Nappy

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Andrea Last

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Has anyone had success in dealing with a nappy horse? Her spook is to rear and spin when she is frightened by anything whilst out hacking. She is a star in the school, in shows and in the hunting field. The rear and spin I can cope with but when you put your leg on her to push her on, she runs backwards which is the concerning thing as we are surrounded by deep ditches in our neck of the woods and she will go back without any self preservation for her or me. I have tried with some success draw reins as they do stop her throwing her head up and coming off the bit which is what she does before the spin but they haven't stopped it. I have had some feedback re: blinkers, ear covers etc.. anyone else used these?
 
I personally wouldn't use draw reins on a rearer if they go up they could go over backwards. Do you hack with someone else or alone? Maybe build up her confidence with another horse and then try alone again. You need to be strong and confident with her. Reassure her that it is safe to go forward. Also make sure when she starts to back up that you are not holding on to her mouth as this could be causing it.
Is she napping because of fear or naughtyness?
 
yup - when i first had Archie he spend most of his time on his back legs and spinning around.

The long and the short of it is you have to be brave and just whack realy hard and hold onto something.

Archie carried on trying it on with me for about 2months, he only did it in the school tho as i wasnt hacking him out at this point. he now hasnt napped for over a month with me.

I have a really good trainer to help me through it tho. It really does take a lot of guts to just hit really hard, my horse is 17'2 and trust me when he first started doing it i was petrified, however hes now a saint.
 
My last hortse was a nappy rearing silly mare, also ran backwards etc etc, however the more you smacked her the more angry she got and would go into more of a tizz. Then eventually when she had decided to stop she would just plant her feet and NOTHING would get her moving, she would actually YAWN just to take the pee even more and prop her leg!

she was just very very naughty and not insecure or anything, out in company she was better but would still have silly tantrums here and there.

I would do more school work with her, getting her to listen to your aids, transitions, rein back etc, so hopefully when you are out she will listen to you more having everything fresh in her mind.
also go out with a quiet horse so her confidence improves.
 
a55?

I've had this problem, and you do have to be confident and keep asking them forwards. You could always get off and lead her past the problem? Then she learns that rearing doesn't get her going backwards or home, that she still must go forwards. Smacking doesn't generally help in my experience, because it tends to wind them up even more and they can go up and up, and it becomes a dangerous pattern. My horse was an angel in every respect except out hacking, and in company she just followed so that doesn't really solve the problem at all. Groundwork can help because it builds up more trust and confidence for both of you. Remember to keep rides circular, never let them just go home, they have won. Also you could try letting her walk sideways, rewarding her, then ignoring her every time she goes backwards. Let her know its ok to go sideways but not backwards. You will really surprise her!! she'll be like... but why?? lol. Then if she takes and I mean even a tiny step forwards reward her, really exaggerate reward oh your so beautiful, clever etc. Then they are like, oh I can do a few more of these!!! Keep repeating process and don't settle for anything less.
Seriously it works....
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She does it when alone or with another horse. Tends to be worse in the winter and not too much of an issue in the summer. I have cut her feed down so she is not getting too much fizzy grub. Def am not hanging onto her mouth so I don't think it is that. I think I do need to be a bit calmer and reassuring, will take that on board, thanks.
 
We never go home, I have got off before and led her past but I don't think its solving the problem and I have also read that they consider getting off as a reward... She is so quick and determined that she won't go forward even if it is sideways. Yesterday to get past the scary mound of dirt I had to go on a farmers field, not long ploughed and she was sinking terribly, rather than than turn round and go home.....
 
Horses are bloody clever animals, and a nappy one always seem to know what to do for maximum effect.

Do you have someone else that can sit on her for you - i.e a man. Not being sexist in any way, but sometimes you need someone physically stronger, and a bit quicker on horses like this.

We had one who went through exactly what you describe, and this is what we did and never looked back.

Sometimes it's us as much as the horse
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I've tried that too - just makes her freak out even more. Lost my temper a while back and although it made me feel better for a second it didn't help at all. I feel like I am running out of answers....
 
My horse became nappy one year (about 3 years after I got him!).

I would say that each horse is so different you have to judge what will work best for you - when you see your horses reaction.

Mine did the same as yours - rear and spin (always to the left) alone or with others (ignored leads etc.). I was told to whack him - but it made him worse - I think he just got crosser. What worked for me was just ignoring him and quietly turning him back the right way and gently asking him to go on - he gave up when there was no one to fight with.

I have seen a sharp smack work though on some horses who are just taking the pee and don't fight back. Think you need to see how she reacts to various tactics...
 
I think schooling prior to hacking out will help in that she is listening to me before we are going anywhere. Am going to do that now every time before I take her out on a hack - it can't do any harm! The trouble is that I am not at a livery yard, she is at home and there is no one to ride out with. I have stopped and asked if anyone wants to ride out at some livery yards up the road but there is hardly anyone who ever hacks out at the weekends. My friend came up with her horse to visit me and I was amazed when she continued her antics even with another horse to draw confidence off. She is only really nappy at home, when she is spooked when I take her to my friends yard it is not so much of an issue, she might spin but she will always go forward rather than running back.
 
Am afraid she has done it with others and not just me.... My instructor has ridden her but its in a school environment and she never does it with me then...
 
Gossip - I symapthise completely with you. I have one that does this and I live in the mountains in Spain and ride out with 100m sheer drops by the side of the track. The horse can decide that he isn't going any further (for no particular reason) and reverse and reverse and reverse until we could very very easily fall off the side of the mountain, it gets a bit frightening. He has reared and I find that smacking does not help, he gets more cross and goes further back. Spurs don't help cos every time you kick him he goes further back.
I even tried to turn him round to go home and reversed him up the track
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can you imagine if someone saw!! This only worked once cos he is so smart he knew what I was doing.
I got to the point where I would have to phone my mother to come up in the car with a lunge whip and beat him up the track.

TBH I have now got fed up with it cos nothing seems to work and have stopped riding him out up the track cos it has been getting very dangerous and there are not many times when I can honestly say I'm frightened.

I will be interested to hear peoples comments!
 
I used to have the same problem, although my horse still isn't the best at hacking out on his own, he's alot better. I used to get to a point where he wouldn't go any futher, i'm sure he would have reversed the whole way home if i'd let him. If i tried to make him walk forwards he would rear and spin. It has taken me over a year of constantly hacking out with others to build his confidence, then very slowly taking him out on longer hacks alone, i started by only going to the end of the drive and back, i can now take him out for about 45mins. He is getting there slowly and does still spook alot, but he now never rears.
 
I had the same problem too, my pony would nap, spin and run backwards and like you I'm in an area with lots of ditches so it was very frightening, I had lessons which definately helpped improve our confidence in each other, I had her teeth, tack, back, hormones checked and also changed her feed. I found the nack was just sitting quietly in the saddle but keeping her facing the direction I wanted to go in, sometimes it would take about half an hour but she would eventually give in. It didn't matter whether we were alone or in company, but having an understanding hacking partner definately helpped me a lot and I can now hack out alone and in company and she rarely naps.
 
I guess each horse will be different, but I felt that Jack would get so far away from home then panic! I basically had to try a start heading home before he got the chance, so to begin with he would panic just getting to the end of the drive, so everytime i rode i would cool him off by walking up and down the drive a couple of times, then gradually I would go a tiny bit futher. Sometimes I get it wrong tho, and go to far, he won't rear anymore just plant his feet and refuse to go any futher. Rather than let him decide we're going home tho i try and just get off him, lead him a tiny bit futher and then come home. It has definatly worked with him.
 
patience is the keyword here, i know jane has struggled with jack and has gradually over come this with her horse, i hav not with mine and flintis the same, it about a building of trust, that when u do take her away from the yard, she know she will be coming back and u will not put her in danger. take her out a lil futher evryday but bring her back before she performs. if u bring her back after she performs she will then know that when she performs she goes home. if that makes sense, but if u r worried about both of ur safety, hack out with some 1 or just dont hack... i dotn take my horse futher than the drive way as he can be dangerous on the roads on his won, hacking isnt that important to me
xx
 
Thanks Jackster,

Don't honestly think my horse is frightened or gets away and panics. He can be quite naughty and is a handful to school. I think he has just found a really good way of messing me around and knows there is nothing I can do!

A good example is last year, we have fiestas in the streets in Spain and everyone rides their horse into town. I did this, there was a street party going on with music, dancing, over 6000 people, etc etc. mad atmosphere - the average english horse owner would NEVER EVER dream of taking their horse there. I got a bit drunk and rode home and he was AS GOOD AS GOLD. The next day, he would not walk up the track!

I mean, how on earth do I cope with that? Patience wears thin after a while cos i know it is not fear.
 
Someone once said to me something that really made me smile actually. She said that when she met me with my horse, she said that my horse had "trained" me rather well. I had said we don't hack because she naps and rears, she can't do this and that etc etc. I thought it was an amzing way of looking at it. The trouble is it can get worse and it did with my mare, until it got to the stage where I was scared of riding her. But with a sympathetic teacher I am now pushing my comfort boundaries a little more each day and really building confidence again. Patience is the key and determination too. I admit this is a hard nut to crack though.
 
yes its so annoying when you know its not fear. With my mare its always "uhuh, no." with little nap. I ask again and she says "didn't you hear me? I said .. NO." this time with a little rear. You ask again and its big rear and "what part of NO don't you understand??" so frustrating!
 
flint threatens before carrying out the act, and then its a full vertical rear, maybe a rn backwards. the last time i did take him out on my own he bolted up a long stretch of road, dumping me a mile or so later. i hav nto been out agin on my own although he is fine with others
 
Audrey, I know what you mean!! I have a german trainer who says that the minimum he expects is the horse to behave! Now whilst this works with the other 2, My darling little Remy is different!! He is just plain naughty and it is a constant battle of wills as to how will out smart who!! I have before now got mum to drive to the place where he will be naughty and hide and as soon as he starts, she jumps out and smacks him up the butt
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not funny really but it has worked a couple of times!!
 
with flint its because he can! that his whole attiude to life! i love him for it. its the one thing that appealed and made him endearing to me and then on some days its the one thing that makes me want to sell. they will only do what they can get away with, and i find horses that are like that have more persoanilty or a lil more spark in their head rather than the do evrything horses!
 
I think they are far more intellegent than we give them credit for!
Said horse had to live outside whilst we were building another stable when I got my newest horse. After about the 4th night out, he got bored of it and dad had just finished the concrete floor, left it to dry for the night. Well next morning, we come out and horse is stood in his new stable looking very chuffed with himself!! How did he know?
 
I dont have anyone to ride out with. this was no problem until my sensible horse (bay in pics) was killed by lightening in the summer, as now i have a four year old mare (chestnut in pics). She was really good on her own when i got her but then a lorry spooked her one day - it was going dead slow but had these ramps stuck up in the air which she didnt like. Ever since she has started to spin at buses, lorries, tractors, trailers etc. Being on my own its awkward as i could do with a lead occassinally but i'm not stopping taking her. when she spins(always the same way) i turn her round, ride firmly and this usually works and we go past the problem. From reading these posts though i'm wondering if she is napping abit aswell as sometimes she does it at nothing, think shes trying it on! does anyone elses baby do this?
 
Claire - My young horse has done this as well and as I mentioned, I have no one to ride out with so my mum has had to come out with me on foot as my lead. I think its a fase they all go through!
 
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