78 Unique Things to Desensitize Your Horse To

If you’re like me and were introduced to natural horsemanship, you know that we take great care to desensitize our horses to a number of things.

While you can’t predict everything a horse may encounter on the road, trail or at a show (hello guy in blow up T-rex costume!) practicing with your horse can lay the foundation for scary things.

Routinely exposing your horse to something scary and then letting them figure out that it won’t actually hurt them, can lay the foundation to see other scary things and not freak out.

You see, horses are prey animals. In the wild, they only eat grasses and leaves and they are under constant threat from predators who would like to make a big tasty meal out of them.

Which means they have to constantly be on high alert. Having a herd of other prey animals who you can rely on can help, but anything that moves or makes a noise could secretly be a lion hiding in a bush, so horses have evolved to literally be afraid of everything.

Chris Irwin gives the metaphor of a woman alone at night in a dark alley. This is your horse 24-7. And his first line of defense will be to run away. Which is problematic when we’re trying to cross a stream on a trail or enter a show ring.

I have my favorite things to desensitize my horses to: plastic bags, bicycles, dogs, chickens, cows, etc. but for a complete list I hit up Facebook for some crowdsourcing of ideas.

Someone also recommended the Bombproof Your Horse Book for a more in-depth look at desensitization.

Here’s the full list of:

Unique Things to Desensitize Your Horse To

1. bicycles
2. umbrellas
3. pool noodles
4. pink flamingos
5. beach balls
6. predator from the movie noises
7. trains
8. sirens
9. helicopters
10. drones
11. wheelchairs
12. strollers
13. wheelie bins
14. plastic bags on the ground
15. tarps
16. cows
17. dogs
18. joggers
19. llamas
20. kids
21. dirt bikes
22. mattress
23. balloons
24. water
25. bells
26. kiddie pool
27. chainsaw/lawnmower
28. cap gun
29. motorcycles
30. balls
31. pigs
32. goats
33. sheep
34. kites
35. chickens
36. peacocks
37. tires
38. semis
39. hoola hoops
40. tents
41. collapsible play tunnels for toddlers
42. empty water bottles
43. bubbles
44. fly spray
45. mailboxes
46. large stuffed animals
47. popping bubble wrap
48. garbage cans
49. rain coats
50. emus
51. ski poles/fishing poles
52. 4 wheelers
53. dropping things/throwing things
54. empty flying pizza boxes
55. camera flash
56. turkeys
57. scarecrows
58. hoses
59. lighter
60. water bottle
61. clothes on a clothsline
62. squeaky toys
63. sirens
64. leaf blower
65. play fetch with a dog while you’re on the horse
66. velcro
67. phones ringing
68. road cones
69. empty cans on a string on the saddle or dragged behind
70. sprinklers
71. toy/teddy horses
72. hoola hoops
73. men hiding behind telephone poles
74. hammock on a frame
75. lawn chairs
76. hay stacks
77. pinwheels turning
78. RC car