Bike Basics
Introduce and desensItIze your horse to bIcycles before he’s surprIsed by one on the traIl.
Have you and your horse ever encountered a speedy mountain biker on the trail? The buzzing sound of the bike’s spokes can be alarming and spook-inducing for your horse. While many bike riders share the trail as they should (bike riders should yield to horses and hikers), the mere presence of a bike can cause your horse to worry if the scenario is new. A bike in motion doesn’t move like anything seen in nature. Plus, the whirring wheels and squeaking brakes may be new sounds for your horse. Help your horse get used to the sights and sounds of a bike when you work at home in a controlled environment. If your horse is exposed to bikes and allowed to investigate and follow, he will soon feel comfortable encountering and being passed by bikes on the trail.
Here, trainer Jessica Dabkowski outlines the steps to introduce your horse to a bike. Recruit a friend with a bike to help and start in an arena as you follow step by step.
arena safety
Follow First: Make sure your horse is outfitted in a rope halter and long lead. Ask your friend to walk beside her bike as she enters the arena.
Ask your horse to walk beside you and follow the bike around the perimeter of the arena. Your horse will feel most confident when he is following the bike. Following the bike prompts his curiosity without making him feel trapped or pushed.
If your horse is nervous or refuses to follow the bike, allow more room between the bike and the horse. With a very fearful horse, you may start
100 feet behind the bike. If the movement of the bike is scary for the horse, move in slow motion.
Have your friend move the bike ahead 10 feet and stop; then ask your horse to move ahead 10 feet while the bike is stopped. Repeat this until the horse is more confident about the bike moving. Then resume following the bike while it’s in motion.
Also consider bringing in a seasoned, bike-confident lead horse to assist. The confident horse will follow the bike, and your nervous horse will follow him. Wherever the bike goes, the horses follow in a single-file line.
The lead horse acts like a buffer between the scared horse and the bike. As the nervous horse gets more confident, he can walk alongside the helper horse. Just make sure that each horse handler is in a safe spot should either of the horses spook. Have good spatial awareness and don’t put yourself in the spook zone (the space where a horse may quickly move if frightened).
If your horse is relaxed and willing to follow the bike in any direction, move on to the next step.
stop: Ask your friend to stop walking beside her bike and allow your horse to move toward the bike and investigate. If your horse followed the bike with interest, he may be ready to check it out quickly. Allow him to sniff and touch the bike but be prepared if he spooks after moving a wheel or the handlebars.
If your horse stands still but doesn’t want to approach the bike, raise your left hand to point him toward it, gently swinging the excess lead rope to prompt him forward. If he takes a step forward, praise him and allow him to stop and sniff.