Spook busting in the arena

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zoon

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I’m lucky to have my own place so can leave things in the arena

Currently it is a sea of poles as I am rehabbing one of my horses

What else can I put in there for groundwork with my baby horse?

On my list so far are
Tarp to walk over
Flag
Road signs
Cones
Banners

Hit me with your spook busting ideas. He’s pretty bold and will be aimed at working equitation, so your wildest ideas considered.
 
Umbrella, tassles that float and move in the wind, plastic bag on a stick, one of those kids toys where the crabs walk and make a racket, the clapping imitation toys (good if you want to show/dressage later on)
 
Plastic feed sack to walk over, an empty cardboard box, a wheelie bin - closed, open, lying on it's side. Can you mix it up a bit so that some of the groundwork can be done outside? Otherwise the indoor becomes a safe space.
 
People!
I used to use my kids when we were doing this with my youngest one. Throwing tennis balls around, clapping, cheering, running around. This was the best prep for taking him out to competitions because you can't guarantee that everyone will stand stock still while you do your test/round/etc.

Pool noodles are good ones and can be used in a multitude of ways - step over, stood up and flapping, make an arch to walk under
Exercise balls
Camping mat - an old RS of mine used to use one instead of buying water trays
Balloons tied to fences
Bunting

If this is about actually prepping them for life in the real world I would also try to borrow an old buggy or wheelchair. This is one that always seems to catch young horses out because they know about people but have no idea why one suddenly has wheels. Flashing Christmas lights is another one that inevitably comes up when hacking in winter.
 
Balloons & umbrellas when weather permits
Bunting
Flowers (amazing has great fake topiary)

And honestly ‘normal’ things in odd places. IE rugs on the floor, jackets on fences.

Oh, and music. Once you get them out walk hacking in hand they do learn a lot.
 
Thanks guys. He will be walking out inhand soon, but thought I may as well do some bits in the arena too. Big list of ideas now
 
Highmileagecob said:
Ho ho ho! If you plan doing roadwork around Christmas time, then a 6 foot inflatable snowman bobbing around in the wind is an absolute must!
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Crikey, yes! I wasn't riding over the christmas period, but it's just as well I wasn't as riding out either direction from the yard yielded inflatable snowman, santas, reindeer, disco lights, tinsel, the lot!
 
A chair. Especially a dead one.
A builder's sack full of hard-core
A recycling box full of paper that blows all over the place
 
A white butterfly fluttering around their feet. A mouse farting in the hedgerow. Sneezing loudly, you not the horse.

All well worth working on as I can personally vouch that they do lead to sharp spins on the spot, neck breaking emergency stops or even a very fast unplanned gallop.

Good luck!😅
 
How can you get a lawnmower into an indoor without killing your lawnmower 😂 To be fair we have had more problems with robot Roomba-style lawnmowers, but we have recently moved to a more well-to-do area so that might not apply to most!
Cowpony said:
A chair. Especially a dead one.
A builder's sack full of hard-core
A recycling box full of paper that blows all over the place
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Yes! Big white rubble bags are so bloody scary!

Can you turn half the lights on so that the shadows do different things? Misbehaving shadows have been our undoing more than anything else!
 
People wearing backpacks. Especially younger people with backpacks almost as big as they are. My normally unflappable lad had to make a hasty exit the first time he saw them.
 
Mrs. Jingle said:
A white butterfly fluttering around their feet. A mouse farting in the hedgerow. Sneezing loudly, you not the horse.

All well worth working on as I can personally vouch that they do lead to sharp spins on the spot, neck breaking emergency stops or even a very fast unplanned gallop.

Good luck!😅
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This reminds me of a particularly humourous event when riding the baby one as a baby. We were nowhere near any other humans and I could feel a fart building, decided I would be fine to let it out as no one was nearby. I proceeded to let out a thunderer that rumbled across the saddle and caused the horse to run off in fear.
I have no idea how you replicated that in hand but horses are special!
 
Maybe flapping paper things above them? Just thinking of the time I passed a map to a friend on a breezy day when we were in the middle of nowhere and her pony was horrified and shot off, dumping her in the process. To her credit she kept hold of the map. That pony was also terrified of kites and windsurfers (not sure about the logistics of getting a windsurfer into your arena).
 
Cowpony said:
A dead bike. Moving live ones aren't scary at all, but a dead one at the end of a driveway......
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This is very true. Friend had to ask a resting cyclist to remount his bike so she could get her horse past. From being a baby he'd been used to hacking with an accompanying cyclist, but cycle and cyclist separated just blew his brain.
 
I have an evening lesson each week where the stable cat inevitably sits on the fence looking for something to catch, jumps off into the grass as you ride past and on occasion chases a mouse or similar round the arena. The horses are more or less used to it !
 
Sharp exits at speed - pigs, a blind person with a white stick that has a ball on the end that they bounce along the ground as they walk, the postman pushing his red canvas wheelie thing full of parcels, a man trying to put a Harris hawk back in the van. It went up like a kite when it saw the horses, horses promptly whipped round and high tailed it. A flock of sheep being moved. To be fair, he was very good until the entire flock headed his way. Oh, and if you can introduce him to grids and manhole covers, that would help too!
 
A local pheasant to pop through the side of the school as you ride past?

Chickens can also be a useful substitute!

But yes definitely flags and one of those plastic fly curtains people put at their doors in summer when he could walk under?
 
Make a "litter pit." I made a square of poles and filled it with all sorts of random (safe) sh1te such as cardboard boxes and packaging, giant bubble wrap, plastic bottles, feedbags, empty drinks cans. Lead through it :)
 
abbijay said:
This reminds me of a particularly humourous event when riding the baby one as a baby. We were nowhere near any other humans and I could feel a fart building, decided I would be fine to let it out as no one was nearby. I proceeded to let out a thunderer that rumbled across the saddle and caused the horse to run off in fear.
I have no idea how you replicated that in hand but horses are special!
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Guilty 😳
 
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