# Tips for helping my horse not be terrified of driving horses?



## evilamc (Sep 22, 2011)

So today, for the first time, my horse saw horses pulling carts. I took him out to my friends barn and trainer came out with a few different STB's and worked them on the track (1 at a time but quite a few). My horse LOST HIS MIND. It was actually pretty scary. I tried to stay calm and confident for him but nothing seemed to be working. I ended up just having to leave him in round pen the whole visit and let him watch the horses being chased by the scary carts and man.

Any tips to get him used to seeing it? I'd like to take him back to my friends barn a lot more, the STB'S are a differnet part of the farm so she doesn't have any control over them. I asked if she thought we could just borrow a cart next time and park it by round pen/in round pen and work him by it.

He was literately trembling in fear and covered in sweat. The whole way home and took awhile to even calm down once we got home.

Next time I go out we're going to plan on the afternoon because they usually don't work the STB's then but I would like to conquer his fear not avoid it.


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## GreySorrel (Mar 5, 2012)

There are some horse who just do not get over being afraid of something. I have a Quarter Horse who is afraid of bicycles. I have tried letting him sniff it, look at it, have one in his pasture, one slowly go by him, tried that with treats, being firm, nothing has ever gotten him over being afraid of a bicycle. 

I would try one more time, let him see them, maybe let him go up to a cart not hitched to anything and smell it, look it over. If he reacts as he did, do you really have to ride him where they work Standardbreds harnessed to something?


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## evilamc (Sep 22, 2011)

Thanks for the reply! Ideally I would like to get him used to it because I'd love to take him in a few parades and there could be people driving there.

Next time I go we're going to plan to go in the afternoon, my friend said they're usually done working them later in the afternoon. I'd love to just let him see the cart up close, thats how I've always got him used to everythign else. Hes actually perfectly fine with bikes, motorcycles, boat trailers this is really the first thing I've ever found that hes so scared of I couldn't work him through it


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## evilamc (Sep 22, 2011)

Hmmm, well I had to order more of my magrestore and msm, while on the site I saw this:
https://www.performanceequineusa.com/focusequine-1-1-1.aspx

I'm going to try it! If you just order the 7 servings, it has a money back guarantee, so I figure why not give it a try. Its pretty expensive but if it works could be good to try for our first few outings to get him more comfortable


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## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

Don't bother using a calming supplement, he needs to learn to hconquer his fear the right way or not at all. See if you can get a cart parked near him to ride him near it. Ride past it at a radius that he is comfortable with first, then a little closer. Don't do it too fast or he'll explode- just keep him a tiny bit out of his comfort zone until he's right by it. It might take until he's just plain exhausted from jigging past it, but eventually he'll realize it is ok. Then try the same with the moving ones...closer and closer until he stops panicing.


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## evilamc (Sep 22, 2011)

oo ok, thats a good idea. My friend runs one of the barns on the property, shes going to ask the man that runs the STB's barn if we can borrow a cart next time. Do you think doing ground work by it would help too before going to riding around it? I've taught him the clinton anderson fundamentals ground work stuff.


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## gssw5 (Jul 30, 2013)

Rather then work him around it where it will keep changing sides on him have someone pull it while your horse follows it. CA does this then introduces the bag on the handy stick. That way your horse will not loose sight of the cart with it changing eyes all the time. Once he is comfortable following it then offer for him to go sniff it, then maybe do the sending exercise between yourself and the cart until he relaxes. You may need to follow the cart for a week before he gets comfortable enough to go to it, but let him figure it out. I imagine the cart can be viewed like a predator chasing the horse that is pulling it. Let your horse chase it away and give him confidence to approach it when he does let him rest near it. Once he is comfortable have someone pull it past him while he is working, then set it down, introduce it one step at a time and give him time to get comfortable with each step before you go to the next one. The test will be when a cart getting pulled by a horse goes by and he does not give it a second look. Set him up for success I don't usually think that flooding them with the scary thing is the answer when they are truly scared.

My horse flipped out the first time he saw a horse drawn cart, and there are not to many things that cause him to panic. We riding the trails and the cart was on a graded road. I just asked the folks driving if I could follow them for a while, so my horse was chasing it. At first he hesitated I put his feet to work doing serpentines, shoulder in shoulder out while we followed the cart. After about 5 minutes he relaxed and I was able to trot up next to the cart, then next to the horse with the cart behind him, we loped towards it and just kept going never gave it a second look. Luckily the people with the cart were very accommodating and happy to help. By the time we said our good-byes I think he wanted to ride in the cart. My horse got comfortable really fast so I felt alright about what I did. If he had been truly terrified I would have just followed the cart for as long as I could have, like I said not many things worry him and I know him so I did what I did knowing my horse.


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## evilamc (Sep 22, 2011)

Thanks for the reply. I think that way would work GREAT with him. I've done that method with a giant beach ball before actually. After awhile he was kicking it around himself and pushing it through poles.

Like your horse, really not much scares him anymore. Hopefully they will agree to let us borrow a cart and my friend can help me. She said most of her boarders that come in, when they first get there they have to just put them in one of the fields in the middle of the track. They just let them chill there and get used to seeing it. I'd rather let him follow the cart, and meet it, and work around it though.

Do you think having a person pulling it would have the same affect? I'm honestly not sure if they would let me interrupt their workout with the STB's to let him follow behind the STB pulling it  The guy working the STB's was just kinda laughing at how crazy my horse was acting, completely uninterested in stopping for a moment so he could just check it out


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## jimmy (Aug 26, 2009)

do you know if your horse was ever driven before you got him,it his reaction could be linked to a bad experience,I had a smash up with a mare and when ever she saw a cart after that ,she started visibly shaking and sweating like someone had thrown a bucket of water over her,and the cart just had to be there static


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## gssw5 (Jul 30, 2013)

evilamc said:


> Thanks for the reply. I think that way would work GREAT with him. I've done that method with a giant beach ball before actually. After awhile he was kicking it around himself and pushing it through poles.
> 
> Like your horse, really not much scares him anymore. Hopefully they will agree to let us borrow a cart and my friend can help me. She said most of her boarders that come in, when they first get there they have to just put them in one of the fields in the middle of the track. They just let them chill there and get used to seeing it. I'd rather let him follow the cart, and meet it, and work around it though.
> 
> Do you think having a person pulling it would have the same affect? I'm honestly not sure if they would let me interrupt their workout with the STB's to let him follow behind the STB pulling it  The guy working the STB's was just kinda laughing at how crazy my horse was acting, completely uninterested in stopping for a moment so he could just check it out



Remember baby steps, break it down into small parts, so yes start out having someone pull cart, then have someone pull the cart towards him when he is completely comfortable with it moving away from him and next to him, and behind him, past him. Let him figure out the cart is not going to eat him. Remember in general horses do not like things that move and make noise and a horse pulling a cart does both. He probably is sure that the cart is chasing the horse and he wants no part of it.

I would only get around a horse pulling the cart when he is confident with a person pulling it. 

If circumstances were different and you did not have access to a cart it would be a bit more difficult, but since you have access to a cart take advantage and make it easy for him. 

I will be interested to hear how it goes so please post an update.


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## evilamc (Sep 22, 2011)

No jimmy, he's never been trained to drive, I thought one day it may be fun to teach him but maybe not now lol!

I will def keep you guys updated! I appreciate the suggestions. Not sure when we are making it back to my friends, it's an hour away but we WILL be back there.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

I agree with everything that has been posted thus far. Forgo the calming supplements--it won't do much for your situation.

As you begin to make positive progress, remember to keep him focused on you. Scared or not, he should still be doing his job.


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## Roux (Aug 23, 2013)

Since I feel like Dex and Roux are soul mates this is what I would do with Roux in that situation:

If it was Roux, I would take him with the most calm steady eddy horse I have (in my case Gus) because I know Gus would not react. 

I would use Gus to teach Roux that the cart is ok. Once Roux was confident enough not to react with Gus leading the way I would slowly start to encourage Roux to be confident independently. 

Do you have a bomb proof horse that Dex will trust - that can help him through it? Hope this gives you an idea! LOL


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## evilamc (Sep 22, 2011)

Haha they are soul mates. 

My friend actually brought her horse over to try and help dexter  he was completely uninterested in her horse. He eventually finally started grazing some with him after the trainer finished up with one of the horses...but once he came back out with another he was back to crazy mode. We kept him with her horse for the whole time but didn't seem to help. He's never met her horse so maybe that's what made him not care as much that he was calm about it?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Roux (Aug 23, 2013)

Actually I think that probably does make a difference because I have noticed that Roux is less likely to be persuaded to follow a horses that isn't Gus into dubious circumstances. Maybe it is a bond that they have created idk.

I was also thinking that if Dex is like Roux maybe it wasn't the cart - maybe they were stallions. I know that Roux is completely a different horse around stallions. He isn't uncontrollable but almost - even when they are a fair ways away. Just another thought!


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## equaeternal (May 8, 2014)

I am afraid the only way he will get over this is through desensitizing. Take it in small steps. I saw in earlier post you have access to the cart I would just have him stand with the cart next to him. My experience has been most horses will be afraid for a min or two but if you keep calm and speak quietly to him this will help. Then the horse will become interested and get closer and closer to the cart. Let this happen and let him smell the cart all over. Once the horse is calm and paying no attention to the cart (eg: grazing by the cart) this could take many days have someone slowly pull the cart around and repeat the same process until you work your way up to a horse pulling the cart.


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