Quad bikes scaring horses

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Ionadiamond

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I know there's probably nothing I can do but any advice would be appreciated!

Across the lane from my yard is a field (maybe a few acres) which is used by the owners to race their quad bikes round every so often. The speed at which they go causes a huge racket and is scaring the horses.

I have already had one of my liveries have a nasty fall because her horse spooked at the noise, and my horse nearly jumped on top of me yesterday while I was lunging him!

I intend to go and speak to the land owner to ask them if they would mind checking to see if anyone is riding or handling their horse before they start up the quads, but is there anything I can do if they refuse?

I'm not against them using the land for whatever they want, just worried for my and my horse's safety as well as paying liveries!
 
It's not really that the horses are scared of them once they're going (although they're still unsettled), it's the initial loud start up without warning or if they come closer to the yard and rev to go over a jump etc. so I think it would be quite difficult to desensitize them to that. I guess it's just like a person jumping at a loud bang. I'm particularly worried that they'll start up while I'm hacking out too as we'd have to walk on the road along the side of the field and there's a ditch on the opposite side that I'd probably end up in!
 
wench said:
How about maybe ask them to help desensitise your horses to them?
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Exactly! Mine love quads because that's how the food arrives!:)

Sold a pony to a lady the other day who lives on a shooting estate. She was concerned that the shooting parties would upset the pony. Simple! Two weeks later, not only "her" pony but all the others were coming to call for their hard feed. The dinner gong is a shot fired from a blank pistol.

Find out when they are going to start quad racing, have hard feed prepared (a handful per bucket will do), as soon as they start, put out the feed. How do you think the Light Brigade cavalry got their horses to charge into the Russian guns?
 
Dry Rot said:
Exactly! Mine love quads because that's how the food arrives!:)

Sold a pony to a lady the other day who lives on a shooting estate. She was concerned that the shooting parties would upset the pony. Simple! Two weeks later, not only "her" pony but all the others were coming to call for their hard feed. The dinner gong is a shot fired from a blank pistol.

Find out when they are going to start quad racing, have hard feed prepared (a handful per bucket will do), as soon as they start, put out the feed. How do you think the Light Brigade cavalry got their horses to charge into the Russian guns?
Click to expand...

My cob still tries to mug quad bikes who stray too close to him, for this very reason :eek: :D
 
JFTD said:
My cob still tries to mug quad bikes who stray too close to him, for this very reason :eek: :D
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Haha I can just picture your cob chasing a quad bike down the rode with a very worried looking biker trying to out run him!

OP I agree with the others about trying to associate the noise with something positive...it probably wouldn't do any harm to speak to the bikers about it, you never know they might be very helpful about it ;)
 
Do speak to your neighbours about this - and explain the situation. And if no joy there - your local council.
 
Yep go and have a chat and work on desensitisation. My woosy dressage horse chased hubby on his quad once he worked out it was actually a polo dispensing machine.
You could also try and record the noise and play it back to them continuously for a while?
 
Agree with desensitising. Ours have been on several yards where the owners children race about the fields on quads and motocross bikes. They never take any notice.
 
My OH and his mates have just built a large mountain bike jump (north shore for anyone in the know?) at the edge of my horses field, the bit we always fence off as its too hard to keep track of the rabbits.

I'm going to be on hand with the carrots the day they try it out to try too avoid any major hooleys. It won't be loud as a quad, but will involved men on bikes dropping off a 6ft boardwalk onto a steep hill, so there may well be some screaming :p
 
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