Walking a pre-backed youngster on the roads...

T

ThirdTimeLucky

Guest
After reading some threads on backing youngsters I wondered how many of you walk or walked your pre-backed youngsters on the road?

Darcy is two, she is bitted but isn't doing anything else yet, just being a horse. :) Looking to start walking her a little towards the end of the summer but wondered how those of you who walked your babies on the road got them used to it and how you made sure you were safe.

The roads around my yard arn't crazy busy but the cars do drive quickly. I don't want to go out very often or go far but thought it would be good to get her used to things like cars early on.

My problem is she is nearly 16.3hh and is a very broad, strong warmblood so I am a little scared I might lose her. :(

What are all your thoughts??

xx
 
I started leading Kai out on the roads and bridlepaths around my yard in April this year. He'd recently turned one. He's now 1.5 years old, and bombproof. He will lead out on his own or with others, go in front, middle or back (but prefers being in front), has been led out with ridden horses and in hand ones and hasn't been phased by meeting strange horses coming the other way.

He isn't fussed about drains, road mirrors and markings, traffic (including buses, lorries and tractors), dogs, prams, or any of the other things he will meet out hacking when he's older. He's even met a llama and not batted an eyelid.

I take him out once a week and the furthest we've been is 3 miles so he always comes home with energy left and he really enjoys his walks. It's a fab bonding exercise and I'm positive that he's going to be a fantastic horse to ride out on when he's older because he's learnt at an early age how to behave off the yard.
 
See this is it, I think Darcy would love it.

I just worry she will forget herself and jump in front of a car. Perhaps I'm over reacting 99.9% of the time she leads like an angel but some times she forgets how she should behave.

What reflectives do you put on him??

Would you say lead her out with another sane horse, with me and one other on the floor the first few times?
 
Kai doesn't wear any reflectives at the moment as the Shetland leg bands are too small and the Pony ones are too big :rolleyes: Also don't want to put a sheet on him in case it catches on anything and spooks him (he hasn't worn a rug yet...)

I go out decked out like a Christmas tree though - fluorescent jacket or tabard and a bright yellow hat cover and stay between him and traffic.

The first few times I took him out, I had a second person on the ground with me just in case, and more experienced horses in front and behind (with him firmly penned in the middle). Worked beautifully :)

I've found in my area (obviously don't know what yours is like) that Sunday mornings are very quiet on the roads, so this is when we go out.
 
Hmm, she wears boots happily so I could put legs bands on and I have florecent bridle things which I can put on. Maybe I will get a hat band/cover. That should do for now.

Yeah Sunday mornings would be best.. Only 5 of us on the yard so have to ask people very nicely...
Thanks for your help SJer.

I think if she was smaller I wouldn't worry, I thinks its just her size that concerns me incase she does have a crazy moment.

Anyone with big babies done it?? Any experiences???

Thank you
 
Tigger was out walking on the roads from about a year old, we've had some as young as 7 months out before, though they were particularly confident.

I would always take him out with someone else leading another confident older horse. I would also stand him at the gate and watch the traffic go by. Out on walks I would find big verges and let him graze getting used to the traffic again. He loves his walks and is happy out by himself too.

I also did a lot of clicker training before we went out so he understood my tones and I could be very reassuring to him if he got concerned, he would turn to me rather than run if he did get worried about something. The only dodgy incident we had was a bike, he really didn't like it and luckily the rider did get off and walk by and he calmed down so doing some bike desensitisation work with him in the field!

Hi viz I have used leg bands,tail band and hi viz headcollar and of course I wear a tabbard!

Tigger is only 12.2 though so not big but in theory as long as your training is right the size shouldn't matter, if Tigger decided to go I wouldn't be able to hold him despite being only 12.2!
 
I lead Kai out most weeks with two other yearlings. One is 15hh and the other 15.2 :eek: Their dramatic moments are obviously more dramatic than Kai's (bless him, he's only about 12hh at the moment) but because they've had all the early training they come back to normal quickly :)
 
Hiya,

My pony is around 14hh...and is VERY spooky at times. We do lots of road walks mostly on our own because no one else will join me! and i havent had any trouble so far...the road which our yard is on is a 60mph road aswell!
He did have a bit of a spook when a cycilist suddenly came behind him going very quickly...but he just jumped around abit...my legs went like jelly though!!

Sure she will be fine!! :)
 
I didn't take Lexi out on the roads until I had backed her - lucky for me she is brave and totally took it in her stride (I bought her as a unbacked 3yo, she's 4yo now)...

However, had I got her any younger, I would have walked her out on the roads first with an experienced horse, and then on our own :)

Good luck :D
 
So I am thinking I will introduce her to the road in the driveway this weekend and a bit in the week then next weekend, bite the bullet. Seems like there is no point me waiting till she is older. :)

Would you all say she is ready - normally leads well, on her own or with another horse. Knows walk trot halt, will stand still for short periods but not ages. She is quite confident and forwards and a total Mummy's girl She would rather stand with me than her horse friends. Totally happy with bridle.

I tried clicker training with her but didn't find it very effective, have used it in past with good results, Darcy just didn't get it!

Pic of my not so little girl as a thanks :D

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She's lovely, and sounds ready for the big wide world! is she any good at backing and moving over - always very useful to have them respond well to those commands

Do you have a place you can get someone to drive cars past her or is she already used to that?

We had the ideal way of getting them used to tractors, their round bales are delivered by a tractor twice a week in the winter so they chase the tractor!

One youngster I took out and a big pick up went by pulling a really heavy rattly trailer, I thought we would be in for a spook as only second time out but no Merry chased the trailer trying to eat it's cargo of hay!!!! They do surprise you
 
She's pretty and a big girl already:D

My filly is two next week and is 15hh approx. I have taken her for short walks up a quiet lane, but she became rather clingy with the other youngsters and would go into panic mode or plant her feet when led away from the yard.

I have since started clicker with her to distract her and to give her a 'target' to aim for on the walk and as a reward and incentive to keep going.

I wear a hi-viz tabard when i walk her out. She isnt bitted yet, but may get around to doing that this summer.
 
We walked out our big guy (16.1 ish then, more like 17hh now!) about once every other week from just turned 2, most often just with people + dogs and not other horses.

He's now one of the most chilled out guys out and about and is jsut starting to wander a little with a rider on him and will happily take any position and sometimes really shows up the older nanny horses! :)

we started walking him with a headcollar (wasn't bitted) and lunge line (in case something scared him so you have more rope to play with!) on quiet lanes (no direct offroad stuff from our yard). TBH the biggest issue we have is his curiosity - he stuck his head in to say hello to a driver of a 4x4 a few weeks ago who'd kindly stopped to let us walk past!

We did the introduction to 'traffic' in the yard car park, don't forget to do bicycles as cars are ignored but bikes are really, really interesting and might like to be chased!
 
TiggerthePony said:
She's lovely, and sounds ready for the big wide world! is she any good at backing and moving over - always very useful to have them respond well to those commands
Click to expand...

Yes she knows 'back' and 'round'.

She had to learn round pretty quick as when I was moving her to new yard she had to go in a sidewards lorry, she had only been in a trailer before that. She was cautious but went up when I did but then couldn't work out how to turn round once up. :eek: Silly mare just kept bashing her head on roof. We got there in the end and she is fine now I just have to tell her round and put my hand lightly on her side and she does.

I will get people to drive cars near her too, she has seen cars moving so that should be fine, not sure about fast cars or lorries but we shall see. My only other worry is we get a lot of trotters on the roads near us which even though our YM drives and they have all seen carts they are all totally petrified of! I can't say the drivers of these trotters are particularly accomodating either most of the time.

I have my 6 year old semi retired girl who I am sure would like a walk with Darcy (she can only walk anyway) so I shall have to hope Kali behaves herself and sets a good example for her baby sister. :D

Thanks for all your help. I will let you know how it goes!!!
 
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here are a few pics of little dude walking in hand yesterday. he was backed 2-3 months ago but due to health probs in the family he's only been ridden a handful of times. We still enjoy our walks though. Yesterday we negotiated without any probs the following, double decker bus, limo with sound system blaring dogs jumping out of bushes etc and he didnt bat an eyelid at any of them.

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and a gratuitous pic of mags just cos i love her!

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great piccies, your hi viz is the same as mine! Not much you can do for an in hand walk - unless you have a lollypop lady coat LOL! Scenery is certainly stunning!

TTL is she only scared of the carts when they are moving? Can you keep introducing them to her when not attached to a horse and build it up, would you YO be accommodating to that?!
 
I have walked both my youngsters on the roads...
Carn was my 1st younster basically in hand hack him everywhere i have now start hacking him ridden...
Jazz my latest addition i have started the same way have started in hand hacking straight away again will in hand hack him everywhere and anywhere get him use to everything
 
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