Advice for hacking out please :)

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Tonty Tont

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Tont is a very unique pony, with a definite mind of his own. When we hack out, quite often he suddenly decides he wants to go home, or a different way, and he is going. I always hack out with sue, who has 50 odd years of experiance, and her perfectly behaved horse, but Tont doesn't give a damn about him when he wants to head back home. The only way you can get him to continue is for sue to lead him.
If you use a whip, he just continues the way he wants but faster. I can stop, just I may as well be using a headcollar steering wise.

I am really reluctant to ride out now, but there is nowhere else to ride other than out and about.

If anyone has any advice, I would be really grateful :)

Thank you, Nicole :D
 
Little monkey!!

How long have you had him?

Our youngster is a bit like this, but hes only just turned 5 and low mileage and we make him hack out alone, his is lack of schooling, the more we school and the more obedient he becomes the less hes doing it, so back to the classroom??
 
Have you tried turning him in a circle? sometimes just using the one rein can work wonders once he realises he cant win he should stop trying to bolt home.

Hope that you manage to resolve the issue sooner rather than later!
 
lol when i try and hack my mare out alone and want to go home she adamant we are not going to turn for home and just plonks in the road with her ears back.i do eventually get her going again and since investing in a decent crop she has shown me bit more respect.
 
Can you spin him back round? Mine was similar to yours - the more I fought him the worse he'd get.

I broke my back in April so he's had some time off. He's been schooled since May which includes being ridden once a week for me and lunged/free schooled every other day.

I've started walking him out inhand for the last few days and have had two people hack him for me. He was as good as gold.

I think what triggered the positive change in his behaviour was changing yards - although its exactly the same hacking just 800 yards up the road from the old one. He also went from a mixed herd of 30 to sharing a field with 8 other geldings.

Not of much help but sometimes it pays to think outside the box!
 
This could sound really stupid but I will say it anyway...

If he does this on grass and you aren't scared, then kick him on and make him go. You will have an incredibly confused pony who doesn't find it fun because you've actually inadvertantly told him what to do!!!

Obviously if you are on a road you can't do it, but just a suggestion :)
 
Once mine decides we are going home we ARE going home! I pull his head back round and put my crop on the shoulder just so he can feel it (he always spins on the same rein) once he begins his argument of rearing, stamping feet, swishy tail and grunting I just sit there until he stands still again (I have been known to still be on a hack at 10 o clock in the middle of winter) lots of fuss and soon enough he starts to walk forward again, if not I growl and use my legs. Try hacking out with groups of horses or different ones at a time, hope this helped :)
 
So, when you get home you possibly reward him for his bad behavior by taking his tack off and letting him chill???

I would use a multi faceted approach - building up your and his confidence as you feel appropriate. One way is to go out for a very short ride then go PAST the stables and ride the other way - so they stable isn't the end of the ride until you decide it is!! If you are hacking and he takes you home MAKE him go out again, even if you a get off and find a corner of a field to lunge him.

Essentially, try and deal with problem where you feel safe and then you will feel more confident when you go further afield.

Also, don't be afraid to deal with this on foot first if that makes it easier for you.

Good luck.
 
My Myler Combination bit solved this problem for me. He tried to do it a few times when wearing the bit, but very promptly realised he couldn't and has been cured ever since.
 
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