Hay Buyer's Guide
Shop smart with 4 questions to ask before purchasing this year's hay.
If his ears are forward and he shows interest in the bike, allow him to keep taking in information. If he looks away or wants to back up, ask him to step closer again. Once his attention is on the target, be patient and wait for him to investigate the bike.
passing: Ask your friend to walk toward you and your horse from the front. Ask her to walk slowly and move to the side of the horse where you’re walking.
Position everyone so that if the horse were to spook away from the bike, he’d also move away from you. Don’t put yourself in the area where your horse may move if he’s spooked—he’ll move away from the scary object.
Start the passing exercise with your horse as you carefully watch him for signs of nervousness. If you see him getting worried and you feel he may spook at the bike passing, have your friend turn the bike away from him before he has a chance to spook.
When he seems calm, allow your horse to follow the bike for a little while. By turning the bike away before he spooks, you’re building his confidence and showing him that it wasn’t a threat after all.
The goal is to make the bike seem less like a predator. When predators stalk their prey, they consistently move forward, rarely backing away.
rear View: Your horse may feel the most threatened when the bike approaches him from behind. He can’t see it first to identify it, and the only way “out” is to run forward or quickly turn.
To simulate a bike passing you on the trail, ask your friend to approach your horse from the rear. If your horse gets worried, ask your friend to stop moving the bike forward. Allow the horse to turn and face the approaching bike.
If your horse settles and relaxes once he sees that it was only the bike (that he is now familiar with), ask your friend to continue passing with the bike. Allow your horse to face the bike as it continues to pass by.
Return to the previous exercises (instead of continuing to approach with the bike from behind) if your horse still feels anxious. Work on turning to face the bike then following it as it moves away for as long as your horse needs until he’s relaxed and confident.
Remember to take it slow! A horse with a strong fear of bicycles doesn’t have to conquer it in a single session. It may take weeks or months of slow, confidence-building work to help a scared horse become truly confident. Know your horse, read his body language and fear level, and only do what you think he’s ready for.
road Practice
If your horse has followed, investigated and allowed the bike to approach him with no consequence, it’s time to try all the steps out in the open.
Your horse may react differently when he’s also taking in new scenery on the road or trail. Practice on the road while you work from the ground before you test your horse as you ride. Your horse will be most confident when he sees you and knows how you want him to respond.
Once you feel confident about your horse’s lack of reactions and he consistently accepts the sight of the bike, it’s time to mount up and test your horse’s new training from the saddle.
Thanks to Luna Graham and her horse, Kali, for assistance with photos.