Hacking alone

S

splashnutti1

Well-Known Member
Joined
19 July 2011
Messages
483
Location
nottm
Visit site
Hi everyone i have a lovely irish cob who is great in every way. I have owned him just over a year.

he hacks out fine with other horses but when on his own he will plod out like a donkey but as soon as we turn for home i swear he turns into a racehorse, he jogs ,goes sideways, snorts and spooks at anything even things he has walked past on his way out!!!

Now i have tried different routes to no avail he just know when we are homeward bound, i tried turning away from home again when he starts but again riverst back as soon as i head home.

thing is my yard is on quite a main road so i cant afford the silliness, however about five mins up from home he will go back into plod mode??

is very frustrating.

he is just 5 all tack, teeth etc fine. Is perfect in company and better if someone on foot walks with him. Is in a hang cheek snaffle and martingale.

any ideas how i can solve this welcome lol
 
Well this may seem an odd question but do you tense up as soon as he starts playing up - almost expecting the silly jog walk? You may find when with others you're much more relaxed and not really paying attention to how far you've got to go until you're back at the yard. I would either ignore it or turn him the other way, and once he relaxes turn back for home and should he start jogging/being silly turn back the other way again. I'm sure other's will be along soon to give some other ideas though.
 
If I were you I'd be taking the same route very day and taking no notice of his antics if possible, then popping him in his stable for an hour, no hay and no treats, certainly no T until a good hour later. Make it mundane coming home and not a target area.
Good luck, you'll get there.
 
Elsbells said:
If I were you I'd be taking the same route very day and taking no notice of his antics if possible, then popping him in his stable for an hour, no hay and no treats, certainly no T until a good hour later. Make it mundane coming home and not a target area.
Good luck, you'll get there.
Click to expand...
I'd do this too, or go further and work him pretty hard for at least another 30 minutes as soon as he gets back to the yard - so you're going along with his idea that getting home quick is a good thing but then reminding him that his idea leads to harder work. Definitely no feed/treats/time out for a good hour or so.
 
Agree with Dornrose. He's young and still working out how things work. When he starts rushing don't enter into a battle for control. A neckstrap may give you a sense of security so that you aren't so likely to start pulling on his mouth. Ignore him rushing and stay very calm and just give him little reminders to slow down. Sit back and visualise yourself being extremely calm and in control of a horse prancing underneath you.

Depends on you, the horse and the road, but sometimes asking for a brisk trot before they think of it, enables them to harness their instinct to move when feeling anxious - and then after a short burst, they are more willing to come back to you.

It's often a gradual process, the more you ride, the more confident they become. You just have to stay confident too ! Singing or reciting poetry is a useful way to keep your breathing in check when things seem a bit fraught.
When you arrive back at the yard, ask him to stand and stay mounted for several minutes. Don't jump off and lead him to his hay/feed/friends etc. He needs to understand that his return is not the end of work and rushing back doesn't make his leisure time happen any sooner.
 
wench said:
I wouldn't go leaving a horse in a stable without hay for an hour.
Click to expand...

why ?? an hour isn,t long - my pony will often stand in his shelter not eating for 2 hours + and however much hay I gave my old horse he would finish it within 3-4 hrs but be in overnight not ideal I know but his weight was unmanageable otherwise.
 
JLD said:
why ?? an hour isn,t long - my pony will often stand in his shelter not eating for 2 hours + and however much hay I gave my old horse he would finish it within 3-4 hrs but be in overnight not ideal I know but his weight was unmanageable otherwise.
Click to expand...

No, its not long, but personally, in this situation I wouldn't. He's young and he gets worried. The hack should be a positive experience with a positive ending. Withdrawal of forage is used in this situation as negative reinforcement.

If the OP asks the horse to stand for a few minutes while she stays mounted, he is still working. When she dismounts, she's able to give him a pat/rub and a positive end.
 
Just get him used to going straight past the yard gate every time you go out, even in company if your hacking buddies are amenable. Then he won't be so keen to jog back there.
 
I don't think horses can understand, "I'm sitting in my stall for an hour without feed because I pratted about like an eejit coming home from that hack." That is far too abstract for them.

In order to prevent/fix barn sourness, I will either work the horse in the school for 15 or 20 minutes after a hack or, even better, go out in a different direction. That way the horse doesn't associate having his nose pointed towards home with getting home, you getting off, and him no longer having to be out in the big scary world by himself.
 
dogatemysalad said:
No, its not long, but personally, in this situation I wouldn't. He's young and he gets worried. The hack should be a positive experience with a positive ending. Withdrawal of forage is used in this situation as negative reinforcement.

If the OP asks the horse to stand for a few minutes while she stays mounted, he is still working. When she dismounts, she's able to give him a pat/rub and a positive end.
Click to expand...

ok that makes sense thanks ! just wondering - wasn't meant to come across as too assertive !
 
I hate to tell you this OP but I had a little arab that did this. It was like a switch flicked exactly half way around our routes/ She was like some kind of homing pigeon!

Any way she did it all the time I knew her, from age 12 until the day before she died at 30!

I tried everything mentioned above (apart from with holding hay!) and I couldn't change her. She was a little horror in this way, but perfect inn every other. I'd have her back in a heartbeat!
 
Op, on the way out before you turn for home, how much fast work is he getting? Do you tire him out on the way out?

My cob used to act a little silly when he was 4/5, I just made sure (once warmed up) I trotted out, worked with gumption and made sure that before I turned for home, he was tired. Then he would wander back on the buckle without acting up.
 
Hi everyone thankyou so much for your advice.

As far as I know I dont tense when heading home, I tend to keep him on a loose rein just using half halts when he breaks pace then praising when he is back in walk and giving back loose rein, I do talk and sing (badly ) to him.

I dont usually feed him straight away when we get home. Will definately try schooling him ten mins when I get back and also riding him past home.

Have tried the turning back and forth but doesnt help. Will also try sticking to same route.

Just wary of the main road. His silliness doesnt bother me its the fact ots on a road that is the prob lol

Thanks again :)
 
He works reasonably hard on way out, I trot him on and make him work also on quieter roads ill leg yeild to line and back to engage his brain.

When he is being silly on way home I have also trotted him on which is ok but he will spook more.

He is frustrating lol good job I love him ;) x
 
I had similar problem when I 1st got my horse as 4 yr old. Altho he mainly just jogged/trotted very quickly on way home.
For him i think in some way it was a security thing trying 2 get home asap to his home/friends etc as sometimes he'd neigh on way home 2.

Wot i used 2 do was the minute he went from walk to jog I asked him 2 halt- not for long even just a millisec I was just trying 2 break the jog but i did insist he halted- coming back to walk or stopping then creeping was not allowed he had to completely stop. Then I asked him to walk &nxt time he jogged I did exact same. Had 2 b very consistent that halt happened every time he broke the walk.
To keep him thinking on way home I'd also ask him to trot few steps every now, then halt to trot lots of transitions basically!

Did make hacking home a lot longer at times but after few wks of being consistent he got the message & hacks out fab now!
 
I'm sure I'll get some stick for saying this but....

I had my pony for 8 years, I could hack her out for 20 mins or 4 hours and she would always, without fail, walk home like a racehorse! I tried everything and there was nothing wrong with her at all, it was just her!! She would only be silly if I made a big deal out of it.

If I were you, I would just totally ignore the silliness and just praise him when he is good. Some horses just have funny habits, as long as it isnt dangerous or making you feel nervous, I wouldn't worry....
 
muckypony said:
I'm sure I'll get some stick for saying this but....

I had my pony for 8 years, I could hack her out for 20 mins or 4 hours and she would always, without fail, walk home like a racehorse! I tried everything and there was nothing wrong with her at all, it was just her!! She would only be silly if I made a big deal out of it.

If I were you, I would just totally ignore the silliness and just praise him when he is good. Some horses just have funny habits, as long as it isnt dangerous or making you feel nervous, I wouldn't worry....
Click to expand...

No stick from me hun all opinions /ideas welcome :)

I dont make a big deal off his behavior infact try to ignore it prob is i need to solve this as the road to my yard is very busy and cars will speed down it so i cant afford for him to be swinging his backside out and being daft if he just walked fast then no prob but he gets silly to. If it wasnt a main road then it wouldnt bother me lol.

I keep him on a loose rein and try not to get into a tug of war with him so as not to wind him up, only half halting when he breaks pace to bring him back to walk but this sometimes prompts loss of his butt for a few secs before he corrects himself and walks lol. have tried letting him trot on a few paces which is good and he comes back ok and straight but will spook more in trot.

Chocy thanks i will try halting him as havent tried that although he will halt at junctions?

will try everyones suggestions and let you know how we get on :) thanks
 
Caol Ila said:
I don't think horses can understand, "I'm sitting in my stall for an hour without feed because I pratted about like an eejit coming home from that hack." That is far too abstract for them.QUOTE]

Agreed

If you are on bridle way/byways/fields etc, as soon as he jogs turn a circle, jogs again, turn a circle, jogs again turn a circle. He'll get the idea if he just walks on he wont have to keep doing pesky circles. Make sure your rein is oft when turning also....Really does work (similar to how you would train a dog puling on a lead)- obviously don't do it on the road :P
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top