With the growing popularity of cycling, there are more and more bikes on the road and paths which horseriders share. Not all cyclists understand how horses might feel about bicycles, especially in groups and at speed. The can come up behind a horse very quietly and then whiz by.
Darcy, who is normally fantastic in the heaviest traffic, was very frightened of bicycles coming towards him and coming from behind.
The problem with this sort of fear is that it is easy to sensitise them rather than desensitise believing that a horse that has seen bicycles a few times on every ride should get better. However, seeing a bike say five times a ride is actually five times that he has been sensitised especially if the rider has tensed up in anticipation of his reaction, or shouted at cyclists who fail to slow down. Both of those things feed into what is already a high emotion.
...being in charge of the stimulus (David and the bike) as well as the horse...
...repetition on both sides of the horse so that he sees it out of both eyes...
...and chasing the bike.
All of this takes place on foot until the horse is pretty reliable and then can be repeated from the saddle.
Clickering from the saddle...
...chatting to the bike rider coming up from in front...
...breathing and keeping quiet...
...and even yawning.
This is not one off training and will need to be repeated over and over, and over and over again by the owner. Instead of chasing my husband, Jo will be chasing her own!
