Overcoming fear of........... puddles on the road?!

[Spyda]

My recently backed 4 year old isn't scared of much but she's decided that the sun reflecting off puddles along the road are now the scariest thing she's ever come across. Thankfully we hack along quiet lanes but it's obviously something she's going to have to get over if she's to be safe on a busier road.

She's only been hacked out twice so it's very early days. Not sure if I should just get her going forward ATM and not worry too much about her skirting past the puddles or whether it's worth coaxing her over the problem early on. I'm inclined to not force her ATM but on the other hand.... I don't want a phobic horse down the line

 

[BSJAlove]

if shes only been hacked out twice, then its to be expected. dont think about it too much, stick to the quieter roads and i bet the more hacking she does, the more her confidence builds and then i bet it sorts itself out.

 

[planete]

Until she finds out they are safe to walk through them teach her to go to the left (when possible), away from traffic, to go round them. I had to do that with my arab and manhole covers!

 

[Hippona]

Until she finds out they are safe to walk through them teach her to go to the left (when possible), away from traffic, to go round them. I had to do that with my arab and manhole covers!

Lol....my arab has a fear of manhole covers and puddles also.....but he's getting better the more he hacks out.

Yellow lines on the road are apparantly very scary also....but we do a good piaffe over them now.

 

[scarymare]

This made me smile, I got in such a stress with my one as if they were big I couldn't even carry on with the hack! Don't know what happened but I sent him away for schooling (not mentioning the hacking) and he came back cured. Not recommending this of course but suspect it means that problem will go away by itself (suspect I was anticipating the issue)

 

[jinglejoys]

Don't forget the troll holes!(those drainage holes in the kerb)My Hinney Sarah-lee hated them...maybe its an arab thing,she was PBA after all

 

[Nudibranch]

My first youngster also did this, although it wasn't the sun, I think she just thought they might swallow her up. Total refusal to go near, napping, shying, trying to turn round...completely ott. Lots of desensitisation work got her over it. Think running hoses on the ground on the yard and making puddles while she eats her dinner, splashing about in puddles while she watches, etc, etc - I felt pretty stupid sometimes but it worked. Start small and build up to "bigger" experiences gradually. Eventually mine became so relaxed she would happily go for a swim in the local river.

 

[Spyda]

The funny (or not so funny) thing is, she's not at all frightened by water generally. She's great with the hose being sprayed on her, she'll play with the end of a running hose so it sprays all over her face, she'll let me pour copious buckets of water across the floor in her stable (I've got rubber mats BTW) and just stand there. And she'll splodge through puddles when the menage is flooded, so I dunno why she's suddenly decided puddles on hardstanding is soooooooo scary. Mind you, thinking about it, leading her in from the field she's been skirting around the puddles for a few months. I didn't take much notice at the time. Great event horse she'll make, eh!

Ah yes, sprayed on markings on the road gave her a start earlier! Think the roadworks people have been down our lane, marking out places to fix. That was fun [not!] But the worst thing riding out a baby are birds flying up out of the hedge as you get adjacent to them; oh, and farm dogs running up behind you out of nowhere! Ah the joys of babies!!!

 

[spotty_pony]

As you say she has only been hacked out twice so far, I wouldn't worry about it too much. I wouldn't make a big deal out of the puddles, just push her forwards and reassure her to walk past them and praise her when she is brave. A good way to start her off with getting used to puddles is to lead her through some on the ground and then move on to hacking out with an experienced horse who is happy to walk through puddles which will probably give her the confidence to walk through them too. Hope this helps

 

[Ibblebibble]

perhaps the sun shining on them makes them look completely different to the other puddles she's come across maybe she doesn't even realise that it is a puddle I'd do some groundwork walking through all sorts of different puddles, clean ones, muddy ones etc theres a lot of puddles to get used to lol.
and a little story to remind us that sometimes horses know better
i was riding my big girl in a field i don't normally ride through, we were by a stream and she suddenly stopped and refused to walk on, she backed up, she side stepped but she did not want to go forward, i couldn't see a reason for her silliness so growled and smacked her with the reins and she walked forward, straight up to her knees in a very marshy bit of ground made me realise perhaps i should listen to her occasionally instead of assuming i know best and that sometimes those puddles do try to eat you

 

[Mike007]

I am glad I am not the only one with an eejit . Bob the not a cob has definately watched too many horror films and is conviced that a monster will drag him down a drain. Puddles ,How can an Irish horse be scared of a puddle? But he is!!!!Yet he will happily leap into a water complex without a second thought. Oh yes .. and cats.. but I have to agree with him on that one .