Hi & welcome to the forum. You don't give any details of horses age, level of training, time in your care ( building a bond based on trust ) or the concentration of traffic on the roads you intend to use. We can offer you much better quality advice with more information. I have introduced both youngsters & older animals to traffic, starting from their natural low levels of acceptance. It is helpful to use pastures adjacent to roads, both for grazing & to safely ride near to but not amongst traffic. The use of schoolmasters ( older, more experienced horses ) is also useful. They can be ridden alongside the inexperienced horse. This also provides a buffer to keep inconsiderate motorists from causing potentially dangerous situations by failing to allow sufficient time & space to pass animals safely, as well as being a mentor & offering an example to copy. Always wear approved safety gear & make use of dayglow, fluorescent vests as well as dayglow equine equipment such as tail guard, leg boots & exercise sheet to ensure drivers see you from sufficient distance to allow them to react correctly & timely to your presence. Most horses learn to cope with traffic quite quickly. However, do not fall into the trap of thinking quiet country lanes are safer than roads with moderate traffic. Horses, once they have a little experience, deal with traffic easily but a single speeding vehicle on a lonely road is an altogether far more dangerous scenario. Neither driver nor horse & rider are prepared to meet each other & often such roads are twisting so neither party has good, clear vision ahead. This does not stop vehicles moving at speeds which, whilst within the speed limits are inappropriately fast for a rural situation. It also makes sense to leave a projected time of return & expected route with a responsible person, just in case of incident. I apologise if this advice seems bleak & less than encouraging. Suffice to say modern traffic is more invasive, faster moving & driven by less well informed drivers than ever before. Whilst it wouldn't be an option for all riders, the use of horse transport for a group to make use of a variety of off road trails or hacks ( or beach rides if near the coast ) becomes an increasingly attractive solution to ensure less hazardous, less stressful & more enjoyable riding experiences. Cheers, Jo.

Hi Jo, thank you so much for all tips about traffic training horses. It does help me a lot. 

IMy traffic student is a 2,5 year old mare. She generally is pretty easy going and a fast learner.  I've bred her and raised her myself and from early days  she had to coop with tractors and trucks around our farm. no big deal and she totally trust me and follows up. Today I started to walk her  with a dually halter up and down the path way towards a public county road  and I've done this  2 more times before. A few cars passed by and I just let her watch  from the entrance path way. The first time she thought it was scarry   and  walked  few steps backwards when cars passed by. But I made sure we ended this training positive. Second time traffic training we walked all relaxed toward the road but when the cars and motor bike  passed by, it  really scared her again and she pulled back on the dually. A sec. later she  relaxed again  and we continued  walking up and down the path way and a little walk on the public road like no big deal but when the 2nd and the 3th car passed by, she got more scared about it and pulled harder back. Even a passing quiet biclycle made her stressed out.  So I was wondering why  she  kept stressing out more and kept on pulling backwards after experiencing more cars. I do have her mother around the farm and she might be a good schoolteacher because she's traffic proof. but it's a bit difficult these days to use her als a mentor since she has a 3month old foal...Tomorrow I'll go take my student toward the road again try not to make a big deal out if it. Our public road is super busy on sundays maybe that might be good for training. The first few times I've traffic trained my horse where 'quiet moment..  Thanks again for your tips! All my best Petra

Hi Petra. Thank you for the update. It sounds as though you have the right ideas for this youngster. I suggest you practice your calm breathing - to help your filly relax. Her increased concerns show progress was getting too quick for her. She's getting out of her comfort zone. Montys basic rules, meet her needs. Go slower & offer lots of reassurance. Let her stand, on a loose long line, back from the road where she is less stressed. Rub her neck & shoulder. As her adrenaline comes down she may lick & chew. Once you get any signs of acceptance go back home, making sure you tell her repeatedly what a brave girl she is. Stress is best dealt with in tiny bits so you can hugely praise all & any efforts she makes to comply. Rather than going to the point where she pulls back on the dually, concentrate on growing her comfort zone so she is more & more accepting either slightly closer to the traffic or willing to stand more relaxed - be dictated by her needs not your agenda. It takes as long as it takes. She sees you as her leader but when you move too much towards the scary stuff she starts to doubt your leadership. Being very relaxed 10 feet back gains you more than being really quite stressed closer up. You are right, Mum with a new foal at foot is not an ideal schoolmaster. Keep us posted on your progress. Cheers, Jo.

Hi Petra. Marvellous progress - eating with sheep is huge. You CANT BE TOO RELAXED near traffic & the sheep have been schoolmasters for your filly. You have cemented your role as trusted leader by providing a safe place ( danger alerts are not species specific ) so  your filly has taken a massive step forward. Baby steps gain a mindful trainer GREAT ADVANCES so keep the pressure build up incremental & be sure to reinforce all her efforts. Keep a 'traffic safe' diary & I'm sure when you read it back you will be amazed how quickly & smoothly you achieve your goals, TOGETHER! Keep in touch. Cheers, Jo.

Hi Petra, just another thought that I had after reading through Jo`s excellent advice, would be to have someone in your family drive a car on your drive AWAY from your filly after she has the opportunity to touch it and smell it while the car is at a stand still.  Horses seem to have an attraction to most things moving away from them;[it`s an energetic,  magnetic type connection for them.  This approach might cut through some anxious moments that your dealing with.  It might also help her desensitize that cup of worry that is so heavy at the moment for her.  The trick to this approach would be to allow her to follow the car at a slow walk.  
Just a thought

Bud

Jo hi, yes  thank you; your tips were super helpfull and we had a major progress! I do have to add that they were rams and they can be a little tricky this time of year since it's heath season... and Yes traffic around here is super tricky; it's  that kind small country road scenario you described in your earlier responds...   Next weekend when the road is crowded again we continue with our traffic training. This week I'll prepair her for the double line longing,  play with the lines around her and see what she thinks of that, we're not getting bored! All my best Petra

Hi Petra. Good idea from Bud! In time, you could also take that further by having your filly ( what is she called by the way )? introduced to farm machinery - when it's switched off obviously. That would allow her to, in her own time, approach, sniff & touch it. Clearly, once she's comfortable with that, you find a safe place to just ' hang out' when the engine is running & progress from there to when the engine starts up & finally, when it drives away. These procedures will give you a ' farm proof ' filly. Just remember to encourage not force her, allowing her to retreat in a controlled way is a vital part of the learning curve. If she gets confident that she has a choice she will choose to be brave as horses are really curious to understand their world - if we are open minded enough to let them. Cheers, Jo.

hi Bud & Jo, thank you for your new tips. and I and my palomino filly 
Maaike have progressed a lot since the last traffic training experience. Maaike is very curious horse, she really enjoys discovering new things and dissolving the mistery of objects that move and make sounds. Haha, she makes it almost like a meet and greet moment. Especially when cars come to the farm and people step out and greet us. But the cars on the road that pass by is different: they don't slow down,  stop and say hi..
Now when days are short, weather is not so nice  and cars have their lights on is a whole different experience..  I haven't taken her out on a walk in the dark too much so we''ll wait  with studying this situation untill the daylight traffic is easy going. To be continued. All my best, Petra.