How to overcome our hacking problems?

[Chumsmum]

Hi. Sorry long..

I need some help working out the best way to help my horse Toby to be better out hacking, especially alone. He is 8yo, I've had him 18mths, a lovely willing horse who is generally fab to school, jump and XC (he has been great starting off my competition dreams) and all of my instructors love him because he is honest and has taught me so much, I won Most Improved Rider at my RC this year and it's all down to him

But he is a bit of a stress-head, spooky sort - the total opposite of my first horse - and this comes to the fore out hacking. I hacked him more at my old yard but for various reasons have barely hacked him at my current yard, we have been there 10 months now.

He worries the whole time, very suspicious of things behind him and can either shoot off forwards in a panic or put the brakes on sharply. If something really upsets him, head goes up somewhere by my nose and he literally feels about to burst, not a very nice feeling.. It seems an age before he calms down. He bucks occasionly but not big, never reared but a couple of times he has cantered on the spot, this has been in company though. He is fine in all traffic. In hindsight I believe he was like this with his previous owner (teenager).

More experienced riders probably wouldn't think anything of these things but coming from my old horse, a very quiet hack, it's a big leap for me.

Some of it I put down to his nature (he spooks in the field at birds or anything strange) and some of it not trusting me fully though I try my best to be brave for him and be kind but firm.

It's strange really but he is the one who is generally very happy (and copes with my nerves) at competitions, clinics etc but I think that's because he knows he has a job to do - he is the type that needs his brain kept ticking over and hacking doesn't seem to do this? He is also spookier at home?

Unfortunately I dont have a regular hacking buddy atm so need to do this alone.. However in some ways this suits me as means we can go at our own pace and early in the mornings when less people about.

I work full time so only have weekends at the moment for hacking though when clocks go forward at the end of March I can hack before or after work.

He is just being bought back in to work since being fairly fit at the end of Nov - lunging and gentle schooling atm which he seems fine with but I know he needs to be hacked too.

I'm thinking back to basics so it's baby steps for both of us or should I just grow a pair and get on with it?? I just want to get it right for him.

How would you go about it?

Thanks for any replies.

 

[La Fiaba]

when my stress head feels like he is going to explode out hacking i do one of 2 things, if possible we have a good blast to take the edge off, he stays a bit hyped for 5 mins or so afterward, but this is when we do our best dressage! on that note, if a gallop is not an option i make him work, use his energy and channel it into a great schooling session whilst hacking.

 

[horselover68]

As above person said put him to work try doing lateral stuff to take his mind off whats bothering him and should also help you focus on something so your nerves don't get away with you.

Best thing to do re spookiness is do some de-sensitising work in the school if you have one and simulate spooky scenarios with you on the ground so if things get out of control you don't have to worry about falling off - there are a lot of trainers around now like Michael Peace and Richard Maxwell who can come out and do sessions with you to help build both your confidence levels up and if there is an Intelligent Horsemanship (Monty Roberts) place close by you might be able to book a session with a trainer who does that as they all offer the same type of teaching.

Hope you find a workable solution as its no fun if you are worrying the whole time.

 

[Yorkshire dumpling]

i used to have a horse like that. i bought him from a sales as a total novice ride and got him home and... lol well...

we re-schooled him and he turned into a fantasic jumper/dressage x-country horse BUT still a spooky horse and very very stupid on the road.

when i took him on the road alone he was dangerous, never concentrated on what he was doing and more bothered about how to "run away" or get me off.

i used the "work" route

everytime he got tense or joggy/cantering on spot etc i would make him trot at a working pace and not leave of until he had calmed down.

i tried the field find a gallop but that just seemed to make him ALOT worse.

eventually he got a little bit better (a little bit) to the point where i could hack out alone but i didnt enjoy it. i tried hacking with other horses and he was alot better (although didnt like leading the hack he always was calm at the back/middle)
i got instructors and trainers out to help me with him and he improved a little more. but after about 8 months i decided that he was too much and i sold him to my friend. she doesnt really hack so he was perfect for her.

would say try everything and anything, ride him before you hack out,
work him while out if he feels tense
start off with short hacks and carry on till you get further away.
possibly think about changing bit for while out hacking and always always take you phone! i really can not stress that enough.
if he is better hacking with company try meeting up with someone on the way and then let them leave you when coming home.
he may just be a nervous horse but there are ways of sugar coating and helping with the pressure he feels xx

 

[celia]

Would agree that getting him listening to you by schooling as you hack could help him to focus on you rather than what's going on around him. It sounds to me like a confidence issue though - is there anyone who could walk with you on the ground when you hack? One of ours used to be impossible to hack alone and this is what worked with him. We started with someone walking at his head and just short, quiet routes and then built up to person moving ahead/behind etc and he's now pretty good completely on his own.

 

[Chumsmum]

Thank you so much for replies.

Interesting about the ways you deal with the 'ready to pop' moments, I've just been sitting there quietly in walk waiting for him to calm down and have wondered if a blast along the field is what he really needed but worried in case it made it a whole lot worst. I'm going to try the working trot as a half way house.

Yes, have found the schooling helps, think I might ride in school beforehand to make sure listening and then literally carry it on into a hack - sounds daft but I always felt guilty schooling too much on a hack because I wanted him to relax and enjoy it but he doesn't atm so maybe that's what I need to do for now? On a flatwork, jumping or XC lesson he is absolutely fine once I've got his full attention but I think he feels at home (or maybe safe?) in a school, instructors have mentioned this? I wish horses could talk!!

Regarding changing bits, I think I will stick with his NS Verb thingy, he has a soft mouth and is rarely strong even when cantering in company - this is my favourite thing about hacking with him lol.

Regarding groundwork, he did do Parelli at previous home (he loves playing) and in some ways he ain't scared of scary things, you can bounce a big ball off him and he thinks it's fun he is incredibly nosey and likes to touch things but even though they did lots of work on it they said he still nervous of things behind him? He just seems to focus on a scary thing/object and can't get it out of his head sometimes. He got a big issue with pheasants, unfortunately we live in shooting country..

OH would walk with me but he admits he scared of horses so doesn't help. However, he not scared of my old pony and I take him for walks in-hand occasionly, will start doing that again now weather better and encourage OH to lead - might even eventually be able to 'hack' together?

Any ideas about how to turn back for home and not making it obvious as I don't have a short circular route? He doesn't nap when coming away to/from home and don't want to create a problem.

I'm glad I posted this cos it's got me thinking (probably too much, I over analyse everything which doesn't help..) and have realised that some of our previous problems had an explaination (saddle) and he was improving at our last yard (remembered that he seemed to hold his breath for first 10 mins then literaly deflated as hack went on lol) and I've just lost more confidence as I did less and then winter came... Roll on Spring so I can do some consistant work

Thanks again for tips.

 

[Spange]

sing! I have an irrational fear of hacking alone and singing means i'm breathing, so less likely to be tense and making my horse tense!

 

[HBII]

Ill come down and walk with you if you want or I can bring a bicycle lol!

Hbx

 

[BBP]

My horse is exactly the same, full of curiosity and brave with the strangest things, he'll stride boldly along and then all of a sudden spot something (like a tractor 3 fields away) and he falls apart. His heart rate goes through the roof, he shakes all over and can't seem to move his feet. If I pressure him he panics and will run backwards/spin etc. All I can do with him is sit quietly til his heart rate reduces and then I hop off and lead him past and hop back on when he is relaxed and carry on as if nothing happened (I am lucky he is 14hh so it is easy to do that!). As long as I'm next to him he will come with me, he just doesn't seem to have enough confidence in me as a pilot.

To be fair he is a baby and hasn't seen much, so I am hoping that this year I will get him out a lot more and he will be much braver. He loves being out in company, even with someone on foot to give him that extra courage when he needs it.

The singing is a great tip. I have a tendency to hold my breath, which makes me tense. As soon as I stop, breathe out deeply and flump my body, relaxing everything and then start again, he is a lot better. Even when schooling he works more forwards when I breathe!

Good luck with him, I know how frustrating it is!

 

[Chumsmum]

It's all coming back to me now lol, yes my singing did help us both too, now I need to choose a good song....

Thanks A, I will be taking you up on that offer

KatPT - thanks for your comments too, yes it is strange how they go from bold one minute to a quivering wreck the next.

I think we have got a better relationship now than we did when we last hacked, I've accepted that the spooking is just part of his personality and I feel more protective towards him than worried about it now

I don't think he is ever going to be a relaxing hack but fingers crossed this year it's something that we both look forward to a bit more.

 

[Yorkshire dumpling]

Thank you so much for replies.

Interesting about the ways you deal with the 'ready to pop' moments, I've just been sitting there quietly in walk waiting for him to calm down and have wondered if a blast along the field is what he really needed but worried in case it made it a whole lot worst. I'm going to try the working trot as a half way house.

Yes, have found the schooling helps, think I might ride in school beforehand to make sure listening and then literally carry it on into a hack - sounds daft but I always felt guilty schooling too much on a hack because I wanted him to relax and enjoy it but he doesn't atm so maybe that's what I need to do for now? On a flatwork, jumping or XC lesson he is absolutely fine once I've got his full attention but I think he feels at home (or maybe safe?) in a school, instructors have mentioned this? I wish horses could talk!!

Regarding changing bits, I think I will stick with his NS Verb thingy, he has a soft mouth and is rarely strong even when cantering in company - this is my favourite thing about hacking with him lol.

Regarding groundwork, he did do Parelli at previous home (he loves playing) and in some ways he ain't scared of scary things, you can bounce a big ball off him and he thinks it's fun he is incredibly nosey and likes to touch things but even though they did lots of work on it they said he still nervous of things behind him? He just seems to focus on a scary thing/object and can't get it out of his head sometimes. He got a big issue with pheasants, unfortunately we live in shooting country..

OH would walk with me but he admits he scared of horses so doesn't help. However, he not scared of my old pony and I take him for walks in-hand occasionly, will start doing that again now weather better and encourage OH to lead - might even eventually be able to 'hack' together?

Any ideas about how to turn back for home and not making it obvious as I don't have a short circular route? He doesn't nap when coming away to/from home and don't want to create a problem.

I'm glad I posted this cos it's got me thinking (probably too much, I over analyse everything which doesn't help..) and have realised that some of our previous problems had an explaination (saddle) and he was improving at our last yard (remembered that he seemed to hold his breath for first 10 mins then literaly deflated as hack went on lol) and I've just lost more confidence as I did less and then winter came... Roll on Spring so I can do some consistant work

Thanks again for tips.

the best places to school a horse is on the road apparently (i read it somewhere but dont know if it is true) hacking is great for a horse. most professional riders school while hacking if they get used to just being ridden in a school/field there legs are not prepared for road work and that is when they injure themselves because of the impact of the road(i think it was in your horse or something a few months ago?)
if you school a horse before hacking out you will not do him any harm at all.
think of riding schools etc they work theres then hack out.

my fav thing to do on a hack is collected trot and working trot, half halts and if a country lane shoulder in and a canter , collected and working.
you could always take a lunge rein with you and find a field on your hack and do a 5/10 min lunge with him too. i do that with youngsters (3/4yr olds)

also try the spook methods of leaving bags and balloons and flags etc in the field while you poo pick etc. maybe get a fluffy toy that looks like a bird and show it to him . sounds funny but one of my fillies is scared of dogs so i bought a toy dog and worked her with it and set it to bark noise etc eventually she wasnt even bothered and now she plays with my poor old staffy down at the field. and if we see a dog while doing road work, she has a look but thats pretty much it.

the turning back home....

are there side roads that you can go up and down another to go back on your self?

we have a main road with about 5 side roads and 2 of them join up we walk down the side road and along which takes us out about 500yrd away from the yard.
if they get too excited about going home we do one of two things
1. turn around and walk away from the yard until they calm down
2. walk past the yard until they calm down then turn them around.

xx

try get someone to maybe walk on the other side of the road to you. if your OH is a bit nervous of your horse just ask him to walk on the opposite pavement. xx
hope i helped xx

 

[xxMozlarxx]

I think you will find it all improves as you do more and your confidence grows. Agree that wearing him out a bit befor you hack, lunging is good, will probably make you feel better. Singing is good, I sing utter rubbish! If in doubt push on, a good hard trot does wonders, it always makes e smile how my boy will trot by anything that is spooky at walk, but think it's just that I'm then being firm rather than freezing when he does! Good luck!

 

[Chumsmum]

Thanks again for replies, very helpful, especially the schooling stuff as he does usually enjoy work, I'm just going to have a plan and get on with it and ignore his spooking like I do in the school.

I did think about a toy pheasant lol, I'm sure I've got one somewhere from when our Springer was a puppy. It's the end of shooting season soon, let's hope they shoot them all before then!

HBII is going to walk with me (thank you ), our plans are on hold this weekend as school frozen and frosts forecast - roll on Spring!!

Thanks everyone.