Going Backwards

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BlackBoris

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Haven't posted on here for a while, but would really like some advise. My 8 year old has now decided that going backwards is rather good fun!! Back, saddle and teeth all checked and fine. took him hunting (1st time) and since then if he can't get his own way we go shooting backwards. Weekend ended up hitting a gate, shot forward and then backwards into a pile of brambles. He refuses to listen to my leg and go forward and I am really strict on myself that I give him a loose rein to try and encourage him to go forwards. The weekend resulted in 2 or 3 hard smacks and we shot forward and then was like an unexploded bomb the rest of the hack. Anybody got any ideas on how I can stop him doing this?
 
Teach him rein back as a command and when he does decide to go backwards, push him back a few extra steps - you need to 'own it' as a command. If he refuses to go forwards, turn round, and go backwards but in the direction you want to go if that makes sense. Me and my pony went backwards from the yard to the school on saturday, because he decided he wasn't going to go forwards ... ;)
 
As Bex says, failing that (or if it's not safe to keep going backwards), a tight turn.

Edited to add: if he's doing the 'I'm a bomb' impression after your discussion, quietly but firmly give him something to keep his mind occupied - transitions, change of tempo, leg yielding.

Dizzy was the same when she was younger. We've been backwards, quite fast, past a number of things :o. I found a Thelwell kick quite useful, or a tap on the shoulder, partially because a smack on Dizz's bum and I would have ended up head first in a hedge, but also because it can get the attention without being too argumentative, if that makes sense.
 
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Hi Sounds like he's going to get nappy soon. Obvious but have you done all the usual tack/teeth/back checks? If so then I certainly wouldnt be encouraging him to go back at all. You are doing the right thing by smacking. I had one used to do this hacking - in the end I turned him the other way and we backed all the way down bridle way - but I was much braver then!
 
Yep, you definitely need to "take control of backwards". Funny enough, this happened with one of my horses, Miri, on Saturday. Miri was very nappy when younger and going backwards was one of his chief evasions. However, whenever he went into reverse, I would take over reverse and keep him reversing - then, the time would come that horse would suddenly realise that he would like to stop reversing, but isn't being allowed to and that somehow, what was his idea initially is not his idea any more.

Working with this horse like that very quickly got him out of that habit, and he honestly hasn't tried it on with me for a long, long time now.

However, they don't ever forget their old tricks though. Had a girl ride this horse on Saturday (just as a one off) and, being a new and different rider, Miri tried the backwards evasion (first time in must be at least 3 years). Instantly I saw him try it, I told the rider to "take over reverse," which she did. Miri learned very quickly and didn't put a step wrong for her after that (in fact the rider really liked and enjoyed him!)
 
Aoibhin said:
as above, old cob i used to ride was a bugger for reversing if he diddnt get own way.
we have once gone around the entire village in reverse (90% of said hack)
Click to expand...

This made me giggle.

Mine currently reverses backwards the minute your foot gets in the stirrup....he decided this wasn't much of an evasion after doing several circuits of the yard backwards:rolleyes:
 
My mare used to go backwards out hacking when I first got her and then started again when I moved yards.

I find smacking or kicking does not help! In my case it will only escalate the situation. In fact I have to take all leg off which is a very un natural thing to do when she's backing rapidly into a car or a big ditch etc. but it works.

As she's grown more confident she rarely does it now so I'm afarid I don't exactly have a solution?
 
Interesting! I too have a reverser. She tried it on big time when I first got her over 8 years ago, and we got her out of the habit but she has started to do it again over the last year as an evasion if there is something ahead that she doesn't want to go past.

I've not been brave enough to try reversing her for ages, and often when she does it we are riding at the front of a group so it isn't quite so easy to do that. However, I do look out for things that I think might trigger it and if I see something I try to push her forward into trot as I've found that once we have got a good forward momentum it seems to banish all thoughts of reversing from her mind.
 
Two things work with F:

- proper whack with the whip, he bucks, he gets another one for bucking and totally packs it in for the day

- tight half-turn and reverse in the direction you want to go then turn towards original direction and ask for forwards, if he reverses, repeat tight half-turn. He can be quite obstinate about this but he eventually gives in for the rest of the hack!
 
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