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 IMA No Hair Style Gal
Posts: 2594
  
| What are some things you do for a horse scared of a tractor? I have a gelding that thinks they are going to EAT him.
We don't own a tractor at home, and part of the issue is the horse shows we have been going to we are putting on so we normally ride after the show.
Last night we were able to get in the arena while the tractor was dragging for a fun show the following day. He had all kinds of cutting horse moves.
Any ideas/tips/tricks welcome! |
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Hungarian Midget Woman
 
Location: Midwest | can you follow the tractor around during drags? (ie chase it, and safely?) Can you camp him out near where the tractor is parked at a local race? Maybe haul to a friend's place for desensitizing him? |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | When I was breaking my young ones I would take them to ropings so I could track calfs and when the tractor was in the arena draging I would track it to, I think it's the noise of the tractor that worry my horses at first, but after a few times they learn the tractor was not going to eat them,. I do have tractors at home so they get around them more. |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | Just keep exposing him to it. Let him sniff it when it's not running and go from there. Mine are so unscared of the tractor, that I often have to drive around them when I'm bushhogging the pasture. LOL I have played more than 1 game of chicken, trying to get them to move out of the way, but they always call my bluff. |
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The Resident Destroyer of Liberal Logic
Location: PNW | I'd find a friend with a tractor and expose him to it as often as possible. All of my horses are completely oblivious to heavy equipment now. My husband logged a piece of our property adjacent to my arena a while back. All the horses still got worked: trees falling, log trucks being loaded, stroke-delimbers and processing heads running....
They were super sketchy at first, obviously, but now - they couldn't care less. It is all about repeated positive exposure. |
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IMA No Hair Style Gal
Posts: 2594
| Thanks for the feedback. I will make it a point to expose him more. I need to go to some shows that I am not putting on since I get so busy. ..but my main horse is hurt so there isn't much point until I rehab. My main horse. I guess we could start off here at home with using our lawn mower in the meantime. |
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10D Crack Champion
| Chase him on a tractor until he gets tired and stops. LOL Just kidding! |
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Veteran
Posts: 112
| I have an eighteen year old that still wants to leave when they drag. I've owned her since she was four and she came to us so terrified of equipment. I believe someone halter broke her with a tractor like a calf. It is the noise. Some are really sensitive to it. I've done all the above and she got better but is still afraid. Good luck. |
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  Playing the Waiting Game
Posts: 2304
| Sorry I can't help... Floyd beleives all food comes from tractors.. He'll chase it when the pasture is getting mowed... Not close enough to get hit by anything. |
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Regular
Posts: 90
| Ditto to the desensitizing above! I always work all horses with equipment in the area as much as possible. I want them to just ignore it and keep doing their jobs. All of mine are broke to just about anything that goes fast, is big and/or makes noise. I don't make a point to approach things or expose the horses to things expecting them to spook. I prefer to have them doing a job and giving them something to think about instead of being scared. After a while, it's all second nature to them and they don't even bother to blink.
And let me tell you, the handiest it ever came in was a day when we were at a race with horrible ground. I figured out quickly that once the tractor hit it, it was fine, so here I was, riding one and ponying another about 10 feet back as the tractor worked the ground while everyone else sat outside the arena and waited.
Anyway, to the OP, if you can, go anywhere that they allow you to while they prep ground or even just have it parked. Give your horse a chance to ease up on the scary creature while still working. If you can work on one end while they drag another, do that and ease your way around. If you're calm and relaxed, the horse will usually calm and relax as well. |
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 The Worst Seller Ever
Posts: 4138
Location: Oklahoma | I had one that never got over it. He was OK if he could see it and it was not on the same side of the fence with him, but by george he would leave the country if it came close to him when they were dragging, and would stand in the furthest corner of the pasture when we were mowing. |
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 Tough Patooty
Posts: 2615
Location: Sperry, OK | Follow it while its driving.. let him "chase it".. when you let them "chase" it, in their mind they become dominant over the object and learn there is nothing to fear.. if you chase him with it.. he might never get over it, because he is in flight mode. |
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Sock Snob
Posts: 3021
| I have one that is not scared of one until they lift the drag and back up to the fence. He is eleven and still watches them backup. A good place to be in the holding pens where the tractors back up. Go outside and work him and let him sit where tractors back up, sit there let then rest or if they have a calf pen put him in it and stay there all day. |
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 Expert
Posts: 3534
Location: Stuck in a cubicle having tropical thoughts | I had one of those once. She found a new zip code. |
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IMA No Hair Style Gal
Posts: 2594
| Thanks guys for all the input!
Him being scared of the tractor isn't a deal breaker for me with him. He was passed around a bit, and the people that had him prior did a great job of cranking on his mouth and ruined his confidence.
Slow but steady will win the race with him ;-). I will put some of these ideas into play. |
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 I'm Cooler Offline
Posts: 6387
Location: Pacific Northwest | I'm no help because I have a 16 year old gelding I've owned since he was two, and we have several tractors at our house...and they get used on an almost daily basis. He still thinks they're scary. There's a set amount of distance from one that he considers to be "safe" and he'll just get really wide-eyed as it goes by, but any closer and he tries to spin out from under me and run the other direction. He's not afraid of them when they aren't on and he never notices them during an actual run, and I can ride in the arena with the tractor, I just can't be too close to it. |
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 I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
Location: MD | I bought my guy in my display from what I would consider a pretty decent farm environment. They had bulls, lots of dogs, he was a pasture horse his whole life, farm equipment etc. So when I discovered he was afraid of tractors it really threw me, (figuratively and almost literally.) I had a leg swung over the horn and we were sitting there and he was almost asleep and they turned the tractor on for the drag and he shot out at a run so far so fast I was nearly dumped. The owner had no clue he was so terrified. He is okay with them when they are off but when the motor is running he's NOT okay. Granted he isn't afraid of anything else, so I kind of let him slide on that one. He gets scared when they drive in his direction mostly that's when he starts and gets upset about it.
I haven't been able to figure out how to get him over it. He's been to enough shows and places that I can stand far enough away that it wont bother him, and he isn't so terrified to run away anymore, Just gets a bit antsy to get away. I think the more I haul the less he'll be bothered, but I can tell with him it's a genuine fear and not taking advantage (which his smarty pants appy attitude will do at times.) The more relaxed I am with him the easier he is about it. I always pet his neck to calm him down and that usually helps since I'm not being weird about it either. but pay attention and hold on! Riding him at races can be exhausting if there is a long wait! I really have to pay attention to when they are dragging, the drag patterns, when the tractor is turning on and its path to the arena, for our saftey and everyone elses too! The moment I think he'll be fine.... he won't be. Good luck to you! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 788
| smokehorsej - 2014-09-14 3:50 PM
I have an eighteen year old that still wants to leave when they drag. I've owned her since she was four and she came to us so terrified of equipment. I believe someone halter broke her with a tractor like a calf. It is the noise. Some are really sensitive to it. I've done all the above and she got better but is still afraid. Good luck.
this is mine! He was chased with one when he was a baby and iv done everything possible to get him used to them and less afraid but nothing helps. I have chased the tractor and he is fine as long as there not coming toward him. or sitting looking at him lol |
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 Angel in a Sorrel Coat
Posts: 16030
Location: In a happy place | I am no help. I had one years ago that I dearly loved that was terrified of tractors. I think I know what caused it but will not go there. I took him to William Burrus and he fixed him but I was afraid he was going to have a heart attack before William got it done. |
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 A very grounded girl
Posts: 5052
Location: Moving soon..... | My gelding was scared of the tracks that they left behind. He would actually stop and not go over them. When I was still going and just doing an exhibition, I would follow the tractor around and finally he knew it wouldn't eat him up. |
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