Hacked youngster for first time... now I'm worried!!

Halfpass

Halfpass

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Decided that after a lot of long reining out and about, walking out in hand and one great hack along the lane with OH leading her, that today was the day that I would hack her out with another horse. Asked my friend who has a usually sane sensible pony to come with me and she agreed.

We set off and had planned a route with no gates that would take just 10 minutes.

Firstly we came across a rather scary man with a long blue piece of pipe that didn't seem to understand when I politely asked him to stop waving it about in the air, she passed this fine and actually seemed far happier out in front than tucked behing usually sane pony. So we continued then came across a horse eating car with all its doors open that she passed fine again giving usually sane pony a lead!!!
Then we came across the biggest river you have ever seen (a small puddle) that she stepped straight in and out giving usually sane pony a lead again!!

We carried on and in my head I thought she is so good maybe I should just turn round and go back the way we came to reduce the risk of ruining it all by continuing but as we were already half way we decided to continue.

She saw the busy road in the distance which she had a good look at, the cars do look strangley small when they are so far away!!

We got to the bottom of a small hill and the usually sane pony decides to start jogging and pinging around, Alee tensed and for the first time ever felt like a coiled spring ready to explode. Friend start to panic about her horse and Alee starts the ping herself. I made her stand hopped off ran up my stirrups and lead her on the rest of the ride. She was strong and joggy but we got back to the yard in once piece.

My problem now is I didn't get back on, our school was unusually waterlogged so unrideable and to be honest I felt a bit worried about getting back on.

Is there going to be a problem next time I hack her on the same route?

OH had suggested that we try again on Sunday with him leading her, trouble is now I am a bit aprehensive about getting back on. She has done most of this route before inhand.

Any advice much appreciated.
 
i think it sounded like she did very very well and you must do it again and stay on and relax, deep breaths, relax. i wouldnt lead her out, she will think she was right to be scared in the first place and it will get harder. dont say good girl all the time or before anything that looks scary, that also tells her that it is. if youre worried go with oh on foot but dont lead! good luck, she sounds like a gem, seriously, nerves can be shattering and restricting, i lost my confidence last year, took ages to get back.
 
I think you did very well and did the right thing getting off when you did if you were feeling aprehensive, the horse would only have got more scared if she felt your nerves.

I would try it again as soon as possible. If she is willing to go alone i would even consider going alone, depends on the horse. That way the other horse cant make her think there is something to worry about. Sounds like she is pretty confident anyway taking the lead at some things.
I would get OH to go with you but not lead her just walk beside you.
 
Thanks for the advice guys. I was near on tears when I got back as I felt so defeated.
I had thought about taking her on her own but many people had advised me not to.
I plan to try again sunday if my nerves are ok and take the dog with us. Funnily enough when we first started long reining her out and about it was the dog that she would follow past scary objects.
 
Don't worry about it hon, Axey did exactly the same the first time I hacked him out and next time I went out on him he was fine.

Well done tho, she sounds like she was a star! You did the right thing by getting off if you had fallen off her it would have been worse.

take care, see you soon
Sam x
 
I think you did really well I wouldnt feel deflated about it.
Let us know how she goes. I can understand people telling you to go in compan- moral support etc but it sounds like the other horse had triggered her into thinking hey something is up I will jump around too.
Just try to relax and chat to your OH as if everything is cool keep ur mind off things
 
This is going to be hard to hear but if you are at all nervous you aren't the person to hack her out the first few times.
Unless you can conquer your nerves pay a professional to do it instead.
If you feel you can control yourself and not pass any vibes through to your horse fine, this will work.
I would advise finding a really sensible plod not the daft one you used last time, and lead your horse out tacked up from it without the rider on. Get your OH to ride a bike in front or walk, whatever, but something to see to give you and the horse confidence.
Then after your horse has returned from the ride being led, hop on yourself with the rider holding your youngster as well as you the reins.
go straight back off on exactly the same route.
Don't just walk by the way, trotting is fine provided you don't get any back humping!
You should feel happy to remove the lead rein half way home and hack back yourself, by all means with a person walking with you as well as the sane neddie.
repeat this over a few days and soon you will be taking the leadrope off sooner and sooner.
My boss backed hundreds of horses this way and even the stupidest settled to this method.
This is however where you have to be a confident rider not a jelly and give the horse tons of confidence.
The reason my other half was so superb at backing first timers is they always trusted his confidence totally. If you can't be like that, for your horse's future let someone who can do the initial work.
sorry but it's incredibly important to get right the first few times....
 
I wouldn't go without another horse. I've introduced my new youngster to hacking in the last few months and have always hacked with another. Have a think about a very, very quiet horse to go with and think about the person on board as well - the woman on the pony would not have helped her own pony and in turn yours. I would also think about getting someone else more confident to do this. Young horses will not respond well to their riders getting nervous and will think that there's something to worry about. If you have a tendency to get nervous when your horse feels tense and worried then it won't be a good combination. At times I was with my new boy but I have ahd to learn to chill and relax - I almost have to force myself some days but it certainly works. In one sense it was a good thing that you got off if you yourself were tense and nervous, in another not so. Keep going - but keep yourself calm and relaxed.
 
sorry but the way you described all the scarey things you met it sounds as if you are nervous and looking for trouble,and that short time is not long enough for any horse to settle.
you need a confidant person to hack out for an hour every day for a week then you would see a difference.
if you look for spooky stuff you are showing the horse it,he will feel it.
 
Thanks for the advice and all will be taken on board. I wasn't nervous at all until things started to go wrong. The descrption in the OP was just how said sane pony percieved it all not me or my horse she is not spooky as I have spent a lot of time making sure she isn't.
The pony that came with us is probably the sanest one on my yard!!!
Which is obviously where my problem begins.
I can be a tad nervous at times due to an accident years ago so i'm probably not the best person for the job if I am honest with myself.
I really do think though that had I done it on my own we wouldn't have had the probelms.
What are peoples opinions of other people riding youngsters? I am the only one that has been on her so far but I know my OH would be far more suitable for her first hacks.
 
I'm sorry to disagree with you but I feel that an hour is far too much for her. She is a 3 year and big to boot hence being backed now (but thats another debate I don't want to get into) and she came back from 15mins knackered let alone and hour.
 
I agree in building it up gradually - especially at that age. My boy is 5 but a late starter so can mentally and physically probably cope with more. It doesn't matter whether you were calm when you set off - your reaction to the situation is the most important thing. If I personally thought I was not up to the job with my youngster then I would have no qualms about getting someone esle to do it - I want it done properly and correctly now so that I can avoid any future problems. I also think it's a fab thing for her to see all those things from day 1 of hacking - it's out there and they're going to have to get on and deal with it - but the important thing is not to make a big deal of it. I'm learning this all over again (my other horse wAS 3 when I had him) and I'm lucky that I have a lot of people around me that have far more experience than I have.
 
Looking back I feel my reaction was ok. I felt her start to get uptight and I did calmly dismount run up my stirrups and walk her home. My concern with next time is not so much my nerves but more that by dismounting this time I have allowed her to think that this is normal!
Plan is to go out again on sunday and OH will walk alongside.
I like the idea of leading her from another horse but I know there is not one on our yard that would be sensible enough and that this would cause far more problems. Thanks guys for all your thoughts and ideas they really have helped.
 
I agree with henry horn, my first thought was to get someone who is totally confident to tke her out a couple of times before you go out again, there will be no damage done to her as you got of before anything went wrong, but you must 110% happy before you take her out again.
Good luck it will take time.
 
If she long reins out and leads out on her own, hack her on her own. I long reined mine everywhere on his own, and then in company to be used to going out with other horses, then rode him out on his own for the first time. Becasue he was used to long reining on his own, he was less bothered, and If I had taken him with another horse, that would have seemed stranger to him after he had spent weeks long reining out on his own!
smile.gif
 
i'd try to get him out with another sensible horse if poss, if not could someone else lead the other horse??

my lad had a set back like this a few weeks ago, he'd been absolutely fine every time out then for some reason about 1/4 mile from home he decided to rear and canter sideways constantly! we're on a really busy road but the car drivers were fantastic and let me get on with it, i couldnt even get off safely he was going that mental!! anyway, like you i was a bit apprehensive but the next week took him out as usual and just gave him a bit more coaxing when we got to the part he was pratting about at last time, he was fine!! i was ready to start hacking out alone but i've put that off for a while now, need him to have more confidence first!!

hope you get it sorted, i wouldnt worry too much about the set back, it happens to most of them at some point! if you've got enough spare bodies maybe you could get someone to walk with you but not lead so if you do have any probs they can catch hold and lead you instead of you getting off!!

fingers crossed if you ride tomorrow!! ;-)
 
I did exactly the same thing with my mare when she was a baby and it didn't make any difference the next time I rode her - she seemed to have forgotten all about the "monsters"!! I think sometimes they just need the confidence of you being at their heads to get through things. It does sound as if the other pony might have wound your horse up over the course of your hack, so maybe best hack out with something that doesn't react to things or just with someone on foot to give yours a bit of extra confidence.
 
In regards who to get on her if that is the path you choose.. are there any dealers/racing/trining yards about? My YO borrowed a jockey from a local trainer to take her boy out at first.
 
go out tomorrow,and the next day,i`m sure you will be fine.does`t matter if you get off and walk a bit then get back on.
good luck
 
I had a similar problem with my mare, got off calmed her down and remounted, next day rode the same track and she was fine! I find singing (don't laugh) or talking is a good way to keep calm as you have to breath to do this and it naturally keeps me calm!
 
I am currently hacking out my 4 year old for the first few times and can echo what henryhorn says you need to be totally confident. And you must have a companion horse or just someone on a bike who won't get silly. I'm lucky in that I don't have roads to contend with but I do have dogs running out from bushes herds of ponies galloping around and herds of cows.

Finally I don't hack out unless I can go far enough to wear them out without harming them, hence I don't ride before 4 years this way when they get silly you can push them on and go far enough so that they come back a bit tired. If I have too I get off because they have got tired not because they are being silly. I also do as much of the ride out in trot as a horse thinking forward is not thinking silly and will even canter if it's suitable. I do however always walk home the last 1/2 mile.

This method has worked for me on all horses I've started and Herbie is a strapping 16.1 warmblood.

Hope that helps
 
I think your little horse did brilliantly and that you should look at the positives from that hack. Look at the hazards she did overcome and she looked after you and behaved in a sane and calm fashion. I think it takes time to build a bond with a youngster and it is a little scary as you never quite know how they will react, the hardest thing I had to do was to get my youngster hacking out alone, everything else seemed a piece of cake in comparison.

I think it is right you deal with this in little chunks, I was always taught you ride the number of times a week for their age and as a 3yr old, I would ride 3 times a week, and if in the school for 20 mins max. Out hacking I started with 10 mins and just kept adding on 5 mins gradually over time, there is so much to see it blows their heads and it sounds as if she dealt with everything and then the other horses messing around just was the straw that got her spooked! I think you arequite right to take it slowly, the worst advice I ever had was from an instructor who told me my 4yr old should be school at least 5 times a weeks, I believed him for a couple of months and my poor little horse was a nervous wreck, as soon as I took my time with things he became much happier and calmer.

I also think you should carry on being the rider if you possibly can as you both need to trust each other and this will never happen if you don't ride, I speak from experience as it took a while to get my confidence but now we are a good team. However, I also think Henry Horn has some very good advice to follow and it is a fair point that you may need a little professional help just for the first few hacks if need be, I really like the idea of doing the route tacked up and riderless and then repeated ridden, that's a great idea. Take your YO up on her offer, give the hack another go and let us know how you get on.
 
I know its great isn't it. Thanks for the good luck the next hack will be tomorrow so i'll update you all about how its goes. I am planing on taking OH to walk. I know my horse so well i'm 99% sure it was the company that wound her up. So it'll be just me, her OH and doggy.
I am pretty pleased with the preperation work I have done and am sure she is ready for thei next step. It was really just that we had got so far on our short hack that it was such a shame that it went wrong.
Lesson learnt though, quiet horses aren't always quiet!!!

Thanks guys for all you rhelp and advise.

Erika
 
I have seen so many horses ruined at this stage and I think unless you are experienced and happy to put up with a horse getting a bit excited you should get a GOOD professional to hack your horse out. You are going to meet all sorts of things and you must intruct your horse to pass things and if you ask ,the horse must feel you are in charge, if you are at all nervous or haven't done this before the horse is going to learn to nap and that is hard to sort out.
My daughter is very experienced [BHSAI and PC A] but we still got a recom. pro to do the early work and it paid off.
Good luck ,I just don't want you to make mistakes.
 
I have good and bad days with my youngster...Think the best thing is to just be as calm as possible and not to raise your voice...sounds like you did really well.
 
Ok so there will be alot of I told you so's coming my way and I have now realised I obviously don't know best.
Hacked out again today, same route but no ther horses just my OH and the dog.
All was going fine again until she could see the traffic in the distance and I could not get her to move not one inch. She then got a horse fly on her and did 2 huge fly bucks in a row. Somehow again I stayed on walked her forward a few paces and realised I had put my back out. She was going up as I was going down and we met somewhere in the middle. I jumped off again
frown.gif
and led her home.
I am taking her to the guy she got sent away to earlier this year and he is going to hack out a couple of times on her around his farm to give her a good start. Out other horse is going to him for a couple of weeks so when I go and visit I will take Alee with me and either have an hours lesson on a hack or he will hack her. So for now we will continue with the long reining out and about and go from there.
 
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