Drony pony

[Jane&Ziggy]

I only had time to take Sid for a short walk this morning, so we clopped up on to the Heath. As we turned off the lane I heard a zooming whine and thought OMG! A drone!

A drone it was, being flown over a large area of heathland by a large bloke. Sid was goggle eyed and I don't blame him, this little thing was zipping about across his eye line and making a high-pitched racket. I can't imagine he has seen one before.

I dialled down my anxiety to negative levels and let him have a good look. He grew by at least a hand, stood on tip toe and leaned backwards with all 4 legs, but he didn't move his feet. I was afraid the drone would come zipping towards us but fortunately it didn't and stayed at a distance, maybe 50m away. After a while I suggested that we walk on and he came along obediently.

As long as he could hear it, he kept looking back over his shoulder to see what was going on, but he didn't do anything bad other than stop a couple more times to get a better look.

I think he is a very brave good cob. He got lots of strokes.

 

[Trewsers]

I dislike drones. When our neighbours put up their house for sale the agent flew a drone over and it spooked Zi rather badly as he caught site of it from the back field. Well done Sid, sounds like you both handled it really well.

 

[Frances144]

I utterly loathe and detest drones. I also have an urge to get my gun (dont have one) and just shoot it out of the sky. I think they have no business "watching" folk without their permission.

And jolly well done Thid (thowwy, I just have to thay hith name with a lithp!)

 

[Huggy]

Oh god - I'd never considered that we might meet a drone one day. Horrible things. Well done you two though! So - I can add drones to pigeons, squirrels, cows and other riders - there goes my catastrophic thinking again.....

 

[chunky monkey]

Apparently they are now using drones on farms to round up the sheep and cattle instead of a sheepdog.

They are a bit buzzy. Weve had a few flying over us. Definitely got billy upset one day when i was riding. Those with a proper license i believe are not allowed to fly them close to livestock or pets. Im sure i read rules somewhere. Cant for the life of me remember what site it was now. Im sure they can have there license retracted for misuse.

 

[Sparky Lily]

We think our ponies may have been ”spooked” by a close drone recently when a short film was being made about our local tidal turbine fuelled electric car charging point. it looked very good in the film - just as if they are chasing the freshly charged car!
It was not really a spook though. They were not bothered by it and have experienced drones before. They just like an excuse to kick up their heels now and again. These are the ponies who don’t lift their heads at helicopters low overhead!

 

[Jessey]

Aw he's a good lad Mine aren't fussed by drones unless they take off/land too near, but then they're used to fighter jets at low altitude over us daily (we're in the landing path)

 

[Jane&Ziggy]

@Jessey Ziggy had been at a yard on the Gatwick landing approach and was proof against anything sky borne including balloons, but I don't think many horses have the chance for that desensitisation. I wish I knew someone with a drone, I would get him to come and fly it near the field to get the boys used to it. There are bound to be more and more of them, I think

 

[Trewsers]

They used a drone when cutting my neighbours field it was flying over the tractor. He did say why but I can’t remember. Zi behaved well that day as mr trews was riding him in the school which was right next door. He was very looky but didn’t do much. The other week was worse for him because he was alone in the bottom field and it would have startled him as it came from nowhere.

 

[chunky monkey]

My two are really getting tested at the moment by the paragliders. 16 of them up yesterday. The last couple of weeks several have landed in the paddock right next to the horses. Looked over yesterday and whilst the guy was packing up the horses were stood as close as they could get watching.

 

[Jessey]

@Jessey Ziggy had been at a yard on the Gatwick landing approach and was proof against anything sky borne including balloons, but I don't think many horses have the chance for that desensitisation. I wish I knew someone with a drone, I would get him to come and fly it near the field to get the boys used to it. There are bound to be more and more of them, I think

I bet if you contacted a local group there would be someone willing to help you out

 

[Trewsers]

My two are really getting tested at the moment by the paragliders. 16 of them up yesterday. The last couple of weeks several have landed in the paddock right next to the horses. Looked over yesterday and whilst the guy was packing up the horses were stood as close as they could get watching.

I have a real dislike of the paragliders (sorry anyone on here who does it!). At our old house the farmer allowed them to park on his land (charged them of course) but then must have told them where to go - ie, up to the other end of the fell right over our land and not his! So of course they never gave him any bother, but they drove me mad all summer long and it was so invasive when they came low, you could hear everything they were saying. It really put me off being outside it did.

 

[Huggy]

Thank goodness we've got lots of trees or I'd be adding paragliders to our list of no ride today thanks!

 

[chunky monkey]

Someone sent a photo through from yesterdays paragliders. One most definitely got it wrong and landed in a tree. Took 20 firefighters to get him out apparently.

 

[diplomaticandtactful]

We have had to go past a helicopter which landed in field next to where we were hacking when i used to ride a share horse called Humphrey, and a hot air balloon did an emergency landing right next to our yard with the cobs and donkeys in sussex....