Odd napping on hack-suggestions. LONG sorry!

kgj66

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I got my mare in a couple months ago. She's a TB 4yr old(never raced) and was an angel for the 1st two weeks-hacked in company/on own, a challenge in the school but only in regard to schooling(arguments about what speed is acceptable!)
Anyway a few weeks after I got her I took for a short hack alone and asked her to walk through a puddle(which she had done before no problem). She tried to go around it at which point i put more pressure on her to go the way I wanted. She declined and tried to spin round/go the other way. It got to the point where she was rearing on a hill on a slippy area on the road. I am not a nervous rider by any means but did make the decision to turn around and go the other way. I do realise that this is were it all went wrong but i didn't know how much worse she would get and it was getting to a point where she was facing uphill, rearing vertically and then slipping(didn't fancy my new horse racing up the road with me lying on the ground!) I realise now it would have been better to get off and even lead her the way she didn't want to go but at the time I cudnt even get her to stand long enough to jump off!
Anyway, i got back to yard and asked someone to hack with me and she was angel-went thru puddle same spot etc. etc
Few days later went for hack with friend- half way round we stopped at junction to check it was clear(these are all relatively quiet county roads btw) and same thing again. Rearing, spinning away from other horse?!
So at this point I was very confused as to why she was doing it, same thing again when we passed back lane, I wanted to go to front entrance and I ended up dismounting, leading her down road and got back on at front lane as didn't want to let her go in direction she wanted.
Over the next week I decided to hack around yard(where its gravel and grass, not slippy concrete) and she tried it on a few times but got her through it
Now she only messes about when I ask her to halt-and only on the road-never in a school. She just does little bunny hop rears, and if I don't let her go/ask her to stand these turn into leaps forward/sideward/any which way.

Any suggestions to get over this? I don't hack on my own anymore just in case. I have done a lot of schooling to get her to listen to voice which she is perfect at on yard/in school. Is this just impatience that she will grow out of. she just seems to get to a point where she switches off and forgets anything I've taught her.
Just have never experienced a horse napping away from friends, and just because she doesn't want to stand!
Someone did suggest bringing treats and asking her to stand and when she does give her one-not sure about this as what happens the day I don't have a treat-opinions?

Sorry for the length-i tend to woffle on a lot, well played if you get through it all!
 

LaurenM

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I imagine the first time she went through the puddle was when she was in company.

I wouldn't bother with the treats. It's difficult to say without seeing you both. When mine napped I could see he was thinking about before he actually did it so I was able to react quickly. Does your mare show signs?

I would continue hacking her on her own (every other time you hack) with someone on the ground. Perhaps ask an instructor to join you.
 

diggerbez

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obviously it is hard to really tell what the solution is without seeing first hand what is happening- but thought you might be reassured to find that my horse does things like this.... he isn't particularly a nappy horse (i've had a proper napper so i know the difference) but i would say that on pretty much every hack i go on we will probably have a small incident of spotting something/ spinning and sometimes reversing at speed.... he's just odd. water will often trigger it (despite being an eventer he's not a fan of water) or anything unusual (so if a tree has fallen down for example that isn't normally there)....i just spin him back round and boot him forwards.... but that can be easier said than done i realise.... i've just come to the conclusion that he's just a little insecure (he is quite a spooky horse generally) and its just something that he does....
 
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