Just Going To Rant. Feel Free To Ignor Me.

LeannePip

LeannePip

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My horse is free to any one that wants her! shes driving me insane! shes just suddenly decided she no longer hacks on her own after two years of happy hacking (shes 5yo). we moved yards in july and this is when it started i put it down to her being unsettled, had the sports massagey lady out who sorted her out, still being a PITA! she would leave the yard happily then get to the same point about 2/300 yards up the road and not go past it, there was nothing there, the road is long straight very open so not dark and enclosed but she wouldnt not go past this point without a fight, i tried getting really firm with her like she had no choice but to do it, i tried the softy softy approach talked quietly ect ect and evry time the reaction was the same to half rear spin always to the left and try and p*ss off back down the road, eventually shed go past, and would be fine for the rest of the ride. the lady who came to do her back is a good friend and she suggested turning my stick over in my right hand and carrying it diagonally across her neck so the end was near her head then when she tried to spin hold the stick there so she would run into it and make it into a sort of 'barrier' and break the spinning cycle, i tried it and although she still took a few attempts she seemed to learn she couldnt spin and gave up trying to, i thought it was cracked we were hacking happily on our own again and she was going really well in the school too. took her to her first ODE and she went fabulously no napping listened left the start box, i was soo soo proud of her! now here we are again a week later and shes not hacking again! she had a quiet week after twesledown and i hacked her once on her own and she was fine untill we got to a house down the road who were mowing their lawn on the other side of the hedge we couldnt see them and they couldnt see us and they obviously couldnt hear me shouting either. eventually after a bit of a paddy and a tantrum i got off lead her past got back on and she was fine the rest of the ride, hacked her out with others and she was fine again. Then last night tried to hack on our own, no pressure jsut going for a dawdle she crossed the old 'line' no problem,then a bit further on she started acting up again, in all it took me about 40mins to go down our road which should take 10mins at a steady walk, nothing i did would get her attention she would just not go forward willingly, we had every kind of evasive action possible, rearing spinning launching running backwards, in the end it was getting dangerous as there is a ditch along the side of the road that she was trying to reverse into i got off and she still wouldnt walk forward it felt like she didnt trust me and i was heart broken, ive had her practically her whole life and shes never wanted for anything and i always thought we were a bit of a team. she'd do stuff for me she wouldnt do for others and today i couldnt even walk her down the road i felt at rock bottom. when we eventually got to the bootom of the road crossed over onto the bridle way and she was fine but i was so cross by this point she had no choice but to go i wasnt taking any prisoners. i wasnt abusive or rough in anyway just very tough. and she went and listened and went quite nicely. i dont know what else to do. that feels like the final straw, she has sweet itch too which i just cant get on top of, she 100x better this year but still itching a bit, shes just destroyed her £100 sweet itch rug. its coming into winter and shes going to have to come in at night, cannot find anywhere local that will let me keep her out and this is when her locking stifles start to play up - we've battled with the insurance company and they wont pay out for her to have the op or treatment. because of the stifle things she has physio/sports massage every 6 weeks to ease the tension she builds up behind as we are now thinking there may be a low grade pain in the area that shes compensating for. im constantly broke at the moment because new job are taxing me loads because previous jobs still havent sent me my P45's through. when things were tough i could always count on taking my little horse out on hack and it made everything better and i dont even seem to beable to do that now. im sat here in tears, i feel compleetly useless and like im failing her shes a great little horse so genuine and honest one day but a stobborn cow the next shes got a typical welsh attitude and she'll fight all day till the cows come home and still after four years i cant get through to her. im going to see if i can get a late dentist appointment for her and try some sort of hormone balancer although i dont think this is linked to her seasons, some one suggested angus cactus? and we have a lesson booked for thursday. any more ideas on a postcard if you want. Sorry you had to read all that x
 
3Beasties on here had a lot of trouble hacking her nappy mare, maybe search for threads by her as I think she had a bit of a breakthrough after a few months. May help you. I sometimes hack my friends nappy boy and when he does it, I often resort to turning him to face the wrong direction and backing up until he realises its easier to go forwards, but this may not work if your girl may be inclined to rear. All the best getting to the bottom of your problems.
 
And breathe. When my boy gets nappy I know I'm in for a fight so generally I get off fairly quickly and lead him past. That avoids either of us getting worked up. I lead him past the spot a few times the hop back on and ride past. We've gotten over a few sticky spots like this. Fighting with him makes me cry and him tense up, this way we both stay calm and the situation resolves faster. Might be worth a try, it is horrible getting so upset when you just want to enjoy them :(
Just to add - I know you said you got off and she wouldn't follow, this is why I try to get off before it has become a major issue. For real sticky spots I carry mints. You can't beat a bit of bribery ;)
 
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Shysmum said:
Leanne, I can't read your post as it just has too many words and no breathing spaces.
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Why the comment then Shysmum? Not very helpful or sympathetic!

Lenanne, have you tried another rider? Is she picking up that you may be waiting for her to nap? Can a friend walk on foot with you?
 
Leanne, for a start she's 5 so going through the 'stroppy teenager' year, secondly a mare and lastly she's Welsh!! It's a phase hun so keep calm and she'll come out the other side :)
Incidentally when my Welsh mare started doing this I didn't fight her at all - I sat on top of her and read a book or played on my phone until she decided she was bored. She did it 3 times - first for an hour, second for 40 minutes and the last tie it took about 20 minutes - she never did it again. If the road is quiet enough (or if you can get out early whilst it's still light( this might be a way to go?
 
These are just random thought's. Has she been ridden since backing at three? Did she have a break? Could she be turned away for a couple of months to sort her head out?
There again it could just be the stubborn Welsh attitude, lol!
Hope you can get it sorted
 
Thanks guys - i tried again this am and went out on a mission, she tried it again a couple of times but i was ready for it and she eventually gave up again so hopefully thats the begining of a turning point. i agree though that she is just going through her testing years but she could atleast be consistent with it! you think you've cracked somethign then BAM back to square one again! Shes quite happy in company and with some one on foot and doesnt try it on so think this may be one i have to sit out solo :/ if we keep going through this im going to get the long lines out again :) having just ridden and she was better my heads in a much better place but i find i take everything she does personally when acctualy shes either telling me something or just testing her boundaries! Anyway going on a fun ride with some friends tomorrow so that will give us a chance to chill and enjoy ourselves :)

Sheep said:
3Beasties on here had a lot of trouble hacking her nappy mare, maybe search for threads by her as I think she had a bit of a breakthrough after a few months. May help you. I sometimes hack my friends nappy boy and when he does it, I often resort to turning him to face the wrong direction and backing up until he realises its easier to go forwards, but this may not work if your girl may be inclined to rear. All the best getting to the bottom of your problems.
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thank you will have a search through and see what i can find :) its been suggested the walking backwads thing but her default is almost always set to rear, and as shes never learned rein back (because of this and i dont generally need her to walk backwards atm) i might just be asking for more trouble. but Thank you :)

Shysmum said:
Leanne, I can't read your post as it just has too many words and no breathing spaces.
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i agree its not in paragraphs, that was the last thing on my mind when i wrote this this am! but punctuation wise there are plenty of pauses - just depends how you read it. but thank you for your input

Leanne, for a start she's 5 so going through the 'stroppy teenager' year, secondly a mare and lastly she's Welsh!! It's a phase hun so keep calm and she'll come out the other side
Incidentally when my Welsh mare started doing this I didn't fight her at all - I sat on top of her and read a book or played on my phone until she decided she was bored. She did it 3 times - first for an hour, second for 40 minutes and the last tie it took about 20 minutes - she never did it again. If the road is quiet enough (or if you can get out early whilst it's still light( this might be a way to go?)'

Thank you :) it almost seems because shes been around so long i forget momentarily how young she is and metally in certain situations shes even younger. i thought she was difficult as a 4yo - 5yos are a whole new kettle of fish! i might try waiting her out, she can be pretty impatiten but also stubborn so would be interesting to see what side wins! the road is plenty quiet enough and safe enough its clear, straight and open and cars can see you from both ends however is a lane with hedges and ditches on either side which you cant always see and it worries me about going down one backwards!
 
You mention the word fight a lot in your first post. Why does it have to be a fight? She's 5, she's still young, you love her yes? And you say she's fine with someone on foot. How about whenever these sticking moments look like they're coming (as it sounds like you get plenty of warning before things get bad) just jump off, walk her for a bit til you and her are calm, then get back on. Something is clearly upsetting her.
 
ridefast said:
You mention the word fight a lot in your first post. Why does it have to be a fight? She's 5, she's still young, you love her yes? And you say she's fine with someone on foot. How about whenever these sticking moments look like they're coming (as it sounds like you get plenty of warning before things get bad) just jump off, walk her for a bit til you and her are calm, then get back on. Something is clearly upsetting her.
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i dont think i mentioned the word fight that much only twice? but any hoo, i dont go out to try and fight her but theres going to be some sort of 'battle of wills' when i want her to do something and she doesnt want to do it? theres isnt much warning to these episodes/sessions/tantrums what ever you want to call it, we'll be walking down the road and she just suddenly stop and spin, usually its so early in the ride that im not acctually asking her to do anything we are just on a long rein, its not very fast or 'sharp' admitedly but with little warning, i've been wary of getting off too often as i dont want her to learn that when she doesnt want to do something i'll just get off, as i wont be able to get off in all situations. but when i feel the situation is getting out of hand then i jump off, but usually she still wont walk forward freely and we just have the same for a little while longer but with me on the ground, with not much control and in a vulnerable position. i guess its catch 22 tbh. but if there is chance i can get her past something whilst still on board i'd like to explore that option first before getting off. shes fine to walk out with some one from the outset but takes little notice if they join us whilst shes dancing around, and tbh for every ones safety i dont think i'd like someone to be holding onto her when shes doing it as personal space isnt high on her list of priorities! i agree something is upsetting her and im just trying to work out what, physically she is fine but am having her teeth done anyway to make sure but i would be suprsed if it was this as there isnt anything else that would point to her teeth being the problem especially as when we get to the other end of the road she is an angel and works really well. a lovely lady who came out to help me yesterday said their normally placid hunter had had a breakdown at almost a slimilar point to Pip and had had his rider in the ditch and hes lived there for years, she wondered if there was something dead in the ditch beneath the undergrowth? who knows!
 
Oh bless you, I do sympathise. My old mare was a dream to hack out, then one day.... BAM, the napping started - like you at a particular spot for no reason. I cried, I got tough, I shouted, I threatened, I gave treats, I got kinder, I got cross, but I didn't get anywhere very quick!
It was my lovely non-riding husband who suggested that she was probably just playing up due to her age (She was 5, and 16.3, so a big ole girl).
I thought about what I did to stop my kids from doing stupid stuff or negating a tantrum - I would use distraction.
So, the next time I took her out, just as we were getting to "that" spot - I started singing very loudly, turned her to walk over to the opposite side of the lane and swung my legs like a looney! She was so distracted that she carried on like a good girl, and like parenting, it is all about consistency and patience. And they always play their mums up more than anyone else.
You may be both picking up on each others sensitivities too - which again is why sometimes they're better for others than you.
Hope you get your problems sorted soon. x
 
apart from the fact that she is a PBW teenager ;).

having read your post I did wonder if when you say you were out for a dawdle she picked up on your relaxed attitude and then took advantage a bit, as you then say when you went out determined she was ok. I wonder if you were to be very conscious of riding her on for the duration of a hack she might then not do it and then start to forget about it all.

Other thought was is she getting sore round her withers with the sweet itch? I know some do.

A break may also do her good as she was quite busy when younger but I think I'd want her hacking out well again before I gave her one ;).
 
I share and ride out with the owner on her other horse. He started napping when she took him out on his own whilst I was away. I don't quite know what happened but since then he's been playing her up most times we go out. I've ridden him a few times since then but he's not tried it with me. I assumed it was due to owner anticipating him doing it because she now starts getting ready for a fight with him when we get to a particular bend in the road whereas I take the view that if it happens I will deal with it then. I asked her if she's tensing up but she says not.
Like your girl he'd not had a problem with this prior to her taking him out on his own. I'm sure you will find a way through do don't be too down about it and as others said. Welsh and 5 .
 
Money related, if you haven't got you p45, just fill out a p46 that should sort your tax code out, and should help you, hopefully next year you will then get a tax rebate for what extra you've paid recently! I had a similar issue when I left a part time job, turns out they never even sent my p45 off, they'd just lost it somewhere!

hope you're mare sorts it out soon, my mare used to be like that when she was in season, she luckily didn't rear but she just went in any direction other than forward! I used to just turn her in the smallest possible circles and after about 5 or 6 turns would push her own and we an assertive voice, would say walk on! she wasn't used to me talking like that!
 
serpentine said:
Oh bless you, I do sympathise. My old mare was a dream to hack out, then one day.... BAM, the napping started - like you at a particular spot for no reason. I cried, I got tough, I shouted, I threatened, I gave treats, I got kinder, I got cross, but I didn't get anywhere very quick!
It was my lovely non-riding husband who suggested that she was probably just playing up due to her age (She was 5, and 16.3, so a big ole girl).
I thought about what I did to stop my kids from doing stupid stuff or negating a tantrum - I would use distraction.
So, the next time I took her out, just as we were getting to "that" spot - I started singing very loudly, turned her to walk over to the opposite side of the lane and swung my legs like a looney! She was so distracted that she carried on like a good girl, and like parenting, it is all about consistency and patience. And they always play their mums up more than anyone else.
You may be both picking up on each others sensitivities too - which again is why sometimes they're better for others than you.
Hope you get your problems sorted soon. x
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You've just reminded me, i always used to have my music on on my phone and she was always alot better - i had compleetly forgotton! the distraction thing probably will work as she does have the attention span of a small insect so it should be quite easy to distract her! everything else seems to!

ester said:
apart from the fact that she is a PBW teenager ;).

having read your post I did wonder if when you say you were out for a dawdle she picked up on your relaxed attitude and then took advantage a bit, as you then say when you went out determined she was ok. I wonder if you were to be very conscious of riding her on for the duration of a hack she might then not do it and then start to forget about it all.

Other thought was is she getting sore round her withers with the sweet itch? I know some do.

A break may also do her good as she was quite busy when younger but I think I'd want her hacking out well again before I gave her one ;).
Click to expand...

thank you, yes she was busy when i was a working pupil i just got swept up in it all but last winter she had 2 months off/light hacking because of her stifles and has probably only been to about 3/4 shows since last november - im going to try and get atleast one of her stifles done this winter i think so that will inforce a good rest, but i feel this year being on my own i am much better able to balance her work life ratio and she is deffinatly much happier in her self :) i hadnt thought about the sweet itch making her sore so i had a quick prod and poke this evening before chucking her out and she didnt seem bothered so hopefully we can rule that off, would hate to think of her in pain as the sweet itch is something i cant seem to fix :/ x

kerrieberry2 said:
Money related, if you haven't got you p45, just fill out a p46 that should sort your tax code out, and should help you, hopefully next year you will then get a tax rebate for what extra you've paid recently! I had a similar issue when I left a part time job, turns out they never even sent my p45 off, they'd just lost it somewhere!

hope you're mare sorts it out soon, my mare used to be like that when she was in season, she luckily didn't rear but she just went in any direction other than forward! I used to just turn her in the smallest possible circles and after about 5 or 6 turns would push her own and we an assertive voice, would say walk on! she wasn't used to me talking like that!
Click to expand...

thank you :) i have filled out a P46 but my tax is still alot more than i should but im just thinking about it as enforced saving!!


After a good days rest, a succesful hack this am and your kind supportive words i am feeling much better about the situation now :) x
 
serpentine said:
Oh bless you, I do sympathise.
It was my lovely non-riding husband who suggested that she was probably just playing up due to her age (She was 5, and 16.3, so a big ole girl).
I thought about what I did to stop my kids from doing stupid stuff or negating a tantrum - I would use distraction.
So, the next time I took her out, just as we were getting to "that" spot - I started singing very loudly, turned her to walk over to the opposite side of the lane and swung my legs like a looney! She was so distracted that she carried on like a good girl, and like parenting, it is all about consistency and patience. And they always play their mums up more than anyone else.
You may be both picking up on each others sensitivities too - which again is why sometimes they're better for others than you.
Hope you get your problems sorted soon. x
Click to expand...

This^^^^^^^^^

My three year old has a nap spoton way home and a different one on way out , he one on way out is at a junction I've never got her to go left solo before only n company today I played the waiting game. She got bored and moved on at a trot lol. O. He way home I was getting off to lead her, mum tried dragging her, other horses have left her and my boyfriend tried feeding her.... Nothing worked, one day I literally had enough felt the brakes go on and whack with the whip, shocked her so much she went forward, now we get to nap spoton way home and I feel her slow so I usually play a idea on my phone of her trotting up the road, she hears the noise and listens thinking anther horse is around the corner, gets distracted forgets where we are and gets on with it.

I know my girl is three and some people think she's only a baby let her be, but I too am dreading her 5 th birthday,..... So wanna knock this on the head now
 
I have an ex racehorse for schooling who started rearing and spinning round after being good as gold for about 6 weeks, couldnt even get her to hack round her own field!! We seemed to have almost sorted the problem in a matter of days using circles. Every time she threatened to rear/spin/take off I pulled her round in a very tight circle. Each time she did it I added on a circle so at the end of the first day we were doing 23 tiny circles. The next day it was down to 7 circles and a few days later at her first ODE we had no circles. She very quickly learnt that it was more effort to go round in a tiny circle than to go forwards. It also helped me to stay calm rather than getting frustrated with her! Hope you get sorted soon.
 
I wouldn't ride her on a long rein. My mare is tricky and I am always ready for her. If they get to follow the spin through, you've lost the war before it started.
 
You can't see anything, but maybe your horse can sense something - an electric cable too near the surface maybe. Worth checking.
 
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