almost the opposite with traffic - the foals become Eddie Stobart spotters as soon as they hit the ground and aren't bothered at all, they even get tied up next to lorries going past. We've had horses on the yard that hate traffic and become alot safer, however you can't simulate a car wooshing up behind quickly so I think the advice of de-sensitising is good but realistic that it may never totally go away.

You have nothing to loose by putting your horse in a secure field by a road or railway (when we lived in Hampshire we were next to a railway line, the level crossings and a bridge over the A3!) I'm sure it can't do any harm and might reduce it even a little bit?
 
My mare used to do the same sort of thing when i first brought her but with anything bigger then a car. I had a friend walk with me and we use to get the van etc to wait and we would turn and face it and let it go by slowly and follow it, also used to give her a treat as it went by if it ( i know not all people would agree with a treat) but it worked her us. And within a month she now copes with vans absolutly fine. Shes also ok with tractors and big lorries, although i always get them to wait or find a place to pull in ,as dont think she could quite yet cope with them going right past us but she improves everytime. But her field is next to a road and quite a lot of 'big things' do go past, and its also next to a train station. :)
 
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