Managing evasions - better under saddle or more groundwork?

[Millertime]

I'm 3 months into a new partnership with a young horse (5). He's been great hacking out in company (first or last).

He's less keen on schooling and has over the last month or so increased his napping repertoire. I've put this down to testing the boundaries and we are working through things without too much confrontation.

I've also been doing the Richard Maxwell ground work exercises, although admit to being a little stop/start with this as I like to take him out hacking and don't want to spend too much time in the school. We've had some success with the groundwork, although I think its far to say he's got his own opinions and gets very angry when I successfully manage to control his feet. Even then there isn't much sign of submissive behaviour. Definitely more work needed as we are not at the stage where he's consistently responding to my requests - each sessions starts as a re-education - like we'd never done it and I'm guessing success is when I can start doing the exercises and he's listening and co-operating straight away.

I find the circling work difficult as he will occasionally runs at me |(sometimes throwing a hoof in my direction), particularly on one rein - the right. To get him turning right, I sometimes need to move into more of a 'driving' position to physically send him in the right direction.

My YM thinks I'm better off long lining as I have more control and he's way more consistent and obliging, but I guess that to me feels like a cop out.

Any schooling issues have never translated to our hacking - until now, today he stopped when in front a couple of times and started reversing down the road.

My hunch is I need to crack this circling work (on one rein) and forgo the hacking.

Thoughts?

 

[be positive]

Firstly I am not sure if your napping/schooling issues are when ridden or just when doing the "groundwork" with him.
If he is so good out hacking he sounds like a willing and basically well started horse and I would keep hacking him as this will get him forward thinking and you can do a lot of schooling while hacking.
It sounds as if he maybe doesnt quite get what you want and I would use two lines to keep control and get him working forward, I do not feel it is a cop out if he is doing as you ask and understands what is required.
I do feel that some horses get confused by a person on the ground giving instructions that may not always be consistent, you have to be totally in control of your body language at all times for your horse to have clear signals that it can understand. If it does not work with your horse it could impact on other parts of your relationship and lead to new problems so can do more harm than good.
He is getting angry at times and I would think may be losing his confidence, I would go back a step and make sure he is really understanding what you want from him and that you are asking the correct questions.

 

[Millertime]

What you say makes absolute sense and helps me see where I could have gone wrong. I can completely see how me not being a practised body language expert could confuse a youngster.

Issues are mainly under saddle, we've gone a little backwards (metaphorically and physically) out hacking and he was super for the first few months - so I need to take ownership of that and in the future keep all I ask of him clear and easy for him to succeed.

Thanks for the response, I'll take things back a step and hopefully build up his confidence again through lots of little successes, helping him realise what a clever boy he is being.

I need my wrist slapped for potentially confusing the poor lad to the point that he's stopped trying.