OTTB started napping

[countrybumpkin727]

Hello All

So I got my OTTB over a month ago from a yard where they buy off the track do 2 months of re schooling and sell on.
Since I have got him he has been a super star and great to hack but since he had a week off while I was on holiday he has been a little nightmare.. he is napping out of the yard, naps randomly on the hack.. also when in the school in refuses to go near one corner. My routine currently is school during the week and then hack on the weekend.. which apparently though he is used to working every day may be too much (thoughts?)
What happened last night was pretty awful, a friend came up to help with the napping (she is already against me getting a TB as apparently they are too highly strung awful feet and are bad to put weight on..and though I am experienced she is very anti OTTB) and obviously when she came up he was a 10000 times worse. He never rears or buck and he just started to do mini versions of each. We finally got him out of the yard (she said if I didn't manage it I should sell him instantly so that made a fire under my arse) then he was fine.

So my question is for all those OTTB owners (or other horses if you have had the issue) have you had this napping issue a month in? how long did it take you to over come? I know all horses are different but it would be nice to hear some stories so I don't feel so rubbish (very deflated today as he is such a great horse and I really want to work it out... not one for giving up!) I really love him and I am a confident rider just worried!

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Will he lead in-hand nicely?

With my former napper I would just lead her out of the yard and then mount and go if I didn't have time to ride through any napping at the gate. If she napped on a hack and there was traffic about (so I didn't want her leaping about), I would hop off, lead her for a bit and then get on again. If she napped at a scary corner then either loose schooling or leading her round in both directions - slowly getting closer to the scary spot - for a few circuits helped.

The key with mine was to never let anything other than forwards be an option. Whether I was riding or not seemed to be irrelevant to her. I also never, ever, ever turn on the spot and go home the way we came. Circular or lollypop shaped routes only.

 

[Wimbles]

Remember that these horses will often go out in a string of others so it's quite understandable that they sometimes get a bit worried when they are asked to go out alone. You've only had him a short while and your holiday might have been enough time for him to get buddied up with others at the yard and now you've come back and he'd probably just prefer to stay with them!

Get someone to come out with you if possible to give you a lead when the going gets tough but make him go out in front and lead if you can. You could also give long lining a go to get him confident going forward with just you two. My 5 year old is currently going through the "Kevin the teenager stage" which involves napping. He was most put out that he was made to lead all the way round a hack the other night. We had some tantrums at first but had friends with us to give us a lead when he was being reluctant (and boy can this boy throw a strop) but I was consistent and rode him past the horses when they went off in front and by a quarter of the way round he sucked it up and went on ahead.

Just keep being firm but fair and he'll get there

 

[Hannahgb]

I would be checking back/ saddle etc. If he has now had 3 months of schooling since coming off the track, there is a good chance his muscles will have developed enough to change the saddle fit etc causing back pain espeically if the problem is getting worse

 

[countrybumpkin727]

thanks for the replies His saddle is fine as I got it fitted a month ago and his muscle hasn't changed that much since I have had it
I am going to stick with just having the arguments with him and winning them as I hope that is the quickest way forward. Just wonder how long these periods last for!

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

The horse was fine when you tried it, it was fine when you rode it for a few weeks, now it is not fine. You need lesson, probably you do not have enough experience at this moment in time, it is up to you, use this horse to learn to ride well or send it back to the charity which is probably the easiest way forward. Time will not improve it, good riding will.
Friends who don't like your horse are not going to be useful at this stage, get an experienced rider on board [ie a professional not random friends], or get a senior instructor out several times a week until you can ride it unsupervised.

 

[countrybumpkin727]

hi there,

Bonkers2...My friend is an experienced rider and I get lessons once a week with another rider. Apparently a lot of horses try it on after 5 weeks so i expected him to start testing me. I am a capable rider but not had a horse that naps this much so want to know if people have had experience with this as more of a support system as no one else in my yard has it...while I go through this with him.. I would not send him back and think that would be extremely defeatist

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

hhhm, not really sure what you want me to say, I have ridden mostly racehorses but the horses I have bought which have napped have been previously ridden by girls who could not ride well enough, and when I bought them from a dealer/owner [not knowing the background, they started napping very soon, minor transgressions rapidly turned to dangerous rearing. but they had already been through the learning to nap stage. Neither were OTTBs, I don't think that they are more prone to napping than any other spirited horses. I have never heard of some five week napping process.

 

[stormox]

I think some horses don't nap at first as they are not particularly bonded to their new yard, or horses in it. But after a month or so they have made friends, feel safe in their home etc and start to nap. But this is most definately not limited to TBs, the worst napper I ever Knew was an ID.
I would ride him out in company till he feels secure and will go with another horse alongside and then behind him.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

Well if that was the case I might have noticed it in a racing yard where horses are coming in all the time, to be honest they all tend to settle in nicely, they are quieter after a few weeks not the other way round.

 

[stormox]

Its only my opinion and something Ive seen with some horses, irrespective of breed. All horses are individuals, and behave in varying ways. I think in a yard where horses are coming and going all the time its a different situation to a small herd where maybe they get more bonded to each other.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

Then you are saying the reason they nap is because they are bonding to other horses or to the stable yard, it seems unlikely, racehorses are more likely to bond as they are exercised in groups. The population is fairly stable, most comings and goings are due to going racing, but other than that horses will stay for a season, and often many seasons.

 

[stormox]

But your only explanation, Bonkers2 is that its the riders fault and she should get a lesson or send it back! I havent come on here for an argument but I have known horses nap after they have been in their new home for a few weeks, at first they are a bit unsure of their surroundings, but once they have found their feet, and regard the new yard as 'home' they are more reluctant to leave. And a napping mentality isnt limited to TBs, I have read posts where traditional cobs are napping, and the worst one I knew was an ID who stood bolt upright when challenged.
OP,you could try just leading out for the first quarter mile, then hop on and see how he goes, or ride out with another horse for a while and gradually get him to lead, or hack out with another horse and separate and come home different ways. I would also try to do circular routes rather than go out and turn round to come home.

 

[Echo Bravo]

I think that like most horses and that includes the racehorse they like routine, and this horse had a routine till the owner went on holiday and his routine went out of the window, hence he's playing up. Don't go on Holiday unless you have somebody that will do him the he is use too being handled. And that is why I never go on holiday plus the fact I save a lot of money, but I never could understand the waste of money on a holiday when it could be better spent on the horse

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

But your only explanation, Bonkers2 is that its the riders fault and she should get a lesson or send it back! I havent come on here for an argument but I have known horses nap after they have been in their new home for a few weeks, at first they are a bit unsure of their surroundings, but once they have found their feet, and regard the new yard as 'home' they are more reluctant to leave. And a napping mentality isnt limited to TBs, I have read posts where traditional cobs are napping, and the worst one I knew was an ID who stood bolt upright when challenged.
OP,you could try just leading out for the first quarter mile, then hop on and see how he goes, or ride out with another horse for a while and gradually get him to lead, or hack out with another horse and separate and come home different ways. I would also try to do circular routes rather than go out and turn round to come home.

I did not say that exactly. I gave one explanation and two obvious solutions.
It is more likely that it is the rider and the management of the horse than some idea about a five week problem. I have covered this point already. I could have thrown in lots of points, caveats etc etc, others have done that.
However if a good strong rider gets on this horse it is likely it will come good, possibly more ground handling etc etc. The reason people send difficult horses away to get sorted is because the pro has more experience and better riders at their yard than the owner.
If you want to bring it down to the essence, the reason most horses which play up get worse is that the rider is not able to cope.. The horse realises this, so starts to misbehave, its nnot about "settling in" its about becoming unsettled due to it being allowed to misbehave, it gets upset due to lack of discipline. A horse can cope with routine changes, we take racehorses all over the world these days, they don't all get upset.

 

[planete]

I did not say that exactly. I gave one explanation and two obvious solutions.
It is more likely that it is the rider and the management of the horse than some idea about a five week problem. I have covered this point already. I could have thrown in lots of points, caveats etc etc, others have done that.
However if a good strong rider gets on this horse it is likely it will come good, possibly more ground handling etc etc. The reason people send difficult horses away to get sorted is because the pro has more experience and better riders at their yard than the owner.
If you want to bring it down to the essence, the reason most horses which play up get worse is that the rider is not able to cope.. The horse realises this, so starts to misbehave, its nnot about "settling in" its about becoming unsettled due to it being allowed to misbehave, it gets upset due to lack of discipline. A horse can cope with routine changes, we take racehorses all over the world these days, they don't all get upset.

Big like for the above. Listen to somebody with REAL experience, not your 'friend' who does not like ex-racehorses and seems hell-bent on putting you off yours.