Horse napping when out on a hack

[maggie62]

I have a problem with my horse napping when out on a hack, she doesn't do it all the time but on a particular route she just turns around and wants to head for home. I have tried turning her head and giving her a leg yield and go round in circles to no avail. She is 8yrs old and I have owned her for 2yrs and she has napped on a few previous occasions on different routes. I usually go out with my sis and her horse and know she is a follower and won't go out on her own which isn't a problem . I don't think it is related to pain as she is fine the majority of the time. Should I try getting off and walk her onwards or maybe try and just sit quietly on her and then try and move forward ? I can't see anything around that would make her feel scared as it it happened on a quiet country road with fields on either side. Maybe someone has some better ideas about addressing the problem.

 

[popcorn1]

Have you tried getting after her? Sounds like she needs you to be firmer.

 

[maggie62]

Have you tried getting after her? Sounds like she needs you to be firmer.

Thought I was 'getting after her'.....but maybe not firm enough. She is a very responsive horse and very rarely would I use a whip ( I always carry one) I have a feeling she is just wanting to head for home ...... she is not respecting , trusting or obeying my commands in this situation. I probably have to get tough as she will only get worse if I allow this to happen.

 

[Sir barnaby]

My old mare was very much like this, I had to ride out alone as had no one local to ride with in the early days she would plant herself whenever she didn’t want to go in a certain direction, I use to keep her going in trot for most of the ride so she was always moving forwards, i also wore spurs as it made no difference if I tried to be tough in fact it made her worse. If she was really bad I would dismount when she refused to go forward walk a few yards till she settled and then remounted and she would happily go on as she had forgotten what had bothered her, I took her hunting and she improved no end and was so much better, but we still had moments every so often even when she reached her twenties, I had backed and broken her in and know she had no bad experiences, I think she was just insecure so with lots of patience and determination we sort of cracked it. I personally think it was part of her personality and temperament, she was a quirky mare and i just worked around he foibles. I have Barney now who is so straight forward and safe it made me realise how difficult she had been, but I had her from a foal until she died at 21yrs So there was no question of giving up. Challenging but when she went well very rewarding. She certainly taught me a lot about the psychology of a horse. I became a ‘thinking’ rider and asked rather than forced an issue.
good luck take your time and be patient.

 

[Skib]

As Sir Barnaby says really. I shared a mare who napped. She napped with her owner too who, being a pro, became fierce with her. I was an o.a.p. rider and a different character. I did a lot of the circling but I also sometimes just waited. One day after a long wait, I was thinking about dismounting and moving away to grass where the landing would be softer and for some unknown reason she decided to walk on after all. The trainer Mark Rashid taught me that horses take far longer to work things out than a human and I have found that if one relaxes and leaves them to it, perhaps that is a kind of solution. Just waiting is something that worked when I was helping to groom in a livery yard. Horse threw his head up where I couldnt reach it to brush, I held the brush up motionless, till I thought my arm would drop off, but his head came down first.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Thought I was 'getting after her'.....but maybe not firm enough. She is a very responsive horse and very rarely would I use a whip ( I always carry one) I have a feeling she is just wanting to head for home ...... she is not respecting , trusting or obeying my commands in this situation. I probably have to get tough as she will only get worse if I allow this to happen.

I wouldn't up the ante, tbh. If you can get back on from the ground/find something to stand on, I would hop off and lead her a few yards, then get back on. She will have gone the way you want and not gone back home, which is the result that you want. You might have to repeat the off and on again strategy a few times until she gets the idea that she doesn't get to go home just because she says she would like to. Do you always ride circular routes? I would try to do so, or she might get the idea that turning for home is a thing.

 

[Sir barnaby]

I remember one particular incident we came to a t - junction and misty wanted to turn right and head home but I wanted to go the longer route to the left, she planted. I stood on this corner for a good 20 minutes, people passing thinking I was mental just standing there. I was lucky as she didn’t rear or buck just stood inactive, eventually she must have thought well this is boring dropped her head and off we went to the left quite happily, I always tried to have lots of time to spare so was never in a rush, it always had to be her choice to do something then it was fine, she was brilliant when jumping, or schooling it was just the hacking, but I had no choice as I only had a rented field and I certainly wasn’t going to just go round in circles in a field. if she started to get a bit stale I would travel over to ride at a friends which she loved to do and then she would be fine again for a few weeks. It never disappeared but we just learnt how to deal with it.

 

[maggie62]

My old mare was very much like this, I had to ride out alone as had no one local to ride with in the early days she would plant herself whenever she didn’t want to go in a certain direction, I use to keep her going in trot for most of the ride so she was always moving forwards, i also wore spurs as it made no difference if I tried to be tough in fact it made her worse. If she was really bad I would dismount when she refused to go forward walk a few yards till she settled and then remounted and she would happily go on as she had forgotten what had bothered her, I took her hunting and she improved no end and was so much better, but we still had moments every so often even when she reached her twenties, I had backed and broken her in and know she had no bad experiences, I think she was just insecure so with lots of patience and determination we sort of cracked it. I personally think it was part of her personality and temperament, she was a quirky mare and i just worked around he foibles. I have Barney now who is so straight forward and safe it made me realise how difficult she had been, but I had her from a foal until she died at 21yrs So there was no question of giving up. Challenging but when she went well very rewarding. She certainly taught me a lot about the psychology of a horse. I became a ‘thinking’ rider and asked rather than forced an issue.
good luck take your time and be patient.

Great advice......I really don't want to be hard on her as she is a sweet mare and I have always been very patient with her, but there are other people that think I need to get tough. I only need to give her a very light tap with the whip very occasionally and it is when she is schooling as she can be a little lazy at times, but otherwise she is very responsive to voice commands. I have just purchased a horse psychology book....I want to know more about how their minds work and the different perceptions they have as oppossed to us hoomans !!

 

[maggie62]

As Sir Barnaby says really. I shared a mare who napped. She napped with her owner too who, being a pro, became fierce with her. I was an o.a.p. rider and a different character. I did a lot of the circling but I also sometimes just waited. One day after a long wait, I was thinking about dismounting and moving away to grass where the landing would be softer and for some unknown reason she decided to walk on after all. The trainer Mark Rashid taught me that horses take far longer to work things out than a human and I have found that if one relaxes and leaves them to it, perhaps that is a kind of solution. Just waiting is something that worked when I was helping to groom in a livery yard. Horse threw his head up where I couldnt reach it to brush, I held the brush up motionless, till I thought my arm would drop off, but his head came down first.

Thank you......I am an OAP too and have very different ideas on correcting unwanted behaviors, but am well aware of my inexperience. I very much like the method of sitting and waiting....going to try that one, as being retired I have ALL day to wait !

 

[atropa]

Hmm, two out of my three mares are capable of a terrible nap out hacking. One sounds very similar to yours in terms of wanting to just head back towards home, what works for her is a very positive, confident attitude and riding very forward, not necessarily trotting but a good active walk. This stops her doing it in the first place.
The other will plant and go backwards and on a bad day this could escalate to rearing and bucking. I have found getting off, leading and getting back on works for her, as does getting VERY tough and growly with her, but i don't particularly enjoy riding like that. More recently when she's been planting I've been being very relaxed, concentrating on breathing and relaxing my muscles and just let her process what's going on around her, putting the pressure on to walk forward every so often until she goes. This has really helped to de-escalate her behaviour and I've found it really rewarding.
I think you sometimes need to try a few different tactics to see what works for your specific horse.

 

[Sir barnaby]

Go by your gut instincts, don’t let others influence you unless you feel they are being constructive, I’m an OAP too 69 years of age and still riding regularly mainly hacking but occasional hunting as picture shows that was 2 years ago, Years ago we were always taught that horses had to do as they were told come what may or they were being ‘naughty’ now don’t get me wrong there are some horses that do try it on and need confident riding, but I have learnt over the years that mares especially are More sensitive so often need different techniques. Due to modern circumstances and the availability of superb training facilities young horses don’t always get the education as youngsters With hacking and outside education which I feel is missing out, also the traffic conditions are not ideal and unless you have access to good hacking how on earth can you educate young horses. I certainly would hate to have a young horse now without lots of support. We would spend hours long reining young horses but no one seems to spend the time now. Their Life is so busy. retirement is lovely I can spend as much time as I like poo picking and grooming and just enjoying being with my horse. It must be very hard for people that work full time and have young children in this day and age to be able to spend their free time with their horses.

 

[maggie62]

I remember one particular incident we came to a t - junction and misty wanted to turn right and head home but I wanted to go the longer route to the left, she planted. I stood on this corner for a good 20 minutes, people passing thinking I was mental just standing there. I was lucky as she didn’t rear or buck just stood inactive, eventually she must have thought well this is boring dropped her head and off we went to the left quite happily, I always tried to have lots of time to spare so was never in a rush, it always had to be her choice to do something then it was fine, she was brilliant when jumping, or schooling it was just the hacking, but I had no choice as I only had a rented field and I certainly wasn’t going to just go round in circles in a field. if she started to get a bit stale I would travel over to ride at a friends which she loved to do and then she would be fine again for a few weeks. It never disappeared but we just learnt how to deal with it.

I know this is going to be an ongoing issue but that's ok, it's finding something that I can do to help The situation has not been helped because in the last few weeks she has not been ridden ( my sis is awaiting heart bypass surgery) and Apple will not go out on her own. Your advice has been a great help...thank you.

 

[maggie62]

Hmm, two out of my three mares are capable of a terrible nap out hacking. One sounds very similar to yours in terms of wanting to just head back towards home, what works for her is a very positive, confident attitude and riding very forward, not necessarily trotting but a good active walk. This stops her doing it in the first place.
The other will plant and go backwards and on a bad day this could escalate to rearing and bucking. I have found getting off, leading and getting back on works for her, as does getting VERY tough and growly with her, but i don't particularly enjoy riding like that. More recently when she's been planting I've been being very relaxed, concentrating on breathing and relaxing my muscles and just let her process what's going on around her, putting the pressure on to walk forward every so often until she goes. This has really helped to de-escalate her behaviour and I've found it really rewarding.
I think you sometimes need to try a few different tactics to see what works for your specific horse.

I like the sound of the relaxed method, my mare doesn't like being shouted at or being tough with her. Thank you

 

[Lois Lame]

Thank you......I am an OAP too and have very different ideas on correcting unwanted behaviors, but am well aware of my inexperience. I very much like the method of sitting and waiting....going to try that one, as being retired I have ALL day to wait !

That sounds good. But make her wait a little longer than she wants to. She's not making the decisions, you are, but you're making them kindly.

 

[Gloi]

When you are out with another horse put her in the lead so she doesn't get into the habit of being a follower all the time.

 

[daydreamer]

I have just started sharing a lovely horse owned by quite a novice rider. The horse hasn’t hacked since being at the yard (about a year) as he plants with the owner. Apparently he did the same with owner before who was a slightly older lady but before that he was a perfect hack and the yard hacking nanny!

My instructor, who has ridden the horse, advised that If he planted I slapped him over the neck with the reins.

I have taken him out 3 times now. The first time he napped quite badly, the second time less so and the third time I caught him quickly enough that when he slowed down I pushed him on in trot and we avoided the stop/sideways/pick front feet up. In each case he has only done it once per ride and moved off in a sweet trot after the leg and rein slapping.

I’m not a very brave rider and not a shoutey/smackey rider but this seems to work with him and I don’t feel unkind doing it.

 

[brighteyes]

Great advice......I really don't want to be hard on her as she is a sweet mare and I have always been very patient with her, but there are other people that think I need to get tough. I only need to give her a very light tap with the whip very occasionally and it is when she is schooling as she can be a little lazy at times, but otherwise she is very responsive to voice commands. I have just purchased a horse psychology book....I want to know more about how their minds work and the different perceptions they have as opposed to us hoomans !!

In a nutshell - you have talked through the options and her character and arrived at the right decision. This doesn't sound like disobedience, it sounds like fear/uncertainty and you do a lot of damage (and no good) by punishing them generally as their brains aren't big enough for complex thought!

 

[Skib]

I stood on this corner for a good 20 minutes, people passing thinking I was mental just standing there. I was lucky as she didn’t rear or buck just stood inactive, eventually she must have thought well this is boring dropped her head and off we went to the left quite happily,

I am so glad that a "proper" rider did this.
But I was a novice sharer and I know at least one "proper" rider reported me to the owner for incompetence just standing still on her horse. (Owner didnt mind, she left everything to me, bless her)

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

I think it's good to have a few different options in your repertoire of nap busting! I have a few different techniques depending what mood she is in and she quickly tells me if I've picked the wrong one!

Sometimes I just need to get her feet moving so circling or leg yielding is good, anything to get the feet moving! Other times I have just sat and waited and a quick wither scratch and lots of praise when she drops her head and moves her feet (as long as it's not in the direction of home!). And other times I have just had to tell her off because she is in one of those moods where she wants to be the boss. She gets a light nudge to move on, if she ignores then a sharper nudge, if still ignoring then a tap on the bum. I very very rarely tap her on the bum so she knows I mean business if I do! I also find growling at them can help show you mean it! Then as soon as she moves forwards she gets a release from my leg/contact/lots of praise etc.

Also what I find useful is back up the idea of your horse being on their own in other situations. For example when I do clinics with other horses and we are taking it in turns or have stopped to discuss with the instructor I never let her stand with the group. Another useful exercise I've done when hacking in company is getting the person at the back to trot past the others and then walk in front, then the person now at the back trots past to the front then walks and so on, mix up who is at the front and back and get them used to being overtaken and taking the lead etc.

 

[maggie62]

Thanks everyone for your great tips......one thing I thought about is she went out willingly with 2 unknown horses on the hack which I was surprised about and it was over a mile into the hack that she napped. I have to give her credit for doing that and then take it further from there. When I go out with my sis ( her horse is with mine in same field) she has napped a few times so I think it is more about 'home' than being with her friend. She goes in front on the way home....no surprise there. There are some great hacking routes here but you have to go quite a distance to get to them and even longer to go on a loop, so not easy to to find a short loop that doesn't involve coming back home the same way we came. We don't have an arena near or have transport so hacking is our only option. My sis is awaiting heart surgery so she is not riding just now and will not be for some time after her surgery so my options are limited.

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

I'm not a fierce/smacky rider/owner either but I have learned not to be a push over too. For most undesirable behaviour now I just wait it out and have discovered that I have infinitely more patience than the average horse lol. That's not to say I'm not firm when really needed but have found I can bore my horses into doing as I want. As an example:
Cob likes to get through the gate first and tries to barge. This particular gate is narrower than the others. I spent an hour one day just leading him to the gate, opening it and then shutting it in his face (not literally I hasten to add) if he tried to walk through it. I would ask him to step back..within an hour he would step back as I started to open the gate and wait until I had it wide open and walked through. Never had an issue since.

 

[maggie62]

I'm not a fierce/smacky rider/owner either but I have learned not to be a push over too. For most undesirable behaviour now I just wait it out and have discovered that I have infinitely more patience than the average horse lol. That's not to say I'm not firm when really needed but have found I can bore my horses into doing as I want. As an example:
Cob likes to get through the gate first and tries to barge. This particular gate is narrower than the others. I spent an hour one day just leading him to the gate, opening it and then shutting it in his face (not literally I hasten to add) if he tried to walk through it. I would ask him to step back..within an hour he would step back as I started to open the gate and wait until I had it wide open and walked through. Never had an issue since.

I agree there can be a fine balance to the best way to deal with different situations......I don't want to allow her to get her own way....but at the same time I want her to work with me, not against me. The old adage of making the desirable behavior easy and the undesirable behavior difficult. Thank you for your input....will take that on board.