hacking is becoming a nightmare - horse very anxious (and rider now)

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Jericho

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Any ideas on this? My mare is increasingly getting more and more anxious out hacking. I have to hack on my own as noone else at yard to ride with (2 shetlands) and she does suffer separation anxiety at home if even just 1 of the other 2 horses leave. Am worried that we are going to have a nasty accident soon and its such a shame as she is a lovely mare but I am finidng that I am not enjoying riding her out (which defeats whole purpose of me owning her). She is so tense for the whole rider, constantly looking kleft and right, her walk is nearly a jog, her trot a steam train. Have tried lots of half halts, halts, leg yielding, transitions, loose reins, singing, humming, doing short rides, long rides, different routes, the same route so she knows what to expect but she is just totally focussed on getting home as quickly as possible. She also is becoming quite spooky but doesnt do anything too silly i.e. bucking, rearing, spinning, napping, just jumping sideways a bit or pulling up a bit sharply at the slightest noise / movement but its enough to put me off doing anything faster than a trot becuase I know sooner or later I am going to come off. I really dont think it is truly her fault just that she is hardly used and she loves attention and being ridden but I only hack at weekends so dont really have time to hack out every day - am feeling like my only option is to sell her to someone who is going to do more with her and then she would improve as she would be more confident. I have lessons (schooling she is a dream) and would say that I am a fairly confident rider and certainly try not to let her get away with any stupid naughty behaviour - I just cant work this one out - Any ideas?
 
Please don't take offence but have you tried another rider (experienced of course)? I completely sympathise as I don;t like riding on roads and have noticed that my horses picked up 'vibes'. Another confident/competent rider hacked out and reported no issues at all, so I know that it was me. No easy answers but on a personal basis I avoid what I condider 'dangerous' routes and if at all possible ride with another.
 
I would say that you have started a viscious cycle. If you are in any way nervous of hacking, and she is sensitive to that then unfortunately she will not improve out hacking until you relax.

Don't know what to suggest really, can you box somewhere to hack out with other people to get both your confidences back in each other. I had a joggin pony when I was a kid, and was told to relax on him to make him stop jogging. Now, I thought I was relaxed, but having another rider get on him during a jogging session he stopped immediately as soon as she got on! it was very frustrating for me, but the only is to make yourself more relaxed. if you have any tension in any your muscles, she will be able to feel it. Sorry can't be of any more help.
 
my mare used to be a nightmare to hack out alone and i have to say the best way to conqure it was to hack out in compnay. we would vary how we did it i.e. sometimes when she was relaxed id push her up front, sometime we would just go out in hand and so on until their confidence is built up. now she can hack out alone alot better but still not 100%
 
OK this may or may not help but my mare was very spooky when she first arrived, I found for her the following things helped:

Long reining her out and about (make sure you're in control though).
Getting OH to walk in front on foot to give her a "lead" - I don't have anyone else to ride out with either.
Walking her out in-hand, they sometimes feel safer with someone at their side rather than on board where you're "invisible".
Feeding magnesium oxide as a calmer - she was a typical sharp, hyper tb.
Switching her feed from Build Up to unmollassed sugar beet with a small portion of ordinary cubes, plus oil - slower release energy but still good for keeping weight on.

Could you get someone to walk one of the shetlands out with you as a lead?

Good luck, hope you get her sorted!
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thanks for all replies. She is 12 yrs. Was feeding her build up but have cut all hard feed out (for last 3 months) to see if it made any difference. Totally agree that it has created a vicious cycle because I am sure i am now not helping the situation. I try try to be as relaxed as possible but quite hard when I am always thinking whats round the corner! saddle and back and teeth checked (and as said schooling she is fine). I really am on my own (no horsey friends to ride with or ride her and husband completely unhorsey) and I cant ride more (job, young family etc). Its such a horrible situation to be in as I really like her but cant help thinking this is just not the right home for her.
 
i have a simlar issue, i am walking in hand round the rides, riding him walking slowly with a person on foot or on a bike, takeing him out for blackberry eating down the lane which he is loving, lots of grooming and cuddling, bringing him in from the field every day, even just for a groom and a bit of hay! he is having nothing but grass to eat - he is getting more confident with me and i hope and pray it will work and we can go and hack about like normal soon
 
My mare is exactly the same as yours. I have found a short route that she is now getting used to going round but still can be silly sometimes. I am trying to increase this now and she does get anxious but I really try to relax and not get tense. It is a vicious cycle but it can eventually be broken. Albeit it has taken me 2 years
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You are absolutely correct.

If you enjoy hacking then get rid of her and buy a horse that is totally laid back when hacking out by itself or in company.

I am afraid that the vast majority of horses are not capable of being hacked out by themselves as they just do not have the temprement to do so.

Yes there is always an initial period of time where horse and rider gets used to each other but fundamently the horse must be laid back in nature to be able to hack out alone.

What you want is a nice laid back horse that you can relax on, take out by yourself and enjoy riding.
 
My horse has been spooky ever since I've had him but that's cos he's an idiot and likes the 'rush' i think of being scared! Anyway, that's him, he never does anything naughty, just likes to look basically.

I would suggest that, if your horse is not actually doing anything (ie,not napping, jogging, rearing, running off etc) then I would try just hacking her on a fairly loose rein. You have to work on being calm in your body or she will just pick up on any nervousness you are feeling.

If she spooks at something do not make a big deal, just ask her to walk on and be calm but firm with your leg aids. If she's not actually scared of anything she will more than likely just walk past. I wouldn't try half halting etc as this may just wind her up even more. She sounds like she just enjoys being out and about and likes to have a look at everything.

Another suggestion to help the nerves would maybe just talk to her (or yourself) about anything, the weather, what you're doing at work, your family whatever. Anything to actually take your mind off what she is doing. I have a very sensitive pony and I found I just had to switch my mind on to something totally different, whether it be the view or something that's happened on say a night out or whatever. I do think that's the trick, you need to get the nervous energy out of your system.

It is tricky BUT you either have to try work through it or you have to think about getting yourself something more suitable.
 
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I am afraid that the vast majority of horses are not capable of being hacked out by themselves as they just do not have the temprement to do so.



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I disagree. they may not have been hacked out enough as youngsters but most horses are capable (and should be!) of being hacked out alone with a calm rider.

to the OP, baby steps. go out with another horse, someone on foot, someone on a bike etc go out early sunday morning when quiet, plan short (preferably circular) hacks and build up slowly.only do as much as you feel comfortable with and treat each one as a goal.
its important you dont overreact when she spooks/plays up. sit like a sack of spuds and ignore as much as possible. sing or even laugh as that will make you breathe and help relax you.
If you cant do that try another rider on her and/or try some Karma-that might help with her general separation issues (may not but is worth a go).
 
This is very reminiscent of my gelding I bought last November! He suffered dreadfully with seperation anxiety to the extent that he had to have all the horses in on the yard or would call constantly, box walk trashing his bed, knocking his water over etc and producing really sloppy dung just because one of then had gone into the school. I struggled to catch him when turned out with the others as he would just gallop around causing every other horse to do the same and then to hack was out of the question as he would not leave the yard, the more I tried the more he up't the stakes!

So, this is what I did: I took my brain right back to basics along with him and replaced all his equine friends with ME. He was turned out with a thick rug on 24/7 completely on his own in one of my fields that didn't allow him to have contact with the others, yes this proved hard for me as he spent the first few days pacing the fence and calling but it eased off after about 10 days and he then started to graze but call out now and again. I became the only contact he had, I went into the field 6 - 7 times a day to give him a bit of carrot and a pat, at this stage I decided to stop riding him and have ground contact, after about 3 wks everytime he saw me from a distance he would canter to the gate calling regardless of whether I was visiting him, from this I knew I had become more important to him.

After 6wks I allowed him back on the yard for a couple of hours at night with a haynet when the other liveries were in and then I would take him away and put him back in his field for the rest of the night, he took really well to this and started to spend 2 nights out of 7 in with the others. I then started turning the rest of the yard except another of mine out before him and he called once then got on with his net, to cut a very long story long! after 2 months out of work I decided this manic box walking horse that was terified of his own shadow had changed dramatically enough to try riding him again, I lunged him 2 days running then sat on him - as good as gold as if I had been riding him every day. We spent 3 weeks in the school just pottering around on the end of the buckle as if I were hacking and if he spooked at his shadow or a bird etc I made sure I just sat there without touching the reins so that he knew it had no effect on me & I knew I was safe on a soft surface in the school. After this I walked him in hand down into our village then on the road back home I got on him and hacked him back, I did this for a further 2wks always walking the same route and always getting on at the same place. I can now hack him from the house and only ever get the odd little spook which is quite normal for any horse. I must say, I have gone from really disliking everything about this horse to feeling like he is one of the kindest most human like horses I have ever owned or worked with and certainly puts a huge smile on my face every morning when I walk around the yard to see him eating his haynet on his own!

He did cost me quite a bit of money in double figures so the determination, financially was there to sort it. I am in NO way a Parelli type freak (sorry u guys!!) but have worked with a lot of nutty horses in my equine life which helped me make the decision to do what I did with him. Some people that ride & love horses as pets will struggle with this but its just equine psychology really without paying £'s for books, videos and carrot sticks. If you take a little of this and practise it on your horse you may get simular results from her. I wish you luck as it is not nice when they take you out of your comfort zone.
 
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I am afraid that the vast majority of horses are not capable of being hacked out by themselves as they just do not have the temprement to do so.

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Surely you can't mean that???

Hand on heart, I can honestly say that I have never known a horse that can't and will not be hacked out on it's own.

A lot of horses are bad to hack out on their own because they have had a poor education - not because they don't have the temprament for it.....
 
sorry to be harsh but am talking from experiance- decide what you spend most ofyour time doing, if its hacking sell her.If you have a young familly you cant have the time or will to spend on her (and theres nothing worse than having fallen off suffering with a bad back and coping wsith a screaming toddler and an unsympathetic OH)! its supposed to be fun, if its not sell her and get one that is.
 
Dressage Babe
I sussed this all out a while ago.I'm on a yard where there are several men who drive. They like to keep their horses locked up 24/7 so they are their only contact. they then have no issues like separation anxiety. Whereas I let mine live out in a herd and often have trouble getting one of them in. O.P try some Recue Remedy both for your horse and yourself.
 
My mare used to be the same so I just used to hack out alone but then meet another rider about 15mins from home. Other times the other person would come to me and we'd leave from the yard together. I also used to have someone who would just walk on foot with me. All these things helped her gain confidence. After a while she relaxed more and she will hack out alone but I get tense now and that makes her worse. I won't hack out on my own anymore but that's because of me not her. I think someone has already said it's a vicious circle. Could you possibly try any of the things I've said and see if it helps you and her?
 
I totally understand what you are going through.

Our loan horse doesn't hack well and never has, he is 9 now and i doubt he'll get any better. He is terribly spooky and quite dangerous with any rider that takes him out, alone or in company, long or short reins, relaxed or not - nothing makes any difference!! hence why he is going back in 3 weeks! we've perservered for a whole year and its just not fun any more so we have to admit defeat.

If you dont have anyone who can help you and no way of riding more often you are going to have a very uphill struggle. Selling her for a decent price may not be easy if she doen't hack that well.

You are in a vert difficult situation and i do sympathise xx
 
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