Horse acting up

[Aurios]

I've had my horse since around January time, up until now she has been fine on hacks and haven't had a problem with her. She's only 5 so still pretty green with things. Usually she will occasionally spook at things and do a little rear when something's upset her but apart from that nothing major.From around the last week or so everytime we are on a hack she has started to play up and reverse down the road into traffic (she isn't bothered about the traffic) then she will start doing down the ditches at the side of the roads and reverse into gates and hedges. When asking her to go forward she will then persist to rear up and her rears have been getting bigger and stronger. Nothing seems to stop her no matter how angry or patient she will still continue. The only time she will stop is if we decide to go home which is not an option as then she's won the battle. She's has also tried broncoing with me and she reared in the ditch and slipped backwards and landed on the floor, this didn't fase her and she still continues to do it. She's healthy and happy and nothing's changed in her routine we have had everything checked out so I don't understand why she keeps doing it or how to stop her it's sometimes a half an hour battle in a ditch with her trying to get her to go forward. It's starting to become dangerous with how she's acting now. She won't listen to any commands

 

[SpottyTB]

Sorry to hear your having trouble, it's horrible - and especially when your new to the horse. What is she like in the school (if you have access to a school? or schooling environment?) My little mare was a super super 3 and 4 year old and well into her 5's... nearer 6 she turned into a monster and when we got to 7 (touch wood) she's been super again - 9 this year... i think sometimes they go through stages and phases (not un like the child terrible twos). They are all different and persistence is the key...

A good instructor is always an idea and perhaps long reining her out on hacks? At least you can drive her on from behind - but please be careful of those back legs, she may not be a kicker but you never know what they might do when stressing!

 

[meesha]

If safe when she refuses to go forward I would be getting off leading her forward for a while, get back on continue on and when she is going forwards nicely ridden turn for home. Obviously this is only an option if she is a. very safe to lead in traffic and b. will let you get back on safely. Its not worth risking an accident by staying on her if she is prepared to put herself in a ditch or rear on the road/reverse into traffic.

The obvious one is to also go out with another horse if you arent already and start from scratch building up the hacking alone time, you could also box up somewhere if you have transport and ride home a few times?

I have all this yet to come I know as I have just bought a nearly 5 year old who is being an angel hacking at the moment even on his own but I am sure he is just leading me into a false sense of security !!

Good luck, stay safe.

 

[Barnacle]

I was dealing with a similarly-behaved pony gelding last summer. He would back up and buck (no rearing though) and did actually back into a ditch and got stuck (I had to dismount, he lost his balance and nearly "smushed" me). He was also a bolter. Long story short, the solution was persistence and patience. When he started backing up, instead of trying to push him forward, I'd turn him around in tight circles. I always stopped him when he was facing the right direction, gave him a squeeze and kept squeezing and releasing until he moved. If the movement was forward, I would completely relax everything - reins, legs, light seat. If he started to back up, it would be turning and legs again. I also started having other people ride ahead so he could relax and follow another horse to build his confidence and do some overtaking from time to time or ride side by side so he never got too stressed. At the time I had my hands full with other horses so didn't do this but in retrospect I would have also taken him on walks in-hand to help him with his confidence. After all this he showed some improvement but the real breakthrough came through groundwork and lots of lunging. We did some free-lunging with him in a small paddock, teaching him to change direction on command, and that seemed to transform him. He became much more trusting after that and now he will hack out alone and cross roads without problem (so far). He is so different that the running joke now is that he had a brain transplant.