New horse won't ride alone (school or hack)

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Veemac

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Hi,

I brought my new horse home and she does not seem to want to ride alone. She has been home 1 month and I have taken her into the school several times. When alone she does not want to be mounted but will do, when I am on board, she is agitated and will not follow aids. She basically goes in every direction but the one requested. Crops are ignored as are all aids. When a horse calls from the field she gets her head down, arches her back and reverses.

I have taken her on several hacks in company and she is fine. Mounting in the school at the block when other horses are in the school is fine. She obeys the aids on the hack. On return from the hack, my stable is on a different part of the yard so I leave the other horses with 50 yards to go. As soon as we leave them she reverts back to ignoring my aids etc. She is not spooky in any way.

She is good in every other way, very well mannered, kind and gentle. She always greets me in the field and allows me to bring her in. She obeys all requests on the ground and enjoys human company.

I am at a loss! Do you think she is just settling in, or is it something more of an issue?

PS This is my first horse and I am a relatively novice rider. My mare is 8 years old, responsive and appears well schooled.

Thanks
V
 
How is she if you take her in the school to either lunge or do some ground work? if that is you have tried, if not it might help to build her confidence being on her own without the pressure of ridden work, perhaps have an instructer out to help you do some exercises and if she's taking the mick a bit, nip that in the bud too, sometimes it takes a horse a while to settle into a new yard but also more so with a new owner, if she is your first horse it could be that she is testing what she can get away with as well as lacking in confidence, so having someone experienced there to help you both will hopefully get you both back on track.
 
This sounds like a classic case of the horse realising that the new rider is novice. No disrespect to you - it happened to me as a teen, and happens to many others.

What you need to do now is build your horse's confidence up in you as a leader. Keep hacking out with others for the time being - don't put yourself iin situations where you are likely to have the problems. On each ride try and have five minutes or so where you make your horse go first.

Try and find yourself a good local instructor - ask people on your yard for suggestions. Then get yourself some help and lessons from them.

It would be useful to have someone more experienced to ride your horse now and again to iron out the problems.

Good luck - you will get there with time and patience!
 
Classic napping! She feels confident with a human on the ground, or with another horse to keep her safe but is insecure and frightened when 'on her own' with just a human on board.

It's all about trust and confidence, that you'll keep her safe both on the ground and when on top of her.

I'd be spending the next month at least building her confidence with you on the ground. Spend time doing ground work and take her hacking inhand. When she's confident out and about then mount up for a little bit, ride for a couple of mins then get off again, whilst she's still confident. Build up until she's doing everything ridden.

Separation anxiety and nappyness is unfortunatly a personality trait but can be managed and over come.
 
I had this problem with my new horse, I spent a lot of time getting to know the horse and vise a verser but the best thing I found to make it go forward was a whip *** (lead rope with the end cut off) if I used a whip on the horse it just bucked, would not go forward. You just move the whip *** from side to side, be warned they do shoot forward, you must not jar them in the mouth as this sends mixed messages. I then went hacking on my own not to far first of all and built up his confidence slowly. Good luck it's a pain when they do this. I would also start with going out with someone else but make the horse go in front.
 
lloyd4 said:
I had this problem with my new horse, I spent a lot of time getting to know the horse and vise a verser but the best thing I found to make it go forward was a whip *** (lead rope with the end cut off) if I used a whip on the horse it just bucked, would not go forward. You just move the whip *** from side to side, be warned they do shoot forward, you must not jar them in the mouth as this sends mixed messages. I then went hacking on my own not to far first of all and built up his confidence slowly. Good luck it's a pain when they do this. I would also start with going out with someone else but make the horse go in front.
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I may be missing something but I can't see how this will help a horse that isn't confident? Following your advice, your pressuring the horse into a movement instead of working with? I always found when my hnorse done this that the last thing to do would be to use any form of whip/crop, because when forced into a situation he didn't like he turned nasty through fear.
 
My new horse naps too. After having an instructor out, we figured she needs to be ridden with the least contact possible. When she starts to reverse, if I pretty much drop the reins and urge her on, we don't go backwards!! :)

Half the problem was me, she'd get tense, I'd gather contact then she would think 'Oooh blimmin heck Mum's worried' and start going back, then I would half halt her and she would panic and reverse further, we ended up in a ditch last week!

I am a nervous rider, and I would describe myself as a competent novice because I have been out of the saddle for so long. Now I sound like a twit because she starts panicking and I start singing You Are My Sunshine.... LOL dog walkers get much confused!

I would get a decent RI out x
 
Hi,

Thanks to all for your advice. I spend time with her twice a day. I always spend a little bit of time before putting her out in the morning and spend an hour or so with her in the evening just getting to know her.

I am going to start on some lunging in the school after the weekend to help build some confidence and trust in each other. I feel she is a bit insecure in me when riding although she is settling in very well in her new home.

As far as I am aware, she is not guilty of napping and it is apparent she is well schooled.

I will keep hacking her out in company and make sure she spends some time in front.

I did wonder if she was testing me and I think there is probably a certain amount of that in there somewhere. She is also probably aware I am a novice rider. I will try to get her trusting and listening to me before I resume my lessons as I find it more stressful to have someone watching and waiting for things to go right than spending quiet time and taking baby steps. Luckily I have some friends with experience at the yard so I will get someone to come and support us in our journey together.

Thanks to all for your replies.
Veemac
 
Well lunging was the 1st thing that came to my mind + A LOT of talking to her, good girl etc get her transitions going from your voice only then when you do run into problems she will recognise your voice aid

Over the years I have had struggled at times with my mare but as soon as I feel uncomfortable with her in the school (this takes quite alot these days) I hop off and make her work on the lunge then when I am happy and she is settled I get back on again. She needs to learn that that behaviour does not lead to a beating or a battle she has to just carry on working !! get the school bit sorted first then work on the hacking - the school is a safer environment for working through these issues.
 
my fella is herd bound too... sounds like she doesn't entirely trust you yet! plus she probably knows you're nervous. My fella has tried to play up a few times with me but I just have to get him working ASAP to keep his attention on me. If we go out and he starts whinnying and foot stamping I make him do figure of 8s or send him in to a nice quick trot just to get him focused on what i want him to do.
 
There was another post about this earlier. So I have have copied the advice I wrote earlier as I have stories as long as my arm about my KWPN and his napping and rearing!!! The long and the short of sorting it has been:
1. Our relationship and his trust in me (something you won't have much of yet so early on). We had a session with a natural horsemanship person a few weeks back who gave me some exercises to keep him a. looking to me when unsure, b. respecting me and my personal space, c. stop the behaviour as soon as it starts.
Eric Bravo on YouTube shows a lot of what I was taught by Emma Tarrant in Exeter.
2. Ring craft - working out he always goes through his left shoulder so I work him in the suspected problem areas before crossing the start line.
3. ALWAYS win the battle else he will be worse the next time.
4. Calmers. I used Steady-Up (magnesium based) first of all and now changed to Cool, Calm and Collected (L-Tryphothan based). It might be placebo but I think it helps.
5. WBs seem to do this to new riders - so many friends have had this problem so don't give in or get too downheartened.
6. Don't over stable them. He is too clever and becomes naughty and yard bound/buddy bound with too much time in.
7. They do relapse. I have had problems both years coming out of winter... as per point 6!!

Put it this way I once, 12 months ago, would have given my idiot horse away for any dobbin that would do as it was told and jump a few jumps. Now my idiot horse is the best I've ever had and I couldn't be without him!!!
 
It would be a good idea for you to have a few lessons with your mare so that you can get some help. She's probebly lacking in confidence since her move and unless you give her the feeling that you are now her second horse she will continue to try to be with her friends.
 
All my nags don't particularly like leaving the others in the field, they all get a bit antsy and stressed as we usually go out in pairs with a friend. However, even my one mare who is the biggest pest to leave the others never naps. I put this down to me being confident tbh, I think if I wasn't she'd just reverese herself all the way back home to her lover boy! The only time she reverses is when I ask her to halt, but usually this only lasts for the first five mins on a hack, then she is fine.

If you say your horse is well schooled and not nappy in previous home, I'd say it is her trying it on with you! Horses know exactly what they can and can't get away with, and if you aren't that confident in telling her 'no we are doing this whether you like it or not' she naturally will disrespect whatever you are telling her to do. Obviously all horse are different, some need to be told, some need to be coaxed into doing things depending on their temprement, if she is a bit waspish, don't just go shouting at her, equally if she is a bit of a lazy beast, give her a kick up the bum!

Have you had someone more confident ride her and see if she is the same? If not try that, then you will know if the problem is you or her for sure!

Get yourself a good instructor to come and teach you, what is applied in the school in a lesson can still be applied out on a hack!

Sounds like you can work through it with a bit of help! :) Good luck!
 
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