[drivingpairs] Sleighbells-Tis the Season
- From: kathy robertson <goodhors@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: drivingpairs@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 9 Dec 2003 11:47:45 -0800 (PST)
Yearly reminder message. PLEASE check out your horse
with bells, BEFORE you put them on the horse or hitch
horse to any belled vehicle!! Sleigh folks will want
to practice horse starting sleigh, before adding
bells. ESPECIALLY a new-to-sleigh animal. Sleigh
starts harder than wheeled vehicles, horse doesn't
need extra distractions during first couple sleigh
lessons.
Bells are loud and noisy, uncommon in many places.
Some horses get very silly. We don't want to have any
accidents. Make sure horse can hear you over bells
sound!
Our young horse in training had an attack of the
stupids over the weekend. Young daughter found sleigh
bells in tack room, started to bring them to house
while Dad was long-lining young horse. He got
EXCITED, ran himself dizzy on the lines!! She was not
very close to his area, and quit ringing as quick as
he started being stupid, but it took him a while to
recover his brain, stop when directed. Lesson was
then moved to high fenced round pen, still on long
lines. She then rang bells as instructed, while horse
got over it on the lines, in the round pen. Didn't
take a great amount of time, with second ringing, then
bells right outside fence. He did figure it out,
bells were not after him. Did another lesson on
Sunday, was sort of stupid again, but also much
quicker recovery time. Even with new louder, bells.
We have several kinds of bells, rang them all. He
reacted to each different sound but got over it.
Still nervous, but now listening with his mind. Bells
will now be part of his routine for a while, along
with some other noisy things.
His previous riding career has probably made him
quite solid at a horse show, with golf carts, vendors,
new horses, but never saw or heard LOUD bells before.
Perhaps in barnyard, bells echoed back from all the
buildings, could not tell where the bells were.
Better to know his holes now, than be surprised later!
The other two young horses were watching lesson from
paddock. They were closer to first of ringing sounds,
but only interested, not spooky at all. They also
have not heard bells that I know of.
Each horse is different, have to check them out,
before going on with new stuff. Even a horse who was
belled last year, should see bells without being
hitched, FIRST. Get horse accepting of bells again.
After that calm acceptance, bells can be used on horse
and vehicle. No surprises is best for all.
Kathy Robertson
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