My horses yard is right next to where travellers live. They are often out with their horses troting them widly up the road. How on earth can i get my horse used to them, so scared that hes going to bolt if we ever come across them while im on board.
how to deal with trotters?
- Thread starter MrA
- Start date
Hmm, difficult! I guess it depends on how used to your lad you are and how confident you are when out hacking? Can you normally handle spooks and naps? Personally, unless I was fairly confident and had got to know my horse quite well, I'd give them a wide berth, either that or take a foot soldier for moral support until your horse can get used to seeing them whiz past. Are they likely to be trotting past all year around? I guess it is hard to predict when they'll be out and about? Perhaps you could take your horse in-hand and see how he reacts (wear your gloves and bp and hat to be safe).
Don't scare yourself then! I know from personal experience going out hacking without being prepared and doing things gradually to build confidence really really dents what bit you might have!
Get a foot soldier for moral support and take your boy out in hand to see the sight and get used to it first. Then you can make a judgement based on that and see if you think you can both cope with the trotters distracting you. You may be pleasantly surprised, then again, it could be a case of he really does not cope with them, and then you need to have a plan to deal with it. Its good that you're thinking about it now, rather than on the day just having to get through it, a bit of hacking planning goes a long way I think.
Hmm, getting a horse who is scared of carts used to them can take a long time and sadly there is only one way to do it and that is expose them to them in short bursts with a horse who really does not care about carts and who is used to them.
IME horses react in one of two ways to horse drawn vehicles, Mild interest or utter total and complete terror to the point of blind bolting.
If I were you I'd go and tell the boys that your horse is scared and ask them if you can go with your horse in hand and let her see a horse being put to, and not moving. Ask them if you can go on mroe than one occasion and once she is happy seeing them put to get them to walk a few feet and then leave and build up like that slowly.
OR find out where there is a carriage driving show and take her in hand and let her watch from a safe distance.
IME horses react in one of two ways to horse drawn vehicles, Mild interest or utter total and complete terror to the point of blind bolting.
If I were you I'd go and tell the boys that your horse is scared and ask them if you can go with your horse in hand and let her see a horse being put to, and not moving. Ask them if you can go on mroe than one occasion and once she is happy seeing them put to get them to walk a few feet and then leave and build up like that slowly.
OR find out where there is a carriage driving show and take her in hand and let her watch from a safe distance.
He! he! my big grey was used for driving before I got her at 5 years old. When I first started riding her, she would trot and canter on the spot everywhere. I couldn't understand it at the time as I was unaware of what 'type' of driving she had been used for. Well she is a 'rock in the heaviest traffic and nothing fazes her......except...Horses and carts
If she sees one, steam starts coming out of the nostrils, she changes from well schooled beginners ride into mad nutcase. I lose all control, Not to bad if they are coming in the opposite direction but if they are coming the same way, I have had it, she is off like a rocket (me pea on drum) and will not let anything get pasted or stand in her way. Travellers think she is 'one great horse' they admire her because theirs can not compete and think it is a great laugh seeing me carted off with. OMG I don't think it is so funny. Fortunately it doesn't happen that often. I suppose if it did I would have to get one of 'Travellers' on side to help me get her used to the idea that she is no longer a cart racer but a sensible cob with a decrepid owner. Most of them are friendly enough if you approach them the right way and will be willing to help:smile:
If she sees one, steam starts coming out of the nostrils, she changes from well schooled beginners ride into mad nutcase. I lose all control, Not to bad if they are coming in the opposite direction but if they are coming the same way, I have had it, she is off like a rocket (me pea on drum) and will not let anything get pasted or stand in her way. Travellers think she is 'one great horse' they admire her because theirs can not compete and think it is a great laugh seeing me carted off with. OMG I don't think it is so funny. Fortunately it doesn't happen that often. I suppose if it did I would have to get one of 'Travellers' on side to help me get her used to the idea that she is no longer a cart racer but a sensible cob with a decrepid owner. Most of them are friendly enough if you approach them the right way and will be willing to help:smile:
We have this problem as well. I have only had one encounter with driven trotters when riding, I was out with a friend on a track which runs parallel to the road when one came flying past on the road. Mac was a bit twitchy but the other horse was very upset by it. I didn't help that this person kept going to and fro on the same stretch of road and was even cantering on the road. I know others at our yard have had them come up behind them very fast which has caused their horses to bolt, and these are horses who are normally very safe on roads. I often meet them when I'm in the car on the lanes to the yard and they don't slow down or move over to one side to pass, I usually end up burying my car in the hedges.
There is someone who is close to our yard who does what I call "proper" driving and after reading Wally's post I'm wondering if this person would bring her pony and trap to our yard for a familiarisation session for us liveries.
There is someone who is close to our yard who does what I call "proper" driving and after reading Wally's post I'm wondering if this person would bring her pony and trap to our yard for a familiarisation session for us liveries.
Might be a way of making some new freinds too:smile: I know they have some 'nutty' ways, but they are great fun in the main:smile:
Sorry just want to point out these are not friendly travellers. We suffer regular arson attacks and thefts at the yard, they are abusive to drivers and riders and will never slow down while driving the trotters, mainly i think because they are out of control. My horse would be terrible in hand, likely to just bolt away from me. I'm really not sure what to do.
I will move if I can find somewhere that suits my boy as well as this place. The arson seems to of let up, they used to set fire to big round hay bales in the fields and cut fences. We've managed to stop the thefts by keeping everything in containers, but i still worry about them taking the rugs from my horses back or my horse himself. Horrible people tbh.
It's very sad as I have known lots of travellers and friends have bought some really, really good horses from them. I used to use two horses bought from travellers when I did horse drawn weddings. They had some funny ways, but generally they were very good , rough and ready horsemen.
newrider.com