Nappy horse going backwards

Someone like Michael Peace seems very good at sorting out nappy ponies without violence. If she has money I'd recommend a visit by him. (Although I have no personal experience, only seen videos.)

My old one would try it on, especially someone else had ridden her. And I'm afraid one crack on the ar*e was all that was needed. She just didn't fancy leaving the yard if she didn't have to. Once out there would be no problems and we both loved hacking. There would be the odd occasion when I knew she was genuinely worried and we would probably turn around and go back without any future issues. (No crop involved). She'd quite happily stand all day whilst you read and hopping off was not an option. I don't recommend this without thoroughly knowing it's the thing that works though!

I have also ridden one where hacking on its own just wasn't really an option, he never got any better despite trying everything.
 
ycbm said:
I've had two. One I was able to wait out and he accepted hacking after a year but was never truly relaxed about it, just compliant. Another was a nightmare, reversing into dangerous situations, afraid of a new daffodil on the verge. I tried for 6 years but was never able to make him safe. I had just given up hacking him, since he hated it so much, when we discovered that he was a congenital wobbler. He died soon after and I've always wondered how much of his problem was his inability to feel where his back feet were.
.
Click to expand...
I had the same as this. Persevered for a year. He would hack eventually but it wasn’t relaxing for either of us.
Turned out to be a wobbler and he was PTS.
 
I had a point beyond which my horse would not go alone or even in front. There were several factors involved, mainly nappiness (it was a junction where turning left meant the quick way home turning right was the longer ride but he wouldn't even get as far as the junction) pigs and traffic. He'd go past behind another horse (albeit unhappily) but wouldn't go at all in front let alone on his own. We took him in hand and he'd go past but very unhappily and would then rush away from it walking so fast that I'd struggle to keep up. He'd also go past one way (again unhappily ) in front but not alone but not the other. It was roughly 1/2 way round a circular route so it should have made no difference which way we approached it but going clockwise was definitely better for some reason! Pressuring was the worst thing I could do, he lost it once with me when I tried backing him past it, leaping and bucking. Somehow every time he threw me in the air I landed back in the saddle but I had to give up and go home as it was getting dangerous with traffic all around. A much braver friend then tried to pressure him to go past and ended up on the floor - he wasn't even alone then, she just asked him to go in front. That's when I decided to sell him (with full disclosure) because we had to go past this point on every ride so we never cracked it but I did learn that pressuring him just made it all much worse.

I don't think getting off is an issue if it works but I think I'd ask his owner to walk with you to see if that helps - if it does then work on her being further and further way from him. until you don't need her with you any more

The other option is to ride with a horse you can trust to not get upset and gradually get further and further in front of them until you're effectively on your own or, if you have a suitable route, have them take the long way home while you do the quick way on your own and build up to the point where they take the quick way home and you go the longer way.
 
I dont ride on roads really, only bridle tracks. Both my shares have napped, regardless of riders. On both, the RI/YO/YM dealt with it by growling and giving a firm hit on the bum.
I once allowed my current share to turn and walk all the way home where the YM turned her at the gate, gave her a whack and sent us out again. That scared me as we were on the tarmac drive.
I have a feeling that napping is different on different horses and that the contrasting solutions of sitting it out or giving a whack will depend both on the horse and its rider.
My current share naps (I believe) when she is too hot. (The Yard disagree, but I think it is the case) Twice when she napped with me it was extremely hot. I suggested that if she wanted to nap she move two steps further on so we were standing in the shade. She then moved into the shade, stood for a time and then went on as if nothing had happened. One very hot day she eventually moved (homewards) when it started to thunder.
She hasnt napped properly with me for a very long time. If she stops and a nap seems likely, I say to her, Walk on. You have got me on your back today. You dont nap with me, remember, and she does walk on.
Yet I am not an authoritative rider. If I want her to do something I often say, YM says trot. YM says . . . because the mare is scared of the YM and she isnt of me.
 
I would suggest groundwork, then lead out in hand then progress to long reining - have someone with you on the end of a long lead rope in case you get stuck. This is how we start our horses to get out hacking on their own and has been very useful without ones that we have rebacked. Much easier to tackle from the ground than get into an argument on top.

Lots of praise when they get moving too and some tid bits once they have stopped napping can prove useful and easy to do when you aren’t sat on top!
 
Circles. Tight circles is the only way to get mine out of going backwards. He will go back into anything...ditches snd cars scare me most because he just doesn't care. But a "nose to bum" type circle works. As I come out of the circle I politely ask if he wants to or will go forwards and if he says "no" then we do another circle and I ask again. Standing is ok. Backwards is not. When he says "ok" he gets a big pat and loose rein and lots of praise. I've tried trying to get him to just stand and then ask to go forward but no dice. Asking him to just move forward doesn't work. Asking him to go left or right and forward doesn't work. I can tell the difference between his "I hurt and don't want to go" and "home is in the forest trail and my friends are right there and I don't want to go"

All of the above said, leading in hand and/or long lining first can be incredibly powerful and work very well. It helps you both build trust in each other. I have done this but unfortunately horse has moments where when ridden, backwards is his MO (not from a spook which is entirely different).
 
Last edited:
Burnerbee said:
Please consider other road users. Your horse is, unfortunately, dangerous and public roads are not a training centre.
Click to expand...
I must say I agree with this. If you are knowingly taking a horse that rears and backs into traffic out into the public, you are putting the horse, yourself and members of the public in danger.

You need to be turning back before it gets to this point and before he goes over threshold, not at the point where he is rearing and completely out of control. If he is happy and safe to hack out in company then I would just continue with this, or work towards your goal of taking him out alone at a snail's pace.
 
Mrs. Jingle said:
Either above as Clodagh describes or try waiting it out, bring a packed lunch first couple of times. Just get him to stand, do not make any attempt to try and force him forward.
If he goes backwards immediately spin him around and then stand. If he goes sideways same again, immediately do a very fast spin and then stand again. At the slightest hint of forward movement in the direction you want to go just relax, light contact and go with the forward movement.

Repeat over and over, you might be hanging about for an hour or two. A pure battle of mind over matter. IME it has very quickly improved over a few hacks never to be a problem again.
Click to expand...
This is what breaks the "backwards only" for mine.
 
I had a mare once that napped with chestnut mare vengeance she could rearrange leap buck and spin in one movement.

Someone following me with a water pistol cured a lot of it ...it was that moment you feel when they hesitate you know what's coming anyway the X husband followed me one day and the moment he saw me using more leg he gave a shot of water up the arse .

It worked ...however what I would say is you need to be ready and if the horse shots forward you have to be so ready not to jab them in the mouth otherwise you've just said stop again.
Snapper was savage at times but cracking her on the arse with a whip was not an option (she would would of fought back harder)
So I had to find other ways that where not effectively challenging her as she would of put her best horns on and said bring it on!
 
jhoward said:
I had a mare once that napped with chestnut mare vengeance she could rearrange leap buck and spin in one movement.

Someone following me with a water pistol cured a lot of it ...it was that moment you feel when they hesitate you know what's coming anyway the X husband followed me one day and the moment he saw me using more leg he gave a shot of water up the arse .

It worked ...however what I would say is you need to be ready and if the horse shots forward you have to be so ready not to jab them in the mouth otherwise you've just said stop again.
Snapper was savage at times but cracking her on the arse with a whip was not an option (she would would of fought back harder)
So I had to find other ways that where not effectively challenging her as she would of put her best horns on and said bring it on!
Click to expand...

I'm sorry but this is utterly terrible advice to give someone who is dealing with an already dangerous and out of control horse in a public space. It's 2025, there are ways of helping nervous horses overcome their anxieties without bullying them into submission. Jeez Louise.
 
mariew said:
Someone like Michael Peace seems very good at sorting out nappy ponies without violence. If she has money I'd recommend a visit by him. (Although I have no personal experience, only seen videos.)

My old one would try it on, especially someone else had ridden her. And I'm afraid one crack on the ar*e was all that was needed. She just didn't fancy leaving the yard if she didn't have to. Once out there would be no problems and we both loved hacking. There would be the odd occasion when I knew she was genuinely worried and we would probably turn around and go back without any future issues. (No crop involved). She'd quite happily stand all day whilst you read and hopping off was not an option. I don't recommend this without thoroughly knowing it's the thing that works though!

I have also ridden one where hacking on its own just wasn't really an option, he never got any better despite trying everything.
Click to expand...
This is something that I would never have imagined, reading while waiting out a napping horse.

I don't think it's the thing to do. IMO, the rider has to be involved in what's going on. The horse whose rider is reading will know that their rider is not with it at all, and it won't be the same thing at all. It won't have the same effect. You have made yourself a passenger instead of the one who is in charge.

ETA: It works, but you've got to have more patience than the horse.
 
Miss_Millie said:
I'm sorry but this is utterly terrible advice to give someone who is dealing with an already dangerous and out of control horse in a public space. It's 2025, there are ways of helping nervous horses overcome their anxieties without bullying them into submission. Jeez Louise.
Click to expand...
It's not bullying one bit. And if submissions means go bloody forward then great.
The horse is refusing to go forward.
It has no medical issues
Hitting kicking pulling isn't working the horse goes up.
So send it forwards
Often months can be spent patting it on the nose walking it out in hand and all that jazz but the horse isn't stupid it's already learnt the evasion tactics with a rider on.

The water pistol on the quarters is a pain free fight free method. No jabbing in the gob, no booting in the sides or wrenching on a bit trying to turn it.
We are in this country a bunch of total snowflakes that let horses dictate to us.
And that is why there are so many problem horses in this country ...we create them.
 
Last edited:
Lois Lame said:
This is something that I would never have imagined, reading while waiting out a napping horse.

I don't think it's the thing to do. IMO, the rider has to be involved in what's going on. The horse whose rider is reading will know that their rider is not with it at all, and it won't be the same thing at all. It won't have the same effect. You have made yourself a passenger instead of the one who is in charge.

ETA: It works, but you've got to have more patience than the horse.
Click to expand...
Lol it was figuratively speaking... Although I have often read advice to say bring a book on a napping horse on this forum :)
 
Hey guys just an update on this thread!

For those who are talking about the road not being a training ground - I definitely know this. where I live these roads are practically empty most times, my laneway leading up to this junction is a private laneway anyway, and any time we would really encounter traffic it would be past this crossroads. I’m well aware safety works both ways and I am always respectful to other road users!!

For everyone else, I would like to let everyone know we are successfully hacking with no naps! First few days after posting this thread, before he even had the chance to nap I just got off (about a few yards from where he usually would kick off) and lead him, hopped back on after we got across and he was happy. I didn’t want to do this for too long as he is the type of horse that would then see the getting back up portion of the hack as “work” so once I was happy that he was okay to cross the road and out of the backwards mindset, I decided to give it a go staying on. Day 1 he definitely showed a bit of resistance but not near as bad as other days, once the backwards started I did play the waiting game while he planted himself. Any forward steps I gave big pats and praise. eventually after about a solid 10 minutes he just walked on, I gave him lots of pats. Second and third day all kind of followed this pattern. But the fourth day he did hesitate for a moment, I waited just a few seconds before he walked on by himself. Once again lots of praise! He had a day off after this and I was afraid that he’d forget about this positive breakthrough but he definitely didn’t because the next day he just walked on. Ever since then, we have had no napping at that spot or any further spots.

Do I think the stop and wait would work on every horse? No possibly not, but it worked for him! I’ve seen a few people mention long reining so I might say to my friend to try some of this at home so he’s going forward independently and she’s not at risk of hurting herself and him! I do think stopping and waiting, and slowly praising any forward motion helps with him in particular, almost like thinking each piece of the puzzle through slowly instead of getting information overload and deciding to rear or walk backwards.

Thanks for everyone’s help, lots of great suggestions here for anyone in a similar boat. Definitely a positive end to what could have been disastrous, so hopefully he keeps this positivity when he heads back home in two weeks!!
 
Just to comment -
‘I didn’t want to do this for too long as he is the type of horse that would then see the getting back up portion of the hack as “work” so once I was happy that he was okay to cross the road and out of the backwards mindset, I decided to give it a go staying on.’

Horse anxiety/brains do not work like this. Horses don’t have the capacity to think in terms of getting out of things because it’s hard or ‘work’ they tend to only react to what’s going on around them. The horse will have gained confidence at their most tricky spots so then they will get better. Getting off and leading doesn’t set them back it just builds but they also need other skills to build their confidence or there will be no improvement.

‘Do I think the stop and wait would work on every horse? No possibly not, but it worked for him!’

It actually works on 99% of horses as they are all wired the same. Just have different reactions to anxiety and their surroundings. It gives them time to process and settle their adrenaline and worry. As a rider if you are giving them time to process then they won’t give you a reaction - which napping is. It’s why bullying them doesn’t work because then it becomes to the horse they have told you they are worried, you have ignored them and started being horrible to them which justifies their worry and then the behaviour escalates.

The way the horse will keep his ‘positivity’ will come down to the rider and their reactions and having a calm process to deal with things.
 
I have one that can be difficult. No rearing, but stops dead, goes backwards and can spin around (only alone). He is very clever. Vet thinks he has "busy brain" syndrome, nothing physically wrong. Honestly what works for me is leaving tons of extra time. Waiting then giving another leg request for forward, then waiting, let him process, another kick, waiting again, scratching neck and "good boy" when he moves forward, repeat, repeat repeat..... when he hasn't been out for a while I use draw reins and spurs. Draw reins on the buckle until we have an issue, this stops the spinning and keeps me safe (no judgement please, I literally think this given me safety and has prevented me selling this horse). Spurs give a bit of extra support for my leg. These are not used in the school so they feel pretty different for him. Once he has been out twice on the same route in close proximity then the third time we are ok, no spins, no spurs, no need for draw reins. He just needs a reminder that he can do it. If we encounter a cow, I just get off as then he is so terrified he really needs me between the cow and him. He is just anxious not trying to be difficult. Most other things he goes past in 5 mins without danger to anyone with a bit of patience.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top