How do I get her to listen to me?

[Tilda]

I am having a few problems hacking my mare this winter and they basically stem from the fact that she is just not listening to me!

I have been having lessons and working hard on her schooling and she is really starting to listen to me in the school now and although not perfect is really improving. However as soon as we hack out particularly on grass she starts looking at anything and everything and just totally switches off to my leg and voice. She naps, jogs and when I stop her jogging feels like she is going to explode and she has started bucking if we canter.

I decided today that I am going to give up on hacking for the winter as I had a very bad accident last year and her behaviour is starting to scare me which then creates a vicious circle of winding each other up. I am going to ask my YM to hack her once a week/ fortnight to see how she behaves for her and give her a break from the school.

I plan to do more ground work with her but she is not too bad on the ground so how do I transfer this to the saddle.

Many thanks in advance for any help you can give x

 

[Tnavas]

A very frustrating time - my TB was like this - however if I kept him on the bit he was a saint to hack out as his eye balls looked down and ahead of him instead of the horizon.

If she is not yet ready to work correctly out on a hack a Market Harborough may help you gain a little more control.

 

[ISHmad]

Think of hacking as being out in a very big school. So everything you do to get her listening to you in the school do out hacking. Do lots of lateral work, trasnsitions etc to get her attention. And if she wants to go at a faster pace than you want to then put her on a circle (assuming you are in a place you can safely do so) and keep her on the circle until she is going at the speed you want. Then allow her forward. If she goes too fast put her back on the circle again and so on until she realises she must move at the pace you dictate, not hers.

Having someone else hack her out in the meantime sounds like a really good idea. Lots of horses are on their toes at this time of year as it is so difficult to keep them exercised as much as when we have lighter days and nights.

 

[skydancer]

My horse is exactly like this at the mo she is only fed on fast fibre and hay but she feels like she is going to explode all the time ask for walk and she jogs ask for trot and she tries to canter !! She is worked six days a week and she just seems to be so full of energy! I think it is the weather

 

[Mince Pie]

Think of hacking as being out in a very big school. So everything you do to get her listening to you in the school do out hacking. Do lots of lateral work, trasnsitions etc to get her attention. And if she wants to go at a faster pace than you want to then put her on a circle (assuming you are in a place you can safely do so) and keep her on the circle until she is going at the speed you want. Then allow her forward. If she goes too fast put her back on the circle again and so on until she realises she must move at the pace you dictate, not hers.

Having someone else hack her out in the meantime sounds like a really good idea. Lots of horses are on their toes at this time of year as it is so difficult to keep them exercised as much as when we have lighter days and nights.

Exactly what she said! If you are hacking down a quiet lane then leg yield, shoulders in, quarters in etc. all come in very useful. I'm having this problem with my cob at the moment so started doing baby half pass down the lane with him yesterday!

 

[tallyho!]

You say "oi! You listening to me?"

 

[noblesteed]

I found my horse wouldn't listen to me especially during the winter - even in the school - and would be awful when we were hacking (we could only go in company as he napped alone) and he did many of the things you describe. He was eating ad lib high quality haylage, 2 scoops of healthy hooves chaff and lots of calmer and that was too much for winter - he was only getting a couple of hour's turnout which made him fizzy. Now his management in winter is 9 hours turnout, soaked hay and a handful of light chaff and he is so much easier - no napping, calm in the school and he is controllable hacking alone and in company (unless we're hunting!). A lot cheaper to keep as well!
Is there any way you can increase turnout and reduce feed?

 

[Tilda]

Hi all

Thank you for the great advice and its nice to know I'm not alone.

I also have to hack in company because Tilly is really nappy alone so haven't really been able to stick her on a circle etc however my usual hacking companion is more than happy to do schooling hacks so maybe that's what we need to do.

Xmasinthesun - she isn't working consistently on the bit at the moment but this is the real aim behind the schooling so hopefully the more this improves the better she will get on hacks I will look into a Market Harborough and discuss with my instructor thanks for the tip.

Noblesteed - Tilly only has 2 small handfuls of equine sensitive cubes and one of fibregy once a day just to get her agnus castus in her (moody mare!) and she gets about 8 hours turnout a day which is the maximum at the yard. I don't want to move yards because this is the fourth one we have been on and is lovely and we are both settled there now.

Thanks again all my YM is hacking her out on Thursday for me but perhaps I will try a schooling hack at the weekend