Jogging on a hack

dwi

dwi

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What would you say was the best course of action for a horse that jogs the whole way on a hack?

For a horse that is sluggish off the leg in the school and looks like a real "cob" she acts like a tb on an evening hack. Weekend hacks are lovely and relaxed but evening hacks tend to be loopy. Its not that she's a fundamentally nutty or strong horse, just given certain circumstances.

She jogged the entire way tonight and was trying to kick passing cars as we went back down the road. I've tried just walking the whole way so that she learns nothing more exciting will happen if she doesn't behave, I've tried trotting up hills to take the edge off but she has ridiculous amounts of stamina and I can't seem to tire her.

i'm not holding tightly onto her mouth, you can give her almost no contact and just hold her off your seat so its not that I'm having to pull on her but riding a coiled, neurotic spring is a bit wearing for both of us.
 
ah no probs mine was a loon out hacking today, ive heard of soo many peeps with horses behaving like that at the moment. does it scare you. ive just started to try mine in a pelham but for hacking only but the big fella wont let me put the vulcuanite one in his mouth, fine with his snaffle. he knows.... maybe try having a blast round the school before you go out or go out in company.
 
Mine is like this, drives me mad. I just ignore it now, I figured at his age he's not going to change his habits - not the best approach I know!! Sorry, I'm no help lol
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My cob used to be like that all the time, with a lot of time and patience he has finally chilled out on a hack. He will jog sometimes and sidestep but I have just come to accept that that is him and I am not going to change him completely. He usually only does it now though if another horse on the ride gets excited! He never does it on the road though.
Not really sure what advice to give, except keep at it, try and hack out more in the evenings so it is not such a novelty for her
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I used to make my old cob stop and even rein back (if safe to do so), she soon learnt that jogging didn't get her home sooner (but she did only jog on the way home).
 
She had a grass muzzle on for the first time this season today so I expect she was extra hungry.

I gave her a really good groom and then left her to wait while I did the stable when we got back so she didn't think she was getting fed for rushing back but I don't know if she realised I was making her wait
 
like piebaldsparkle said. Make her stand when she starts to jog. it might take a while to start with and you may feel like a bit of a fool but it does work!
 
Have you tried taking someone out with you? See if that calms her and at the same time get the other person to check your position.
I have ridden a few joggers and most recently one that just jogs out of pure habit. I can't have any contact on his mouth as he's quite sensitive. I literally have to put my weight behind me and sit like a ton of bricks with me leaning slightly back to get him to walk. It makes jogging uncomforatable for him. I tried stopping him and he almost had me off. he's worse on his own than in company.
 
No idea what to suggest as never ever solved that problem with mine. She was only 13.2 and I got her aged 13. I sadly lost her she was aged 29 and more or less until her dying day she was the same. Summer winter, feed, no feed. You name it. She didn't try to kick cars but jogged all the time. My boobs hurt. I once went on a hack and my freind saw me coming back and said "thats Margo I can tell with the job" she stopped to say hello and where had we been. We had just been on a 25 mile hack and she still jogged and she was in her late teens then. I tried riding with a contact, no contact, no legs, legs on, different bits. Nothing helped. We just got used to it.
 
Unusual solution, but we found if a companion (on another pony) took hold of the reins, for somereason maybe where they were being hold, pony began to walk!

Need to either have another set on (for rider safety!) or keep hold of the reins.
Very hard to stop it though!
 
do you always go out alone? try going out with people, and either going behind a plod, or going infront of something slow, so if your horse jogs off he leaves his mate behind
 
she's calm as anything in company, how ever many canters you have. I presume that the jogging is a form of napping because she used to refuse to hack out on her own. Thats now not a problem, just we go too fast.

I'll try the stopping on an evening when we have lots of time, I suspect we'll spend more time standing than moving.
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My old horse was like this. She did it for years and nothing could really make her stop. Eventually as she got a little older (she was still a lunatic mind you) I started doing remedial training with her. We went out and the moment she went into a jog, I would pull her up and then ask her to walk. She could do this for about 1 or 2 strides and then she would go straight back into a jog again. I did this for about a month - some rides we barely got out of the village even though we had been at it for an hour
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. However I persevered and eventually she got the idea and although she still jogged on occasions when she got soooo excited, it became that most of the time she could walk for the majority of the ride.

It's hard, it's very taxing on your patience, but you can do it if you persevere for long enough. Some days I just wanted to beat the living daylights out of her....but I never did. I always spoke calmly to her and kept my voice sweet (brain was seething though) and she did come right in the end.
 
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