Had a close call with a cold shoe on a draft horse near Spokane last month

3 comments

3 Comments

jordan3301mo ago

Man that's scary. My cousin had a horse spook at a plastic bag once, whole thing went sideways real fast.

sean_walker451mo ago

Actually, horses don't really "spook" at the object itself. It's the sudden movement. A plastic bag lying still is usually fine, but the second the wind catches it, that quick darting motion triggers their flight instinct. My old trainer used to desensitize our geldings by rattling bags quietly near them, then rewarding calm behavior. It's all about that unpredictable motion, not the thing making it.

evab524d ago

27 years working with mustangs and I've seen the same thing with empty water jugs. Had a mare who would walk over a tarp but lose her mind over a crumpled soda can rolling across the ground. The motion triggers something deep, same reason they'll spook at a bird hopping but ignore a fence line. @sean_walker45 is right about the unpredictability angle, that's the whole key. We'd recreate that by having someone slowly drag a chain across the arena floor, got them used to the jerky back and forth movement over time.