How to Train Your Horse or Pony to Love Road Traffic

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.

Some horses and ponies will fully focus on their surroundings rather than to the riders and their commands. This usually results in the horse possibly tripping over himself and spooking himself purely from lack of concentration on what he is supposed to be doing.

So what can you do to distract your horse or pony from oncoming vehicles or break his focus on his surroundings? One way is to occasionally tweak the reigns and squeeze with your legs to gently move him into a fast walk and a soft trot to pull his attention back onto his paces. If your horse keeps watching others in nearby fields, gently tapping his muzzle with your crop will help him focus forward.

When taught correctly, horses and ponies can be very fast learners. It is important not to get angry or frustrated when teaching him and mainly not to be scared, as he will be able to read your emotions. Talking in a nice but firm voice will show your horse that you are in control when dealing with the vehicles on the road, which will drive him to listen to you.

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.

When teaching your horse or pony to become more familiar with traffic, it is recommended to also take him on short walks on the roads by leading him and not riding him. However, when you do this, always ensure that you use a bridle instead of a head collar, which will give you more control over him if he gets scared or bolts as a result of the oncoming traffic.

A common answer to dealing with traffic when viewing new horses for sale is they are bomb proof. The only way to validate this claim is to watch him being led and ridden out a few times before considering buying him. Watching him out on the roads will let you get a feel for his reactions and whether or not he is sound enough or need more training.

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