Windproofing a horse!

[1alex1moose]

Hello all...
After some comedy incidents and some airs above the ground I have finally decided my 4 yo has a pathological fear of rustly trees...

He's totally useless if there's so much as a light breeze and turns into a nervous wreck, particularly if there's no other horses about. He's a bit simple and I suspect he doesnt equate the fact it's windy with the fact trees and hedges rustle and just thinks there's something in there waiting to jump out and get him. There's no indoor school on the island I live on, but also being an island it's windy a heck of a lot!! At the moment it doesn't really matter as he's not doing that much but my question is - how do you wind / weather proof your horse?? Can you?? Should I just not ride when it's blowing a hooly?? I'm sure he'll improve as he grows up but I'm just wondering whether it's possible to speed up the process...

 

[Amys_Babies]

Buddy is just as bad with the wind but he does seem to be getting a little better now he seems more trusting with me in it. Maybe do some lunging in the wind or something so that he has to still work in the wind will give him chance to get use to it without going psycho with you on him.

 

[sachak]

oh you see its not just the trees which cause a problem its the leaves which fly accross the road with the only intention of eating my boy!!!

 

[Ziggy_]

could you Take him out alongside a bombproof horse who isn't bothered so he might realise how daft he is being?

ETA general bombproofing exercises might also help, ie scrunching a feed bag up really small and rubbing it all over his body, gradually unfolding it until you can drape the whole thing over him - might desensitise him to rustly stuff?