The sound of screaming kids

When I first brought my rising 2 year old Rabbit home from the stud where he was bred to my livery yard, it was a bit of a shock for him, so I sympathise what it is like with a horse that doesn't like the loudness of children.

The yard I'm on has several small children of various ages on there/around at all times and they occasionally scream and shout in excitement and it used to scare the pants off of Rabbit. I sandwiched him in between two older horses who really didn't care and now he practically falls asleep, even when the children are running in and out the barn, around the fields, popping out of random hedges etc. I found he learnt quicker to chill and accept the noise with the other horses, as they didn't care so in turn it helped him to relax etc.

I must admit it's done wonders for making him brave - but for those first few months when he was getting used to things, I dreaded leading him so made sure that there was a mega long leadrope so I could hang onto him in some small way aha!

I'd say ear plugs and/or noise cancelling ear bonnet would deffo be a good bet - my friend has a nervous show horse and she swears by ear plugs for her :) x
 
sport horse said:
Could it be that many of you owners/riders do not like the sound of 'screaming kids' and are transmitting that dislike/fear to your horses?
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This

I work with autistic kids and some of them just scream … I make a point of putting all my youngsters in the barn with the therapy horses and let the kids scream around them — I hate the noise but even my most sensitive jazz mare couldn’t give a scooby…
 
*Update*

Last week I moved my pony to a new yard and she was instantly back to her normal calm and bombproof self. I have hacked her out on her own 3 times with no problems at all. Heavy traffic, people, kids, dogs etc etc and she didn’t bat an eyelid. ♥️

I think she simply did not feel secure at the previous yard and found it frightening. It was high up on the moors and quite exposed. New yard is in the valley with trees around and more sheltered. So, problem solved 😊

Thanks for all your advice x
 
How lucky to have found an alternative yard so quickly, I’m glad it’s suiting your mare much better. I left a yard years ago because the farm diversified into children’s play venue…grass slides, bouncy pillows etc etc I left when a toddler wandered into my mares stable and was hanging onto her leg and when visitors were parking their cars so close to stable doors the owners couldn’t open the doors to get horses in or out.
 
teacups said:
British children.

ETA to expand: eg when on holiday abroad, we’ve noticed children of other european nationalities are sitting at the table in a restaurant, eating nicely and most definitely not screaming. The british children are the only ones running around screaming.
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If I’d have run around screaming at any point, either in a restaurant, or around livestock, I’d have been given a good hiding.
 
teacups said:
British children.

ETA to expand: eg when on holiday abroad, we’ve noticed children of other european nationalities are sitting at the table in a restaurant, eating nicely and most definitely not screaming. The british children are the only ones running around screaming.
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My British Autistic ADHD child can sit at a table in a restaurant to eat a meal, without a screen.

Do I get a medal? 🥇
 
teacups said:
British children.

ETA to expand: eg when on holiday abroad, we’ve noticed children of other european nationalities are sitting at the table in a restaurant, eating nicely and most definitely not screaming. The british children are the only ones running around screaming.
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The children screaming and being loud in the OP weren't in a restaurant but a place where kids play. Kids get loud when they play, my house backs on a school yard, and they get loud at recess, lots of screaming and shouting going on when they're running wild. I see a lot of those kids walking home with their parents before and after school past the front of my house and they are pretty much all acting civilized. The kids you're seeing misbehaving have crappy parents.
 
teacups said:
British children.

ETA to expand: eg when on holiday abroad, we’ve noticed children of other european nationalities are sitting at the table in a restaurant, eating nicely and most definitely not screaming. The british children are the only ones running around screaming.
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And Australian children.
Jojo2go said:
The children screaming and being loud in the OP weren't in a restaurant but a place where kids play. Kids get loud when they play, my house backs on a school yard, and they get loud at recess, lots of screaming and shouting going on when they're running wild. I see a lot of those kids walking home with their parents before and after school past the front of my house and they are pretty much all acting civilized. The kids you're seeing misbehaving have crappy parents.
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Kids tend to be a bit tired after school.

I think you are being harsh on parents of screaming children.
 
Jojo2go said:
The children screaming and being loud in the OP weren't in a restaurant but a place where kids play. Kids get loud when they play, my house backs on a school yard, and they get loud at recess, lots of screaming and shouting going on when they're running wild. I see a lot of those kids walking home with their parents before and after school past the front of my house and they are pretty much all acting civilized. The kids you're seeing misbehaving have crappy parents.
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I wasn’t replying to the OP, but to
‘Why are they screaming?’ answer ‘because that is what children do’

and I do agree that not áll british children scream.
 
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