Bombproofing and water

[Serigraph]

I’m trying to make all 3 of my horses more broke to trails. We are not able to get out that much, but when we do I’d like them more spook proof.

I’ve been hand walking and riding some just walking. Two are not spooky at all, but they will still spook at something coming out of the woods or noises in the woods. I take one of our dogs along to that darts in and out of the woods to help with that.

What objects should I get them used to? They are used to seeing/hearing tractors, 4 wheelers, gun shots, firecrackers, deer etc, but not on a trail.

Two of them also are afraid of water - little puddles. I’ve worked on the ground with this, but they always step around it and I don’t want to force it…I’d like them to do it more willingly.

As for the steady eddy partner, I need to do this without out one mostly. One of my horses is pretty good, but I’ve never ponied another off him. That would probably help a lot, but want to take safety precautions.

TIA

[lawndart]

[QUOTE=Serigraph;7104759]
I’m trying to make all 3 of my horses more broke to trails. We are not able to get out that much, but when we do I’d like them more spook proof.

I’ve been hand walking and riding some just walking. Two are not spooky at all, but they will still spook at something coming out of the woods or noises in the woods. I take one of our dogs along to that darts in and out of the woods to help with that.

What objects should I get them used to? They are used to seeing/hearing tractors, 4 wheelers, gun shots, firecrackers, deer etc, but not on a trail.

Two of them also are afraid of water - little puddles. I’ve worked on the ground with this, but they always step around it and I don’t want to force it…I’d like them to do it more willingly.

As for the steady eddy partner, I need to do this without out one mostly. One of my horses is pretty good, but I’ve never ponied another off him. That would probably help a lot, but want to take safety precautions.

TIA[/QUOTE]

It is easier with a steady eddy along, but not impossible. The key is your horse has to have complete confidence in YOU. That you will not ask him to do something that will hurt, or scare the living bejeesus out of him. I find just getting up to something ‘scary’ like water or a dropoff, an just sitting quietly up there while they figure it out. They cannot turn away, they cannot graze. They can back off, but they have to face it, and calm down. Then ask them to go forward, even just one step. Sometimes there is a lot of snorting, some fancy footwork, but they generally just drop their head and at least try to do what you ask. No hurries, no fussing.

My horse will step into running water easier than into puddles. I think it is because they cannot see the bottom of puddles, and have no idea how far they are going to drop.

I find bicycles to be my horses bugaboos. We don’t see that many of them, and they come up so fast and silently. I curse the day they invented earbuds because most of them have music blaring in their ears, are looking down, and don’t even know you are there. I’m all for sharing the trails, but really, if you just want to listen to music while you exercise, why not ride a bike in the gym?

Good luck to you, a good trail partner is worth the work of taking it slow. Nothing like a good long trail ride to put you life back in balance.

[katyb]

I really think they only effective method of getting a horse solid on the trail is to ride that horse on the trail. You can desensitize to everything under the sun in a roundpen or arena, but out on the trail, that training often doesn’t hold. I also think that being reactive or not is more a personality trait than a training issue - I base that on the fact that mine have not been desensitized, other than by life with the family of chaos, lolol. They are not spooky at all. A curious horse is a wonderful trail partner.

I would get off and let them play in some fun water (solid footing, nothing scary like boats/waves) as a start for the water crossings. Other than that, it’s back to just doing it. Don’t get in a hurry.

[Serigraph]

Right now I have access to 40-80 acres. A little piece of that is their winter pasture. However, it is so overgrown it’s not very fun. We are slowly bush hogging it and have a path in place for a shot ride.

Ideas of what I can try out there for desensitising? It’s very quite, so it would just be nature that comes up out there.

I have a welsh/tb pony who needs something else to do other than schooling. He’s smart as a whip and I think he’d love trails, but he’s the spookiest one and the one I am most concerned about. He’s still young, so probably just lots of miles.

We saw a piece of wood (1x4) on the ground on the trail the other day and leapt out of his skin. This is the type of thing I’d like to get toned down. He’s super athletic and quick in this spooks.

My goal is to get at least one of them (probably the more steady eddy) out on real trails. I don’t have a trailer yet so this is what I am practicing for.

ETA: I’ve done this before with my hot older TB jumper who grew up in a stall and never saw woods in his life before I got him. We managed a 2 mile ride along a quite rode with dogs, cars, halloween blow ups etc. He was a STAR. But his spooks where easier to stay with and he was older. Pony has some wild spooks.

[katyb]

I’d lead the pony along the trail you’re making a few times before attempting to ride it. I’d even put out some scary things first, to set him up - tie up a tarp, a swim noodle, whatever. You want him to realize that every weird looking thing that pops up isn’t a horse eater.

In my experience, tell the horse she’s an idiot for being afraid, don’t talk in a reassuring, “You’re okay, baby” voice. That sort of babying seems to make them think they are right to be afraid.

[Twisting]

I’v got a young mare who sounds pretty similar to your welsh/tb. I’ve found the book “Bombproofing Your Horse” to be helpful so far. I am 100% positive that the thing that will help the most is just plain old time and wet saddle pads, but the books gives you a few tools to help out with spooky. Things you can do to get the horses attention back and get them listening through the scary. It basically says ywou can’t desensitize them to everything under the sun, you gotta teach them how to listen while scared.

[Serigraph]

I’ll check that book out…thanks

[Charlie_Piccione]

[QUOTE=lawndart;7104905]
The key is your horse has to have complete confidence in YOU. That you will not ask him to do something that will hurt, or scare the living bejeesus out of him…[/QUOTE]

IMO, this says it all! Build a trusting relationship as you go, there are many ways to gain the trust of your horse and open communication on a daily basis. Heck you don’t even have to halter them for that, it should just be a part of your daily handleing.
Sometimes I just hand graze and take every oppurtunity to add something in the mix, walk up to a deer until it bolts, lead across a new ditch, find a new fallen tree to go through, chase a dog, kick a bucket…what ever is there at the time. Allow the horse to grasp what is happening, you will soon find they look to you before they react, so stay cool.

[Simbalism]

I did tons of trail walks with my horse when I first got her as a yearling. I started in the ring over around jumps, added tarps, walking on feed bags, up to and around the tractor, other equipment. On the trail over branches, into the woods, both walking into or backing off the trail into the woods. Over puddles, ditches backing, circling, dragging branches beside her etc. My last dog wouldn’t go out on trails with us, but current dog loves to trail ride. She is constantly darting forward past us, sniffing, then running back past us and forward again. I also reccomend the book mentioned above. Got some good ideas from it.