Traffic Proofing youngster

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moodles

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Am buying a 4yo with v little hacking experience. When I tried him on the road he was quite nervous of traffic. Has also not been ridden in open spaces and I am based on a farm! Advice please on how best to get him used to hacking out. Have access to my other horse (schoolmaster) and helpful OH. Do you think it would be better to ride with OH walking next to me? Ride out with OH on schoolmaster? Ride and lead with me on schoolmaster? (could do this on farm but too dangerous on our roads). Just want to try and make hacking a positive experience for him. Thanks
 
Ideally take him out with OH on schoolmaster.
Put him on the inside and ask cars to slow down.
It's imperative that you do not slow him down, stop him or in any way react to the vehicle, beyond having outside leg on quarters and him slightly on right bend. You want him to ignore vehicles & must be seen by him to do so yourself.
I only say that as I regularly see people with young horses hiding in gateways patting the horse madly & saying steady, whoa and all sorts of other nonsense, which can be enormously counter productive.
 
You have the ideal combination as long as your OH and schoolmaster are cool and confident with the situation, and you can be too. Remember that youngster will be looking to you for leadership and support but I would ride out with OH and SM every day around the farm - if poss including some road on the other side of a hedge ? This will get him used to the noise etc without getting either of you in danger and it should be great fun ! ENJOY and learn to trust eachother !!
 
When I first got my youngster, she had just been broken and hadn't done much at all. Because she was quite a spooky mare, I thought I would walk her out in hand on the roads to begin with. Put a hat, gloves on,reflective tabard warning of young horse. Lead her from the offside,you nearest the traffic, walk confidently, praising her when she does well. When you feel comfortable with her progress, ride her with an experienced and calm lead companion, whether human or equine!
 
I think Ride and lead would be beneficial, you could also initially just do some in hand practice introducing him to traffic stood at the side of the road - at a distance at first and move closer as he relaxes...
 
I'd say 'farm' is the magic word where traffic's concerned - can you use any machinery to get him used to the idea of big & spooky things with engines on & off before you hit the roads? Definitely use your other horse (I'd say ridden, you need to give your boy encouragement if he thinks twice about anything), but go out with OH on the floor too so he doesn't get too dependent. My 7yo TBxSF is pretty sharp and had never been on a public road before I moved yards a couple of months back but I've been amazed at how solid she is on them - then realised that she'd been 'desensitized' by the general big/yellow/shiny/noisy moving objects driven around her at the last place, which was a big & busy riding school, livery yard & working farm. Good luck!
 
Moodles - is there any opportunity for you to turn him out in a field beside a road, preferably one that is not too large so that he cannot retreat to a point far away from the traffic? It means he can spook now and again in relative safety and if the road is good and busy he will be accustomed to traffic fairly quickly, albeit not at close range!
 
Not much to add to all the above, other than some horses find the spray/noise from wet roads really startling and it may be worth specifically working on that.
I had an arab that would go past anything but he'd climb up the hedge if his legs got sprayed by a car passing when it was raining, yet he was fine to be hosed down etc.

Here most of my local roads are just dirt, mud in the rain and a dust bath in summer. My Paint mare will stand whilst a combine the size of a house passes her by, but she has a hissy fit at the cloud of dust behind it. She grazes in a field 6' from the road and the damn dust doesn't bother her then! Mind, she threw herself into a 10' deep ditch last summer because a woodchuck crossed the road 20' infront of her, and she's used to them too.
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Oh, bikes too, they often startle horses when they slide up behind. I never quite knew what to do on a bike when passing a horse, do you make a noise to let the horse and rider know or what?
 
As above also ride out on quieter routes initially, building up to busier routes as your youngsters confidence grows. I'm just starting my rising 4yr old. My OH will lead the youngster behind me riding my mare who is 100% in traffic. Once I'm happy that the youngster is accepting of traffic I'll begin to ride out on her with the nanny. I do take my youngsters out on their own though as soon as they are up to it, choosing quiet times of the day/Sundays. Good idea to stick knee boots on your youngster if your roads are slippy as they can lose their footing more easily if spooked. Good luck.
 
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I'd say 'farm' is the magic word where traffic's concerned - can you use any machinery to get him used to the idea of big & spooky things with engines on & off before you hit the roads?

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Ditto! My youngsters never NEED traffic training as they're fed from a tractor every day of their young lives. Yesterday, I drove the tractor (just a 25hp compact) into a field with 6 x 2 year old fillies to do some major repairs to their electric fence. Left the engine running as the battery is a bit iffy - and I was moving 50 yards at a time every 5 minutes or so.

Bloody fillies were going through the transport box looking for goodies, chewing the back of the seat, and being total PITA's!
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Every time I wanted to move I had to rev the engine madly, wave my arms and blast the horn to get them to take one step sideways!

For visiting horses here to be backed who HAVEN'T had the benefit of such excellent education, we use our long drive and the tractor to prepare them. Initially I just keep the tractor stationary with engine running while my rider hacks past. Then I meet him and pass him, and come up behind him and pass him. After a few sessions, they're fine.
 
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