pony hacking problem

[jonl58]

My daughter woul love to hack her pony more but when out on the road it gets very nervous with traffic . Tractors mostly.
Any suggestions on how to calm her down,
The pony that is..

 

[celia]

Is there an older, quieter horse/pony that she could go out with? Often when they're with a more chilled horse they learn fairly quickly that there is nothing to worry about. You could also practice riding with someone in a car with the engine running nearby and progress to passing back and forth in a field or quiet lane until she is more settled. Turning out next to a busy road is also good to get them used to traffic but isn't always possible. It's just practice and patience really. If someone more experienced could ride her out a couple of times that could help - she needs someone who is completely relaxed and can give her confidence to pass something she might find scary. The more frequently they encounter scary things and realise that nothing is going to happen, the sooner they get used to passing them happily. Ideally you need to start small and build up - so quiet lanes at first with someone with her and then gradually introduce busier stretches. Sorry for the rambling reply but often you need to try a couple of methods and see which works best for you and your horse.