Help sorting out my very 'nappy' mare

Sirreal

Sirreal

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I have a 6yo mare who I've had for just over a year.

I hacked her out when I tried her, and she was quite spooky but nothing too much.

Ever since I've had her she's napped dreadfully. She will pick her moment, spin and rear, and if she gets told off she just gets worse and worse. As soon as she's back going home she's fine again. She is really beginning to frighten me. She used to do it in the school as well, as I've got braver I've stopped her from doing it (most of the time).

Over the past few months, I've got her going out on short hacks firstly with others and then by herself. Last Sunday I took her out on her own and she behaved perfectly. Monday we went out with her field mate, and she had a couple of 'episodes' and then settled down.

Today she was awful. She span, reared, I turned her round and she did it again, pretty high. I rode her back to the yard in tears, I feel like I'm back at square one, and I feel like I can't ride my own horse.

Has anyone got any techniques, for either me or her, so I can get this sorted out? When she's being good she is the loveliest horse to ride, and I don't want to give up on her.
Thank you.
 
I had exactly same problems ,consistency is only answer.Even after schooling I still took her for small hack everyday until in the end she was one of the best hacks on yard and would take all youngsters out.Just keep at it if you can do it everyday she will desensitize, you have made progress and all of a sudden it will just click into place.I built up length and variety of hacks it took a few months but so worth it.;)
 
Agree with Cellie, keep at it, even if you only do 10 minutes. I found that sheepskin cheek pieces helped mine a huge amount, he couldnt see anything but forwards and had to listen to me, After 2 weeks i didnt need them any more and hes been a wonderful hack for several weeks now
 
My number one rule with my nappy mare is...

Never, ever, ever turn on the spot and go home again.

Always ride circular or lolly-pop shaped routes. Get off and lead the horse the whole way home if you need to, but don't turn around.
 
Stick with it, and it will get better. My six yr old mare did just this - maybe it's a 6yr old mare thing!

Had anything changed today? Was it a bit windier than yesterday, or colder? Something could have set her off and then she took advantage - a case of her thinking eeek, that's scary, she's not quite in charge of me up there, so I'm out of here.

No harm in giving yourself a break and making it easier - make sure you ride only in company until you feel happier, and certainly through the winter stick to riding only with company. Also have you tried lungeing her first, to get rid of any excess energy which can help calm everything down.

She is at that tricky age of trying you out - she is looking for leadership, so don't put yourself in a situation where she can get the upper hand. Stick to tried and tested safe hacks, nothing new, as said stick with company, and put today behind you - two steps forward, one back, but you will get there.
 
I had a similar problem years ago with my boy when he was 4. He found his "nap" and started going up when he didn't fancy something out hacking. The first time he did it, I put my leg on - as I have always been taught to do with rearers - and was most concerned to find him going even higher. I immediately realised that pushing him when he was in that frame of mind would only result in a much bigger fight that I was never going to win, so I applied the following technique.

When beast went up, I sat quietly with leg there but not ON. When he came back down, I counted to 5 to allow him to collect his legs from wherever they had landed and also collect his thoughts and then put my leg on and asked him to walk on. If he went up again, I repeated the process. If he spun, I'd turn him back in the direction he'd spun and then give him the 5 seconds. He also occasionally ran backwards - again, the focus with him had to be stopping the behaviour, getting him out of that "state" and then asking the question again.

To this day, if he has a meltdown about something (which, thankfully, happens rarely) I can sit quiet until the meltdown stops, count to 5 and then ask again and usually get a response. It has served me very well with this horse in particular. That said, I have ridden plenty of others that just needed taking to task about something they've been allowed to get away with and told "no" with firm riding.
 
I had the same sort of problem with my 20 year old TB when i got him!

he was fine in company but if we were on our own he would spin round and charge home!

he didnt rear which im glad i didnt have to deal with, but he would bolt home which was scary at times, especially when there are people in the way leaping to the sides!

i had to literally keep on and on and on and on and on and on....spin him back round and kick forward as soon as he was pointing in the right direction, sometimes a smack on with the whip too

at time i would have to get off and walk him, but he was not getting away with it!!!

at first we would also use a bike on the ground for him to follow and then hack him on longer and longer routes alone until the napping got less and less....although he does still try it every now and again, but only half heartedly!

i can hack him safely now without having to worry about it too much, when he does spin i just turn him back round and kick on and he just carries on forwards. i think he does it just to test me these days, if its been a little while since hes done it!

you cannot back down and cannot show you are scared, if it takes you 10 minutes or an hour you have to keep spinning back round and kicking on, repeating yourself over and over again, and i can assure you, youre horse will eventually give in and when they know you mean business and that they cant get away with it, you will see a different horse :)

if it helps, get a neck strap so that when she rears you can hold on and not feel as scared. once she knows rearing doesnt get her her way, it will eventually stop :)

Hope you manage to resolve it!
 
Agree with never turn on the spot! I did it once and totally regret it. We did eventually get over it, but my god, did we have a battle!!

I'm in the same boat, pretty much. Although he's fine ones he's out the yard, getting out in damned scary!! He broke a fence today...

Good luck to you! Let us know how you get on :)
 
My guy was like this for a while, the more you told him off the worse it would get I quickly learnt to keep longish reins and keep repointing in the direction I was going and stay calm, reward the good behaviour ignore the bad.

His was an insecurity thing, I have had him over 2 years now and its gone hes a lovely little lamb.

Ground work helps with establishing that you are leader
 
Thanks for all your replies, it's good to know I'm not alone :rolleyes: I've never known a horse be so very determined!

I'm finding it hard to be consistent with her now it's winter, and our school is a short hack away...which she naps on. I'm going to try taking her up there tomorrow before work, even if I have to lead her there, and schooling for a bit and trying a short hack after - I will report back!

I like the idea of sheepskin cheekpieces - something to add to the Christmas list :D
 
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