Who elses horses are scared off manholes/ drains/ other odd things?

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Nicki85

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Seriously... Jess is the strangest horse to hack! She will walk past the scariest tractor, she will happily go away from her freinds or horses she meets on a hack. She will stop dead if asked, anywhere...

But when it comes to a drain or a manhole cover... that is another thing!! We will snort, dance, roll our eyes and if possible turn around or shoot over to the otherside of the road... We also have to keep a close eye on any road markings and recently any vegetation that is changing colour...

Thing is i've hacked out horses before that are scared of road markings and the like but she is particualry scared. What is the best thing to do? I don't want to avoid the parts of the walk were there is a drain!! But i also don't want a her being silly on the roads... And as i know she is scared of them i am also on the look out to! Which is probably making the situation worse.

The other day she refused to go over a plastic sleeping policeman and as it was going down hill i didn't want to whack her (she's very very whip sensitive) and her jump and slip (she is also clumsy). So i got off and led her over it... Was this the right thing to do? I will tackle it again maybe this weekend...

Any advice/ others experiences welcome!
 
Flower planters. You know the long, rectangular ones? Yup, them. Doesn't spook at aircraft, trains, lorries, tractors, trailers, crisp packets, birds ect but flower planters.
You have to laugh, otherwise you would cry!
 
I think she thinks it is actually a hole in the ground that she could fall in... She is so good about everything else it's the only thing i can think of!
 
Well i guess with the flower planters that flowers are supposed to grow in the ground... not in special plastic boxes!! That's just creepy
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Mine is quite spooky and we came across a digger at the weekend, I was woried she'd spook but thankfully the man stopped and waited for us (engine still running). She was absolutely fine, but then wouldn't walk over the teeny tiny bridge after the digger! Go figure!

I have been known to get off and lead, but only on the roads - on bridlepaths it doesn't matter how much time I spend practising, but it is dangerous on roads and I'd rather get off and lead too
 
oooh mine is exactly the same! he also hates the grit holder barrel type things on the side of the road. he'll happily walk past scary tractors, cars, horses galloping but naps away from anything on the ground or below his shoulder - nightmare!!
 
Mine is completely fearless when it comes to farm machinery when it is moving! The bigger the better, doesn't care how much noise it makes, or how many weird sticky outy bits it has unless....

... It has been left on the side of the road and detached from the tractor!! Then it is a whole different story!
 
I wonder what goes on in their head to be scared of things mentioned here when most are not scared of a big car passing close by at speed or other sensible things to be scared of!
 
Mines scard of dock leaves and crops that have fallen over a track, doesnt help when he lives on a farm, hehe. He just walk sidewards past them
 
I would agree that they think it's a hole in the ground or unsafe surface - daughter was cantering on this lovely verge on the housing estate (no-one else uses it, but it's about 20ft wide and very long) on a sunny day, and was complaining about No1 LGW mucking about and stepping sidewards, mini hops etc, so I watched, and she jumped over a spot - when I went to look it was the shadow of the lamp on top of the post, which only had a thin 'arm' to join them she couldn't see the connection to the upright's shadow and assumed it was a hole I suppose, whereas ordinary more solid lamposts she'd just dismiss it as 'shadow'.

Could you do some in hand walks or hop off before to show her and let her investigate, sniff, walk over more of the same?
 
[ QUOTE ]
Mine is completely fearless when it comes to farm machinery when it is moving! The bigger the better, doesn't care how much noise it makes, or how many weird sticky outy bits it has unless....

... It has been left on the side of the road and detached from the tractor!! Then it is a whole different story!

[/ QUOTE ]

Ooh I've got one like that - a big blue aerator parked in a field nearly caused him to cash in his chips.
And he loathes black wheelie bins, but green ones are alright (someon on here called him a racist the other day, he's still upset ...) and blue markings on the road. And other people's cows. Though he lives on a dairy farm. Go figure
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Am glad its not just mine!! He doesn't like tyres, and would rather not walk past rubbish dumped on the side of road either... I admit I am with him on this one, I'd rather it wasn't there but I think insisting he walks on the opposite side of the road is a little strong!!

My Welshie doesn't like cows if they are miles away and he can see them in the distance but will happily walk next to their fence while they charge about next to him... idiot!
 
How bad is it that I totally sympathise with mine on manhole covers? After all he doesn't *know* that they are specifically designed to be weight-bearing. Excellent instincts I say!

If possible I always get him to go past something a few times with heaps of praise so he learns that it is OK though. The people in the house with the horse-eating sleeping policeman (yes, we have those too!) outside must have thought I was really lost but after five or six goes we were fine.
 
My grey in my siggy is scared of colour changes in the roacd surfaces so much so that when she has previously bolted she stops at the nexy colour change as its just to scary.Shes probably the sort of horse who would be scared at her own foal
 
My horse Sunny is afraid of his own shadow during the winter. Doesnt mind the black floor matting as long as there on the floor, propped up against the wall, there is going to be a problem.
 
My 7 year old Irish gelding is a very timid but pretty much bombproof when it comes to everything apart for man hole covers and drain covers. Really interested to hear if anyone has found anything to cure this phobia. I have recently tried leading him down the road over them when its quiet but he will just side step any way he can and hyperventilates throughout. I did wonder whether placing a cover in his paddock and letting him have a good look at it would help. Has anyone tried anything similar.:)
 
sky1234 said:
if it's been raining and the roads are wet, and you get a splash of oil on the road, which has spread out and become all shiny and multi-coloured...that's what my horse hates
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^^This^^

Cob is usually good as gold to hack except can be on his toes when it's windy. However, I did discover whilst riding out at the same time as a local triathlon that he despises the sound of racing road bikes...especially when there's a crowd of them coming at him at speed! That did result in a 180 degree spin and cantering off with his head in the air:rolleyes:

He also notices if people have had new lawn put down...super green new grass is petrifying!
 
Hacking out our mare is fearless, lorries, vans, motorbikes, buses, coaches full of screaming children, ambulances and fire engines with lights and sirens - not a problem or blink of an eye - however, there is a horse-eating weed that sometimes grows in one corner of the manege, she is terrified of it, all 17.2hh of her. At a competition a couple of weeks ago there were a couple of bricks on the floor outside the arena - horse-eating killer bricks - she would not go past them at all.
 
Anakin hates when 'slow' is written in white paint on a road and sometimes we have to go right to the other side of the road to avoid it!!
 
Nicki85 said:
I think she thinks it is actually a hole in the ground that she could fall in... She is so good about everything else it's the only thing i can think of!
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No, no, no - this is a common misconception! Manhole covers are actually the lids of dragons' nest - these are the holes that they breed in! :)
 
One of mine is the opposite in that he seems to like to walk over drain covers. I always try desperately to steer round them as there is nearly always a slip.
Pushchairs..... well thats a very different story... absolutely terrified :D
 
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