Horse spooked by Loud motorcycle,

I rode yesterday for the first time in about 6 wks, he did fine but this guy came by with a loud motorcycle, Harley type and he really was afraid of hell of the bike. He saw it coming but it made him histerical somewhat. I should have just stopped him and made him face it until it passed but it sort of caught me off guard a little. Other than that he does pretty good and that was along side the road which I'm sort of gona lean away from riding along side roads. I have ridden him along side roads before and have used caution always. He turned around and started getting pretty exited and my feet eventually came out of stirrups and I slipped out of saddle and semi fell but I landed on my feet for most part.

I still had reins in my hand for most part but they came aloose and he ran off, sort of stopped then headed for the house which was about a mile. I was surprised when I got home he was there tacked up waiting by the garage that's about 30 ft from his shed. I was glad the saddle and everything was still in tact. I do have to take the chest plate to a shop to get them to put a few bolts back in the star pins that broke loose. Is it a bad thing that he just kept running to the house/didnt stop and waited?

The guy with that motorcyle lives right near me and I will one day take the horse there and ask him to start up his bike and I will stay on the horse as he revs it up and stuff, getting him to understand the bike won't hurt him. I have gotten him used to alot of thins in 9 months time but I guess that loud of a bike yesterday caught us both by surprise a little bit.

[QUOTE=nyg052003;1403289] Is it a bad thing that he just kept running to the house/didnt stop and waited?

Perhaps not desireable, but I wouldn't call it bad. Better to run home than run away somewhere else. There is a point when a horse (or any animal) is scared to the point that it stops thinking and instinct takes over...and at that point there is little that you do about it. Sounds like you have a good plan...good luck.

Our Red is not afraid of much, but my husbands Harley makes him a wreck. I don't think I'd take him leaving you personally, dear does that, he ran to his happy place.
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I think he was looking for an excuse to turn and head for home. If you do ask the neighbor to run the bike, do not be on the horse. Have him approach it while the bike is running from 50' or more distant. If he gets upset back him until he relaxes. Don't force the issue. When he's ok with it, walk the horse toward home 50 yards or so then bring him back. He may show some reluctance but it may have more to do with him thinking he was going home not the bike. On your way home, turn him and lead him away from home a bit. If he wants to hurry when you turn, go back the other way again. Keep doing this over and over. He needs to learn that getting in a hurry takes him away from home. Then go past your own driveway. One stable demanded that regardless of gait we were doing there was a clear point where the horses were turned away from home. Had to settle and wait for the rider to give permission to turn. The horses quickly learned to not rush the last distance. We also had to make them face away from the barn door before dismounting. This became automatic with the horses.

thanks to all that replied. This sounds good but not sure I will be able to get the guy to go down the road and do that so I will probably need to take the horse to his house and see if we can get some training there with the bike and noise. If not I will just next time stop him and make him face it and let it pass letting him see the bike won't harm him.

My mare used to be DEATHLY afraid of motorcycles! My quiet trail horse would transform into a bucking bronc trying to run away from the loud thing that scared her so badly.

For my own safety, (since road riding is a essential to get to the trails) I started to dismount when I heard or saw a motorcycle approaching, and I would hold Indie as it passed.... at first she still freaked out, but I was better able to control her from the ground. After awhile of doing this, I started to let her graze everytime the bikes would pass. It got her to start putting the bikes together with yummy grass... and since the bikes never hurt her and I was calm she slowly put it together that there was no reason to spook.

If you have a pasture that is next to the road (I use my front yard), putting your boy in there for a few afternoons will help a lot too. As the bikes pass, they will start to become quite normal, and he'll learn they're not scary. Pasturing next to the road has desensitized my mare from school buses, trailers with equipment and flapping tarps, and yes motorcycles.


Hope that helps some, and be careful! Falling off a horse and onto pavement can end badly real quick... better to dismount if you have too than risk a bad fall.

I'd do exactly like Saddlebag said.
Go over there without the horse first and chat with him. I'm sure he doesn't want to be the cause of a bad accident and will be more than willing to help you out.
As far as being on him, no way. Please just lead him over there and from a far distance let him start it up, then slowly approach it as he calms down.
Good luck, stay safe!

thanks sounds good I will give it a try

I'd also let him check it out before it started running. Like getting mine used to a bicycle then gradually get them used to my kid riding it from a distance.

funny thing is, I think my horse is used to my son's 4 wheeler and him riding it around the yard and stuff. Today when I get home, I will take the 4 wheeler into the pasture and cut it off, let him come up to it and stuff, sniff and smell it. May get my son to ride it around in the pasture