What is your idea of BOMBPROOF

Difficult. I advertised my 'soon to be returned for the winter' black cob as bombproof cos he would hack down the M4 if I asked and didn't spook when we spooked a huge field of canada geese which took off and made a hell of a rumpus (must have been thousands of them) etc etc. BUT he does throw a buck and a squeal and is forward going in the right hands. To me bombproof means just that - if a bomb goes off nearby they may jump as a reflex but will quickly come back for even a novice. Not the same as a plod/quiet IMO.
 
M_G said:
Dead from the neck up
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I disagree, my lass is anything but dead from the neck up! She has very much a mind of her own and is quite happy to let you know her opinions, especially when it comes to schooling or too much work! But she has never spooked or shied at anything, she is sensible and level head just a tad opinionated, definitely not brain dead.
FDC
 
The stallion I used to ride is the only horse I can say was truly bombproof when ridden.
You could put ANYONE on him in the school and he would never do anything other than his steady balanced paces.
I had a lesson on him with no reins and we did canter to halt to canter to leg yield etc, he was such a genuine boy!
Hacking he was a gem, never spooked at a damned thing. I remember the horse behind him spooked and cantered past him and he just kept walking! We also had near misses with HGV's and cement mixers etc.
Shame he is no longer with us, he gave me alot of confidence!
His downfall however was his handling on the ground, the little sod! :D
 
My first pony was my idea of bombproof, boys in the village used to rev their motorbikes to frighten him when we went past, no reaction, stopped doing lol

Wasn't scared of anything

I drove him in his later years and a tractor was cutting a hedge from in the field so spitting the sticks etc out onto the lane, I though the farmer had seen us as he stopped but as we pulled up alongside he started it again, must have felt weird having little sticks coming at you all over your body, he didin't flinch, total unflappable

Good job he had blinkers on or he would have had one in the eye

RIP Dyn Eira 12.2 Welshy cremello
 
My idea of bombproof is dont ever take it for granted! My mare could go past an airfield with small planes taking off and landing beside us...go past a fire...have all kind of farm machinery going past her...havea hot air balloon land in the field I was riding her in...but a pot of bright flowers could send her snorting and edging her way round asif they were going to attack! she would just carry on as normal afterwards but I would never take for granted a 'bombproof' horse you just never know what might set them off and it's no consolation to say he/she was normally bombproof when you are hurtling to the ground and your horse is in the next county!!!
 
''Completely unflappable and bombproof, is perfect for a novice but can be more exciting and forward going for the more experienced"


This fits my mare who would plod past anything patiently with a novice or child (including misguided squirrel trying to climb up her leg!). She kindly accepted the wobbliest and vaguest requests to trot from them but was capable of advanced lateral work with a more experienced rider.

She would also snort and prance with the best of them when OH rode her!
 
To me bombproof is an animal that does not shy or look at anything (bird scarers, lorries, tractors, plastic bags, umbrellas etc etc). ie. if a bomb goes off it will not react. Simples ;-)

It does not mean a slow plod. A slow plod is a novide ride - you can be have a fast ride and still be bombproof!
 
Bombproof doesn't have to mean suitable for a novice though and it certainly doesn't mean brain dead.

It is one of those meaningless words that people stick in adverts but unless you know what the horse does and what it has been exposed to it means very little.

My mare is pretty close to bombproof, she doesn't react to any traffic, including scary tractor with trailer with a digger on it type combos. She is fine with helicopters, wind turbines, pigs, sheep, cows, peacocks, trail bikes, cyclists and joggers, flappy plastic, windy days, traffic cones, small children running about, mobility scooters, outdoor music concerts, marquees, hog roasts, hot air balloons etc etc etc

She isn't suitable for a novice as she is actually a sensitive forward ride. If you smack her she will shoot forward, if you jab her in the mouth she is likely to react. A novice would struggle to get her to trot on command as she wouldn't understand what they were asking. She is also only 4.

A horse can also be suitable for a novice but more exciting when required, that is the mark of a really good schoolmaster or riding school horse. One that springs to mind is a coloured cob who I have seen walking round on the leadrein with a first time rider on board and I honestly think his brain is elsewhere he is switched off and doesn't react when they wobble kick and pull. However when ridden by a good rider he will do a lovely dressage test and can be super fun, he gallops in the show ring, does flying changes and has occasionally been known to buck out of high spirits. He knows who is on his back and reacts accordingly, any riding school proprietor knows that a horse like that is worth its weight in gold.
 
A horse that I can ride straight through Central London and will stand at red traffic lights and will not be phased by anything including flapping plastic from scaffolding on a windy day, emergency service vehicles with their flashing lights and horns, people on skate boards, dogs, horse driven carriages, power drills, double decker and single decker buses. Should also pass the animals in London Zoo (Giraffes, Wolves, Elephants etc.)
 
OWLIE185 said:
A horse that I can ride straight through Central London and will stand at red traffic lights and will not be phased by anything including flapping plastic from scaffolding on a windy day, emergency service vehicles with their flashing lights and horns, people on skate boards, dogs, horse driven carriages, power drills, double decker and single decker buses. Should also pass the animals in London Zoo (Giraffes, Wolves, Elephants etc.)
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If you ride in Central London then that is what you need, but the horse that copes with that might have a terror of tractors, not a problem if you ride in central london but a big issue if you ride in an agricultural area.

That is why I say it is all relative, and a bit meaningless as a bald statement.
 
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