Desensitizing The Driving Horse..

[Devon]

Hello Forum Family! :bgrin haha

I have my Miniature Horse Wee Man Driving and he is doing Quite well. I am just wodering what exersizes you do to desensitize your horse things like rustling bags.. Pilon(he hates the sound they make hitting the ground) sudden movements exc. I know there must be some exersizes like even int he round pen i find he is more Jumpy when he is in harness. Thanks so much for etleast reading hope you have some good advice!

 

[_minihorses4ever_]

Well, with things like bags, I will just rub them all over the horse. I will let the horse move around (I think that is just mean to make them stand still when they are scared!), but I will keep the bag on their body. When they stop moving, I will move the bag off of them for praise. I know also letting a horse "chase" the scary object helps build confedience. You hold the object while leading the horse, and it wont be as scarey for them because predators chase horses, not runaway from them. And remember, when you desensitize one side, you MUST desensitize the other. Silly horse will probably start freaking out ALL over again.

Wow, I have been watching too much Clinton Anderson..

:

I know when you are riding and a horse sees a spooky object, you are supposed to act very calm and collected, talk to them in a regular tone (say things like, "It is just a rock. What is there to be worrying about?"), and walk them by the object. I suppose the same method could work while driving.. Remember, your horse will be glad that one of y'all haven't lost your head!

 

[Devon]

Thanks. What does evryone else do with thier Jumpy Drivers?

 

[Jetiki]

I jsut expose them to anything and everything I can, I start with on the lead line, the progress to lunge line/ round pen then ground driving then hitched. Just take it slow. put a tarp on the ground, lead them over it, lunge them over it, ground drive over it etc. then put a plastic bag on the ground, you can get the landscape fiber staples at walmart, the go flush to the ground with nothing sticking up so nothing to hit or step on attached the bag to the ground so it won't blow around and leave, and work around and up to it. Just watch your horse and always end on a good note. My horse is an idiot at times when not in harness, she's BOMB PROOF in harness. Talking to her when she gets to looking at something usually gets us through most anything. I say bomb proof as we were driving down our road before we moved to SC in FL some silly teenager came flying around us in his pickup and swerved back over too soon and almost hit her in the shoulder, she just sped up her walk and moved to the grass further on the side of the road and gave him the dirtiest look a horse can give. I mean pinned ears, snapped at him with her teeth. She was mad. She to this day doesn't care about traffic. That kid also learned to slow down, I yelled a few choice words myself. So anyway, take it one step at a time and you'll get to where you want to be.

Karen

 

[nootka]

This is just my .02, and I am not a professional, but I DO like to drive my horses in some touchy situations (just take a trip to the beach on a major tourist weekend w/kites, rude dogs, children, flapping flags, water to cross and backfiring cars, etc. you will know what I am talking about and this is all likely to happen in a time frame of just an hours' drive)

I take my weanlings around everything I can imagine. Show training and the clipping/blanketing does serve a certain bit of my purpose to desensitize. If I didn't have them from weanlings, then they just take walks with me around all manner of things. Traffic and the "public" are important so the horse learns to trust you in every situation. We do not wrap our horses in cotton and keep them isolated. They live with my sons riding their ATVs in the pasture, we light fireworks around them and we play with RC cars in the pasture, etc. etc. they learn to get used to it and that they will not be killed and eaten, and we are there to protect and comfort them.

When they learn to drive, it is time and repetition that are your friend. Make sure your horse has spent many many hours with your horse in every situation you can imagine. Talk to them and let them know that your voice is an extension of your hands and soothe them. You will be able to see their body language and whether or not they are relaxing and trusting you.

I think ground driving (even w/the cart following) around a lot of situations will help your horse learn to trust you as you cannot truly desensitize for EVERY eventuality. Somewhere, something will happen that you just never could have anticipated and you will need your horse to listen to you and trust you to help him or her through it.

Best advice I have sorry it's not more or better, but I am just an amateur at this, myself.

Liz M.

 

[Wally]

I just get out and put the miles under them.

I tend not to try to desensetize them, this seems to come naturally with the more experienced they become. The more they do, they more they trust you and the less notice they take of silly things.

I never use a soft voice when they are getting scared, as this only rewards the fear. I use a workmanlike tone and they soon learn there is little to fear so long as I am with them. I tell them that I am by far the scariest thing they are ever likey to meet! :lol: :lol:

 

[disneyhorse]

One of my favorite exercises that I do when GROUND DRIVING before they are even hitched is stomping my feet on the pavement when I am driving them around the neighborhood. I like it because *I* know exactly WHEN I am stomping my feet and can anticipate the horses' actions... and I can stomp as long or as loud as I want to adjust to how the horse tolerates it. And it's scary and behind them where they can't see. It's one of my favorite desensitizing exercises.

Otherwise, each horse is going to be completely different, and react to different cues whether it's visual or auditory. That's why horse training (or any animal training) is so challenging ... there is no "ONE" right answer or method.

Andrea

 

[willowoodstables]

I recommend ground driving all over OFF the farm. At a show, if there is stabling ect I will bring the greenies just to work them in that atmosphere. I'll load them up and take them to someone elses and ground drive them all over the place. the BEST thing is patience! I'll also haul a horse over to someone's place and get them to hook another horse and let my greenie experience another horse passing, being front ect.

The more they are off the farm the better, and in ground driving till both of you are confident is better and safer than just hooking and go.

I put a plastic bag on the end of the lunge whip and leave it in the paddock, or an old retired straw broom..they'll pick it up, scare the crap out of themselves, but come back to play with it, but , YOU are not anywhere around when they figure it out themselves that the boogey man plastic bag that blows in the breeze while laying on the ground isn't gonna eat em.

Kim

 

[Sanny]

put lots of stuff in and around the arena where you are driving. Buy cheap squeekie toys like what dogs play with and chew on and scatter a few. I take driving lessons from someone that does this and we'd be driving along and run over a squeekie toy - you get both the "bump" and the "noise". I got desensitized as well - I used to jump just as much as the horse because I'd forget about them until we hit one. S

Other things would be hula hoops and the dreaded plastic bags can be attached to a couple of random fence posts. Beyond that......lots of exposure to as many different situations as possible. We are going to a fun show tomorrow and it is at a county fair (so lots of activity) and I am hoping to drive my green horse all over the place if he is dealing with it all OK.

I think ground driving (even w/the cart following) around a lot of situations will help your horse learn to trust you as you cannot truly desensitize for EVERY eventuality. Somewhere, something will happen that you just never could have anticipated and you will need your horse to listen to you and trust you to help him or her through it.

I totally agree and with my green driving horse I know he has been excited, nervous and scared but that he trusted me to take care of him and keep him safe. At the last show someone had removed their basket for roadster and it was sitting off to the side and my horse was obviously freaked out by it. With a lot of encouragment I got him to drive up closer and check it out and he relaxed and was fine.

I also use more of a firm "I'm in charge" sort of voice because it establishes that things are fine, you have the situation under control and he will be OK if he trusts me.

Hope some of this was helpful......I still consider myself a newbie at driving but I've been lucky enough to get lots of help from more experienced drivers plus the time/money invested in lessons with someone that really knew what they were doing was great.

 

[D.M. Minis]

Hi I do alot with drivers, and some of the things people have swaid is good but you have to have the confendece to do them. The fastesr way to mees one up is to just go half way with what you try. One thing that works good is fi you have open ground hook him up and just drive tell he is wore out.or drive with another horses.

 

[Boinky]

I train all my horses dragging a bunch of tin cans tied together loosly (on a long string) attached to their breeching or crupper and make them drag them around especially on pavement and dirt. many times if the hrse can tollerate this it's very ready to be driving and will rarely if ever spook at any noise while hitched up. it especially makes the minor noises of the cart NO BIG DEAL to them!

I also use sleigh bells and various other things attached to them while driving toj ust desensitize to noise while actually in harness (blinders ect).