Nappy youngsters - how long did it take yours to give up?

[Cornish]

Firstly, sorry for the long post! I have had my now five year old HW for almost a year. I bought him from a dealer, unbroken and quite nervous last September. He was broken in the early winter and I had him home again before Christmas. To begin with he was really really good, not even that bothered by the normal 'youngster' stuff. I hacked him out quietly a couple of times a week with my older horse until Easter, and started having weekly, low key lessons with him as well as hacking him out on his own. I gave him a break at the beginning of May, and when I got back on him in mid-May, he was absolutely awful! The second time I rode him ended up in vertical rearing totally out of the blue and serious napping (the person who broke him did say that he had napped a bit in the school). I got my instructor to check him and a qualified chiropractor visited within a week (obviously with no further riding in this time). He had some unlevelness in his pelvis which was treated over the course of a month or so, and gentle exercise in hand was built up. He seemed to anticipate discomfort even on long lines and would frequently rear and spin with no warning (although a cob, he is quite oversensitve - had been described to me as having a TB brain!). Anyway, I eventually got back on him when he had been given the all clear (also been checked by dentist and vet, and a new saddle) and we carried on. My problem now is that he seems to have learnt how to nap and rear when he wants to get his own way. I have tried all the usual recommendations of things to do in this situation, but will not hit him over the head as it really just makes things worse. The situation HAS improved, but I am currently finding that about 10 mins into a hack he sometimes tries to whip around on me, and the whipping around involves a rear. There is no rhyme or reason to it as it is sometimes away from his companions, but just seems to be when he's found an excuse ie something to spook at. Often, after he's had this little 'fit' he carries on fine. Lunging before riding does seem to help a little. He currently wears a standing martingale and I wear a body protector on him, I just want to hear of any one whose youngster has acted similarly and how long did it take before he/she figured it out that it was easier to behave and do as they were asked? I think he is really just trying it on, he's not a nasty horse and I just want to get back to where we were so that we can get on with things! At the moment I just try to hold him where he is and quietly try to turn him around and encourage him forwards - if I start a fight, it just makes things worse and he is a big strong boy! Please tell me that there is light at the end of the tunnel!

 

[OrangeEmpire]

That sounds very complicated and frustrating. I'm glad you've sorted his back.

I presume this is when you are hacking alone? What is he like in company? Sounds like a confidence issue presuming you are sure he's not in any pain. In which case I agree that you should not be agressive - in my experience agression from you encourages an agressive responce.

Do you get any warning when he is going to rear - is he stressy? I'd say you are actually handling him very well - he wants you to feel helpless and lose your temper, because then he can throw all his toys and have his way. By remaining calm and turning him back you are calmly and consistently doing the right thing.

The next thing to do is to prevent it from happening in the first place rather than reacting to his behaviour....easy yeah?!?! It might help to work him really hard on his hacks so that he is concentrating on you and not on being a nit. I find working on my youngster's suppleness and introducing leg yielding and so on very useful for keeping her attention. Also I'd be tempted to do lots of transitions - trot/walk/trot to keep him forwards from the leg and listening. I think walk is often the most difficult pace as they have time to plot against you and it is often much harder to kick them up into the bridle if they're being difficult.

I hope some of this helps!

 

[BBH]

I have had and still do have similar problems in that mine is a WB/ ISH cross and has always been nappy and rears to get his own way. It seems to be a combination of attitude in a school and un-confidence on a hack. He will hack alone but can be very
' sticky' and if hacked with a friend and he starts napping I have found it helps if the friend carries on rather than waits for us. This seems to motivate my horse to keep up. I can't ride him alone in the school as he just won't move forward and if I get assertive he just rears. You have to know your horse so well you can almost feel when he is about to rear and pull his head to the side to stop him being able to go up.I have found the only way I can do any schooling is too have someone in the middle instructing which seems to either calm him or he knows he has to behave. He is a very complicated character and I now know this will never totally change. I do empathise because these sort of horses are just so tiresome. I bought him as a baby and he is now eight.

 

[Daisychain]

You need a real good nags man on your horse... Your horse has got you at the moment and he needs sorting fast... I had a horse who behaved just like yours, and she did have a sort out by an ex national hunt jockey, she very rarely misbehaved again, you could try long reining him, this works quite well sometimes and the minute he starts to rear, really get after him, if he wants to come over then thats his problem and you wont be underneath him. If he keeps persisting get rid, there are plenty of nice horses out there.

 

[BBH]

He has been to accredited trainers who have never met an animal like him, when he is in the mood to work he can be fabulous but you never know what you're getting till you mount. He has never gone over backwards when rearing it is all very calculating and balanced, up then down. Fortunately for him I love him anyway warts an all.