In which I talk (again) about what you can train for (and what you can't)
I'm back on the laptop today, because I want to post a video,
and YouTube refuses to share videos with Blogger.
There was a know-it-all on social media this morning (big surprise, right?) pontificating (as one does?) in response to this picture:
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| Please note the small dog in the background, lol. |
"...blah blah blah if you meet a motorcycle or a mountain bike YOU HAVE TO TRAIN YOUR HORSE IN ADVANCE, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE not their fault if your horses isn't trained, blah blah blah."
Of course I believe in training horses to cope with new, weird stuff.
But it's no good to pretend that teaching your young horse to accept your spouse on a bicycle in the driveway is gonna help when you encounter an entire flight of mountain bikes zooming silently down a hill towards you...meh. Real life doesn't work that way. Horses don't work that way.
I've talked about this before, most notably in regards to helicopters.
I've talked about this before, most notably in regards to helicopters.
There are tons of things on the trail that I don't have available for practice at home. Today, we found this:
I shot the video the second time we went under the arm of the mower. Because...because I can, kinda. The first time looked pretty much the same, but the light was better going this direction. And yes, there was a cookie reward for going under it the first time--but you can see at the end of this, she's looking down the trail, ready to trot on away. This mare is all about looking down the trail.
As usual, I'm holding the phone/camera with both hands trying to steady it while I record the video. So, yeah: no hands on the wheel. And yeah: I talk to her when we do crazy stuff. It works.
I wanna hear about what readers have seen on the trail. Did it scare you? Did it scare your horse? What happened?
The comment box welcomes you.
As usual, I'm holding the phone/camera with both hands trying to steady it while I record the video. So, yeah: no hands on the wheel. And yeah: I talk to her when we do crazy stuff. It works.
I wanna hear about what readers have seen on the trail. Did it scare you? Did it scare your horse? What happened?
The comment box welcomes you.
We have encountered ATVs, motorbikes, mountain bikes, various heavy equipment, 8 chained GSDs who were barking and spitting and lunging, black bears, flushing grouse, chainsaw operators, massive dump trucks, speeding distracted drivers, and - in Stan's case - a blackhawk helicopter + assault weapons + spotlights.
ReplyDeleteOf all of these to date, the worst thing I have encountered on trail that terrifies the living daylights out of my mare (and other horses) and causes her to be a kite is a little mini horse stallion. The pasture he lives in is rough and uncared for and most of the vegetation stands higher than him. He grunts as he sprints to the fenceline and the vegetation around him whispers and moves as he plows through. It's horrible and I don't blame any horse for being terrified. It's everything their instincts warn them against.
Great blue heron taking off from the creek below us. Exciting pterodactyl
ReplyDeleteSmall armadillo rustling in the dry leaves, completely oblivious to large horse dancing around in terror.
ReplyDeleteRattlesnake, Extremely large Brown Bear in the bushes nearby (possibly Grizzly Bear, they were def in the area), cougar spoor and tracks.
ReplyDeleteAll of those, rightfully, resulted in every horse losing its mind.
Balloon tied to a small tarp - the pair of them slowly making its way east via the wind was one of the biggest spooks I've dealt with.
Mini-horse-of-death was another terror item. Mini mule braying like a donkey in heat was another terror item.
BMX Bike riders doing backflips caused my mare to break out in an immediate sweat.
Circus tent filled with happily screaming children and lions. The horses wouldn't go within 1/4 of a mile of it. I applauded their good sense.