Having a couple of testing issues with my youngster - any advice please??

[Sunny08]

I backed and broke my girl last summer when she was 4, turned her away and brought her back into work this January, she will be 5 in June. Weather conditions haven't helped consistency but I felt I have got her going well. She can be very lively and a bit of handful at times. Breeding wise she is 1/4 arab, 1/2 TB and 1/4 ID.
Anyway we have been hacking and schooling well and very confidently but suddenly now I feel she is starting to test me.
I keep her on my OH parents farm and hack alone. Unfortunately I don't yet have anyone to ride with, I am trying to get to know people in the area.
We have to always hack up a lane of about 1 mile to get out on the hacks, if something 'scares' her (These will be things that one day she will walk by fine and the next throw a paddy at) she will try spinning in the middle of the road and refuse to walk forwards. If I use my leg or whip she will buck, back up and spin. Anyway to date I have managed to 'bully' her through this (I don't mean I beat her just that i will be very firm, won't let her turn around and have a battle of wills) but I have found it touch and go at points. I feel she is just throwing a paddy as once we are out and away from the lane she is fine. How do I stop this behaviour?

Also, and maybe even more annoyingly, she leans heavily on the left rein most of the way round on a hack, it feels like she sets herself solid against me. She does not do this schooling. I use various methods to get her to accept the bit i.e. we will work in an outline, do some lateral work whilst hacking but every time she wants to get out of doing something she just sort of turns her neck into a solid board!

I think these are just her testing me now she has found her confidence in hacking etc but how can I overcome them? BTW - She had her saddle checked in March and Teeth done in January.

Any advice?

 

[cptrayes]

This stage wears off. It's a well known phase of five year olds, so keep your faith with her.

If your lane is safe, then to counter the heavy left rein I would keep equal contact in both reins and her head and neck straight in front of her shoulders and let her walk into the wall/hedge/fence on the side of the road. My youngsters have often gone through that trick!

Regarding the refusing to go forwards, you sound like you are doing the right things. One thing worked with a total nutter that I own - when he freezes I take my leg off his sides. He seems not to be able to cope with the pressure of my leg shen he is uncertain about going forwards. When he is calm, I touch him with my leg but I don't keep it on him. I can also now flick him with a whip. It was my instructor who suggested this, and I was very surprised it worked, but it did.

Hope some of that helps.

 

[frostie652]

just keep doing what your doing, often it somes down to a battle of the wills. I just sit there and think 'well weve got all the time in the world, look if you want btu we ARE going past it'

 

[SpruceRI]

I am having similar issues with my rising 5yr old who used to just plod past anything scary but, like a lightbulb turning on, she has suddenly started noticing them!

She does try turning for home, but so far it's nothing violent. Just stop, gawp, turn.

I've been allowing her to look for a reasonable time and then kicking forward. She might only move a step at a time, but I've found she seems less scared if she can go at her own pace past the scary object . i'e. slowly!!

I also have to really hold her reins still and guide her forward as she noses at things and then her body just follows!

In the woods it's hard work keeping her straight and I've realised that I am doing all the work in this regard, so have taken to just riding her with a loose rein, letting her be nosey, and then crash into trees and trip over things! This was a bit of shock to her to start with! But in just 2 hacks she's a lot more careful.

We've got roadworks down our lane at the mo.... getting past that lot was interesting.... and took forever but we got there in the end, and then she was very confident walking through it all on the way back.

Fingers crossed for next time!

 

[siennamum]

As the others have said you sound like you are doing fine getting her up the lane. She should outgrow this, although it's important to ensure she has lots of fun on her hacks, so a companion will give her more incentive to go forwards.

I think riding up the road highlights any possible issues you have with straightness. You will probably find that YOU are the one who isn't riding evenly on both sides and that you are riding up the road continually trying for slight right bend which she is resisting/tired of.

Ensure you are absolutely even in the saddle & really focus on your seat & position. Mark the reins if neccessary to ensure your rein length is identical on both sides and that your hands are in the same place. Then instead of working on straightness, work on softness. Ask her to flex gently on both sides whilst being very careful of where your hands are & very conscious of your position & weight. Do gentle loops on quiet stretches & let her have plenty of opportunity to stretch down when she is being good.

Hacking up the road a great opportunity to get them even in both hands & really feel when they are straight in a way you can't do in an arena as they are continually turning. Also bear in mind that straightness is hard for young horses they have to slowly develop the musculature so don't get too stressed about it.

 

[NeedNewHorse]

QR;I am going through this phase with my mare, the trouble is I have been going through this testing phase for exactly two years now. She is way too smart for me and she knows it and she is not the type of horse who will be told what to do. All I can suggest is sometimes looking at things from outside the box. Why not lead her up the lane and get on when you say she behaves, if this goes well, lead her up again and get on only this time a little tiny bit further away when you did last time and then so on and so forth.

The point being whilst sometimes I know it's good to have a situation where you can put yourself as alpha, sometimes avoiding the argument can work too. Well, this is what I am going to try with my mare who naps and everything else. When she refuses to move in the school next, instead of trying to get her to go forwards (and she is going to rear) I am going to try and sit it out, no matter how long it takes, she is stubborn but an argument will not end in me winning.

I do agree that sometimes a good smack can work, but it depends on the situation (plus your is still young - not exactly old enought to know better) If you do think that your mare is looking for a bit of reassurance though, why not try a whipwhop. It's a bit of rope that you basically swing over the front (think cowboy's when they swing the reins over the horses and say ''yeeyar'' lol) This is good, as it's not something she can resist, like a smack and get angry over. So if she is a bit frightened, or being a grouchy try this and to get her to move on. It does work!!

Oh edited to say obviously idealy you would have company. This would probably iron out this issues, but not everyone has the luxury of this, so why not get someone to also accompany you on foot.x

 

[Achinghips]

As the others have said you sound like you are doing fine getting her up the lane. She should outgrow this, although it's important to ensure she has lots of fun on her hacks, so a companion will give her more incentive to go forwards.

I think riding up the road highlights any possible issues you have with straightness. You will probably find that YOU are the one who isn't riding evenly on both sides and that you are riding up the road continually trying for slight right bend which she is resisting/tired of.

Ensure you are absolutely even in the saddle & really focus on your seat & position. Mark the reins if neccessary to ensure your rein length is identical on both sides and that your hands are in the same place. Then instead of working on straightness, work on softness. Ask her to flex gently on both sides whilst being very careful of where your hands are & very conscious of your position & weight. Do gentle loops on quiet stretches & let her have plenty of opportunity to stretch down when she is being good.

Hacking up the road a great opportunity to get them even in both hands & really feel when they are straight in a way you can't do in an arena as they are continually turning. Also bear in mind that straightness is hard for young horses they have to slowly develop the musculature so don't get too stressed about it.

You sound like you have done a fantastic job, but ....Very, very wise advice here (above)!!!! This is EXACTLY my experience. Turned out to be my rider error - I was out by about 2 centimetres only in the back and so 2 the other side - get a good friend/instructor to giive you an honest appraisal. Try squeezing the other rein on the opposite side like you're squeezing a wet sponge too.
Also, try lunging in side reins to straighten her up and get her listening to you before you hack?
Good luck!