Hacking Out Young Horse ... Advice needed :)

[Baby_Belle]

Hi - I got my new mare just over three weeks ago from a local lady. She is rising 4 and was broken over christmas, and schooled in the lady's arena and a little in the field. She had never been hacking (due to a being situated on a very busy road).

My mare is lovely to handle and very quite, so I took her straight out hacking the day after I got her. And she has now been on around 5 hacks (all in company) and she's doing really well, she does have a little stop to look at something new but follows another horse fine. And she's getting more relaxed each time.

We tend to do a just over 2 mile block (just walking with one/two short bursts of trot) but she seems to gets really tired out, not necessarily slow as she's fairly forward but just seems tired in her brain (if that makes any sense!).

Anyway, towards the end of the ride goes through periods of throwing her head very high and then very low. At the moment im trying not to make a deal out of it and just calmly riding her through it by walking her on but giving with me hands.... She will then stop and walk quietly for a while... and then same again.

Each hack this has been getting earlier on in the ride, with todays ride about half way when she started. I obviously don't want this to become a habit and this is my first young horse I've had so unsure what the best way to go about this? Any ideas

 

[be positive]

It sounds totally normal behaviour from a young horse, they do get tired mentally but the fact it starts earlier rather than later each time would make me think something else is the issue other than simply tiredness, a saddle, back and teeth check would be worthwhile as it is likely to be one of them that is causing it and at her age it could be any one or possibly all of them contributing.
If all is well then try to increase her fitness, 2 miles should be easy enough physically and maybe if you can vary the route in case she is finding it boring doing the same one, walking can be harder work than trotting if they are striding out so maybe a few more short trots to break up the walking a little more would also help.

 

[dogatemysalad]

You're spot on, they do get mentally tired. I'd do the same as you, not make a big deal out of it but just keep quietly riding forwards. Praise her for doing the right thing and pay little attention to the small negatives. She'll work it out for herself. She sounds lovely.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

She is probably growing, which uses a lot of energy, she has just moved to a new home and she is not yet 4. It would be surprising if she wasn't tired tbh. But I suggest that you check your browband first, it might be squashing her ears. Then of course do all the other checks. I would also consider giving her some time to use her energy growing

 

[AdorableAlice]

I have a young horse (rising 6) who does the very same thing. He is a very tall, angular horse with a walk that scores constant 9's. His whole frame works when he is on the move and when he gets tired his head is like a pendulum, nodding violently up and down. He only does it out hacking and we have done very very little on the lanes with him. He wasn't broken until almost 5 as he was so weak. He has wowed the judges in the few dressage tests he has done, every judge has commented on how athletic and what super paces he has.

The puzzle is he does not do it in the school, in competition or hacking around the fields, only ever on the roads. He doesn't start it until around the 30 minute mark and will stop immediately he moves to trot. We rarely trot on roads other than to move out of the way of traffic.

We have experimented a little with him and found that if kept on the bridle and asked to shorten his walk step he can control the nodding. If he is allowed into a very long frame and his walk step over tracks by a foot or more the nodding becomes extreme. If he is asked to leg yield, halt, make transitions within the walk pace he does not nod. Bizarrely this horse is very balanced in trot and canter, incredibly supple and willing. It just seems that his walk is so massive he physically cannot control it. Hacking really tires him out and he has the concentration of a gold fish.

Obviously there could be something wrong with him, hopefully not, and as he gets stronger his enormous frame will behave itself.

 

[Baby_Belle]

Thankyou everyone - thats really usefull information/advice.

Can I ask whether people would feel a standing martingale would be appropriate for her?
Her head does feel very close to mine sometimes...

 

[ihatework]

Thankyou everyone - thats really usefull information/advice.

Can I ask whether people would feel a standing martingale would be appropriate for her?
Her head does feel very close to mine sometimes...

Standing martingales are very under rated and something that sits near to the top of my tack box. In this situation yes I would. They are a good bit of kit as, provided correctly fitted, they only come into play when needed.

This is most likely to just be a time and strength thing, but if you can help break a potential habit then I’m all for it.

FWIW my current one is huge and would really fling his head up whilst in walk on a hack once he got tired. He lived in a standing martingale for about the first 6 months after breaking. We are now a good 18 months on and he never flings his head now and is ridden in all phases in a fat snaffle & cavesson no martingale.

 

[Goldenstar]

I am old fashioned and I started all my baby horses hacking in a standing martingale .
So yes I would put one on one some horses the effect is like magic , make sure you have it property fitted ( not too short ) and that it’s big enough the last one I bought was a full size it was tiny .

 

[tristar]

standing marts are great, can save you if they take off also

i would do some gentle lunging or work before going for a hack and keep the rides shor,

make sure you re letting your hands follow her mouth on a long rein, because the head moves when walking, or try putting the reins in one hand and keeping your hands close together, as the bit can move around a lot when the hands are wide apart

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

I've got a little coblet mare who I got when she was just-backed at 4 (and riding through a working quarry at that time); she's rising 6 now.

My first inclination for OP's difficulty with hers would be to get a teeth check done - and also (just to be sure) get a physio check as well. And don't forget saddle! I ride in a treeless saddle which is fantastic for youngsters as it can cater for a constantly changing shape.

I agree with what someone's said above, re. a young horse becoming "brain-tired"; this is exactly what it feels like with a youngster! Mine is a good little girly and lets me know when she needs to chill, she'll "ask" to stand and just have a little stretch for a few moments, then has a lick and a chew just to assimilate what's happening and process it. Its important IME with youngsters to do allow them time to do that, and if it means getting off and walking them home, then in my mind there's no shame in that.

Re. standing martingale; personally I wouldn't - I would aim to work the issues through by using groundwork, sensitive hands, appropriate bitting - and relevant pain checks (physio & teeth as necessary) without using a martingale, however am not criticising anyone who does use them.

 

[happyhorse978]

Hi - I got my new mare just over three weeks ago from a local lady. She is rising 4 and was broken over christmas, and schooled in the lady's arena and a little in the field. She had never been hacking (due to a being situated on a very busy road).

My mare is lovely to handle and very quite, so I took her straight out hacking the day after I got her. And she has now been on around 5 hacks (all in company) and she's doing really well, she does have a little stop to look at something new but follows another horse fine. And she's getting more relaxed each time.

We tend to do a just over 2 mile block (just walking with one/two short bursts of trot) but she seems to gets really tired out, not necessarily slow as she's fairly forward but just seems tired in her brain (if that makes any sense!).

Anyway, towards the end of the ride goes through periods of throwing her head very high and then very low. At the moment im trying not to make a deal out of it and just calmly riding her through it by walking her on but giving with me hands.... She will then stop and walk quietly for a while... and then same again.

Each hack this has been getting earlier on in the ride, with todays ride about half way when she started. I obviously don't want this to become a habit and this is my first young horse I've had so unsure what the best way to go about this? Any ideas

Hello, random post, sorry! - I am going through the same with my young horse (just turned 5, he was backed in October last year and came over from Ireland). He is literally doing the same as what you described in your post toward the end of our rides (hacking and schooling) - can I ask how you 'overcome' this and what you did/found to help?
I am just trying to send him forward each time he does it and have started carrying a schooling stick to see if that helps!

I would really appreciate it
thank you

 

[Widgeon]

Obviously there could be something wrong with him, hopefully not, and as he gets stronger his enormous frame will behave itself.

Just stumbled over this thread again - @AdorableAlice did your massive gangly baby settle down and grow into his walk?

 

[maya2008]

Young horses tire easily - I tend to aim for 30min hacks 3x a week until they actually turn 4, then gradually more. Regarding the head tossing, that can be asking you to let go so they can stretch at the end if they are tired. Other things to check are:
- saddle fit (I've literally had saddles fit for 3 weeks at a time in the early days of muscling up after backing)
- bit size
- your contact - are your hands completely still, are your reins even lengths, are you accidentally doing anything annoying?

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Have you check his teeth? Canines come through at 4/5 yo.