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I want to be able to shoot a gun while sitting on my horses back and have them stand still. Of course I don't start there so this is what I have done so far.

Bubble Wrap

I love bubble wrap. You know the stuff you pack things in and then pop because you can't help it. I started by desensitize Aries (Arab gelding, 13 years old) and Vego (PercheronThoroughbred gelding, 2 years old) to the bubble wrap. I would get them used to the material first and then pop the bubbles. This was not so bad. They were used to it in no time. I used the approach and retreat method for this exercise as well as all of the others mentioned here. Now I needed something to go Bang! I thought about a cap gun but I would need to reload after every 8 shots. I needed something I could keep firing. Got it'

Paint Ball Gun

I took my kids paint ball gun and full tank of CO2. I would have hundreds of shots J. I then help my horse on a lead rope and started to fire away from him. I should also mention that I did not load any paint balls. The CO2 alone made a big pop when I pulled the trigger. When the horse would relax I would stop and pet. I then started to shoot near the side of the horse. Once the horse relaxed I would stop and pet. I eventually worked my way all around the horse. I could shoot over his head, between his legs, all over.

Now what?

So now they are OK with the pop of a paint gun. What to do next? I need something that is louder. Perhaps it is time to use a hand gun loaded with blanks. I could just have several clips loaded with blanks and ready to fire. Also available are training pistols for training hunting dogs. They shoot .22 caliber blanks and do not require a gun permit or license. This could be a good cost effective option to a real gun.