Nappy even with another

[Hormonal Filly]

Noticed my 5yo is backwards when leaving the yard for a hack even with another. If we go for the ride towards her field, she’ll walk fast and then when we turn off away from the field, she slows right down.

She doesn’t buck, rear or do anything exactly bad. She just walks slow and ignores my leg so I have to give her a tap to get a response. Yet on the way back or as we start to go back, extremely forward. She seems to know which direction the yard is wherever we hack (fields, miles off road hacking etc) she is really clever!

It’s weird as she’s the same with another horse to.. although isn’t very ‘horse oriented’ so maybe they don’t give her the confidence.

She is the same if she is in the school and a horse sharing it leaves. I’ve done tons of groundwork, backed her myself.

Does anyone else have/had a horse similar? She isn’t like it if I box away from the yard or on funrides etc, it seems it’s anything leaving the yard.

She was seen by my vet a couple of months ago, who is coming back soon so going to get him to check her over but she’s moving nicely and feels well when she isn’t doing this weird nappy type behaviour.

 

[Barton Bounty]

BB was like this it was just behavioural, now I only hack alone. He very much takes his confidence from me so now he likes his routine of being ridden every day. We moved yard last year to somewhere much quieter. There was too many distractions on a busier yard it fried his brain.
We started off just doing 20 minutes and built it from there. Now we can probably go anywhere I use food and I absolutely do not mind if he stops for a mint for being a good boy

 

[Hormonal Filly]

There was too many distractions on a busier yard it fried his brain.
We started off just doing 20 minutes and built it from there.

That’s really interesting @Barton Bounty so since moving in March it’s a big yard of over 40.. and whichever way we go for a hack we’re going ‘past’ horses which was never an issue at my last small yard.

I’ll start taking treats as she’s very good oriented.

 

[Barton Bounty]

I was on a larger yard, made up of 5 smaller yards and around 60 horses on it, all within sight of each other and while that can be a good thing, its not for some! It was an absolute nightmare as people quite often rode up behind you at gallop with no consideration or rider etiquette shown whatsoever.
I basically got sick of always having a crappy ride and bbs brain being fried. It was a shame for him too.
Hopefully using treats she will realise that she is only away for a short time and back , i would just lengthen it each week and m then all of a sudden you will just be going out normally

 

[ycbm]

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[asmp]

one of ours started napping and we found out it was the saddle not fitting anymore. New saddle and he stopped napping.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

one of ours started napping and we found out it was the saddle not fitting anymore. New saddle and he stopped napping.

She’s always been like it to be honest, but recently noticed she’s the same with another. Saddle was checked and adjusted just under 2 weeks ago.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I was going to say saddle fit I know you were having issues with it, how have they adjusted it?

 

[DabDab]

So she's just a bit steady heading away from home and a bit more forward heading towards home? Not actually napping as such
I would say that that is pretty common, and I've always found that it us more related to the horse's individual personality than anything.

Apart from kindly and consistently reinforcing that there is a designated walking speed that should be maintained, I've found that stopping periodically to let them eat verge/hedge etc helps the ones that are quite objective-driven out hacking to chill out and not see it so much as something that just has to get done

 

[Hormonal Filly]

I was going to say saddle fit I know you were having issues with it, how have they adjusted it?

Gullet change to the widest it can go and adjusted the flocking, saddle fits her much better but it’s still not that comfortable for me so ordered a new Albion (on their new hoop style tree) which has a 6 week wait.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

Apart from kindly and consistently reinforcing that there is a designated walking speed that should be maintained, I've found that stopping periodically to let them eat verge/hedge etc helps the ones that are quite objective-driven out hacking to chill out and not see it so much as something that just has to get done

She tries to constantly eat hedges, trees, long grass as we walk through it so I’ve always stopped her eating while I’m riding, didn’t want to reinforce it but a friend said about carrying treats.. and reward occasionally, might try that

 

[ycbm]

So she's just a bit steady heading away from home and a bit more forward heading towards home? Not actually napping as such
I would say that that is pretty common, and I've always found that it us more related to the horse's individual personality than anything.

Apart from kindly and consistently reinforcing that there is a designated walking speed that should be maintained, I've found that stopping periodically to let them eat verge/hedge etc helps the ones that are quite objective-driven out hacking to chill out and not see it so much as something that just has to get done

Exactly what I was trying to say up thread but deleted. This behaviour is pretty normal for a 5 year old.


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She tries to constantly eat hedges, trees, long grass as we walk through it so I’ve always stopped her eating while I’m riding, didn’t want to reinforce it but a friend said about carrying treats.. and reward occasionally, might try that

I'm struggling to see what treats will achieve. They can be very effective either to reward and reinforce correct behaviour or maybe to distract a horse which is spooking at something it genuinely finds frightening, but that doesn't sound like what she is doing. You would need to be treating the moment she agrees to stride out forwards, but that timing would be not only be extremely difficult to do, but also cause her to break stride to receive the treat, which would be counter productive.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Gullet change to the widest it can go and adjusted the flocking, saddle fits her much better but it’s still not that comfortable for me so ordered a new Albion (on their new hoop style tree) which has a 6 week wait.

Great news for the Albion though they are lovely I tried to find a second hand hoop tree for ages as that was one of the saddles recommended for Louis.

I bet you can't wait

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

She tries to constantly eat hedges, trees, long grass as we walk through it so I’ve always stopped her eating while I’m riding, didn’t want to reinforce it but a friend said about carrying treats.. and reward occasionally, might try that

My 2 do it Arabi will actually stop to try and munch the long grass, to be fair some of our tracks are so over grown its literally at mouth height so it's really tempting for them.

 

[DabDab]

She tries to constantly eat hedges, trees, long grass as we walk through it so I’ve always stopped her eating while I’m riding, didn’t want to reinforce it but a friend said about carrying treats.. and reward occasionally, might try that

It's more about having a mental pit stop while out on route really, rather than just letting them eat stuff, so only eat while stopped and only on your say so rather than randomly grabbing lumps put of hedges. But I agree, if she's a bit that way inclined then giving her a mental pit stop some other way might be better (e.g. stopping in a couple of places along the route to do some small space lateral work/ movements).

When a horse has got a real march on going home I find having to do constant half halts is often ineffective and bordering on counter-intuative, as well as being frankly annoying to ride. So I find it a lot easier to just stop and let them eat e.g. a hedge while I do some blackberry picking for a few minutes to distract them from the going home mission

 

[Hormonal Filly]

Exactly what I was trying to say up thread but deleted. This behaviour is pretty normal for a 5 year old.

I’m still getting use to owning a youngster again!

Thanks all, I’ll stop worrying and thinking into it to much.

@Pinkvboots yes! excited to try it.. it should feel better for both of us, just hope it fits correct as feels a lot of money to spend!