Road safe

Ive always been curious. How do you road safe a horse? Is there a method to it? Or is it something you attempt when you think your horse is ready? Just wondering because I have been searching for a horse in recent times and alot are claiming to be "roadsafe". So ya just curious as to if you break a horse to do this or just randomally wake up one morning and say to yourself "My horse is ready lets go on the road!" so to speak.

Well with my gelding, I am starting out with riding him in fields and grass near roads (not up against it) with other experienced horses (mine's only 3). So far so good. We have a huge county trail ride coming up in june, and a lot of that is on the road so I have to be getting him ready so as not to spook in case a car goes by. we will be working on it again with the more experienced horses alongside. I don't know about everyone else and how they do it, that's just how im doing it. it's similar to breaking them into any NEW thing I suppose.

I have my husband drive all kinds of equipment around while I am leading or brushing them, they get used to the noises in their safe zone. Ours are used to it now. We also drive in the pasture to fix fence with them and run drills and saws.
So I guess then you could lead them down the drive way and have someone drive by alot and rev the engine, honk the horn, stop and look, etc. I would let the horse sniff the car if it were me and stay on the ground until he thinks it is no big deal. Then do it in the saddle.

I don't know, our horses seemed to get used to it around the house, we encounter traffic sometimes and no problem. Thats just us though. I always wonder if people are pulling my chain when they say that the horse is road safe. I like to ask when they have ridden on roads and how long ago...

i used to take my mare down to the end of the driveway and hang out as close to the road as she was comfortable. when we started she wouldn't get closer than 30ft. i would let her graze, check out the cars and what not until she was quiet and relaxed then call it a day. as she got more comfortable we got closer until she was almost on the road. then we started riding her on quiet back roads that may get one or two cars on them at a time with an older more experienced horse and if she got spooked or worked up i would stop her and turn her to face what ever it was that frightened her. over time she realized that cars were not scary and if something did frighten her all she had to do was step off the road and wait for whatever it was to go away. I have never had a problem with her on the road at all as a result.

The owner of the stable where I keep my boy breaks and schools youngsters sometimes. A lot of the fields have a road along one side, so the horses will already have seen and heard traffic, plus the tractor, etc. What she generally does after they're backed is to lead them along the road as part of a group with a few other experienced horses (with riders). After a few times doing this, they'll be ridden along the road in company. They can then progress to being taken out alone. It usually doesn't take that many trips, but it would probably take longer if the horse in question has been kept well away from roads, as you have to get them used to traffic noise.

With my gelding (he recently turned three) I led him for miles daily on the road during weaning and during his yearling year... he's perfectly roadsafe now, I can ride him anywhere.

With my mare, I taught her to ride on the road and never had much worry about it...