Nappy horses

[CobsCAN!]

Hi all, I have had my lovely Irish cob, George for 2 years now. And my goodness is he a nappy horse. He will walk on eventually after I kick and kick and growl. He only does this on hacks. Never in the school. It’s getting really un nerving as he does it any time and any place when out riding. I do not ride out on my own hence the napping. Someone must be on the ground when me and George go out incase he decides to stop on the main road, or if he wants to nap and fall into a ditch like he did before. Everything is ok i.e, Teeth, back and tack. I just think he’s rude and a little bit naughty.

what can I do to stop this? He’s really knocking my confidence.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Could you get a more confident rider to really push him on through this?? It sounds as though your doing a great job but he has realised he can take the pee!!

 

[scats]

Some horses just are naturally nappy about hacking out, particularly on their own. They don’t want to leave the safety of home/other horses.
I have an extremely nappy mare who will, if she’s pushed, stand bolt upright.
You are doing the right thing in getting a foot soldier to go with you. I have solved this issues many times in the past by having someone come and walk out with us several times on a short route (preferably circular), then one day ask your foot soldier to walk behind you. They can assist if you get into trouble, but the idea is that your horse takes the lead.

Another way is to lead the horse to a half way point out hacking and then get on, go a bit further and then head back home. Again, a circular route is ideal.
You’ll also learn what buttons to press and what causes an unwanted reaction. It’s a bit trial and error.

 

[CobsCAN!]

Could you get a more confident rider to really push him on through this?? It sounds as though your doing a great job but he has realised he can take the pee!!

hey, he’s had confined riders on him and he still does it. He does it with me, I can push him through it but it’s getting really tiring, you know?

 

[CobsCAN!]

Some horses just are naturally nappy about hacking out, particularly on their own. They don’t want to leave the safety of home/other horses.
I have an extremely nappy mare who will, if she’s pushed, stand bolt upright.
You are doing the right thing in getting a foot soldier to go with you. I have solved this issues many times in the past by having someone come and walk out with us several times on a short route (preferably circular), then one day ask your foot soldier to walk behind you. They can assist if you get into trouble, but the idea is that your horse takes the lead.

Another way is to lead the horse to a half way point out hacking and then get on, go a bit further and then head back home. Again, a circular route is ideal.
You’ll also learn what buttons to press and what causes an unwanted reaction. It’s a bit trial and error.

Hey, all the hacks we do are circular routes as I know he’s horse of habit. I just would love to hack out on my own. He naps with or without horses, some days he naps others he doesn’t! It knocks my confidence when he does it on the busy road we must cross to leave our yard. Cobs eh?

 

[Meowy Catkin]

When my mare *thought* about napping on busy roads I just got off and led her (she always walked nicely in-hand) and then I would remount when it was safe to do so.

I also had some lessons with a really good instructor.

 

[CobsCAN!]

I’ve been told to to get off, it means he’s won... he does eventually move but it’s very un nerving.

 

[scats]

I’ve been told to to get off, it means he’s won... he does eventually move but it’s very un nerving.

Very old fashioned advice, the ‘he’s won’ thing. It’s not a competition. You are a partnership and if your horse is having a confidence wobble, get off and give him some guidance. Lead him a little way and then hop back on. He’s not won anything, he has learnt that whatever worries him was nothing to be concerned about, and his human can take charge to give him a helping hand if needed.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I’ve been told to to get off, it means he’s won... he does eventually move but it’s very un nerving.

That is utter rubbish. If getting off means that you get him moving in the direction that you want, how has he won?

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Thankfully my mare never knew the 'if the rider dismounts, the horse has won' thing. I very quickly ended up with a horse that I could hack anywhere (over motorway bridges for example) on my own and we coped together with many exciting and unexpected things with me staying in the saddle.

 

[littleshetland]

'He's won'??? not at all...I don't think it matters if you have to dismount, the main thing is you've got him going forwards towards your chosen destination. If you find you do have to dismount sometimes its really no big deal..he'll get the idea in the end.

 

[nikkimariet]

You need to be absolutely black and white about it… nova was a chronic napper and sometimes we had an hour long battle about leaving the yard alone.

 

[paddi22]

You need to be absolutely black and white about it… nova was a chronic napper and sometimes we had an hour long battle about leaving the yard alone.

agree, totally black and white.
I get nappy cobs in the odd time and they can be tough, it can really be a battle of wits. I get the back protector on, hold the neck strap and go ballistic until they take a step forward, then reward like mad! if they nap, I ask twice politely to move forward, then I turn into a crazy woman and scare the life out of them with a schooling whip or wavin pipe, plus deranged screaming. after about 4 or 5 proper battles, they usually improve as they know you mean it and you can usually get away with just the roaring to get them moving again. but you really have to go up to 100% with your madness and they have to know you mean it!

I've never found kicking a napper ever worked, the cobs seem to the able to tune it out. I bring a whip and use it sparingly, but when I use it I mean it, and the horse knows I mean it and will keep going till they go forward. cobs generally want an easy life, so they they know you aim to win the fight they usually give up. I've found it's always the case of 'have a horrible full on battle three or four times' and then they start to understand you mean it.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

The problem with the hard line approach is that you can't safely have an hour long battle on a road that has busy traffic (well certainly not where I used to ride). Also the OP has already been backed into a ditch by their horse and their confidence is low. I think at the moment, the horse has the upper hand and would win every battle. So the answer is to get the horse to do as it is told and not get into a battle. This is why the leading thing can be the answer.

For confident riders with less traffic then yes, the hard line approach is very effective.

 

[paddi22]

The problem with the hard line approach is that you can't safely have an hour long battle on a road that has busy traffic (well certainly not where I used to ride). Also the OP has already been backed into a ditch by their horse and their confidence is low. I think at the moment, the horse has the upper hand and would win every battle. So the answer is to get the horse to do as it is told and not get into a battle. This is why the leading thing can be the answer.

For confident riders with less traffic then yes, the hard line approach is very effective.

good point about the traffic. I tend to get up at 5 or 6 am to take out the nappy ones and battle them through it. I wouldn't take them out on busy roads. for very bad ones I also box to very quiet roads that I know I can sit and fight for an hour with no traffic!

 

[fredflop]

Getting off is not letting the horse win. My advice would be to get off the horse before it’s in full flight panic mode. Then it doesn’t learn that panic means you get off.

 

[CobsCAN!]

'He's won'??? not at all...I don't think it matters if you have to dismount, the main thing is you've got him going forwards towards your chosen destination. If you find you do have to dismount sometimes its really no big deal..he'll get the idea in the end.

I was told by my riding instructor to not get off when he naps as he’s got what he wants? I do try my hardest to sit to him but I do eventually get off if he does this in the middle of the road, as where we hack it’s very busy traffic with silly boy racers.

 

[CobsCAN!]

That is utter rubbish. If getting off means that you get him moving in the direction that you want, how has he won?

My riding instructor told me to stay on as he wants me to get off, he wants me to walk with him? I try and stay on majority of the time but when he does nap in the road I do get off due to busy traffic and boy racers

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Change riding instructor.

 

[tristar]

the only ones i`ve had nap have either had something wrong with them or need to go on the lunge and long reining as they never learnt to go forwards to light aids in the first place, then continue to perform what they have been taught to do by their breakers


if a horse napped going out of the yard, i would jump off quick lead it out then jump on and continue, would not give it time to process or develop the habit of making decisions about something so basic as walking forwards

they need to go forwards from the start of training by gentle incremental aids build on daily in each session and that is what you need to do now, go back to basics get it thinking forwards and actually learning to respond to the basic aids

 

[Meowy Catkin]

the only ones i`ve had nap have either had something wrong with them or need to go on the lunge and long reining as they never learnt to go forwards to light aids in the first place, then continue to perform what they have been taught to do by their breakers


if a horse napped going out of the yard, i would jump off quick lead it out then jump on and continue, would not give it time to process or develop the habit of making decisions about something so basic as walking forwards

they need to go forwards from the start of training by gentle incremental aids build on daily in each session and that is what you need to do now, go back to basics get it thinking forwards and actually learning to respond to the basic aids

You make a good point. It is something that I didn't fully understand until I had my own youngster that went from an unridden youngster, through the backing process to being a ridden horse. Hopping off to clarify what is needed is sensible training. Not letting things escalate into a big drama is sensible training. Giving the horse confidence to develop into a happy riding horse is sensible training.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Change riding instructor.

This!

It's not often an RI anthropomorphesises. How does she know that the horse wants you to get off? She must think that he is in pain, if she seriously thinks that he wants you to get off.

 

[sportsmansB]

I think the old advice about not getting off is not getting off and leading it straight home...
Then the horse would have got what it wanted, ie to turn around and go home
If getting off is the safest option in the circumstances and you can go further in the direction of travel but break the stalemate, the horse is not winning.

We have had lots of nappy ones sent in, the worst are the ones which learned that it meant they got to turn for home.
Paddi above is right though, if you're going to have a fight, you have to win the fight, but thats the quickest way through, if safe to do so, and you have the confidence to do it.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I think the old advice about not getting off is not getting off and leading it straight home...

That makes much more sense.

 

[KittyH]

I'm long rein hacking my new nappy young horse because I can deal with it more quickly, effectively and safely from long reins. Yesterday he fell over whilst having a little nap so I was very glad not to be on board! When he is consistently behaving on long reins I shall hack him with my long reins coiled up and attached to the saddle ready to deal with any set backs. I love long reining and I'm not the bravest when they start standing up and spinning in the road, so that would be my go-to in your shoes.