Issues out hacking

[sjdress]

I’ve had new horse for approx 6 months. When he came he hadn’t done much hacking at all or seen much of the big bad world! He has a nappy streak in him and when unsure he will spin, go backwards and little half rears. We’ve tried the nice approach, I’ve had a pro get on him and did very much get after him... he went but became very nervous. He was good for a few months after this and has now started to revert back, perhaps because I am hacking more on my own??
I make sure I ride him forwards (one of the reasons of riding on my own as the others are far too slow and I keep having to pull him up which doesn’t help) but when he decides he really doesn’t like something he can be tricky to get moving again and he turns himself inside out as I think he expects a hiding. Any advice greatly received!
He’s forward in the school, off the leg, and flatwork coming along nicely. It’s just an issue out hacking!

 

[Cornish]

When he's seen something scary, what's he like if you just sit quietly and rub his shoulder for 5-10 mins, then ask him to walk on again?

 

[be positive]

Genuinely nervous horses often require lots of confidence building work and this usually has to continue on a regular basis, so hacking in company to build him up with less frequent hacks alone to continue the lessons learned, I often take them out for short hacks after schooling so they start off warm and forward thinking, not always possible if short on daylight, you are in a difficult situation if the others are slow but you could try setting off 10 mins after them and catch up a few times to give him time alone that ends up being a hack in company.
Your main aim is to get him more confident generally and you may well find that he is better in the summer when most tend to be more relaxed than in the winter when they are stabled more and the world seems to be more challenging in general.

 

[sjdress]

When he's seen something scary, what's he like if you just sit quietly and rub his shoulder for 5-10 mins, then ask him to walk on again?

I’ve tried that but he won’t stand there and wait, he’s wanting to turn and leg it in the opposite direction. Sometimes he will be brave and go past scary things but I’m not sure what makes those situations different to the other times

 

[sjdress]

Genuinely nervous horses often require lots of confidence building work and this usually has to continue on a regular basis, so hacking in company to build him up with less frequent hacks alone to continue the lessons learned, I often take them out for short hacks after schooling so they start off warm and forward thinking, not always possible if short on daylight, you are in a difficult situation if the others are slow but you could try setting off 10 mins after them and catch up a few times to give him time alone that ends up being a hack in company.
Your main aim is to get him more confident generally and you may well find that he is better in the summer when most tend to be more relaxed than in the winter when they are stabled more and the world seems to be more challenging in general.

This is one of my struggles, I work mon - fri 9-5 so he is generally doing less hacking which I don’t think is helping

 

[be positive]

This is one of my struggles, I work mon - fri 9-5 so he is generally doing less hacking which I don’t think is helping

I would probably accept this is not the right time of year to try and improve him, do what you can for now even if it means mainly school work and crack on once you have the daylight, warm weather to do it properly, if you can get him really confident before next winter there is every chance he will stay that way and you can put this behind you and keep moving forward, there is sometimes a need to put things on the back burner and this would be one if you plan on keeping him.

 

[Pinkvboots]

I have one that won't hack on his own apart from our short round the block ride, he will nap and refuse to go forward if he sees something scary, I have got off and led him for a bit then get back on when his calmed down, I think at least his gone past whatever has scared him and it hasn't killed him, he has got marginally better over the years.

 

[cold_feet]

I find talking to my horse helps a lot. Good loud encouraging chat, any old nonsense, as much as you can bear. (Yes I’m sure anyone in hearing distance thinks I’m crazy!)
ETA I’m sure it helps me as much as him 😁

 

[Goldenstar]

I think if I where you I might dodge the problem until spring when you can hack out every day .
If he’s genuinely scared alone and that’s not an illogical thing for a horse to think I would not make a huge issue I would get through the winter with company and try to go in front when you can and get to alone again when you can go most days .
Some horses take a while to come to solo hacking and some are never good if mine find it hard I tend to make it easy and make sure they know our regular hacks well out in front in company and then start alone being careful not to overface them .
If the horse is young I think it’s better to go alone once the basic flat work training is well understood then the horses enhanced obedience helps you out a lot .

 

[Denbob]

I have a horse who is exactly the same, he is a nappy sod on his own - beautiful in company if the other horse is confident but if the lead horse has a confidence wobble it's only really 1/3 of the time he'll step up to go in front with no real rhyme or reason that I can see. However asking a horse to go somewhere alone, while a necessity a lot of the time, is an incredibly unnatural thing to do and some cope better than others.

I've accepted that one or two short quiet hacks in company are our limit this time of year, I'll be long-reining him out if I can rope someone in to walk by his head. It's never nastiness with mine, he simply can't cope and isn't brave enough so the more you push him the worse he gets, so at the moment I'm simply not allowing us to get to a point where I have to ask the question knowing I won't like the answer. Will be working on it again once I can get out after work.

 

[sportsmansB]

I have a horse who is exactly the same, he is a nappy sod on his own - beautiful in company if the other horse is confident but if the lead horse has a confidence wobble it's only really 1/3 of the time he'll step up to go in front with no real rhyme or reason that I can see. However asking a horse to go somewhere alone, while a necessity a lot of the time, is an incredibly unnatural thing to do and some cope better than others.

This is mine too, and hes a 14yo supposed schoolmaster. Brave as a lion XC and has done some 2*'s but just finds hacking stressful, unless hes been out 24/7, its warm and sunny, and the stars are in some sort of alignment. If hes with another brave horse hes OK, but he definitely doesn't have enough confidence to help another one out and will stop and spin if they even look sideways, and generally make it no fun. I actually love hacking but I just don't bother with him in the winter, because he clearly doesn't enjoy it at all. I know I have a sort of a mental thing about how they should get variety and I used to try and plan our weeks so that we got 2 hacks alongside schooling sessions - but actually if he doesn't like it and it doesn't chill him out, whats the point?
I would leave your boy until circumstances are more friendly, long warm evenings etc, and don't put pressure on either of you to do something which is supposed to be fun but clearly just isn't!

 

[Sprat]

I have similar issues with my mare, but her problem is vehicles. Ok with standard cars but anything big or motorbike like will send her loopy. I’m not a massive hacking fan and I’ve been kicking myself for not doing any hacking over winter, but she ends up so stressed when we do go out I then question the point of it really. I think I agree with other posters and say knock the hacking on it’s head until spring. I shall be doing the same!