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Post by carshon on Aug 10, 2015 15:01:47 GMT
Hubby daughter and I had another great ride this week. One comment though- riders with bells on their horses! Grrrr...... we ran into this last year and were not happy and it happened again on Friday. We were riding along and our horses are all acting odd and spinning and looking behind them. Low and behold 3 ladies gait up behind this and all 3 horses are wearing cute little hand made breast collars covered in bells! My gelding was snorting and coming up in front - our other two horses were spinning and backing away. We asked the ladies to stop so the bells would stop and asked them to walk past us. I hate to say this but I told them that the bells are a huge issue for other riders and not safe for those of us riding horses not used to the sound. To their credit one of the ladies did say that they do not mean to offend anyone but that they wear bells to scare the turkeys away. I have said it before and I will say it again - wildlife (turkeys, pheasant and deer) will lay down and hide from anything that frightens them - you have to flush them out to get them out of their hiding spot. Bells are not going to make them go away! I personally would rather have a deer stand still and watch me ride by than to flush one up and have it run unexpectedly because I have scared it. Rant over - it really was a nice ride.  |
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Post by lorddaxter on Aug 10, 2015 15:19:34 GMT
It may be easier just to get yours used to them?!
I know over here a lot of riders and walkers use them to alert bears etc.
I have some for Dax but admit I haven't tried them yet!
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Post by Shelly on Aug 10, 2015 16:03:08 GMT
I will have a bell that I use for trail rides for bears (it's a bit of a problem around here and I know for a fact there's one living in the back of the property at my moms). That being said, its a single bell and there is a magnet cover I keep on it until I go for my rides so it doesn't make a bunch of noise if I don't need it to. Most of the time when we trail ride anyways we are so loud there's not really a need for it anyways lol.
A breast plate covered with bells seems a little excessive to me but to each their own I suppose. I'm lucky my trails are private LOL
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Post by horselover4life on Aug 10, 2015 16:17:38 GMT
As a kid during hunting season I put a few bells on my saddle so I would be heard and not shot at....wildlife don't make ringing sounds.
My horse didn't seem to care and others that met me did similar kinds of things.
We rode trails and then into protected forest lands but that didn't stop those who poached. I didn't want my horse shot nor me... wag finger
I got my horse desensitized to the sound by making strings of them and putting them where the winds would rattle them.....
Once he stopped reacting to the sound it was easy to then put them on him.
I did keep them around my barn area as it was kind of nice to hear the tinkling in the breeze...
I did though have several different sizes so it was more like wind chimes than "bells"...
I feel for you carshon....
Bet it is annoying and a little unsettling for horses/people unaccustomed to the sound.
I never thought about that before... 
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Post by horselady on Aug 10, 2015 23:53:54 GMT
I use one small bell under the horse attached to the girth. never a bunch of them on the breast plate to me that is rude and not considering other horses on the trail.
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Post by carshon on Aug 11, 2015 13:13:49 GMT
We are going to try bells around their pens. The issue is that I also have neighbors and I don't want to drive them buggy with bells chiming all of the time. I really do not think that the bells make a difference in the wildlife scaring the horses - to me a horse needs its sense of hearing to see and hear what might scare them and the constant clatter of bells would only make it harder for the horse - Oh well - one more item to train for!
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mistersmom
Junior Member
Abita Springs, LA
Posts: 3,749 
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Post by mistersmom on Aug 11, 2015 13:48:53 GMT
I have friends that ride with one bell on their saddle and it's not like a sleigh bell, it's a softer sound and quite pleasant. They wear them to alert the hunters in the area that they are not dear as unfortunately many hunters around here shoot before they really get a good look. but I agree with you that bells all over the breast plate are an over kill and would certainly make it hard on the horses to use their sensitive sense of hearing.
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