Horse backs up when asked to stand and wait.

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Wideyes

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Hi all, this is my first post so if I've done it wrong... oh well...
I've just bought a new horse. He is wonderful! But a little less experienced than I would like. He is almost 7. He was professionally backed at 4 and hunted one season then turned away for a year. He was bought back into work at 6 and hasn't done a lot at all. He is such a good boy considering. He's just very impatient.

Coby with his trainer.
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Coby with my daughter
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He is a real charmer and brave! Nothing seems to faze him. Unlike my ID mare who will spook at her own shadow :)
His only issue is he is a real fidget bum. He hates to stand still. He's not to bad when mounting as long as you just get on with it and don't fanny around. I'm mounting him from a mounting block, not from the ground as he fidgets less then.
The problem is while we are hacking out. If I ask him to stand he does it lovely. But immediately wants to move off again. If I ask him to stand for more and 3 seconds, he starts to back up and and dance around a bit. He will back up banks and into hedges. I really want to get him out on the roads as he is good in traffic. But where I live there is a junction we would have to wait at, to get to the good bridle ways and I need him to stand well for that. Also we have narrow parts of the road where we would have to stop and wait for cars to pass. So as you can see, there's no way I can take him out until I have him standing patiently.
I have started working on it first from the ground. I had a friend on him and every time she asked him to stand reward him. But if he fidgets and starts to back up, I would take hold of him and make him stand while she said the commands "stand" "good boy" and "walk on" now I am working on him alone from his back, asking him to stand for the count of 3 then saying "good boy" while petting him, then asking him to walk off. I have started extending the time I ask him to stand and wait and if he starts to back up I turn him tightly 3 times then I ask him to take a couple of steps forward, then ask him to stand and wait again.
My question is, some people say turn the horse if it tries to back up and others say make them back up more. I'm a bit worried about trying the latter as I'm worried backing him up more will just make the problem worse.
Has anyone got any good suggestions?
 
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He looks lovely.

It is always best if you get this good at home, so ok when out. I use a whip and if the horse backs up when I am about to get on, I ask him forward with a touch of the whip behind the girth, you can also use the whip over his back (on other side) if he swings around as well. If you stay still and ask him to come back into position, he will eventually learn that it is easier to stand still and let you get on than fidget.

I have been doing this with my ISH and after a few weeks, he pretty much has quit fidgeting.
 
Thank you Jeeves, My mare was terrible at standing to mount when I got her. Took 20 minutes to mount her one day and she would try to canter off before even getting my foot in the stirrup. She learned very fast to stand still nicely with the help of an old mare's example.

This isn't the problem with Coby though. He will stand to be mounted, except for a little fidgeting after. It's the standing while out on him that is the problem. I don't think he is napping and I don't think it's fear that is causing it, as he is very brave. I think it's impatience. He just want's to get on with it a little too much. I need to find the best way to teach him to stand quietly from his back while out. Especially in traffic on the roads.
 
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Personaly I wouldn't encourage him to back up more as it seems to be his default anyway to being unable to go forwards (better than going up though, I guess!)
I would carry on with what you are doing, tons and tons of repetitions and lots of praise when he stands nicely. Good luck.
 
I had this with my ex racehorse. Has always been a sod to mount but, is 100% better, although I tend to get on and then immediately start walking. If I faff around too much he will throw his head up and threaten to go up. When in the schooling ring he was fine at standing still but, on a hack was horrible. When I asked him to stand so a car could pass, i.e. narrow lane, he wouldn't, he would threaten to go up and I had to keep circling him, which isn't ideal with there is a car one side and a ditch the other. In fact, he became so bad that we stopped hacking him out. He was too dangerous. I spoke to the ROR and they said just circle but this wasn't always possible. So, this is what I done. I realised that it wasn't his fault, in his mind he had to keep his legs moving, whether forward, backward or circling, he couldn't comprehend that he was able to stand still, probably from his racing days or the fact that he hadn't been shown properly the ettique of manners and patience. One thing was that I made sure that when we started to re hack out, he was 100% schooled, we went back to basics and got him working in on the bit and listening, this helped so much when out hacking and I used the roads as if I was in a manage. When he got excited if he saw something or someone, I would put him on the bit and begin transitions etc, then when he felt calmer, was allowed back onto the buckle but, standing still was still an issue. I then spent every day out on hacks making him stand. Literally, 30 steps of walk and then halt, just for a second and then 30 steps on and then halt, slowly over the weeks increasing the time I asked him to stand. It took months but it did work. Now when I car comes by he will stand for a lot longer than before, usually well enough time for a couple of cars to go past and if he does move, I ask him to walk forward a stride and then re stand. We still have bad days and he can throw his toys out of the pram. But I do feel that the repetition of making him go from walk to halt over and over again did make a massive difference.
 
Lovely looking lad.
As for backing up when told to stand, I suggest walking him on when he moved backwards and continuing to ask him to stand. Everytime he stands, even if it's for a few seconds praise him and repeat the process. Good luck.
 
Thank you, sounds like I've been doing the right thing. Just with a few circles through in when he tries it on to much. I'm sure he wont take long to teach some manners. He has the sweetest nature and really tries to please.
Luckily, the stables where I keep my horses is part of a manor with a long private road and round-a-bought, with the occasional car. So I can practice road work in a safe way.
 
Thank you CrazyCobLady :) Glad you think he's lovely. I'm so proud of him. He is my dream horse. I'm so exited! Haha!
The problem is once he takes a step back it's to late and there's no getting him to go forwards, if I kick him on or give him a tape on the bum with the crop, He threatens to go up. I'm used to rearer's as Mayo would go full up in the air. But it's not something I want Cobolt to start doing. So what I've been doing is asking him to stand verbally and using my aids, reward him and immediately walk off before he has the chance to take that step back. I was thinking of using a clicker and a treat to get him to extend the wait.
 
Ummmmm. Lovely horse but if that guy is seriously someone you pay to train your horse you might need a rethink. I haven't seen such a pronounced chair seat outside the hunting field in thirty years. Unless it's a photo of him caught off balance for a moment, I would not want him training my horse, sorry.

Mine also backs up when asked to stand at hunt checks. I send him on then stand him up again.
 
cptrayes said:
Ummmmm. Lovely horse but if that guy is seriously someone you pay to train your horse you might need a rethink. I haven't seen such a pronounced chair seat outside the hunting field in thirty years. Unless it's a photo of him caught off balance for a moment, I would not want him training my horse, sorry.
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I must admit that I thought the same, the horse is gorgeous.

My ID was unused to standing still when I got her, we hacked out behind another horse, so that she had to wait at junctions, or walk over the horse in front. I taught her to stand at random spots on a hack because my neighbour likes to give the horses a treat when she meets them, so that's what she did and we stood and chatted for increasing lengths of time.

I certainly wouldn't ask your horse to back up further, you don't want to encourage the behaviour.
 
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He is lovely:)
My young mare is exactly the same, she has very little patience to stand quietly but I keep pushing her forward and hope that she will come right,she stands beautifully to mount thankfully! Good to hear other people's stories for dealing with this
 
The photo with the man was taken before I owned him. So I'm not paying him anything. I've only owned Coby for 11 days. I was told the photo was taken with his trainer. But who knows.
 
Wideyes said:
The photo with the man was taken before I owned him. So I'm not paying him anything. I've only owned Coby for 11 days. I was told the photo was taken with his trainer. But who knows.
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No wonder he doesn't know how to stand still! I'm sure that you will be able to train him to do what you want,with patience and consistency.
 
I know what you mean Old nag, There's a lot of advice about getting your horse to stand to mount. But hardly anything about teaching them to stand while on them.
 
Exactly. It's very early days. For the first few days I just let him settle in so didn't ride him at all. Then I just led him out to show him around. So I have only really started schooling him in the last couple of days. Now I have started to ride him. Standing is the aria he needs to work on. I thought it would be a good idea to get some advice on here right from the start so I can start as I mean to go on.
 
Thank you cptrayes. I will do. It's all about bonding for now and getting to know his new surroundings. I don't think it will take long as he is already really settled :)

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He's 7 now so he shouldn't grey out now. Well hopefully anyway. If he doesn't hopefully it will be so slow it will hardly change.
 
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