****help me prevent a napping nightmare!!****

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el_Snowflakes

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hi all,

i wouldnt describe my horse as nappy as it only happens v occasionally, but its something id like do deal with in order to prevent a problem forming.....


there is one point of the road which she tends to do it at. We have been this way many time alone and she does go past but there are alot of spooky things there and many horses get spooked at the same point. A few months ago we were out alone (as usual) and she was napping and trying to spin round and get back to the yard. when i kicked her on or gave her a smack with whip she tried to rear. i ended up getting off leading her past and she was fine, we went back to the yard to remount then the same thing happened again which made me think she was taking the p*ss! however in hindsight i do think she was scared and i think she felt more confident with me on the ground. I rode her the other day (1st time in months due to weather) we were in company (the horses were all quite fizzy as they had been in for so long)and they all freaked at the same bit! im worried this has reinforced the fear as we ended up turning round.....whats the best way to send a orse forward with out them spinning round or rearing? i try to keep her head to the side but unfortunatly shes v strong and it doesnt really work!
 
Can you long rein her?

You could do this route a few times, make sure she listens to you voice and walks forward confidently before attempting the scary place though!

A horse i was schooling/hacking sometimes napped, id turn him in a tight circle and then ask him to walk on, if he did it again, i would turn him half the circle make him take a few steps backwards then complete the circle. He often would be fine after, think it confused him as to which direction he didnt want to go!
 
this is going to sound really strange but have you tried just sitting there and doing nothing. I had a very nappy horse who almost seemed to thrive on an arguement so I just just to sit there...only stopping him from turning round etc. He soon got bored and then would want to go forward. I would sit there a few moments longer and then kicked him on no problem. It worked for him and he totally grew out of it. (I had spent the first year fighting with him and getting no where!)
 
Agree with the above. My horse loves a fight, but is bewildered if i just wait it out. Alternatively i turn him round and walk backwards. he's facing the way he wants to go but moving in the direction i want, which although a compromise works well for me!! :)
 
Both the methods suggested by BMA & Spange have worked for me. I've also found, assuming you are not a risk of getting injured, let mine carry on going back and she ends with her bum in prickly hedge, we then get stamp of foot & snort. She then collects her composure and walks on when asked. Hasn't stopped her doing it but we achive win-win.

Good luck
 
Is there another horse you can ride out with? It sounds like it was fear that will turn into a habit. By turning around straight after the horses are acting in this manner its providing an option to get out of working. If they do it again and you want to head home, try and end it on a good note by asking for a few steps forward and turning back when you decide not the horse.

Does she only nap on one side i.e. always to the right? Do you talk to her to provide encouragement?

To send mine forward I half halt with the left rein, tap his right shoulder with my whip, plenty of encouragement and leg on. Mine always napped to the right so by having contact on the left it stopped him thinking it was an option. I'd also watch out for his neck getting tense to catch him before he napped and every now and again when he was relaxed giving him a mint. Also, I do alot of short bursts of trot to keep him concentrating.
I did end up sending him away to be reschooled to achieve the above and also did loads of leading him up and down the road allowing him to stop for grass every now and again.

Hope it works out for you :)
 
All good ideas

Also make sure she is 'working an forward BEFORE you get to that point. So do lots of walk halt trot halt etc and really make sure she goes off your leg correctly.

Then as you approach the place, breath deeply and be very very relaxed, even sigh or sing. Keep your leg on and each step she takes praise her lots

My youngster used to threaten to rear when faced with scary things but now he goes forward off the leg more he doesn't do it. Also though he was new to me and I think had to build up confidence in me too
 
Glad you all didn't think I was bonkers with that suggestion. The little horse in question used to hate it and would get so stroppy when I just made him stand there that the next canter/trot was rather speedy!
 
Love all the suggestions so far - do nothing and sing!

Glad I am just not the only MAD one out there!

Reschooled a wonderful exracer who would spook at a blade of grass if it was facing the wrong way! I sang to him all the time so he would concentrate on me rather than spinning 180 in the air and disappearing with me!

IF its just a certain point can you ask someone to walk with you for a couple of days just to that point also would hand walk horse to that point and feed them there!

I did that with a fallen tree a few years ago-horse freaked with it on the floor but when I took him to it afterwards and gave him polos from it he then realised it was nothing to worry about and did take a big chuck of bark away with him to chew on as revenge for making him look 'gay' to the other horses!
 
BMA said:
this is going to sound really strange but have you tried just sitting there and doing nothing. I had a very nappy horse who almost seemed to thrive on an arguement so I just just to sit there...only stopping him from turning round etc. He soon got bored and then would want to go forward. I would sit there a few moments longer and then kicked him on no problem. It worked for him and he totally grew out of it. (I had spent the first year fighting with him and getting no where!)
Click to expand...

Ditto this. You have to make sure that you have absolutely all day (and you will feel like a complete muppet) but really effective - take a book.
 
Unfortunately I don't have the option of riding in company and my mare can be nappy. We had a 6 month battle of wills before she would walk calmly past the local Alpacas. :rolleyes:

Anyhoo, my tips;

1. ALWAYS ride a circular route.

2. Never, ever, ever give in and go back the way you came. (Ok, that's the same as 1 ;) but it's very important!)

3. If you need to get off and lead your horse past something for safety's sake, do it, then re-mount and finish your ride as if it never happened. However they must obay you (stand nicely for you to dismount and stand nicely for you to remount). I have been known to lead my mare back and forth past an object until she walked calmly by, then re-mounted and ridden past it.

4. I like to have a martingale strap to grab AND a strap on the d-rings on the saddle. You feel safer and more confident. :)

5. Give yourself time. Don't pressure yourself. This means that you can judge how your horse is reacting and can just sit and wait for them to decide to move forwards if that suits the situation.

6. Don't get cross or upset. I will growl 'walk on' at my mare but if I don't stay calm, she will get worse and nap/rear/spin more.

7. If you think that they might surge forwards past the scary object in a huge frantic trot, grab the neckstrap so that you don't sock them in the mouth. You don't want to accidently punish them for going forwards. I then calmly re-collect and steady my mare once we are past.
 
When you feel her backing off turn your whip upside down and wave it from one shoulder to the other across her next. It will make her go forwards
 
One of the great American horsemen, either Tom Dorrance or Ray Hunt (I forget which one) was asked what he did when passing a known 'spooky' place when out riding. The answer was ' Nothing, I generally light a cigarette'.
Sometimes our anticaption of a problem, even though we think we're not, is to focus on the potential problem. Depends on the horse and rider, but I generally approach in one of two ways, I either give the horse a job to do before passing, ie, trot on, leg yield etc, anything to keep attention on me. I keep the contact constant, no gathering up of reins a few feet before, if holding a Jesus strap gives extra security, then hold it well in advance.
Or, other approach is to distract myself by chatting to another rider, so I'm engrossed and forget the scary place myself. The equivalent of 'lighting a cigarette'.
With the horses I've had from youngsters, I train them to recognise chill out time. As soon as I drop the contact and take my feet out of the stirrups they come to a halt and relax at the end of work or when taking a break. This has worked to my advantage with spooky horses and saved my neck when one went into melt down at the sight of a double decker bus. His training meant for him, a welcome rest and that all was well.
If your horse tries to spin and run, keep the block with the rein on opposite side and your near side leg forward to block the shoulder. Then flex him the opposite way. If he plants himself,quietly lift one rein and squeeze with your leg to move the shoulder to the side thereby moving his feet, then repeat on the other side and so on, a bit like bump starting him, getting him to move in a zig zag until after a few 'bumps', he decides its easier just to move in a straight line. Each time he moves in the slightest, praise him so he's in no doubt he's getting it right in a way that he can manage.
Generally, it all depends on what you and your horse feel comfortable with, whatever works for you is the right way.
 
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