RE: [RC] need advice about spooking/bolting - Ranelle Rubin
Alexis,
One thing I have done to de-sensitize my horses to motorcycles and bikes is enlist my teenager. He puts on a fanny pack with chunks of carrots and goes out to the pasture. He rides around for a few minutes..the horses "snort and blow"...When they show the first signs of acceptance, he stops in the middle, (turns the engine off if on the dirtbike), then pulls out pieces of carrots and munches on the edges. The horses naturally come up and get some carrots.
We have done this since he was 6 and had his first 50cc dirtbike. He uses his BMX bike or my Mtn bike for a bike. Ranger, my 6 yr old still is a bit spooky if a Mtn bike surprises him, but it sure has helped.
Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway. ~ John Wayne
From: alexis_mills@xxxxxxxxxxxx To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [RC] need advice about spooking/bolting Date: Tue, 1 Sep 2009 13:02:58 -0700
I'd like advice from people who have experience with horses who spook and bolt. I had a near-death experience last week when Samurai spooked at some cyclists as we were trying to cross a road. He ended up veering into traffic and nearly colliding with an SUV. However, if I hadn't asked him to cross a busy road w/ approaching bikes, this never would have happened... Definitely operator error.
