Nappy Young Horse with NO Brakes

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Always-Riding

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I need you're advice!!

How would you deal with a rising 5 year old who refuses to leave the yard? Will plant herself and if asked to move forwards, she'll reverse. No matter how long we wait until she gets "bored" or spin or give her a smack she won't budge or she'll reverse. I tried today to turn her around and make her reverse the way I wanted but this resulted in her taking off forwards into the stable yard..

I end up getting off and leading her down the drive (about 1/2 mile) and getting on there. Normally she's fine and will carry on as normal albeit the trying to spin occasionally but doesn't.

Now here's the next issue, hacking home she is foot perfect (as you'd expect) in walk but as soon as you trot I seem to lose all brakes. What should I be doing? I know I have a tendancy to get out of the saddle and lean forwards which doesn't help.
 
Back to basics. Working on the lunge making sure she is really listening.
Then long rein to help sort out control issues and get her moving forward.
The obvious such as tack fitting, back and teeth.
Then consider is she just being akward? Is she scared/had a bad experience?
Hack her with an older and experienced horse, then tey walkin her away from the other horse until she is confident x
 
my mare went through a phase of this not leaving yard about 2 months after backing. had someone crack a lunge whip behind her to nip it in the bud as it was pure naughtyness and no other issues. DO NOT GET OFF.
 
Problem is she's kept at home with no school and no one to hack out with. Also 9/10 times I'm home alone as well.

Long-reining she is foot perfect, cannot fault her. Just in the last few days she's become awfully nappy leaving the yard.

I do try to be really forceful, and use voice and legs and the odd occasion give her a tap with the whip but results in her reversing.

I will see if I can get a friend over to crack a whip behind her.
 
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When I was younger me and a friend used to ride out a very naughty horse who would plant herself. If we got flustered with her she would rear One time she planted herself in the middle of the road. When we spoke to a local farmer her suggested that evertime she stopped one of us lunge her where she had stopped. We tried it and while lunging made sure we moved past the spot where she stopped. Worked a treat but I would never have thought of it myself! :)
 
I worked with a very nappy 5yo mare last summer - she'd rear and rear, plant, baulk and generally make a monstrous fuss about going out but as soon as she was on her way, she was fine. I eventually discovered that a dealer whip (driving whip) was great, as I could swish the lash around her hocks and send her forward and she didn't know it was me!
She was a really hard nut, but I never once let her get away with anything, and after a month or so (of hell, it must be said!) she came through it and hasn't really put a foot wrong since.
Dealer whip and persistence would be my advice! Good luck :)
 
sorry but i would be giving her a smack not a tap, before it got worse. mare is trying it on if she is happy to long rein. use a lunge whip if you are on your own. I am afraid mine got a smack and also dont let her stand still, make her work, lots of circles anything to move her so that planting is not an option. If she gets bored then stay there all day if you have to, kick, circle her, smack her, if she rears or bucks well so what carry on until you get what you want. if she takes a few steps lots of praise then carry on. if she only just goes out of the gate then that can be it one day and move forwards the next. sorry some might object but having been there with a 16.3 wb with attititude who reared vertical, bucked, the works when she didnt want to do something and had a paddy I stuck with it and she is now really nice to hack, goes out anywhere, yeah she looks but she knows even at 5 that a fight with me is worse than getting eaten by whatever killer bug is in the hedge. she is not scared of me either and will work her heart out for me. she is big and strong and i am 5ft 8 and weigh about 8 1/2 stone so cant afford to have a horse messing about on the road or in traffic.
 
amymay said:
At that age i'd assume her hacking education was lacking and id be going back to basics with an equine friend.
Click to expand...

Unfortuantely that isn't an option, except once a week when a friend boxes her horse over.

She spent 4/6 weeks purely hacking alone and in company when being backed (I did all the ground work prior to going to the professionals).

It has only been the last couple of days she has acted up by leaving the yard.

She's had her teeth &back done November and saddle was fitted in January.
 
Give her the benefit of the doubt initially, more than likely she lacks confidence...you can deal with it a few ways...if you smack her and insist she goes forward it will work eventually (on most horses) but isn't what I would do personally, or you could get off her and lead her until the issue stops alternatively you could teach her to go forward by moving her feet, left then right then left then right...not stopping the gentle pressure til she moves forward....kind of like nagging but not getting flustered.....works better if you can learn it in a school environment where they can only go backwards a short distance!

My mare would plant and no matter how assertive or handy with a whip she would not budge.....everyone and their dog gave me advice...I started to jump off really quick, act like no big deal, walk her on and then get back on....over a short time it stopped!

good luck
 
She is in the teenage years, lots of challenges to come, try to view each one as positive. If it was me I would get another horse in front for a couple of rides to 'break the habit' but if that isn't possible then don't flap, jump off, walk her, get back on and don't make an issue of it...it'll soon pass!
 
Can you get someone to accompany you on foot for a lead? My horse would even lead if the dog went in front!! Or my o/h. Just to get her off the yard at first.
 
I agree with amymay, but if you haven't got another friend to hack with, then get a friend to lead her field companion alongside or even walk or cycle.
 
Always-Riding said:
I do try to be really forceful, and use voice and legs and the odd occasion give her a tap with the whip but results in her reversing.
Click to expand...

Yes, you do need to be really forceful, but an occasional tap will not do it.

Carry a jumping whip upended and wallop her if she does this. Repeat as necessary until she moved forwards as asked, then calmly continue as if nothing has happened. Napping is a very serious disobedience - she needs to understand that it has consequences.
 
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