Help with getting newly backed youngster to move forward

[orsceno1]

I have a 3rd old mare who was started 2 and a bit months ago. She hasn't been easy as she is very opinionated shall we say! She has done alot of groundwork and long lining etc and is good in that respect, my problem is getting her to move forward when I'm on board. Depends what sort of mood she is in but she can play the 'getting stuck' game alot where she won't move or I just struggle to get trot (not attempted canter yet!) . The giddy up rope idea doesn't make much difference unfortunately so does anyone have any other suggestions to encourage her forward when she is in one of her getting stuck moods? She is a spooky mare and very clever! Thank u

 

[Headpiece]

I usually ride and lead off another horse during training, and so in a situation like yours, if i dont get "go" the other horse goes in the lead, or failing that, takes up a lead rope and leads for a while. Are you riding in a school? I dont, i hack out so that there is a path/track to follow, to get them forward.

Failing that she could be getting "stuck", so use a long schooling whip and teach her to yieild her hindquarters, which you should teach from the ground first. If she "stops", yield her hindquarters for a bit and ask again - this is hard for her and she might decide that going forwards is better.

I wouldnt even attempt canter yet, she is probably far too unbalanced for anything other than walk and a bit of trotting, lots of turns and gentle circles and learning about the world through hacking out.

 

[SophieLouBee]

I am in the process of backing a very opinionated trad cob atm, she gets stuck in halt and wont go, then does the most pathetic rear I have ever seen, and shakes her head in a temper tantrum.

The next time I ride her I will be carrying a crop, one sharp tap on the bottom should do it, even if she shoots off/bucks then she has still learnt that going forwards is the easy option, then she will get praised every time she goes forward. Tap on the bum once or twice won't do anyone any harm.

Don't mistake confusion for stubbornness, a confused horse, with a little encouragement will respond to your aids once they understand what you are asking, a stubborn horse will point blank refuse to do what you want.

I go out to lots of people who's horse is stubborn, when they think it is scared/confused, so are getting nowhere!

 

[cassie summers]

i backed my mare in april though 7 years old but she wouldnt go forward in the school so i just started hacking her out she is great now with very fluid paces

 

[Persephone]

I generally use the schooling whip in a forward and backward whooshing motion from shoulder to hindquarters repeatedly. Don't make contact and obviously don't do this if your horse is whip shy!

 

[Vickijay]

Are you riding her mostly in the school?

I think 3 year olds are better to do most of their better work out hacking with a safe companion and in safe as possible surroundings. I think too much arena work can make a baby stale and backwards.

With my babies voice comands are as important as giving the aids. Are you asking out loud to walk on, trot on ect? Clicking like you would if you were lunging? Sometimes in the school even someone on the ground (or you on the ground and someone else on the baby) asking like your lunging helps.

 

[moneypit1]

Ask to walk forwards. Use whip wither side of rear side to side until the horse walks forwards. Then sit very still. The reward for going forwards is your inactivity. (by using whip I mean slight taps, it is the impression of 'attack' from the rear that stimulates the flee response forwards).

 

[Vickijay]

Can't edit as on phone but forgot to say make sure you reward even the try for what you want. Even if it's just a shift when you ask them to walk on rather than actually walking on. It's praising the try as you mustn't forget they have no idea what we want!! It's important to say good pony for even the smallest attempt for what you might be asking

 

[Spot_the_Risk]

Neck strap for starters, couple of fingers in that and make sure you can slip the reins. Then tap on the bum, or kick with one leg - both legs/feet kicking can result in the horse stopping.

 

[snopuma]

This is where using the voice commands and ground work come in to play, get her to react to your voice and reward her positively, then use the same commands when you are onboard. and a reward isn't always food if you reward with a simple stroke on the neck which is easy to replicate when up top!

 

[Jade&Syrah]

Transitions, transitions, transitions!! I've found that works best with the ones I do. Keep them thinking, lots of changed of reins, circles etc, keeping them thinking.

Also schooling whip as Spot The Risk said, use a neck strap, incase they shoot forward and you can't sock them in the mouth

 

[Echo Bravo]

Well I'm glad I'm not the only one, as my 5 year old Welsh sec d will walk ,halt, back up but refuses to trot, even out on a hack, bless him, even my OH who has a hot bot,couldn't get him going, but I think the penny will drop at sometime, I'm in no rush.

 

[Olliecp77]

I posted something similar to this in CR a few weeks ago - your post/replies describe (better than I did) what my 4 year old does. Currently off work and waiting for a more experienced rider to turn up to ride him for a few weeks since he seems to have got around me

 

[jeeve]

i understand that this is quite common with some newly started horses. Riding in a small arena or area makes the problem worse. Out in a larger arena or hacking helps with the go forward.

If your pony gets stuck, you need to unstick, a tap with a whip can sometimes make the horse kick out or react in a way you do not want, an alternative, which i used with much success, is yielding the hindquaters. (Any yields will help unstick a horse).

To yield the hindquarters you need the nose to be tipped to say the left, you will want the left hind to step under himself, infront of the right hind, after a couple of steps, straighten up, and ask for a yield in the opposite direction, you may repeat this two or three times. After each yield as you straighten you allow/give the horse an opportunity to go forward. They ususally will, but if they stop again (or before they stop again) ask for another yield.

They soon stop stopping, this yielding the hindquarters is also useful if a young horse is giving an indication they may buck, so I use this before they buck, straighten and continue on. i also use it if they are getting anxious about anything. It is a handy tool.

 

[Tnavas]

I've always had someone help by riding safe sensible horse with new broken youngster on the lead. I use the lunge cavesson with long lead attached.

More often than not the horse will respond to the other horse moving off.

Good idea is to teach youngster to lead off another horse prior to having the rider on board.

 

[domane]

If you don't want to use a whip on her, you could always try a bit of gravel in a plastic bottle. We got Clydie X, Jack, back in Feb who came to us with planting and stubborn issues. We were told that if you smacked him with a whip he would kick out or half-buck and still not move forward so we "thought outside the box" and I would ride with the bottle of stones tucked into the elastic at the front of my BP. If he stopped I would squeeze, ask him to walk on. If he didn't respond I would shake the stones and because he didn't like the noise, it got his feet moving. Then he got loads of loads of praise. When we started trotting, I realised that the stones would jiggle so I then progressed to carrying a short whip with a few strands of a M&S lime-green carrier bag tied to the end. If Jack stopped, I would wiggle the end of the whip at his eye-line and again, the surprise element got his feet moving - and again lots of praise.

Both options worked a treat for a very short period and Jack no longer stops or plants.

 

[orsceno1]

Thanks everyone for your replies - I will try some of the tips you have suggested. She does indeed go fine when out with another horse but I am struggling with the dark evenings and getting volunteers to come out with me! I will perservere though and report back

 

[Ibblebibble]

Well I'm glad I'm not the only one, as my 5 year old Welsh sec d will walk ,halt, back up but refuses to trot, even out on a hack, bless him

haha i can trump that, i have a welshx 10 yr old exactly the same he'll trot if someone else is on board and i run with him on the ground , he'll trot off smartly on the long lines but other than that no thank you Good job I'm in no rush either he does have the excuse of being a very late started though,

 

[TheMule]

I think with a 3 yr old you're much better to ride when you have a chance of it going well so you aren't just reinforcing bad behaviours- only hack until she's a bit further forward in her education, no matter if thats only once a week. Then twice a week you can work on the long lines in the school to help to get the forwards