Getting a horse to lead the ride out hacking

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Charla

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I'm wondering what you can do in this situation....

My youngster lacks confidence out hacking and when asked to lead the ride whilst out, he will plant his feet and refuse to go forward. Nothing will encourage him forwards.

I've not even attempted hacking out alone.

Any suggestions?
 
Will he hack alongside another horse? How is he if you lead him inhand? I would start by leading him out and getting him working alongside another horse. Then you can slowly ask him to lead for a minute or two and building up. Maybe he would be happier leading on the way home or on a particularly well known route for him?
 
I have an Irish sport horse 5 year old who will hunt alone or in company and is soooo mannerly but if he is out hacking he HAS to follow. Last week i took it upon myself to cure him and I donned a pair of spurs. He was a different horse. I found it was more because, for whatever reason, he has not been trained to go totally off of your leg and I sit kick kick kicking and he truely has no idea what I am going on about. Rode him sat/sun/mon without spurs and he hacked out in front all three days.
 
Thanks for the replies that's really helpful! My boy is a 4 year old. He used to be responsive to the leg when I first started him and now I find he is pretty dead to the leg after I sent him away for professional schooling and they used spurs on him. I haven't used spurs on him and like you say, you can do all the kicking in the world and he does not budge one bit when infront on a hack.

He will walk a long side another horse for a few strides but then tries to slip in behind again and I find I am nagging him constantly to keep upside another horse.
 
I think it's just a confidence thing which will grow in time, just keep hacking in a group or with another well behaved confident horse side by side making sure he rides at the side of another, when I say at the side I don't mean slightly behind or huddling t his friends shoulders or quarters, there must be a good gap between you so you can push on in front a little without him noticing, the other horse needs to walk out well and not saunter along in a half hearted walk otherwise this will have the same effect on yours and his confidence.
 
Totally agree with the confidence issue too. The most annoying thing about mine was when out cantering, he was so reluctant to properly stretch out and was constantly 'in the shadows' of whichever horse he was following. Yet out hunting, in the school he moves beautifully and is more than willing!
 
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