Fear of tractors

[Wendy]

It seems Marley, my new 'bombproof' 5yo, has a teriffic fear of tractors. 

I am trying to get hold of a field near the road, and am asking my farmer friend to let us do some acclimatisation near his tractor.

I would be grateful for any other ideas or experience you can share.

[Diane Smith]

Oh dear, 

Annie doesn't like tractors, at all, I can only sympathise I'm afraid 

good that you have a friend with a tractor to help though 

[Diane Smith]

Actually, she only really accepts cars, anything smaller she's not happy about, bikes & motorbikes, and anything bigger than a car, but then a lorry did almost kill the pair of us once, so I can't really blame her.

We just don't do much hacking 

[Wendy]

Well I'm determined to get this sorted out with him and get us past it, whatever it takes. I'm hoping it is just that he's not had much exposure to them and he will learn that they are not out to hurt him. If they've had a bad experience with traffic in the past that's a different thing of course.

[Greybaby]

When I was younger my horses learned to like tractors by association - my dad used to cut the grass on the other side of the paddock fence, and when he'd finished would throw a few handfuls of the freshly mown grass over the fence for them to eat. It didn't take long for them to associate the tractor with a tasty treat, and they started running up and down the fence line as soon as they saw him on the tractor.
My old mare still gets excited when she sees a tractor, and will lick the side of it in anticipation if she can reach! 

We used this approach with Calima, who I've had 18 months: Allowing her to investigate a stationary tractor, first without then with the engine running, treating her when she made a move herself toward it (obviously clicker training would work here). Getting the driver to treat the horse is good too.
Maybe your friend could help by doing something along these lines?

Good luck  (I've also found that having a field near traffic helps tremendously too)

[ChrissieW]

Sounds like you are already trying to put the best plans in place.     I know that Minnie benefited hugely as a youngster because her field for about 6 years was right next to an A road with big lorries etc.      She's definitely bomb proof in traffic.

Its a worry I have with Daisy as our fields are much quieter, although we do have the tractors bombing about up the tracks.

My old mare wasn't traffic proof and its why I still don't like doing proper traffic even though Minnie is brilliant, thankfully don't have to where we are.

[shoveltrash]

clicker training!!!!
i've made huge strides with Nico regarding this type of thing (YO has lately been parking big tractors & equipment in our covered arena during bad weather ).  a clicker in hand, pocket full of treats .  one step forward, click/reward (even if it is from 12 feet away). we built up until now my boy purposefully approaches frightening equipment .  it really does give a nice "YES" answer using the clicker.

[JanetGeorge]

On Thursday, I had two chaps in the back garden with chainsaws felling trees and a large Matbro removing the debris ALL day.  And for part of the day, two big trailers (large haylage bales) being off-loaded with another large Matbro.  All my youngsters hacked up the drive right past it all with barely a sideways glance!!

The answer IS in desensitisation.  Not practical for everyone, but all my youngsters run TO tractors - they bring food!  And even before foalies recognise that, their mums bring them up to the tractor.  By the time they are yearlings, their heads come over the fence to 'graze' the haylage on the transport box (engine running.)  And if I have to take the tractor into a field with horses it can be quite difficult to move horses out of its way.

Older horses who arrive here often take quite a while to get quite so comfortable with the tractor's approach, unless they're sharing a field with one of mine.

[issywizz]

Yes absolutely.
You need to get some nice person with a tractor to come and help you desensitise in the field with another horse who isnt bothered to help reassure him.
I helped my friend do this with a quadbike which her pone was terrified about having been previously rounded up with one.
The key is to let him approach the tractor rather than it coming to him until hes comfortable,then work the other way round.
Work slowly and keep things calm and yes CT would be useful too,most definitely.

[flintfootfilly]

I'd agree with all that's been suggested.  Whilst I don't have a tractor, I do have a little mucktruck, very noisy, and the ponies found it quite scary to start with....... but soon changed their minds when it started delivering food 3 times a day during the winter!

Also, if you can follow a tractor for a good amount of time (like if they are haymaking or harrowing or whatever) then that's very empowering for the horse.  In effect, they are CHASING the scary object and can grow used to it without fear of it coming to get them.  Then you can start taking them past the tractor in different directions.

Sarah

[sandpiper]

I drive my little red tractor around the field and also my lorry when the ground is firm - all of mine (except Dancer) will run up to the tractor for food and don't take too much notice of the lorry.  My little youngster Gem will even run after the tractor when I have the clanky roller on it!  

Famer friends are very useful!  I'm lucky in that my neighbour is a dairy farmer and there are always convoys of huge tractors and implements when it's hay cutting time, and she invites me over to ride round the fields with the vehicles.  Her husband will let mine go up to his big Manitou, and he'll give the horse a treat.  Then he'll start it up, then move it slowly etc and this worked really well for my pony.  My problem is I live in a very quiet area and the only vehicles that pass are usually agricultural, and she's still not very good with them on the roads but it's probably because she doesn't get out enough - that is down to me.

I've found it's not quite the same when you take them out on the roads, as it's in a different environment and the vehicles move in a different way and might be noisier/bigger etc.  But it's definitely the case that the more you expose them to these things the better they become - my horse Pip was an absolute nightmare with anything bigger than a car (he'd spin anti-clockwise into its path!!  ) - but after taking him out regularly with a 100% bombproof horse between him and the scary vehicles he improved over time to the point I could hack him out on his own and get him past nearly anything (provided it slowed down!).

[Bradders]

The answer IS in desensitisation. 

Yup!I have lost count of the number of thetimes I have literally had to squeeze Rolo through a gap between the tractor and the garage because YO's husband has parked the tractor in an odd place and dissappeared!

Last Summer I had my friend's son riding his pushbike up and down past the school to get Rolo used to them - both the son and Rolo found it highly entertaining!

[cirocco]

Hi Wendy. If you have been reading my posts about my experiences with rocky you will know that his 'sudden' totally over the top scary moments have been when he's met motorbikes.
Going from 99% road safe to only about 30% 'some of the time'.
Before the accident he would just about hold it together if a motor bike came up behind, but afterwards he just lost the plot whenever he so much as heard one, ive been danced along the road and spun, but im riding him now with nothing more than a look.
I realised that if I took his mind off the problem by offering him treats, with 'word association', then I could get him to kind of ignore the problem long enough for it to go away.
Its not been easy, ive ridden him when ive been really worried, but if we were going to get anywhere then it had to be done.
I say, ''do you want a sweety'' and touch him on the neck at the side im going to offer the treat from, he stops and turns his head, I pop in the treat give him a good old stroke and tell him to walk on.
I also do it when there's nothing coming to scare him, Its just like id train a dog to come back when called, no need to do it to always put it on a lead, just so that it becomes a nice 'habit'.
I also learned that I couldn't do the ani scary stuff from the ground, he was used to me riding him so there was no way I could take him out in hand to introduce him to 'things' that might upset him.
There is always going to be something that horses are scared of, its just hard trying to sort out the reason why and how to cope with the problem.
The trouble with tractors is they are bloomin great big things, 
Im not saying ride him on the roads alongside huge tractors, but in a safe place.
Do you know someone with a tractor who would help you, even if you had to pay them to come out?.

Its a hard thing isn't it, I suppose you have learned that you dont have much time when the scary thing takes hold of the horses attention, they can go from calm and relaxed to totally scared to death in the blink of an eye.
Its the worry that they will try to bolt that is the greatest worry I think, or that they would try to dump you in their panic to escape..
Roads today are so dangerous that we have so much to contend with. Where in the country are you?? Do you meet tractors on country lanes?.. or on main roads.
I agree that it would be good to get the use of a field close to somewhere that tractors are being used, its the only way do de stress poor Marley

Good luck anyhow, im sure it will all work out well for you.I nearly gave up with rocky altogether just a few weeks ago, but im so glad I didn't.

[ros]

My "bombproof" 4-year old was a nightmare when I got him home, but it was only because he was unsure of me, on new territory, with new friends etc. Once we got used to each other he was fine. Just keep faith with him & it'll come.

[Cabruze]

All good suggestions.

The only one I'd add I actually think is the most important!  You have to be 200% unworried.  If he's concerned you have to be "bored".  Demonstrate that there's absolutely nothing to worry about. And that includes you totally ignoring anything he's worried by.  If you pay it attention then in his mind he's right to be worried.  And of course never try to reassure him while he's worrying.  But heap praise upon him when he's the other side of worry. 

I learned this hard lesson first hand when I managed to make my bombproof boy (Captain) scared even of push bikes!  Long story but from confidently hacking everywhere, even on busy A roads, we got the the stage where we were both gibbering wrecks.  Mainly due to me overeacting to one little incident!

Good luck!