Nappy horses

[Rough and tumble]

I have a lovely Connie who really tries to please but can be quiet cheeky throw himself inside out mainly if something sets him off ie horses running around near him out hacking / he does lack confidence hacking especially in new surroundings /

He has done farm rides ect

He’s 7 now but currently recovering from a field injury so hacking : farm rides only
He can have days were he’s little angel and some days were is so cheeky nappy / will settle once he knows he hasn’t won’t

Anybody’s else’s been like this

 

[sbloom]

Napping (and plenty other behaviours) tend to indicate the horse doesn't feel safe. They may not show it all the time, it may only show with things they find a little harder, but it's not an evasion as such, it's communication, and he needs some more help. Do you do any groundwork etc for connection? Do you break everything down into teeny bite sized chunks when doing new things? So often these need to be smaller than we imagine.

Connies, like most natives, are bright, and it can mean they worry more. I would mix up your hacking with groundwork - we do often jump on after a layoff and simply work on building fitness and general "strength" but so often what they need before we get on, and as we continue, help from the ground so that their bodies are better prepared to come back into ridden work. He might just be struggling a bit.