I've got a planter!

[cptrayes]

Yes, I got that. I wasn't about to walk any further than what I had to either - I paid to ride. And there is a whole other thread on the so called cures for rearing.

Just out of curiosity - why do you think he was refusing to go away from home?

The same reason they all do, if they do. He didn't want to leave his buddy. Given the choice, I think most horse would choose to stay in the yard with their mates, they just agree to hack, especially alone, because we ask them to.

 

[HannaST]

The same reason they all do, if they do. He didn't want to leave his buddy. Given the choice, I think most horse would choose to stay in the yard with their mates, they just agree to hack, especially alone, because we ask them to.

Agree with this - mine is the same. He will hack, but only whilst telling me that he'd rather go back. I hope he will become more confident with time. I think many horses love being worked so much that they start enjoying the hack despite the "loneliness", but in my experience, a good group of "friends" in a nice field back home will usually be what they run back to if given the choice.

 

[cptrayes]

Agree with this - mine is the same. He will hack, but only whilst telling me that he'd rather go back. I hope he will become more confident with time. I think many horses love being worked so much that they start enjoying the hack despite the "loneliness", but in my experience, a good group of "friends" in a nice field back home will usually be what they run back to if given the choice.

I had a one in a million horse once who just loved to work. He would, unless you turned him in, march straight past his own gateway to carry on the hack. But he was very, very, unusual

 

[HannaST]

I had a one in a million horse once who just loved to work. He would, unless you turned him in, march straight past his own gateway to carry on the hack. But he was very, very, unusual

My old horse would go back to the field, but once we were out of the gates, he would - if given the choice - pick his way through a series of 3-4 crossroads, go down a narrow path and into the river where we used to swim

 

[cptrayes]

Hannah, your post reminded me that I was at a one day event once, and had finished the show jumping and dropped the reins. The horse I mentioned above stuck his head in the air, did a periscope act until he spotted the white square box of the cross country start, which was a long way away, and took me over to it. What a horse he was!

He was also once seen jumping a course of show jumps that happened to be on the field he was grazing, and that was after he'd been retired with hock spavins.

 

[HannaST]

Hannah, your post reminded me that I was at a one day event once, and had finished the show jumping and dropped the reins. The horse I mentioned above stuck his head in the air, did a periscope act until he spotted the white square box of the cross country start, which was a long way away, and took me over to it. What a horse he was!

He was also once seen jumping a course of show jumps that happened to be on the field he was grazing, and that was after he'd been retired with hock spavins.

He sounds like something else! Love it when they do stuff of their own accord! Managed to get mine walking over the tarpaulin on his own today, although that was with the incentive of lots of scratching on his itchy back.

 

[cptrayes]

He was, his full story would be a book, but he was bought at four, broken, did BE novice, was sold, starved, rescued, given away, emigrated to America and died a couple of years ago after an unsuccessful colic operation.

 

[Jericho]

Been there, done that.
MY solution (NOT saying it works for all) - Is waiting, not 'beating' but wiggle wiggle (Bottom not hands!) or poke poke poke - Just make him know that this is NOT what you want, make going forwards the nice easy option. Have to admit I have used one of those big fat rope things swung about just to get some movement, anything!
Waiting with a book is just standing still fun for them!

Either that, or wait until they are cubbing (Sorry Autumn hunting) around the corner,,, hack to join in - and for the next month he will be dragging YOU out to go have some fun!!!
Good luck

I would try this approach.^^. Make the planting really irritating for him, prod, poke, nudge - anything which makes it less fun for him and the minute he makes any forward movement give him a reward ie. stop irritating him and praise. It's a sit and wait game so that his only nice option is go forward... Good luck!

 

[HannaST]

He was, his full story would be a book, but he was bought at four, broken, did BE novice, was sold, starved, rescued, given away, emigrated to America and died a couple of years ago after an unsuccessful colic operation.

That would be a book!!

 

[TGM]

He would, unless you turned him in, march straight past his own gateway to carry on the hack. But he was very, very, unusual

We have one like that now - if you ride him on the buckle he will walk right past the yard gateway and carry on down the lane - I think he just loves exploring!

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

I've got a planter, and unfortunately I bought it from a horse dealer and not a garden centre

So, excuse the length this is going to be but I'm going to try to give all the relevant information up front so people don't waste their time giving answers that can't help.

Horse is four, was backed for me this spring and I have continued his education. He is spectacularly unaware of his own body, very immature mentally, and both nervous and curious in character. I have broken many horses successfully, including another four year old I currently own.

He was hacking out alone with increasing confidence (but still not what you would call confident, just improving each time). When nervous, he clacks his mouth like a foal and is very easy to 'read'.

Today, he planted, and nothing I could do would move him. In the end, I led him out and rode him back. I think this was mostly napping, because he was not foal mouthing.

So, obvious answers to this are:

Go out in company. Difficult. Nearest horsey neighbours are three miles away or more, ten miles by horsebox. Friends who are experienced enough to come and accompany me on my other four year old are busy with their own horses. I could pay, but I'd like to avoid the twenty quid an hour it will cost for the two people I know who I would trust to do it.

Beat him. I would have done this in the past, but I would prefer to take a different approach now that I don't bounce so well, and in view of what a nervous horse and slow learner he is generally.

Get off lead him. This is what I did today, and what I would prefer to do in future of necessary.

So..... what's the question, I hear you ask ?

There are two

- have I missed an alternative way of stopping him planting?

- do you have success stories of where 'get off and lead' has worked for horses of this type? Our is your experience that the problem will simply continue if I do this?

All suggestions welcome, thanks in advance

For me if I could do nothing for him I would search some higher authority who is used to dealing with serious problems like Chris Haywood
http://www.bhs.org.uk/enjoy-riding/find-an-instructor-or-groom/people/abc/chris-haywood
http://www.breakspearridingclub.co.uk/events/showjumpingtraining

 

[Liane]

I had a QH x that did this, but he would plant anywhere, I would take him to the school and do a bit of quiet, gentle free schooling in walk and trot for 10min and the second day you went to take him round to the school he would plant and then you would have to wait it out, I sold him in the end as we just didn't click.

However I had more luck with a friends TB who used to plant out hacking, I found if I sat there and squeezed with my legs, literally constantly (not pressure on and off) and waited, the minute he even thought about moving forwards I released the pressure slightly and if he moved a foot forward I took my leg off and patted him. It took me a while but after doing this for several hours one day he never planted with me again as when I squeezed hard with my legs he knew I wasn't going to stop until he moved. It was like we had a breakthrough in understanding, but with him if you kicked or hit he would go backwards and get wound up so I had to be calm but keep the pressure on.

 

[unicornystar]

No, I tried all the tricks that have stood me in good stead before with napping flat racers hacking alone for the first time. Sideways, backwards, any way at all. At first I managed to rock him off one front foot and get one sideways step, but then he got wise to that and stood splay footed. He was very calm, just completely obstinate. He tried to shut down mentally, but I stopped that by tapping him randomly all over his body. He just point blank refused to lift a foot off the road!

My 7 year old does this, and isnt particularly nervious just lacking in self belief I think!

I cannot get into mega argument, and yes I've tried! But one day one of us will get hurt....so we do a bit of hop off totally ignore and pop back on again...not a habit I like to get into but recommended twice now by a qualified expert.

Long reining, I havent found it makes a jot of difference! My horse simply shuts down, locks shoulder, we can go any direction and spin him the lot, he's planted!

They are the most curious of creatures and I have no explanation for my chap at all!

He will follow a bike, dog, walker, sometimes goes out fine on his own! but another day, just decides nope....and there we have it!!!

I would definately try a softer approach than the "beat it" version, having tried both...i do think once you create something negative it then makes a huge issue out of it!

My next line of action with mine is to try steady up by feedmark which worked wonders on my old nappy tb,....took 6 weeks but it did work...

 

[cptrayes]

We have one like that now - if you ride him on the buckle he will walk right past the yard gateway and carry on down the lane - I think he just loves exploring!

It's just a joy to ride a horse like this, isn't it ?