Napping on solo hacks

[dibbin]

Hope everyone has had a pleasant Christmas and is enjoying some time off with their horses!

Recently I've encountered a bit of a napping issue with Jazz. I say recently, because although I've had him for 3 years we've never lacked a hacking partner so have never had to go out solo. Unfortunately, at the moment it gets dark just after 4 where we are, and my sister works until 3 and doesn't always get out on time (she didn't finish until 4 yesterday) so quite often my options are either ride alone or not at all.

Leaving the house, Jazz steps out quite happily. I make sure that I've got decent rein contact and I'm always riding him forward rather than just sitting there. Once we get about 5/10 minutes away, a spin for home can occur at any moment. He tends to whip round and take a few strides at trot or canter. I don't have an issue stopping him, but turning him back round is another problem entirely. If you try and turn him back immediately, he has what can only be described as a temper tantrum - ears back, backing up (we've got quite deep drainage ditches on either side of the road so that's a BAD idea!), humping his back and threatening to buck, sometimes actually bucking. I normally walk him towards home until he's settled a bit, then ask him to turn round again. If you ask him to walk straight out after turning round, he tends to go a short way then whip round and the whole performance starts again. Making him walk circles/figure eights getting progressively further away from home works better, but not much - you always reach a point where he just stops co-operating and spits the dummy again.

I do normally carry a schooling whip, but he's clearly had some unpleasant experiences with them in the past so I'm loath to use it as a telling off aid rather than a leg backup aid, as from experience I know that only upsets him.

OH walked out with me last night so having someone on the ground doesn't help. He's definitely got some separation issues, but if I take him out in hand he's absolutely no bother at all, twisted wee git. He only naps under saddle. It's not a pain/physical issue as we've gone on (much) longer rides in company with no problems.

I suspect solving the problem might just be a case of repetition, but any tips or hints to try are very welcome. I've got no intention of going on massive long rides on my own, but I would like to get to a point where I can go out for half an hour or so to stretch his legs by myself without having to be on constant napwatch.

 

[Tangaroo]

My new boy hadnt done much hacking when i got him. I started by hacking with a friend and she would come and get me then gradually i would meet her round the corner and then further up the road. I would also leave her just round the corner and come home the last few hundred yards on our own. I can now hack him on his own. He does occasionally whinny when out on his own but he never knows if his friend might be round the corner waiting for him. I only do short hacks when out on our own but it seems to be working

 

[Meowy Catkin]

How would he react if you tapped him on the shoulder with the whip?

I ask because I found that I could 'catch' a whip-round if I tapped my mare on the shoulder as she started to spin. She would generally spin to the right, so it was the right shoulder that I tapped. I also found that even just waggling the whip without actually touching her was quite effective at keeping her straight. I have been known to ride with two whips so that i could 'catch' the spin whichever way she went. Waggling both whips near her shoulders was very effective at creating forward movement without causing rearing or leaping about. You do have to make sure that you don't catch their mouth if they scoot forwards. Another big key with her was to always do circular or lollipop shaped routes (doing a big circle around a tree is better than turning on the spot).

Whether your horse would respond well to those techniques I don't know?

 

[vmac66]

Have you tried turning several circles before asking him to go forward. It seems to disorientate Zac slightly when he decides to play spinny pony. Makes me a bit dizzy too but seems to work.x

 

[Spangie]

I used to make my nappy horse walk backwards. Sometimes for 100m until he'd had enough! If I tried pressure facing right way he'd rear. So at least I could move in direction I wanted and he was facing direction he wanted. Usually he'd snap out if it and I'd offer chance to walk forward again, but in same direction. Most of time he'd take it. Any more napping and we'd go back into reverse and repeat!

 

[wren123]

Walking backwards and spinning in circles as other posters have recommended have both worked for me. I have also seen just standing the horse still and waiting it out recommended on here.
What I noticed in your op was you asking for the house to be forward, I ask for the pace I want and shouldn't have to nag to maintain the same place. You could keep the horses attention on you by asking for leg yield, shoulder fore or doing say five strides walk then five of trot, really concentrating on getting decent forward transitions. This is what I used to do to get a young horse hacking on its own.

 

[Red-1]

My horse would nap, and his default was rear if pressured.

I would point his nose in the correct direction and wait it out. A few times it was over half an hour, but like you, we had big drainage ditches, and he already knew how to battle better than me, so it was best to take the patient route.

If he whipped round I would be very firm in turning back, but once he was facing in the correct direction I would take the pressure off. If he stopped paying attention I would rock him from foot to foot sideways, but not try to pressure him forwards.

After a while he would step forwards (from sheer boredom probably) and I would sit very still.

After a few sessions he just quit doing it. He knew we would be going the way I said, and I never rode out if I didn't have time to sort it out, until the behaviour had stopped.

I would not allow him to walk the way he wanted. That would not have "cured" him. I also only ever did a circular route.

He became a great hack, and even did a 4 1/2 hour Intermediate TREC competition, on his own in a strange area.

 

[Lulup]

Lots of good suggestions on here - one thing I would add is that when he spins you must not let him then carry on walking in the direction he chose. Even if you just stand him still it is better than allowing him to continue back towards home. In your mind you're waiting for him to settle so you can try turning round again but as far as he's concerned his tactics are working and you are giving him good reason to continue with them! Remember - horses learn from repetition so only good behaviour must result in his desired outcome or you are literally training him how to get what he wants by behaving badly.

 

[be positive]

Lots of good suggestions on here - one thing I would add is that when he spins you must not let him then carry on walking in the direction he chose. Even if you just stand him still it is better than allowing him to continue back towards home. In your mind you're waiting for him to settle so you can try turning round again but as far as he's concerned his tactics are working and you are giving him good reason to continue with them! Remember - horses learn from repetition so only good behaviour must result in his desired outcome or you are literally training him how to get what he wants by behaving badly.

I agree he is getting his own way and you are enabling it, I would tackle this on long reins rather than ridden as you have already lost too many arguments, on long reins you can deal with the backing up from a safe position with far less risk to yourself, if he starts to go into the drainage ditch keep out of the way and wait for him to realise it is a stupid idea, he is extremely unlikely to go in without you on top to unbalance him, being behind you are in a much better place to send him forward firmly, I have sorted out a few this way and after a couple of sessions they learn that going where they are asked is the best option.
Don't ride alone until he is going out confidently on long reins with NO hesitation anywhere and you should be able to transfer it to ridden behaviour.

 

[milliepops]

I agree he is getting his own way and you are enabling it, I would tackle this on long reins rather than ridden as you have already lost too many arguments, on long reins you can deal with the backing up from a safe position with far less risk to yourself, if he starts to go into the drainage ditch keep out of the way and wait for him to realise it is a stupid idea, he is extremely unlikely to go in without you on top to unbalance him, being behind you are in a much better place to send him forward firmly, I have sorted out a few this way and after a couple of sessions they learn that going where they are asked is the best option.
Don't ride alone until he is going out confidently on long reins with NO hesitation anywhere and you should be able to transfer it to ridden behaviour.

^^ 100% this.
The drainage ditches are probably causing you to be less effective than you need to be - it's hard when you've got something like that in the back of your mind.
If you pop a roller on rather than your saddle and long rein him, then you won't be as twitchy about it if he goes near the ditch.

When you progress to ridden hacks, take the long reins with you. i did that with my nappy one, and then if we ever got to a point where she was napping and I couldn't ride her through it without her escalating, I hopped off, clipped on the long reins and carried on as though that was what I had intended all along. That way she never got to 'win' the nap, and I never ended up in a position where she was putting me in danger. I usually hopped back on a few minutes later

 

[TeamChaser]

Had a very nappy one and used combination of Lulup and Spangie suggestions. If he was rearing and refusing to go forward, we would go backwards until he dropped his head and accepted contact. If upon turning round he still napped, would make him stand and wait it out. Essentially he either went in the direction I was asking him to or didn't go anywhere. Didn't take him long to suss it out. Key thing was NOT to let him go back in the other direction. He's a sensitive boy so absolutely no point in bullying him but after standing quietly for a while with nothing to fight against, he would give in with minimal fuss

He never ever naps now and will go out quite happily on his own whenever asked to

 

[SEL]

My mare's default nap is to run backwards (we've been in one of those drainage ditches!). I actually think she was accidentally taught that backwards released pressure when the owners before me tried to start her under saddle.

I have got off before when she's being a total diva and led her on foot (having a lead rein helps) until we're past the sticky patch & then hopped back on. At least that way she's still going on the direction I want.

 

[Kezzabell2]

I feel your pain, my horse has been very nappy over the last 2 years, he will have moment of being perfect and other times of damn right refusal! he did scare me to start with but once I realised he wasn't trying to get me off, he was just protesting, I managed to just sit there and refuse to let him win!

my biggest battle is that he has to do a lot of road work to trim his own feet, but our yard leads out on a busy country road, on a pretty tight bend, so having him nap on the corner is very dangerous. I therefore spent 2/3 months of making him hack around the farm until a time where he didn't nap at all. our yard has lots of very deep ditches and rivers going through it! one day not so long ago he planted along a strip where the polo ponies were grazing in the field! he went bolt up right a few times, and started reversing! I just sat quietly and kept try to get him to go forward, after about 5 minutes he went forward and didn't play up again, but I was totally cra ppi ng myself as the ditches are huge.

is there anywhere off road where you can take your argument with him? somewhere a bit safer, so you can sit there a refuse to let him win? I don't think that turning him back towards home and then trying to turn him back again is going to help, you need to sit it out and get tough!

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

My traddie cob had been in a trekking centre when I had him, and was only used to following the bum ahead.

After having various explosions, temper tantrums, going backwards into ditches (yep been there done that, the blighter knew that scared me so though hee hee that's what I'll do then!), etc etc, in the end I asked an expert to help as I knew I was going to have to either sell him or loan him as it was getting beyond where my experience was at that time.

The expert told me to forget solo hacking for a bit, and to concentrate on groundwork, getting him used to me handling him, making him go away from pressure, following me around, that sort of thing, all about me being the Herd Leader and him being able to fully trust me. We used stuff like tarpaulins, plastic bags, anything and everything basically! All confidence-building.

We then progressed to leading him out on the roads, meeting stuff, all the time me still with my Herd Leader hat on. Then one day we took him out with the saddle on, and on the way home (we always went in a circular route) I just hopped on, and rode him back to the yard. For a while I would lead him out, then at some point on the ride just unobtrusively just get up, and bring him home.

My instructor also gave me some techniques for if he spun, or ran back, or napped: the important thing is to relax and not stress coz the horse will pick straight up on that. The technique that worked for me was to sing!! This puts you in a nice relaxed posture and brings a different perspective on things, rather than being stressed and stiff.

One day I was able to get up on him, ride him out the yard, solo, and back again. I'm lucky in that I can very easily do round-trip rides where I am, but the one time I have taken him out and, of necessity coz the road was blocked, had to come back the same way, he napped horribly, it totally confused him. So my feeling would be that for a lot of horses, going on a round trip is going to be better than going out and coming back the same way, I know for sure mine would soon become a horror if I did that!

My instructor also stressed that IF there is something that the horse is spooking at, or just being plain nappy, for whatever reason, you are far better just getting off and walking past, then staying up and having a huge battle. Sometimes the horse just needs that reassurance of having someone on the ground with them, to give them confidence, and it is better therefore, if you perceive that something is going to be a huge issue, to just hop off and walk past - you can always come back another day and try riding past.

IMO professional help at an early stage was the key to overcoming this issue. I don't think I would have overcome it without that TBH. You need a professional with the right sort of approach, what you do NOT need is someone who'll stand behind the horse with a lunging whip!! Personally I would suggest someone with an Intelligent Horsemanship, or similar approach, ehmmm, NOT Parelli (sorry!!).

Good luck. You WILL overcome this, and come out a really super partnership as well as a better rider. My cob really stretched me to the limits as regards ability and confidence, but in hindsight I am SO glad I persevered and got there!!

 

[Equi]

See i would be taking this different. End of the day the horse is a lot bigger, stronger and stupider than you. I would let him go so far, then make him turn myself, but walk past home so he is not going home until you say so. Might work, might not, but its something thats easy to try without all the stress of spinning and getting bucked or going into a ditch. He just needs to build his confidence in both you and himself and being close to home gives you both that - my horse would be slow to step out and always trying to turn for home when i first started hacking him cause i was petrified, and he would rush home so fast i either had blisters on my fingers or broken shoulders holding him back (did not ever let him trot home!) but now he can still be a little reluctant to go too far alone, but will if asked, and when i turn for home he knows hes now able to relax and he generally walks home on the buckle. (as in i still have the reins and a contact of sorts to let him stretch cause thats what is responsible but i would be able to drop them and he would not move any faster)

 

[indie1282]

As soon as you are out of the yard send it forward in a good trot and trot it until it's tired if needs be.

The trick with horses that nap is to not give them time to think about playing up!

 

[suffolkmare]

I used to make my nappy horse walk backwards. Sometimes for 100m until he'd had enough! If I tried pressure facing right way he'd rear. So at least I could move in direction I wanted and he was facing direction he wanted. Usually he'd snap out if it and I'd offer chance to walk forward again, but in same direction. Most of time he'd take it. Any more napping and we'd go back into reverse and repeat!

This!
I once rode a nappy pony (friend's ride n drive Welshie) backwards on a bridge over the M25...only wondering afterwards if it had caused any confusion to drivers if they'd noticed, eek! He was quite bad and that particular hack was mostly backwards at first, turning him to face forwards each time he relaxed, go a few strides, nap/turn...go backwards again, repeat. He was so very much better from that day on (though not perfect, bless him!)
My boy can be nappy on his own, but I use a lot of the techniques already suggested and what he does, if anything, is just a minor protest at going alone and leaving his mates. Understanding what is behind the nappy behaviour is key; usually it is separation from mates or plain insecurity, but if you suspect anything else get further help as the positive techniques might fail and could end up in a dangerous battle between you. Hope your patience yields good results!

 

[dibbin]

Thanks so much for all your replies, some really helpful ideas on here.

Unfortunately circular hacks aren't really an option at the moment - the horses are at home, which is at the end of a mile-long private road. To do even a vaguely circular route (which would actually just be straight out and back with a loop at the end) we'd need to be out for at least 35-40 minutes, which isn't going to happen on our own anytime soon!

I think his napping is just plain insecurity/separation anxiety. He's quite sociable generally and is very attached to my sister's horse who is his stable buddy so I think that's where it comes from. He doesn't tend to do it in company so I'm pretty confident there's no underlying issue.

Trying to turn him back "out" immediately after a spin tends to result in a tantrum, so I might try reversing instead and see how that goes.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

The problem that I found with reversing or waiting it out was that it was just too dangerous with the traffic. I found that catching the spin ie so she never actually span in the first place, was much better. If she was being a total twonk about something, I would dismount for a bit and then remount when safe. Indie is quite right, you need to get to the point where you have the tactics in place (eg trotting past 'sticky' places) to prevent the whip around from happening in the first place and it does take a lot of training. I used to go out early on a Sunday to take the traffic issue away. Also try to find something that you can use as a roundabout if circular routes aren't possible.

 

[milliepops]

The problem that I found with reversing or waiting it out was that it was just too dangerous with the traffic..

^^ yes. I also have one that could reverse professionally, so when I tried the often-advised reversing trick, I found myself being bolted with backwards. Not fun! Not fun at all. She uses reverse as a nap in the school, so we try to think forwards at all times.

On a busy road these types can be really tricky. I am lucky i have lanes and tracks so we can stay put and just sit it out without it causing any issue, and I never ever have a problem on the long reins now.

 

[WandaMare]

As well as trying the suggestions so far, one thing which cracked the problem with one of my horses was boxing her out somewhere on her own and then my OH would drive off with the lorry so she had no particular direction to nap to. She was nervy at first but after some lovely hacks she was forced to get her confidence in me and ended up one of those nanny ponies you could take anywhere.

 

[Antw23uk]

I would never long rein my new mare out and she is a little lacking in confidence going solo right now. She comes with form for knowing her own strength and p*ssing off whilst being led so I would much rather be on top than on the ground leading her because i think she would just go home!

OP I dont think you should be letting him walk back home after the spin even if you do eventually turn him back again. I think you should turn him immediately and tell him to bring on the tantrum and sit it out! All very easy for me to say though without knowing your riding ability or horse but thats what i would do!