Hacking on his own...Help!

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CaleruxShearer

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Shearer will go to the end of the drive on his own but then point blank refuses to go any futher, hacks out perfectly in company and also happily goes round our yards gallops on his own ( they don't require us to go out of the drive) I can't help feeling his possibly taking the p*ss
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Any one got any ideas on how i can get him out of the yard by himself?

Thank you.
xx
 
Are you working him on the way up the drive - ie making him focus on you etc? Maybe if you can get him doing stuff off your leg going up the drive (don't know how long it is!) like small circles etc then you will have him so focused on you before you get there that he will just carry on walking/circling as you go onto the road.

Or else just kick like a pony clubber!! I sometimes rein back if the horse will not go forwards - although this depends on the horse.
 
Well, so you should be able to kick like one then!!! If he is nervous its a bit different, but if he is just being obstinate then he prob just needs a good kicking - well thats what I would do anyway!
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Have you tried getting off and walking him 50 yards up the road then getting back on? altho some people say that getting off is giving in I think sometimes it takes that to get the horse to realise that he is going out no matter what, you may end up walking quite a bit for the first few times lol but you are still in control and making the decisions rather than the horse
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Uhm, I know it sounds mean but be whip happy and use the pony club kicks.
My mare used to do this refusing point blank to even go down the lane and the more I gave in the worse it got until it developed into full blown napping.
She only needed to be told once, after that then she was fine.

Another method that I use is the patience method. Just sit there and wait and wait and wait. Said horse will eventually get bored and move forewards (in theory).

However just make sure that taking the piss isn't actually a very inconfident horse, how about even getting someone to lead you past where your horse stops and then letting go after 5 mins and leaving you to go on your hack?

I hope this has made sense and I hope it helps in some shape or form!
Izzi
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If he's got into the habit of doing this and getting his own way ie back to the yard, then he will keep on doing it until you make him realise that you are in charge- perhaps take him out in-hand a few times, then as jellyshake says, lead him out and then get on, and build up to it.....imagine riding him out of the drive, be positive and don't take NO for an answer or he will decide that theres other things he can get his own with also...
 
Personally I would never get off a horse like this. If he decided to tank off back home you'd never hold him.

You need to ride with a whip and probably spurs. I don't find kicking my horse works if she has decided something is really scary. She sometimes needs a minute to look but she is absolutely not allowed to step backwards.

A polite poke with the spurs will probably make him think twice. Also maybe you could hack out with someone and then separate from them. Be prepared for a tantrum, but be positive and sit tight and ride forward.
 
Quite simply; if asking in your normal way isn't working, using increasing force is only going to provoke a more aggressive response from him in return.

When I'm fronted with a total refusal to do something I prefer to use cunning and roundabout means to get what I want. Assuming this isn't purely a confidence issue which can be resolved by walking futher and further ahead of a hacking companion, I would rein-back in the direction you want to go. He will find this difficult and reinforces that he still has to go in the direction you choose whether he likes it or not.

I certainly wouldn't be applying whip/spurs to get what I want.
 
Unless the horse is accustomed to spurs I would not recommend using them in this situation. Plus they should never be used to 'poke' a horse in the ribs, that's how you end up marking the horse's coat!

Have you tried trotting at the end of the lane, just take a gentle trot as you are half way along then keep it up as you exit the path? Depending on how nappy he is being it's best not to let him ever turn around in the road so circling might not be the best idea either, he could just decide he didn't want to turn to face away from the yard either.

It's just going to take pony club kicks, smacks on the shoulder with a whip and a mind set of 'god damn you, you will leave this yard!' and I'm sure in the end you will get there.

Don't try unless you are totally determined to get him out and have a back up plan (eg a friend who can come along and lead you out) the more times he gets away with not leaving the yard the harder the pattern is to break.
 
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Have you tried getting off and walking him 50 yards up the road then getting back on? altho some people say that getting off is giving in I think sometimes it takes that to get the horse to realise that he is going out no matter what, you may end up walking quite a bit for the first few times lol but you are still in control and making the decisions rather than the horse
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I agree with Jellyshake.

Before you start kicking him and whipping him, just stop and think for a minute. If he is scared to go beyond the drive then that kind of thing is only going to reinforce he was right to be scared IMHO.

If he plants then get him moving sideways and then take that movement forward.

Good luck.
 
But it doesn't sound like he's scared as he hack out with other horses fine, he sounds like he's being nappy.

I only get off my horse in case of emergencies as I've seen one to many injuries/loose horse's when rider thinking dismounting is safer.

If a horse is having a tantrum or spooking at something the most dangerous place you can be is on the ground next to them. My friend dismounted becasue her horse wouldn't cross a ditch (I wasn't present or I'd have been telling her it was not wise!), she leapt over the ditch first and the horse thought 'oh not so scarey after all' and also leapt over...landing on her ankle! Needless to say her ankle shattered and she was unable to ride for a year. Her motto is now 'Stay the f*** on no matter what is happening'
 
Some horses get more security from their handler being on the ground, others from the saddle. One of ours is far calmer, and safer to be around, if you are on the ground next to him in scarey situations. Another one of ours would freak out if you got off as he would think he had lost his rider.

There's no one size fits all with horses is there?

Your friend's accident sounds very nasty.
 
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But it doesn't sound like he's scared as he hack out with other horses fine, he sounds like he's being nappy.



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being ok hacking with others doesn't mean he is confident enough to go alone, very easy to take confidence from a couple of other horses, out there on his own he only has his rider to look to and if she's on his back some horses don't find that as comforting as having somone on the ground by their heads showing them it's ok to go forward.
i have 1 who will follow me on foot anywhere, once i get on board he changes completely because he's lost his security, he actually spends most of his time at the moment going backwards trying to find me
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he is still in the early stages of training but he's currently teaching me plenty about how horses think lol
 
My boy has been like this for the 6 years I've owned him.

When I first got him he was a lot worse and would either cement himself to the spot, walk out of the yard like a rocking horse, rear up (never trying to throw me off which was plain for everyone to see), spin and try to gallop off. He's a welsh d so is quite stubborn and set in his ways.

I am afraid to say that it's consistency that's got me where I am now, and even now he will throw in the odd nap, plant himself to the spot and as he gives in to me he will kick out his back legs to say 'F YOU, YOU COWBAG!' (he loves me really but I do always win!). I haven't done this by beasting him; I've been kind to him, earnt his respect on the ground, I stay calm and talk to him in a hyper-happy voice when he does it (patronises him!). If he is messing around (rare these days) then I halt him, then kick him on, halt, kick on etc til he gets fed up. Usually it's just the napping these days, though. I turn circle him quite tightly so he's really listening to me and having to go forward, then I pull him back and kick him forward, which usually does the trick. I halt him after a few strides (this is giving him the message that when we stop it's MY decision and not his), then push him on again. It nearly always works, but if not then I kick and back up with the stick (light tap behind leg), then halt and do it again trying to get him to go off the leg alone. It's been about striking a balance between the two of us (I'm in charge but I do respect him and will not hurt him by smacking the hell out of him or jabbing him in the mouth). I NEVER get off unless in absolute danger (on slippery hill for eg, and he has been known to back up and buck on this hill and I've refused to give in, but then I have a good seat). I NEVER turn round and head home as this reinforces his behaviour. If it takes me 6 hours to move one step, I'll wait 6 hours!! That's the key.
 
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