When riding horses, it can be quite difficult to judge how the horse or pony will react to the traffic on the road. Unless you are fairly experienced with that particular horse and are aware of all his reactions, there are a few little ways you can adopt to get him used to traffic when riding out.

Distracting your horse or pony and moving his attention and concentration away from the oncoming vehicles and onto you will help reduce the likelihood of him bolting in the middle of the road or dancing about in an uneasy manner.

Horses and ponies can spook themselves and dance around in the road or worse, bolt, simply by tripping up from lack of concentration. You need to be aware of where your horses focus is because if he is fixated more on his surroundings, he will more than likely ignore your commands and startle himself.

One way to distract your horse or pony from concentrating on oncoming vehicles and his surroundings is to tweak the reigns and squeeze with your legs to move him into a fast walk. Do this every now and then to reassure him that you are still there and bring his attention back to your commands. Also, gently tapping your horses muzzle with the end of the crop will help stop him turning his head to watch other horses and ponies in nearby fields.

It is amazing how fast horses and ponies learn if they are taught right. Horses are sensitive to your emotions and so it is vital that you do not get angry, frustrated or scared when teaching. When communicating with your horse when riding him on the roads, it is important to talk to him in a calm but firm pitch, which will demonstrate authority and make him listen to you rather than watching the vehicles.

Keep his attention on you when you are riding by not allowing him to choose his own steps on the route. If you want him to walk over a certain spot in the road that he usually tries to avoid, ride with authority and precision to ensure that he does what you want, where you want and when you want. Listening to you rather than focusing on the vehicles or the neighbouring horses will help him respond to your commands more.

Whenever you choose to walk your horse or pony out on the roads to get them used to the traffic instead of riding them, you must always use a bridle, not a head collar. Doing this will provide you with more control to deal with the situation if he happens to dance around or bolt.

It is imperative to see how a new horse deals with traffic before buying him. When you pay visits to any horses for sale, make sure that you watch the owner walk and ride the horse on the roads with vehicles to see how he reacts. Being able to see how he reacts to vehicles on the road will allow you to make a decision on if he is comfortable if he needs more training.

Tags: Horses