What's the 'scariest' thing your horse has dealt with quietly?

Wow, what fab horses! Can't compete with RTAs and helicopters, but I was quite proud the windy day hack that a large plastic feed bag appeared out of a farm track, flew across the road and wrapped around his legs :D The others scattered, he just kept walking :)

Last night we braved that delightful Scottish horse scarer - the Pipe Band rehearsal :D That's a sort of weekly event for us though, so no more than an ear flick at the bagpipes.
 
My horse spooks at normal things, like cows and plastic bags. Yet every time I see something I think he'll spook at, like roadworks, kids jumping on trampolines, fire engines speeding past he's always perfect!
 
My mare is pretty cool with most things but I was really proud of her when a tarpaulin cover blew off the front of a barn that we were riding past, and it flew into us sideways. We were trotting at the time and to make things worse it caught round my foot and stuck behind the stirrup. So it ended up being dragged a few paces along with us before I managed to get it untangled. My brave little mare just came calmly to a stop and waited while I unwrapped it from us then proceeded onwards as if it was all perfectly normal. I gave her a big pat and felt very grateful to her for looking after us both :)
 
Hacking on the mountain we came round the corner to be confronted with a parachute being raised (for use by a paraglider (?)).

Horse looked at it, my stomach hit the floor, and he quietly turned and walked in the opposite direction.

I've never been so grateful for a bombproof horse in my life!
 
Out on our hacks, we have had a few airborn hazards to deal with that haven't fazed my mare in the least. Like an electricity board helicopter that appeared over a high hedge, directly about our heads at just over telegraph pole height, and a hot air balloon that cruised over the lane about 50 yrds in front of us, again at about telegraph height!
 
Over the years ive had loads, fire engines, ambulances, lorries, a helicopter coming up behind a large hedge taking off and most times have been fine, the one thing that made my old girl flip was a horse and trap going past.
 
A huge bomber plane on a low flying exercise that went about 30-50ft above our heads. He was fabulous, we were on our own and nearly home and he so wanted to run off but limited himself to a start, a jog and then settled down again.
 
My horse thinks the world is out to get him, despite my best efforts, and yet carried on schooling with barely a glance at the three screaming kids bouncing on a trampoline, covered in white sheets like ghosts and throwing a giant ball at each other. I will never figure that horse out.
 
RAF helicopter hovering in field 20 yards from where we were hacking. He was only 4 1/2 not long been backed. Waved at crew as they took off again, and carried on our way. I think we were both in shock. Love my brave Arab. (he does hate crisp bags and big shiny leaves though )
 
Took a hack out one day of a group of beginners and a chinook appeared at very low height, did expect disaster for a moment but ponies were saints!
Took a new ex-racehorse out for it's first hack an a bag in a bin blew inside out right next to her! Didn't flinch!
My mare canters next to quad bike, carries a bag of sheep feed (this did result in spooking at bag whilst I was on for a mo), I ride past a clay pigeon shooting site. Sheep dog runs behind her and tries to herd her!
 
Ridden under a cherry picker while work men sorted out cables above us, squeezed past a tractor unloading massive fertiliser bags off a lorry on a narrow farm drive, past various other large vehicles and lorries, including a memorable lorry with massive logs on - one of which fell off in front of us, and apart from a minor hesitation within the walk, we carried on!
An old horse of mine managed to stand firm when a tree in the woods, that was maybe 50ft away from us, suddenly gave up the ghost and crashed to earth!
Just have to excuse the spook of the 'different colour leaf' variety!!
 
A car.. My mare reverses at anything bigger than a Land Rover so a car is a big deal for her - Hadn't been on the roads for a good 4 years if ever when we got her so everytime we go on the road it's an experience but saying that we nearly killed a cyclist when he refused to slow down and she nearly backed into him - not even a sorry. :(
 
Today a house opposite the field was hit by lightening while the farrier was shoeing them. It sounded like a bomb going off but the horses hardly reacted (I on the other hand nearly had a heart attack!!)

We've also ridden past bonfires and stood quietly in a lay-by when sheep where being herded down the road towards us, none of which got much of a reaction.
 
The only thing that comes to mind is a Welsh D I used to have, he occasionally leapt over the breast bar of the trailer. He'd often get wedged on top of the bar with it under his tummy and his hind legs dangling off the floor. He knew when he was in trouble and would just stand there pathetically with a dopey look on his face while we tried to untangle him. He did manage to jump clean over it at one point and was squished somehow into the very front section (we're talking about a chunky 15.2hh) but again, he just stood there very quietly and fell out when I opened the front ramp onto a petrol station forecourt (which we'd driven into in the emergency!), surprised the customers. He just got up, shook himself and reloaded perfectly.
 
I rode up onto the downs, when I reached the top I came eye level with a pilot of a Eurofighter jet that had come up from the other side of the downs (he was at a flight display), he hovered for a few moments (whilst I considered where I could go to get away from it) before flames came out of the back and he flew off, the sound was unbelievable and kind of surrounded us, my horse didn't even flinch!!!!
 
When my horse was four years old the school I used was being extended. There was a digger in there complete with soulderer and sparks flying! He paid no attention to any of it and put the much older more experienced horses to shame. I was very proud of my baby horse!
 
My late starter 6yo who has been under saddle for about 10 weeks went to watch our local carnival procession today. (I like to throw them in at the deep end ;) ) She stood like a rock while brass bands, steel bands, lots of floats with noisy music and home made drag along carts, human size puppets and rattling collection boxes went past. Not a sign of a flap or panic. :) For the elf n safety guru's we had an exit strategy if needed.
 
Ours are all quite used to various power tools being used in close proximity, the youngsters were very interested when sis realised that there was a bolt sticking out from the gate into their field, that needed to be removed before any-one tried to rub. They got bored of watching people hammering on the stable roof.
When we went to view my Draft mare we asked to see her ridden on the road. She stood at the junction of the quiet lane with a busy A road as a motorbike ran nearly under her nose. Once on the road she didn't flinch when the empty sheep transporter rattled past her, nor did she even notice the double-decker buses. On our first hack at home, we were passed by a big red horsebox on the 'other' side of the narrow road and again on our side after it had realised it was lost and turned round behind us. On our first solo hack we came upon a group of workmen unloading a wind-turbine in 3 parts from its transporter, so that they could ferry it along the lane on a tractor.
She has also, without turning a hair, passed a tractor moving a big round feeder, tractors with haylage bales with flapping wrapper, tractor transporters, pigs, children on trampolines, a gypsy caravan pulled by a large cob, said cob behind a garage door just a couple of feet off the road, a bouncy castle complete with screaming kids at a birthday party and an extremely annoying stallion that her friend rather fancied stopping to have a look at.
However the clothes pegs on a washing line behind the hedge on a breezy day did give us pause......
 
I took Bob the nota cob to watch the Olympic mens road race around Boxhill, he loved it and acted like a police horse. Odd for a neurotic Irish daft with only one hoof on sanity. He even joined in a peleton of about 50 cyclist/spectators after the event . More to their concern than his!
 
Mine is absolutely bombproof in heavy traffic. He hacks out on a busy city road, queues at the traffic lights/junctions etc. He doesn't bat an eyelid at lorries (and air brakes), buses, bin lorries, snowplows, motorbikes, tractors (with trailers) or even other horses going past in trailers! He has even ignored an emergency helicopter land in the field next to him!

He even hacks past building sites with heavy machinery, and part of our yard's land is being quarried for gravel at the moment, and he wanders past all the tractors/diggers etc and the huge rock crunching and separating machine.

I have hacked him out in rush hour traffic on the main road to the disbelief of my fellow liveries, but I do trust him implicitly with traffic. Not with dustbins, or grit bins, or umbrellas, or large rocks, however, as those eat horses.
 
Chilean riders with enormous flags rehearsing for the Queen's Jubilee pageant at Royal Windsor... I was expecting problems but the pony didn't look once while others flipped.
 
When passing a massive articulated lorry, Mr Lorry Driver was superb and came to a total stop for us so we could scamper past on the verge, but as we did his brakes popped and made a massive hiss! Lena blinked at it, then just carried on :D I was very relieved.
 
Ours are good with heavy traffic as we have to hack down a main road.
A roller coaster was the most unexpected thing they didn't bat an eyelid at, riding round the tracks near Gullivers Land!
 
My old ex racehorse used to spook at leaves and all sorts so the day we were hacking in the floods and met a canoe round the corner I did expect to find myself on the floor! He did try to execute one of his legendary whip rounds but luckily the water was so deep he could only turn very slowly and do a slow motion escape, it was really very funny. He never trusted that corner again!
 
amymay said:
Hacking on the mountain we came round the corner to be confronted with a parachute being raised (for use by a paraglider (?)).

Horse looked at it, my stomach hit the floor, and he quietly turned and walked in the opposite direction.

I've never been so grateful for a bombproof horse in my life!
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Amymay I've had that, but was on a pony I didn't know very well that belonged to a friend's friend. We were at uni at the time. The 2 of them stood like rocks!!!

I also used to ride at a saddle club on an raf base that trained recruits. There were 'catapillars' of new recruits marching around the base with a Sargent shouting at them. The OTTB i had on loan didn't even look up. He was a spooky sod in other situations though. Some of the horses didn't like the gliders but he used to stand and stare at them as they glided above us on the thermals. He loved them.
 
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Police and ambulance sirens not a problem. Trailers full of rattley fencing, didn't bat an eyelid. Children jumping on a trampoline, went past like it happened everyday.
Large crack in a white washed wall: spooked and spun 180 degrees :D
 
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