Does your horse nap?

[Tempi]

Im just interested to find out whos horses nap/have napped and what people have done to get over this. Whether you sent your horse away to someone to be sorted out or sorted it out yourself. Also why your horse napped and what sort of situation it napped in.

Bloss used to nap really badly - it took me six months to get her out of the yard when i first got her

i overcame it by making her walk backwards. It wasnt easy and she still trys it on now. The other day out hacking she wanted to go one way and i wanted to go the other so we had a 20min battle of her rearing, spinning and trying to bolt with me. I won in the end, but im so used to her that i knew she'd eventualy give in. She also naps if she sees something shes scared of, i then give her more benifit of the doubt and let her look at it for a while and reassure her.

Also do you ever get off your horse and lead it past whatever it dosent like? Some people say you should never get off, however ive always been led to believe that if you get off and lead your horse past what it is scared off and get back on you are reassuring your horse that there is nothing to be scared off, not letting it win the battle.

 

[Parkranger]

Sorry but this made me giggle - someone on our yard was telling me how her horse naps, I said 'oh no, does he rear, spin, buck or bolt' she said no, none of them, just tries to turn around.....I said 'well he doesn't really nap then does he?'

pointless but made me giggle.....

 

[cobwithattitude]

My 4 yr old napped (front legs few inches off floor and turning round) more when i first had her - especially when in season and leaving the yard if her favourite 'boyfriend' was still there. Insisting she went forward each time has meant it has got better - hopefully too she has just finished her last season of the year! Other than that, she is ok - she will have to be coaxed past the odd thing out hacking by herself but her behaviour does not qualify as napping then. (Napping to me is evasive behaviour not to go forward - right or wrong?)

 

[Sparklet]

My girl napped when I first got her - not badly though but because I didnt know her I wasnt too sure what she 'might' do. There is a track down the side of out school which leads to parkland at the back of the yard and she wouldnt go down the track.

I didnt have a whip and just couldnt get her to move fowards and was particularly worried because she kept backing up towards a barbed wire fence. I got a few steps forward and thought I had won the battle until the following day.

Next day I mounted near the stables and tried to get her to walk down to the school. Point blank refusal. Fortunately I got someone to get me a whip, I gripped my breastplate (wonderful things) and shut my eyes and whacked her. She just walked quietly forwards like a good girl.

She has done it a few times since in warm up arenas in competitions but a gentle slap gets her forward.

 

[riotgirl]

Oh God - it really is Monday morning. I thought you meant nap as in sleep.

 

[Tempi]

pmsl!!!!!!!!!!

 

[fairhill]

Mine used to nap (even following another horse) going away from the yard, and rush back in the lead. This was a lack of confidence, and has improved over the last year with lots of hacking and gradually increasing the time she was in the lead.

She went through a phase of napping by the boundary of our fields, and it needed a couple of sesssions on our own with a whip to get her past it - this was due to stubborness, rather than being scared. I also found she was less likely to stop if we trotted past the iffy parts (any point where she could turn towards home - her sense of direction is as good as a homing pigeon).

The final thing that has helped was schooling - lots of sending her forward round the school and teaching her to respect my legs.

I would never say she is cured - in times of stress she will slam on the brakes, and she's always going to be a backwards thinking horse.

I have led her past scary objects, and she willingly goes past the next time, without detriment to her behaviour. I find the hardest thing is distinguishing between her stubborn napping, and genuine fear.

 

[samp]

Well my mare naps when scared of something. runs back, spins around and rears. Ifit is on a road then I have no objection of getting off and leading her past soemthing - why risk injuring yourself, your horse or someone else? She trusts me more on the floor and will let me get back on. If she is really scared I lead past several times and then mount up and ride past several times.

She sometimes tries to nap at shows - by exit/ entrance or when asking to go into a new arena - sometimes she'll cope and go in otherwise I will get a lead.

 

[tashyisaudrey]

My horse still naps a little, but not half as much as she used to - she also used to rear, alone or in company. I managed to get through it with 5 months perserverance. I did get other people to ride her too, and when she behaved the same with them I went back to basics. Lots of groundwork and lots of patience. I never stopped hacking and scholling her, not letting her win or get out of work. Little by little, we have got there, but it was a struggle at times. I have to say I did get off at times and lead her when the rearing got too high for me to cope with. They don't win and its best to live and fight another day!! LOL

 

[Rambo]

When we first got Bo he used to try it on with me out in the woods on a hack. We'd spend 10 minutes 'debating' the pro's and con's of going my way as opposed to his. He was never allowed to win, and after a few weeks that stopped. He still has the occasional strop when we go into the ring to jump though, and I have to admit, for the sake of a stress free round, I have resorted to just getting OH to lead him up to the door of the arena. Once he's in he's fine....I think it's just a bit of nervous excitement on his part tbh.

Trike tried napping the first day I rode him at home. He backed me into the hedge an we spent about 10 minutes trying to get out lol! He's never done it since

 

[Marquire]

Grumpy Boy had been let away with murder with his last owner to the point where he would only hack in company and even then he would nap if he was in front, he would nap to the gate when schooling if he'd had enough or if he was working with another horse who subsequently left. Basically he'd been allowed to call the shots completely.

Thankfully he thinks he is a bully but he is really a coward and if you stand up to him he very quickly backs down. He will still try to nap if he has to leave the yard on his own but it is really half hearted and all I have to do is send him forward in a purposeful trot and he stops trying to spin around.

I've found with him in general terms that I have to be completely consistent and have very definate boundaries which he cannot cross. He is the kind of horse who will allows try to push the boundaries and I believe the really clever ones always are.

Marie

 

[emerald2006]

hi PG. I remeber you saying that you were going to your first competion yesterday with your new one. just wondering how you got on??

 

[SSM]

Yes she dozes off at every opportunity - especially in the show ring!!!!!!!!!

No she can nap, especially if out hacking with her friend Cloughie - the pair of them just get napping together - and yes I will get off her and lead her past whatever rock is scaring the life out of her or else we would still be there!!!!

 

[vicm2509]

When I bought my horse in april he napped badly when I attempted to take him off the yard on his own. He would rund backwards when asked to go forwards, rear, spin etc and would also do it while hacking along roads. He never did it while schooling or on the yard.

What did I do? Took heaps of advice from people on here, took him off the yard every day, if he wouldnt go forwards I made him go off backwards. In the end we got there, he does try to nap now and sometimes he does but ive leart to recognise what he does just before he naps, and at this point give him a little tap with my whip and talk him through it, nine out of 10 time the keeps going forwards.

He does it through nervousness I think (but sometimes plays on it). On a hack even if we only walk he gets very sweaty and worked up. I just chat to him on our hacks but I always try now to take him out with another horse but keep mine infornt, just a bit of security for him.

 

[Tempi]

thanx for this everyone - its just it seems like such a common problem theses days, with mares and geldings that im just interested in why horses do it and how people cope, especially as Blossy still trys it on these days!

 

[Puppy]

[ QUOTE ]
Sorry but this made me giggle - someone on our yard was telling me how her horse naps, I said 'oh no, does he rear, spin, buck or bolt' she said no, none of them, just tries to turn around.....I said 'well he doesn't really nap then does he?'

pointless but made me giggle.....

[/ QUOTE ]


Doesn't necessarily mean he isn't napping a little - he still isn't going forward. Billy and Bailey didn't use to rear or spin expecially in the latter stages of curing them. But they would both very determindly try to turn themselves around and try to drag me back to the yard, or baulk big time about going forward at all.

 

[loopeepee]

My old pony used to nap - quite badly sometimes.
She was very clever, and would be fine 95% of the time if we went out by ourselves. She would go past most things without spooking/napping/spinning round. The problem was when we were in company - which I suspect is the exacerbator (sp?) of most napping problems. She would never, ever go in front. I would perservere for hours on end, but she was so stubborn and would set her mind for not doing anything unless she was behind. If somehow she was in front and something spooked her or she just didnt want to go on, she would stop dead in her tracks and no amount of encouraging/getting cross would help. Sometimes I would get off, however this was rarely. . . in reteropect this may have helped more!

But all of this would happen out hacking, sometimes hunting and when I first got her, XC, not when entering a SJ ring or entering a dressage test. However, once her confidence grew with the XC (she was a total natural) everything else seemed to improve. But she went to her next home with the owners knowing full well she would nap out hacking if she didnt want to do something!
Although she napped, she made up for it in everything else she did. And although I shouldnt say it - her napping probably helped me no end with my seat. She could and did regulary stand up and leap forward out hunting (gazelle leaps I called them!), and then she was also very quick to whip round or stop dead.
Blimey reading through that, it does make her look like a very naughty pony. However she was one in a million and had the biggest heart ever! She left me with the biggest amount of confidence, because although I knew she would do all of that - I was never scared or anything . . .very odd!

 

[Puppy]

TBH P_G, I am most surprised that you have done a poll, and on "why" you haven't included the most obviously answer, that of not wanting to leave the yard/their friends. In my experience this is the most common reason; Certainly the reason 3 of my old geldings (thinking off the top of my head) used to do it

thankfully all were curable with time and perserverance.

 

[MillionDollar]

My first pony was a green 5yo old and was dreadful at first for napping, she just didn't want to go away from her best friend. She did this horrible really fast spin, you really had to be awake. So i just made her go round and round when she did this she soon got fed up of it (think sher might have felt a bit sick, lol). After a few months she didnt do it and now at 14 she never ever does it!!!

 

[serena2005]

we are getting there with the nappy, he use to rear buck, bronk, throw me off.. well he still does all of them but not as bad and not as often!!

its starting to work now im not scared of him

 

[the watcher]

I think nearly every horse I have ever ridden has shown some reluctance to leave their friends in the field, even if the signs of this are only tiny..thankfully I have only had a couple that would protest by rooting, rearing, spinning or some other kind of resistance. They have all come right with persistence and understanding.

The most important thing for me is to plan ahead, choose circular routes, never canter on the way home so choose the road route back. We take a steadier horse out and then split halfway to give the nappy one confidence on its own (progressively). I would say mine are hugely improved but I never forget that those particular horses do lack confidence and treat them accordingly (even down to never leaving them out alone without building up to it progressively.)

The other winning formula for me is to split a nappy horse and put it in a paddock on its own, but within close sight of other horses. Seems cruel not to allow them to build a bond with a field companion, I know, but the bond with the rider is so much stronger (and safer) as a consequence.

 

[Tempi]

sorry!

 

[Puppy]

LOL! No need to apologise

I was just surprised as that's what springs to my mind first.

 

[Parkranger]

I suppose you have to know the person to find it funny.....trying to turn around half heartedly isn't like napping some of you guys deal with is it?

Tap on the arse and they're going forward again - hardly the same thing!

 

[Lill]

I put 'NO' but perhaps i shouldn't have ! Blue does not nap and neither does Holly. Although about 18months ago Holly would bounce and threaten to rear if you tried to get her to do something she did not like in the arena - such as bend her neck!

 

[MagicMelon]

My horse used to nap badly out hacking, although after say a mile (and he thought he was going towards home again) he would be fine. He would simply refuse to move forward. He would rear (not too high though unless I made him!), kick out if smacked and basically just be a total pig. It was extremely frustrating. He never won though, I either stood and waited for him to get bored (then he'd move on his own accord) or Id get off an walk past. I figured he'd grow out of it if I never let him win. He didnt. He was sold to a new home where he always hacks out in company and I believe he's doing great!! Now another of my horses naps. I rarely hack anymore anyway but when I do take him out - he hates leaving home and reverses into things! Its dangerous as he's backed into ditches, fences etc.

 

[dieseldog]

To me napping is a horse just thinking it doesn't want to do something, or it does what you want but not that forward. It doesn't have to rear or spin or dump you in a ditch. All it needs to do is to shorten it's neck and you know it's thinking about it.

If you can catch the horse at the thinking about it stage you'll nip it in the bud a lot quicker than waiting for it to rear.

 

[RachelB]

My bombproof mule doesn't like sheep, which I found out when we suddenly span round and started going very fast back down the steep hill we had just come up! She's 100% with everything other than sheep! Oh apart from a bit of tarpaulin the other week. But she backs up very quickly, then spins and trots off in the other direction (won't let you stop her until she is a 'safe' distance away). I don't think she's really built to rear or buck, but I wouldn't put a mini one past her as I didn't think she'd kick until I found huge holes in her stable wall! I had a really badly nappy pony as my first pony, so I learnt all the tricks with her and I use anything on Maiden that will work. I admit I did get off the first time (a large ID who is meant to be 15.3hh but has just grown to 18hh because of a couple of cute sheep is not fun to be on!) but I now just sit there, talk to her, legs on, hands wide so she can't spin. I smack her if she goes backwards until she stands still, then lots of praise. She usually trots or canters past the scary thing once she's got enough courage up, then prances around like a TB until she's worn herself out!
As long as it's not dangerous, I think it's these things that make horses interesting!

 

[Blizzard]

My welsh mare naps like no tomorrowwhen she doesnt want to do something.

rears, spins, stamps, shakes her head, the whole lot, plants her feet for 15 mins at a time1

actually tok a vid on my phone lastnight ofmy steodad riding her, he was kicking and kicking, she just stood there with her leg propped as if tosay, yeah i will go when I want to LOL.

she is just very stubborn,although part of it isa confidence thnig and she is improving. 4 weeks ago she woudlnt even leavethe yard by herself, she has come on leaps and bounds. although less literally thankfully!

he he wish I could load the vid i did, it would give you a giggle!

 

[Tempi]

thats a great answer - you can feel it when they want to do it as they start to 'curl up' underneath you. Its a wierd feeling, and like you said if you can conquor it before they do it its the best thing to do.