Hacking dilemma...

NeverSayNever

NeverSayNever

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My Sec D mare is always more of a handful to hack in the winter. Silly and spooky and strong. I have worked over previous winters trying different things and I know its not feed related. I tried her on just adlib hay and a balancer and she dropped weight and was even worse. She is a type that is hard to keep weight on.I have really sorted the spooking with magnesium which works brilliantly for her :) Whereas before she would spook and then never come down from the fright and get sillier and hotter, now she can spook and return to normal and be rideable :) She is a very (very!) clever little mare and out hacking she is always looking and alert.

I have now realised though that in winter, she also gets a little nappy for home. My problem is, that despite having at least 8 routes i can do, she is soo clever, she knows this whole area so well and knows as soon as we are remotely heading in that direction, even though all my routes are circular. She doesnt nap nastily, just gets all hotted up, jogs and throws her head in the general direction she wants to go, but thankfully she is very easy to push through it and make her go the direction i want to go, however if we ARE heading for home it gets horrible as I just cant get her to walk and stop head throwing:( .

So,I am trying a new approach to hacking and I am trying very much not to put any pressure on her whatsoever as Ive found by doing so, its a lot worse. So against my better judgement Im not asking for any work, no contact, no leg yields or flexing. Im just focusing on a long loose rein and long and low. She loves to stretch :) Its very frustrating as I want to able to school on hacks as I dont have a school but she is so busy in her head that instead of it settling her, it has the opposite effect and she fights with me. Mares :( As I said, she is so ‘looky’ out hacking that her head can be up like a giraffe watching someone walking 2 fields away and previously I would have been trying to get her attention on me but doing this seems to just make her fight me. She isnt looking and spooking, just literally , looking!

Everytime today we came across any opening into a field or section where we could be about to turn to home, she started jogging sideways and head tossing but i ignored her and pressed on and fought mentally with myself not to pick up the contact but just to keep her on a loose rein. It was hard lol, but, it seemed to work!

We actually managed to walk home the last couple of miles totally on the buckle and I was really chuffed with her :D However Im a little gutted that it seems this is what Im going to have to do as with no facilities at home I always schooled on hacks, but if this is what I need to do to make our hacks enjoyable again and keep her relaxed and rideable then I will, any thoughts?
 
This is what I do with my spooky section d, when alone I concentrate on chilling (I know oxymoron). If I relax so does she and I can ride her alone on the buckle and bring her down more quickly from a spook this way too. I do think for me this has meant I can slowly up the work she does out and about especially if she has done the route often. This could well be the case for you, if hacking becomes a pleasurable look about then you may find this habit will stick and you can school out again. Either way for your safety and sanity what you've done sounds bang on!
 
I wonder as this only seem a problem in winter, if it is to do with wanting to get back as quickly as possible because she has worked out that a tasty feed will be waiting for her or something like that? Whereas in the summer she might net get that, just turned out?

My mare got a little like you describe, so I played her own game and gave her a small feed of damped down chaff whilst I got her ready. She thought she had been fed and gave up trying to nap for home.

If it isnt anything to do with the above, how about dedicating the next few hacks to letting her walk on the loose rein that you have had some success with. Forget all about schooling her out on a hack until you have firmly re established a calm and non napping attitude to riding out?
 
MrsJingle said:
I wonder as this only seem a problem in winter, if it is to do with wanting to get back as quickly as possible because she has worked out that a tasty feed will be waiting for her or something like that? Whereas in the summer she might net get that, just turned out?

My mare got a little like you describe, so I played her own game and gave her a small feed of damped down chaff whilst I got her ready. She thought she had been fed and gave up trying to nap for home.

If it isnt anything to do with the above, how about dedicating the next few hacks to letting her walk on the loose rein that you have had some success with. Forget all about schooling her out on a hack until you have firmly re established a calm and non napping attitude to riding out?
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thanks pollyp and mrsJ for the replies. No, I dont ever give her feed on return, but it was a good thought:) I think she just gets sharper and sillier with the cold tbh :/ This year ive not fully clipped her as i have previously to see if that helps too.
 
Is she out more in the summer? My horse is sharper in winter due to coming in overnight whereas in summer she is out 24/7.

Not sure how this helps but I guess identifying the cause is the first step to a solution.
 
Mine's a bit of a pain due to shorter turnout currently. Can you longline her anywhere? At least it keeps the schooling in partly! Can you section off part of her field to use as a schooling area? Is there a school within hacking distance, so you can hack, school, hack?
 
Sounds like your doing the right thing by letting go a bit. Quite a few horses seem a little less relaxed/more spooky in the colder months, that is my experience anyway. Perhaps as has been said, just leave off the schooling a bit whilst hacking for now, perhaps you can just do subtle small ish amounts while out(not sure what your currently doing). I have to say Nell can be a different horse on a shorter rein/more contact, she can become more spooky and uptight, letting go works so much better with her, I also like to school on hacks as I simply do not go in the school, I work on things like halts, I ask for different speeds of walk, trot and canter, so suppose she gets some but nothing with a real working 'proper' contact really....
 
NeverSayNever said:
She doesnt nap nastily, just gets all hotted up, jogs and throws her head in the general direction she wants to go, but thankfully she is very easy to push through it and make her go the direction i want to go, however if we ARE heading for home it gets horrible as I just cant get her to walk and stop head throwing:( .
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Sounds just like my appy lad the last 3 weeks or so,only he mainly does on the way out and settles down by the time are coming home.He has always been spooky and a drama queen,but has become ridiculous lately.

I'm not really sure what the cause is but assuming it's maybe it's a combination of less work and having extra feed and hay (very good doer so usually restricted diet in summer,but getting more supplemented feed now obviously),is only last few weeks so definitely seasonal in some way.

Not sure if would help you but I now use a standing martingale for the head tossing (this particular behaviour has been an issue with my lad for some time,started off allergy related and then became habitual and does it as an objection to being restricted in any way and being told what to do!!),might make some of them worse I guess but have found with my lad if he physically can't do it to any dramatic extent then he gives up trying!! Being a mare though your girl might not give up so easy lol ;-)

I can't offer much help as not found any different solution to you,but have found same as you that if take the pressure off and don't make too many demands it is better.I find that irritating as feels like every ride is a compromise and like I'm feeding into the behaviour a little,but the alternative is not much fun either :-(

Can you feed more magnesium if that works for your girl?? My trimmer told me it's fine to feed a bit more than the average recommended dose.

Sorry not much help but lot's of sympathy,and fingers crossed can work it out.

Great to 'see' you BTW,hope you and all the family are well :-) Little person must be growing up fast now!!
 
aw thanks Devonlass, yes little me is growing like a weed!! :o

Thanks everyone. Turnout isnt a problem as she lives out 24/7 all year round with access to her stable if she wants it so nothing changes there. I do use a school at least once a week and have a FW lesson every fortnight plus do RC dressage comps. I do have a schooling area in my field but its too wet to be using it now, its only really useable in the summer.

Im going to keep going on the long and low route and try and fix that in her mindset then maybe try re-introducing some schooling moves; as Pollyppp said for my own sanity I think :p thanks all :)
 
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