HELP!!!!

[IndianaWarpaint]

I am wondering if anyone has any tips on dealing with a napping horse.

I bought my mare a year ago and was very pleased with her - she seemed perfect for the eventing i wanted to do. However she was slightly nappy, but would never do more than lean slightly towards home. Then one day we were out cross country schooling and i took her away from the other horse and asked her to trot trough a little water. She refused, and when pushed reared straight up. We then got a lead through the water and it was alright for the rest of our schooling session.
Since then, however, she has started napping and rearing when we are out on hacks alone, especially when on the steep hill away from our house. I'm now forced to always go the other direction, because i cannot make her go forwards up that hill. I have been told to always carry a big stick when riding her, and wallop her when she starts napping, however, she then gets really hot and wound up and rears more, sometimes even bolting towards home.
She was supposed to be a potential eventer when i bought her(aged 8), however this year when i have been trying the intro events she'll clear every fence unless it is a ditch or a drop/jump before the water (she'll walk in with only a slight hesitation) then she'll refuse repeatedly. Recently some schooling has had her going in, but never first time, and always with a fierce battle occuring between us. She will now go over ditches, but will peter on the edge, and actually go down on her knees in front (not exaggerating, it shocked me at the time) before jumping it huge - this has left her with cuts on her legs, despite wearing very good cross-country boots.

I am at my wits end and don't know what to do with her. I keep getting told to beat her into these fences, but don't want to go down that path, i am not above giving her three good slaps, but i tend to only get one in before she is bolting or rearing on me. please help!!

 

[pottamus]

Something has obviously triggered this if it was not happening before but now does. With all the battles you say you are having, the situation is obviously getting worse as she will loose confidence in you. As I am sure you are finding, force and beating will only result in stronger objections and reactions from the horse in a bid to rid itself of the problem!
It sounds to me like you need to go right back to basics and get her trust back again - perhaps some work on the ground for a few weeks and some long reining work in a safe place and then going for very short distances on hacks and coming back. Gradually lengthening the distance and then doing the same whilst riding her. There is obviously a reason for this happening and I think you need to gain some trust back. This is just my experience and opinion mind as I am not one for using force with any horse because you never win. Sometimes a different rider can help too but the problem needs dealing with in a calm manner with patience and consistency little by little and no force or beating should be required. Some may not agree with this but it has always worked for me even with the most determined of horses. You can be insistent and firm without resorting to force and the horse responds so much better. Yes, it may take time and not everyone is prepared to put that in but it does work for the long run. Horses are fickle creatures and it does not take much to upset them and cause a small issue to become a major trauma. Have you tried another rider? Does this just happen when ridden on her own, what is she like in company?

 

[OrangeEmpire]

Rather than squaring up to her, you need to hoodwink her into going where you want. In my experience, when you've lost your temper, you've already lost the battle.

Try making things difficult for her when she naps - like if she runs backwards, make her reverse for ages in the direction you want to go. If she turns away, turn her back again rather than going in a circle.

I had a phase where my horse wouldn't go through water (puddles on the road!). We established the rule that I wouldn't hit him, or get cross, but i just wouldn't allow him to turn away from it. Eventually he realised that he had no choice but to go forwards.

The trick is to make it a simple choice - do what i want and get lots of praise, refuse/nap and life becomes uncomfortable. The making them walk backwards for ages in the direction you want is a good one as it is easy to enforce and very hard work for the horse. With my horse and the puddles it was important to praise him whenever he moved even one foot forwards. So be firm but not agressive and praise like mad whenever she makes a small concession.

The jumping problems will be because she has lost her confidence in you and is making the decisions in your everyday riding so sees no reason to believe you about the jumping. I suspect that once you get her less nappy, the jumping will start to improve too.

I'd stop carrying the stick - it will make you think about how to ask her to do what you want rather than trying to force it. Time and patience is the key!
Good luck! I'm sure you can sort this out.

 

[IndianaWarpaint]

I'm pretty sure i know the triggers!!

She was ridden by a professional before i got her, so would have had no opportunity to misbehave!! then i got her and she was able to rear when she was genuinely panicked (i realise now that i made a mistake trying to make her go through the water first time away from the other horse) this probably made her realise that this was a viable escape route to avoid things she doesn't like. Then when we were out hunting she tried to jump a river instead of walking across the ford, and ended up swimming.... i think she now expects every water to be deep!!

I have found that by perseverance and by refusing to let her turn away, no matter what, she will eventually step down a small drop.

I don't do long-reining as I have never been taught how to do it corectly, and inexperienced handlers in these situations tend to make matters worse.

Shes good on hacks with other horses, and i have had her out with them to encourage her to be braver. Once we get out on our hacks (past the very scary hill) she is an angel, not spooky or nappy. Its just up this one hill away from home.

I like your theory of hood-winking her!! i do try, but shes quite a canny little horse. If we go back, she goes up...and this is a steep hill we are talking about!! we have a tendancy to go sideways for some distance, as she refuses to turn right (always spooks to the left), normaly i win, but sometimes she is so impossible i cannot get her to turn right. Then i get her to move a few steps in the direction i want before turning her back. this way it is my decision to make her turn.

Its not so much jumping. She has done a fair bit of working hunter, and if its got a jump she'll jump it, water trays, fillers, strange XC jumps. But if there is an open ditch (trakenhers we normally manage) or water, she refuses to move.

I've done the same thing with puddles - there is no way you are turning away from this - it does work wonders!! shes just more violently stopping at drops into water - lunging sideways, rearing etc. so patience doesn't work....she doesn't just stand and look, she leaps around etc.

Thank you very much for the advice!!