Going in front hacking

[Oldernewbie]

Hi all

Hoping someone may be able to give some advice. I've started sharing a lovely older mare. She was a riding school horse for many years but did get hacked out quite regularly and by all accounts was an excellent hacker, would go first last etc. One of the reasons I decided to share her is so that I (a complete newbie to hacking!) could try to build up a little bit of experience and confidence hacking. Anyhow, I've had some lovely hacks going with a good lead horse and she is clearly relaxed and happily potters along just with the odd mini spook if something unexpected catches her eye. The problem is yesterday I tried putting her in front. She was fine in her familiar routes but when we had to go past a particular year with lot of different stuff going on she point blank refused to go forwards. I used my voice, leg and in the end my stick a few times (all with real intention and firmly) but NO she absolutely would not move. She felt really tense too so she was obviously worried. Is there any type of strategy I could try others then ramping up the use of leg and stick which I'll be honest doesn't make me feel great. I feel its important to able to go in front even if its usually not 'necessary.' Thanks.

 

[Sossigpoker]

By using force you won't make her more confident. I'd start off doing just a short stretch in front on a familiar route : ask your companion to drop back so that she naturally takes the lead , then stay in the lead even of it's for 10 steps and then ask your companion to over take
She's clearly lacking in confidence so you need to build it gradually.
Lots of praise when she is in the front.
Stick to the familiar routes until she's totally relaxed.

Some horses,.especially if older and they've never done it , just hate being in the lead and they're just not brave enough. In a older horse I wouldn't force it , especially if she can go in the lead where she's confident.

 

[Barton Bounty]

She will take confidence from you. So just gently gently nudge her on , coax her possibly with a treat and encourage her to move forward, takes time for the confidence to build ?

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Let her build her confidence on the way back to the yard and gradually build up from there, do not try to force her, that will only make matters worse.

 

[AntiPuck]

A lot of them will be more confident on the way home, so you could try asking the other horse to drop back periodically on the way home. You could also try getting off to lead her in front at first, then potentially get back on again to go back in behind,etc.

 

[JumpTheMoon1]

Stop the use of the stick.If this happens again get the other horse to lead right away and if the mare follows with no issues praise her - lots of pats and nice words.She will soon learn and will lead in time.
Back to basics with schooling and getting her used to noisy things etc.Build confidence but not with the stick.

 

[Palindrome]

You can try shoulder in and if that doesn't work you can try going backward where you want to go, it sometimes work.

 

[Trouper]

You say she is already happy going in front on familiar routes so it is only when the unexpected happens that she freezes? She needs to have total trust and confidence in you so the last thing I would do would be to make her anxiety worse by using the stick. She has been ridden by lots of different people in - generally - safe and familiar surroundings so it is going to take time to build a bond with you directly.

If there is not another horse with you, I would get off and lead her past the worry point so she learns that she can trust you to protect her. Don't let her turn away from the challenge but do give her the reassurance she needs. If you can, I would also lead out or long-rein her on her own so that it whatever she does with you it all becomes totally routine and non-threatening.

 

[Mrs C]

It's completely normal and acceptable to switch positions. If the lead horse is worried, let your friend lead past then switch back to being in front. If you've time, walk past a few times with plenty of praise. Treat it as a learning exercise and no big deal. Good luck with your hacking x

 

[Widgeon]

Stop the use of the stick.If this happens again get the other horse to lead right away and if the mare follows with no issues praise her - lots of pats and nice words.She will soon learn and will lead in time.

Actually I agree with this - as soon as you feel her grinding to a worried halt just let the other horse come past, follow it past the scary thing, then put her gradually back in front again. If you think she really is worried I probably wouldn't even bother kicking for now, let alone using the whip - just sit quietly and don't let it turn into a big deal (or any sort of deal at all). Eventually you'll probably find that with a little bit of leg she will start to creep past things without needing to follow another horse.

As an aside, some horses are just quite "look-y" - mine will usually lead other horses past anything but he sometimes needs a good stop and stare at it first, just to suss out what he thinks is going on. It seems like a reasonable need to me so I sit and let him look for a bit, then ask him to go forwards. He always does.

 

[Oldernewbie]

Thank you all I really appreciate the replies and suggestions.
interesting that all replies have said the same- not to force her which was my ‘instinct’!
I do have a few friends who have very confident lead horses so I’m just going to take the pressure of and try the suggestions here, focusing on building confidence rather than ‘pushing through’! She is such a good and obliging horse I really don’t want to turn my time with her into a battle ?

 

[Glitter's fun]

If she's been a riding school horse she will have always hacked the same route day after day (they have to, they can't explore and experiment with paying people, their hacks always have to last exactly an hour & contain the right amount of trot & canter!). You are teaching her something new & she will take a while to learn but its definitely do-able. I had a share in an ex trekking pony who used to refuse to continue, spin round & take his rider home again! In the end I could put a sandwich in my pocket & just go & get lost in the countryside for a day but it took a while to get there.
Good advice above ^^. Also can you walk her out just leading on a head collar sometimes? Just have a fun wander together & explore completely new places, like you were walking a dog. For hacking , sometimes walk to the furthest point from home then mount & ride back. Be as relaxed as you can yourself so she doesn't think you're scared of things too. (Sing if you're not relaxed but need to pretend to be!) Vary the route, vary the company if you can. Do other confidence-building things like agility, Le Trec obstacles etc if possible. Everything else changes but you will always be there & she will always be safe so basically you are moving her from confidence in routine to confidence in you. Take it very gradually.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

My last horse was always ridden out in a herd AND then was a Trekking horse before I had him, and hadn't ever been out solo when I got him at 11yrs old! All he'd done was follow the bum ahead.

We had major confidence issues hacking solo: he'd either plant & then rear, or plant & spin; he was also capable of putting in a wicked little corkscrew buck if he felt like it. He'd even reverse back and teeter on the edge of ditches etc, it really did defy all logic.

I got a professional to help me - an old school friend actually.

What we did was to take the "hacking solo" thing and put it on the back burner; we instead concentrated on groundwork, groundwork and more groundwork. Working with a knotted halti & long-line we build up our mutual confidence on the ground by walking around, making him go backwards & forward, over logs, lateral in-hand work etc., plus a little mini-obstacle course like flags, flapping things & pieces of carpet & tarp to walk over. She said that he needed to be confident in me as Herd Leader to keep him safe when we were out.

We went on to lead out in hand on the roads; then at some point we tacked him out and led him out in hand - and about half way round (ALWAYS circular route never out and back as this is the best way to get a nappy horse!) I'd hop up and ride him home. It wasn't long before we were riding the whole way!!

But as you are riding with a chum OP I personally wouldn't worry! This mare has obviously done her stint in the riding school and she's used to going behind! IF you feel you want her to go ahead, then you will need to do some (possibly all) of the stuff I've talked about above. Or as someone else has suggested just get off and lead her past, don't put her under pressure. And please do NOT use your whip on her! Worst thing you can do: coz by heck if I had to go past a gate where there was a massive anaconda and every time I did someone gave me a belting, I'd be convinced the blimmin snake was doing it!! Do you see? By using your whip where she's already feeling insecure, you are giving her negative reassurance that there IS actually something to be frightened of! She isn't being naughty, she is responding to her own insecurities and fears and YOU the rider have to be her Herd Leader in this situation; YOU have to earn her respect and confidence - and something I've learnt is that once a mare has given you her loyalty and trust - it is a very special thing indeed, it is actually a sacred bond. Very special.

OR ........... never mind anything I've said - coz you could just sit back & relax and let her slot in behind, and not worry about her!! She sounds a lovely sort who knows her job, a real sweetie.

 

[Smogul]

Have you tried "leap frog"? Basically, if you are behind another horse, push your horse on in walk until it is walking beside the lead horse. Then ask your horse to go a tiny little bit in front, perhaps so your horse's nose is ahead of its companion. Then the other horse walks on quickly to take the lead. Repeat the exercise but ask your horse to go just a wee bit further ahead - maybe so head and ears are in front of companion. Then other horse walks on to take the lead. I hope you can follow this explanation! Most horses seem to enjoy the "game" and you always make sure your horse never gets so far ahead that it worries. It is probably worth practising in the school first. It is an exercise lots of riding schools use anyway to get riders used to speeding up walk/trot and passing another horse so you may find your horse already knows this exercise.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Have you tried "leap frog"? Basically, if you are behind another horse, push your horse on in walk until it is walking beside the lead horse. Then ask your horse to go a tiny little bit in front, perhaps so your horse's nose is ahead of its companion. Then the other horse walks on quickly to take the lead. Repeat the exercise but ask your horse to go just a wee bit further ahead - maybe so head and ears are in front of companion. Then other horse walks on to take the lead. I hope you can follow this explanation! Most horses seem to enjoy the "game" and you always make sure your horse never gets so far ahead that it worries. It is probably worth practising in the school first. It is an exercise lots of riding schools use anyway to get riders used to speeding up walk/trot and passing another horse so you may find your horse already knows this exercise.

^^^ Ohh Yes this is an excellent exercise! The friend who backed my youngster (and gave me the advice I've just posted above about solo hacking) does this a lot! We did it with mine when she was a baby-pony. You can do it in any pace; but start with walk (obviously). It really is a fab thing to do and is particularly good prep for stuff like hunting, pleasure rides etc., when you get the speed up and start doing it in canter.

 

[Glitter's fun]

We went on to lead out in hand on the roads; then at some point we tacked him out and led him out in hand - and about half way round (ALWAYS circular route never out and back as this is the best way to get a nappy horse!) I'd hop up and ride him home. It wasn't long before we were riding the whole way!!

That's what I did but I didn't explain it as well in my post!!

 

[Bobthecob15]

Have you tried "leap frog"? Basically, if you are behind another horse, push your horse on in walk until it is walking beside the lead horse. Then ask your horse to go a tiny little bit in front, perhaps so your horse's nose is ahead of its companion. Then the other horse walks on quickly to take the lead. Repeat the exercise but ask your horse to go just a wee bit further ahead - maybe so head and ears are in front of companion. Then other horse walks on to take the lead. I hope you can follow this explanation! Most horses seem to enjoy the "game" and you always make sure your horse never gets so far ahead that it worries. It is probably worth practising in the school first. It is an exercise lots of riding schools use anyway to get riders used to speeding up walk/trot and passing another horse so you may find your horse already knows this exercise.

This actually works really well, particularly if you do it on the way home!

 

[poiuytrewq]

Thank you all I really appreciate the replies and suggestions.
interesting that all replies have said the same- not to force her which was my ‘instinct’!
I do have a few friends who have very confident lead horses so I’m just going to take the pressure of and try the suggestions here, focusing on building confidence rather than ‘pushing through’! She is such a good and obliging horse I really don’t want to turn my time with her into a battle ?

That’s because we think we must win every battle, I think that was how we used to be taught, if you let a horse get away with it you’ll be sorry!
Luckily we are finding that’s not the case and that a bit of kindness and patience works better.
I agree with the getting the other horse to just take over as soon as you feel a hesitation. This way nothing becomes a thing and whatever she looked at she’s instantly told by the other that it’s ok.