I live beside a very loud working farm. My previously easily spooked horses are used to the crashing of chopped wood being dumped from a tractor bucket into a metal trailer, gunshots, etc. I think the idea of spookless sounds is a great one. Alternatively, you could also play music while you drive so are less likely to hear other noises around you.
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Back for a quick update, as I’m back in the cart again. Woo woo! The desensitization continues, however, as she’s very … aware … of the cart in a way she wasn’t before. Although she is absolutely amazing, because even though she’s all eyes (and ears) as I bring the cart across the arena to her, she stands still as a statue as I’m doing up all the straps and snaps.
Scuffling noises seem to be the scariest, so I’ll scuff my feet over the floorboards intermittently as we go. She startles, but hasn’t taken off or tried bucking - yet. It’s not clear if it’s the cooler weather or this new wariness of the cart or a new supplement she’s been on the past few weeks, but she seems to have so much pep in her step recently. We had the opposite problem in the summer months, so half of me is enjoying this extra energy she’s bringing to the table while half of me is waiting for the other shoe to drop so to speak (i.e. another attempted bolt or similar fall-out from a sudden noise from behind).
I’m cautiously optimistic.
Strange that she is suddenly wary of the cart! Could you park it in or beside her turnout? Or maybe feed her with her feed bin in the cart floor? Or maybe put carrots on the floor before you hook her up so she is encouraged to explore it. If it becomes a part of her daily life in a stationary way, she may become more relaxed about having it attached to her.
All great suggestions @Weezer … and I think I’m going to need them. Unfortunately we had another set-back today, now it’s putting-to that’s the problem. She lost it when she felt the shafts against her sides trying to do up the quick release tugs, we were half-hitched. I’m so lucky she didn’t take off with the cart half-attached to her as I was able to quickly undo whatever straps/snaps needed undoing while she was trying to rear up and scramble around next to me in an absolute panic, but how many setbacks can we face like this before driving her becomes too risky?
The shafts were new (marathon) and there was a horse trailer in the arena being worked-on by the BO’s partner, so perhaps the combination fried her brain. I just don’t know. But I’m feeling rather sorry for myself this evening 
1 step forward, 1 step back?
Yay! You’re in the cart. 
Boo! You’re not secure in the cart.
Maybe go back to Basic?
Soft hitch having someone push the cart behind mare - shafts in tugs but not secured w/overgirth or wraps. So cart can be pulled off ASAP if she gets “bolty”.
Pusher can reach over & make that scary scuffing noise you mentioned.
Discouraging, but sometimes Progress is not always straight ahead.
My Very Well-Behaved mini went through a period of Doing the Hula when I brought the cart up to him.
He just turned 8, so maybe a Test the Limits on his part.
Fixed by letting him dance while I stayed right behind him, shafts at the ready to go in tugs, but raised.
Telling him “Stand”.
When he stood still, shafts went in tugs & he stood fine for getting attached w/traces, wraps & holdbacks. With much praise for doing so.
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Yes, two steps forward and one step back sounds accurate. Blarg. I’ve already run the gamut of emotions … obviously launching off into “worst case scenario” territory (sell, sell, sell!) and then swinging back in the other direction (work with her and see where we end up).
The issue doesn’t seem to be the cart itself, or so it seems, as we’ve had some good drives since all that work the last two months desensitizing to noise. Perhaps I accidentally touched her back legs with the cart as I was trying to fit the new shafts to her tugs?
So today was walking-over-a-tarp-with-loose-balloons-and-bubble-wrap day (all of which were No Big Deal, even the sound of the arena dirt being kicked over the tarp was also quickly dismissed as being NBD). We added in broomsticks tied together at the handles to replicate shafts for me to raise and lower over her back (and gently bang into her sides and bum) plus slow hand-walking with them dragging in the dirt behind her, as well as fussing with the quick release tugs. Then we dragged pvc poles around the arena, and spent time dropping them behind her where she couldn’t see (elicted a pretty consistent startle response but no bolt or panic). And I noticed she got wide-eyed when I dragged the muck fork across the dirt to scoop poop, so we practiced pulling that behind us too until I could see she was physically relaxed.
I pulled her cart around in small circles while she stood tied-up watching me, and then practiced putting-to without actually doing up any straps (she stood like her old self). I also long-lined her around the arena, stomping and occasionally hitting my whip against the kickboards for a loud “thwack”. We finished with some hay cubes for a snack in a feed pan sat on the floorboard of the cart, to try and help her associate the cart with food (her greatest motivator). Beyond what we’ve already done, I’m all ears (eyes) if there’s an exercise we haven’t yet thought of that will help with this reactivity…?
I’m going to ask BO to head her for me tomorrow as I put to, and take the plunge to see if we can’t get back into it before our next lesson on Saturday. Still cautiously (if not foolishly) optimistic 
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Sounds like you’re on the right track.
When all of what you described leaves her completely calm/unspookable, you could try the soft hitch I described with 1 person at her head, leadline clipped to the bridle (better if you can clip to a halter worn under the bridle) 2nd person - or better yet: 2 people < 1 on each shaft - pulling the cart as if it was attached.
When you can reliably do several laps of the arena, change direction & get no startled response, then AND ONLY THEN, try attaching the cart. Quick release attachments would be best. Or baling twine tied so you can untie ASAP.
The last thing you want is panicked mare trying to bolt with the cart attached.
I realize getting more than 1 assistant could be a problem, but the more help, the safer.
1 person controlling the mare at her head at all times. No one in the cart until you can lead her with cart correctly attached & Not.A.Single.Spook.
@goodhors Can you add your advice? 
ETA: you mention a lesson - what does your trainer suggest?
I’ve never driven a horse, so I’m no expert in this particular matter, but I wonder if you can pause the driving and focus on another form of training that will build up her self confidence? Then return to driving once she is more sure about the world? When my gelding was young, I used to take him hiking with me so he could react to the world and interact with the world without the constraint of tack and a rider. Once he became more confident about his place in the world, I started riding him out again. This was much safer than our first few attempts to ride out into the scary world.
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I don’t have much driving experience, so can’t advise you on training, but will come at this from another angle. Many horses have a magnesium deficiency, and one of the primary symptoms is that they are particularly reactive, or have become more reactive than they were in the past. So in addition to trying some of the training advice given above you may want to put your horse on a magnesium supplement.
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Great point, thank you. This was also suggested to me by the BO so I did pick up some Via Calm, and am waiting to see if removing the sweet feed from her diet makes any difference before trying-out the supplement.
I agree, good idea to try one change at a time. If you change several things at once and there is an improvement you wouldn’t know which was actually helping.
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Well, we’ve continued to do lots of desensitizing over the month of December. Bells ringing, a scary feedbag filled with bottles and small rocks that we dragged along the ground behind us (this one was a BIG deal that we worked on for several days) , and being intentionally sloppy and loud by letting pieces of the harness slide off and hit the ground around her while untacking in the aisle (which are then quickly retrieved from the floor, of course).
DH came with me to the barn today for support and as a back-up if things went south so I could try driving her again, the first time since our lesson earlier this month (where she behaved but basically moved around the arena on her tip toes ). Today, she stood perfectly still while I hitched her and didn’t put a foot wrong. She did look (and stop abruptly) at a suspicious hay bag at the far end of the arena where the round bales are stored, but walked-on when asked. So she’s still a bit jumpy when she hears a loud sound but we haven’t had any more bolting.
Even without the sweet feed she still feels like she’s full of energy – but she does seem less irrational (?). If I can manage her reaction to things I think I might have a wonderful driving pony on my hands because she’s sure found her engine since the supplement switch-over 
She can moooooove!
I’m going to try the Via Calm before driving her next time (with DH present again for safety reasons), I can feed it to her as I tack up to give it a chance to kick in and will see how that affects her. Just to take the edge off as we continue to build on these positive driving experiences and develop her confidence, you know?
I don’t expect much of this is of any interest to you more experienced drivers, but perhaps chronicling my struggles here will help another newbie down the road 
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Reporting back to say we had a lovely drive today! The Via Calm seems to be doing it’s job, as my mare was still reactive but her reaction was less extreme and it took less time for her to move on from it. And she’s stopped moving around on her tippy-toes 
I played some chilled-out music on my phone which I keep in my pocket to try and set a mood (and muffle any sharp, sudden sounds she might hear elsewhere). And for the first time in a long time, we were able to actually focus on something other than “scary things all around” and worked, albeit briefly, on our circles.
I also have some open cheeks coming and will slowly re-introduce the cart with those to see how she likes driving in an open bridle, and if it makes her even less reactive.
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This is great news!! It is so gratifying to find solutions to the overwhelming challenges!
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Do you guys use ear plugs and then put noise canceling ear bonnet over those?
Not a good idea for Driving.
All the driver has is hands & voice.
Horse needs to hear you at all times.
@Bebe_Falcon1 
Sounds like you’re getting there 
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