Napping is getting worse!

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CScastle

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My new horse has developed a napping problem.

I moved him to my yard at the beginning of June & he was absolutely fine to hack out alone for the first few weeks. I rode him at his previous home for 9 months before I bought him, and he was a very bold and brave horse wherever he was ridden.

Over the past couple of months, he has started to stop dead at random points on rides and just completely refuse to go forwards. He does this both alone and in company but will go forwards if another horse leads. He will do this at scary places eg past cattle farms but also does it at random points where there's nothing he could be looking at or scared of. Occasionally, he has spun round and tried to leg it home. I have never let him win and have always managed to get him going forwards again but often I have to get off and lead him.

Most recently, he has started to refuse to go forwards in the showjumping paddock (even when not jumping) and in the arena.

He tends to get very very aggressive and angry when he freezes and I ask to him to walk forwards. He'll whip his head round to try & bite my legs and will stamp his feet and swish his tail like crazy.

Physically, there is nothing wrong with him. Due to previous issues before I got him, every inch of him has been scanned. He has a monthly visit from the physio & saddler and everything is spot on in those departments.

Has anyone had the same experience or got any tips/exercises that could help us!
Please no sarcy comments, had enough of them!
Thank you :)
 
I solved my mares napping by reversing her when she wouldn't go forward. She soon realised that going forward was the easiest option.
 
You may be right and it may be napping but the stamping and tail swishing are ringing alarm bells. Those are classic signs of pain I'm afraid. I don't know what his previous issues are but I would at the very least be getting a second opinion on saddle fit. And bear in mind that even if a saddle looks like it fits well, some horses just don't feel comfortable in some makes/styles of saddles.

Have you tried leading him out in hand rather than riding? If he walks out happily that may be another indicator that he's not happy being ridden.

Good luck, hope you are able to get to the bottom of this behaviour. :)
 
This section in your post sounds suspiciously like ulcer pain.

"He tends to get very very aggressive and angry when he freezes and I ask to him to walk forwards. He'll whip his head round to try & bite my legs and will stamp his feet and swish his tail like crazy."

My mare was like that at our previous yard where she was very unhappy. We had a course of egusin SLH which really helped. Does he have plenty of turnout and forage? The other issue could be saddle fit. My mare had a saddle which technically fitted very well but she told me in no uncertain terms that in her opinion it didn't. Sometimes they haven't read the manual. With my girl, I was suspicious it was a saddle fit issue causing the napping because she was forward on the long reins and was fine bareback. Could you try those options?
 
This caps the little so and so's ! friend stopped and taught me this when I was riding someone elses horse which was rearing and napping worked like a treat ! got some funny looks going through the village LOL
 
He has been scoped for ulcers and doesn't have any. He is very good in hand compared to when being ridden. Don't know if it's a confidence issue or if he is in pain. But it seems like he's had everything under the sun to make sure he's physically sound so I don't understand what else it could be :(
 
It does sound like pain. If you don't think it can be ulcers, I'd get a 2nd opinion about the saddle fit. But I would also make sure that he gets an ulcer friendly diet.

Is this a recurrence of the previous issues?
 
The issues when he arrived were that he'd had such an ill fitting saddle much of his life, so it had made his withers very sore and tense with no muscle on them. Took a lot of physio and some mega-muscle building groundwork exercises to build his withers back to 'good health'. So he had 6 weeks off from being ridden during this time, at the end of which I had a new saddle fitted to him. And since then, he has slowly got better at asking for upward transitions eg walk to trot and trot to canter (when he wants to) but the napping habit has slowly come forwards and is just getting worse.
 
My boy will swing round and bite your leg if you ask him to canter on a circle, he will also kick up at you with his hind leg. He is the kindest, most genuine horse so I felt it wasn't piggishness. Mine had sacroiliac trouble. Sounds like you do have all that covered though. Are you getting the saddle rechecked regulary?
 
Try long reining your hacking routes, if its the place he will still nap, if its pain from riding he should be ok on long reins.

Napping horses can sometimes be nasty, when the problem is in their heads rather than physical, and can bite and kick person on the ground, so be alert.

And wear gloves!
 
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