ok you clever lot!! answers on a postcard pls

C

clairefeekerry1

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ok posted last wk re my stubborn/nappy/generally not very plesant welsh sec d 6yr old. well decided to give it another go as got plenty of time on my hands at mo. so starting today and over the nex week i'm going to attempt to hack her out on her own. so que napping which involves planting and not moving (sometimes even plays dead horse) and unlikely to even get out of yard. imagine the most stubborn horse you know and times it by ten, WILL NOT MOVE back/forwards/sideways. if really pushed will buck and have a temper tantrum. so do i ..................
A) when she plants sit and wait it out (v lucky al off road hacking) could be hours tho and may start a tantrum
B) get off walk on, remount and continue on (this tends to work ok but could end up getting off every 10 steps!)
C) tack her up walk half way then hack home (the park owners are bit funny about people leading horses round tho)
D)give up and just stick to hacking out in company!!
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I bought a very very nappy warmblood gelding about a year and a half ago. I was told he would not hack out alone. He was so nappy that the owner (also owned a riding school) could not get him to move in the school when I went to try him out!

After getting him home and getting him happily and confidently hacking out with company I was insistent that he went out alone.

One thing that really worked with him was when he planted you very quickly turn him in a tight circle a few times (say 3) and then ask him to walk on. If he refuses do the same again. He will soon learn that it is so much easier to just go forwards. You have to be quick and consistent for it to work. Try and keep your cool as well which is easier said than done with a stubborn horse that plants for no apparent reason.

My horse was happily hacking out on his own within about 2 weeks of this.

Good luck
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I think I would try A, if not, proceed to B. Option C is not a very good idea imo as will only get her going towards home and option D is not really an option as you say you want to give it another go...
Option E could be maybe try longreining around some hacking routes? The park owners will still be a bit funny though:)
If you try option A - don't push forward, pull sideways, try to back up, nothing like that, just keep flapping your reins and legs and make her standing as uncomfortable and annoying as you can, without causing pain or fright
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Nappy horses are usually insecure about something. If your horse is fine to hack out with others but not on her own then this is probably the reason.

I had one like yours above only he was 17.2 and he would just shut completely. Nothing would get him to move! It took many months of patients to get him to eventually hack on his own and my main help was my husband on his bike. He would happily follow a person on a bike or foot and eventually became confident enough to do familiar hacks on his own.

There is no quick fix for a nappy horse , you just have to be very very patient and find the key!
 
I would also say taking someone on a bike is a good inbetween I have known it help several horses. I wouldn't get off, use the circle method as suggested above and take a good book!!
 
My Welsh D was the same when I got him...he would plant and buck and then throw a temper tantrum by bronking or striking out with his front feet and dropping shoulders.
I had to sit tight and keep calm and quietly insist that he walked on...any anger, raised voice or using a crop would set him off worse. I found the tight circle turning very useful and he soon got fed up of going round and round and would walk on and then get lots of praise.
 
thank you for replies...

my concern would be tht if i did manage to turn her (which may be a miricle in itself!!!) she'd think we were going home and go and i wouldn't be able to get her back looking the right way if you know what i mean!!

don't really have anyone to walk/cycle with me as they would need a annual pass to the park and special clearance
 
When you turn her it's not a big circle, more of a spin on the spot. What you do is, if you were going to spin her to the right, drop your right hand down to your knee, with a short rein, and apply pressure. You will knock her off balance as you turn her and she will have no other option than to spin. Put your right leg behind the girth to help move her quarters over too.
 
Agree with 1Kimmy (although I have the opposite prob - lots of jogging/piaffe etc when I want her her to walk - horses!)

Make staying in one place thoroughly hard work by turning tight circles, and going forward much easier work. (We do the tight circles 'til she stops messing and then walk forwards)
 
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IOption E could be maybe try longreining around some hacking routes? The park owners will still be a bit funny though:)

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completly agree longreing is a safe and effective way of encouraging the horse to walk on without being able to see the rider but only hear. It has worked on ever nappy horse i have ever met! it gives them the confidence they need (eventually!) if she is not to hot on long reining start in the school and have some one stand bu her head and slowly move backwards to shoulder ect untill she is confident you are there for her when the pony eating bird flys out of the pony eating hedge to get her
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Agree with ^^^. I use tight circles/spins to stop us bobbing off, but have also used when we've been 'planted'. It's been at the point where the rein was so short I could have just as easily held the bit
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. You have to be ready with the rein though for when you straighten up!

If you have the time and the patience, go out a little way then come back home. If you get a plant/issue, do the circle/spin until you get pointed in the right direction and then take a few steps, then turn for home. Build it up. We've done a few things by using this building up slowly approach
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Also agree with the tight circles.

I bought a 7yr old Welsh D gelding many years ago that was a terrible napper.

Turning his head almost to my knee and leaning slightly to put him off balance so he had no choice but to move, and then circling tightly worked.

I also walked him about 1/2 a mile backwards!

After that trip he never napped again!
 
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