How the world looks to the horse

[newforest]

With the new youngster threads that @Jane&Ziggy is starting - (of which I hope there will be loads more)
It got me thinking about how the world has changed since I started the cob even though I had started the previous chap as well.

For example she's expected to take the following in her stride,

Drones
Electric cars
Electric scooters
Mobility scooters
Sedgeways
These were not available/ popular when I had J.

It just makes me realise when you have an older horse how much is completely alien for a young one.

 

[diplomaticandtactful]

Even an older horse can't anticipate some of the stuff thrown at them....like a hot air balloon landing in the field next to them, or hacking quietly along a lane and a helicopter land 50 yards away. At least ours were pretty aircraft proof as at our previous house they used to do training, so we were regularly used to fighter pilots coming down the valley low enough to almost shake hands, and they used the big twin rotor thumpy helicopters regularly over our house.

 

[Jane&Ziggy]

Before I bought Ziggy he was stabled at the end of the Gatwick take-off runway, so he was pretty much proof against any plane or helicopter.

He was intensely curious about hot air balloons, and when one floated over our field one day he followed it the whole way whinnying to it.

 

[newforest]

Maybe am older horse has the maturity to look to its rider/ handler and the young horse might not?
Mine just appeared to have one hoof above the "oh crap" button when she was younger. But if a drama queen.

 

[Jessey]

It just makes me realise when you have an older horse how much is completely alien for a young one.

I don't think it's necessarily harder for a young one because of new things, they don't have any base line to compare so everything is just something new and they deal with it, I think sometimes an older horse could be in the deeper end if they have had a sheltered life and change home or move yard and then suddenly has to deal with a lot that they haven't seen before.

 

[Bodshi]

I don't think it's necessarily harder for a young one because of new things, they don't have any base line to compare so everything is just something new and they deal with it, I think sometimes an older horse could be in the deeper end if they have had a sheltered life and change home or move yard and then suddenly has to deal with a lot that they haven't seen before.

We have the exception to the rule on our yard that lived on the Fell with minimal handling until she was 8. It's just over a year since she came off the Fell and was backed and she doesn't look at anything - I mean absolutely nothing phases her at all, not even the huge combine that passed us yesterday and sent Raf into a complete panic. No-one can believe how good she is considering she'll have seen nothing except the odd quad for the first 8 years of her life.

What I notice about my horse is that he has incredibly good eyesight and/or hearing/smellivision. He can spot something across the fields before I can even make it out. I honestly believe he likes to scare himself. When he was younger there was a hacking route where he was particularly spooky - lots of things behind hedges. He used to try and turn down there when we went past the end of the road

 

[newforest]

They can see for two miles I believe?

Mine used to be fascinated if she saw tractors on the horizon.
I do recall when they were building a supermarket she used to jump if the glass caught the light when they were installing it and that was three miles away.

But she is naturally curious and my RI said she's not a typical cob to which I said what's one of those, one that doesn't bat an eyelid at most things. She doesn't, but she will like to do a quick nosey, sensible I suppose as a prey animal.