Over exuberant hacking.....any suggestions please?

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Jericho

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My mare is very good in most ways but tends to just want to go faster and faster out hacking - her walk is a very bouncy near jog, if we trot she seems to settle although does want to go faster by going behind the bit, if we canter same thing, transitions are fairly explosive too. She is not strong just seems to have too much energy, wont stand etc etc. I do lots of halts and even turn round the forehands and turning back on ourselves if she jogs. My question is what other things can I do to slow her down and stop the whole hack being a fight?? any ideas?? I try and walk on a loose rein as a contact makes her worse but sometimes feel that we are just a spook away from walking to full gallop! I am really only a happy hacker so just need my horse to chillllllll..................
 
My tb x is the same, although getting better. I have been doing some ground work with him in a pressure halter. ( by this I mean just lunging and taking him for walks and just being with him) Doing lots of halting, making him stand while I talk to someone. It has helped quite a lot.
Also, I find when out hacking, if I let him have a good fast trot for a few minutes, he settles better. I have also lunged him in walk and trot for 10 mins before I ride.
 
Mmmmm not much help here .... my old boy is now 27 and I have owned him for 17 years and the first 6 or so years we jogged everywhere, it may have been longer
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. I know exactly how you feel, but sadly for me, I sometimes wish we could have the young exhauberant boy back as it was just his willingness to please, but he did not realise that sometimes I might want to stop and have a chat to someone .......
 
I've had exactly the same problem. I find that long, slow rides work wonders. Once they can behave at a walk I gradually started adding trot but bring them back to a walk the second they get hot. As the rides get harder, I shorten them. With the warmbloods it seems to be an issue of how long it's been since they were out so we warm up with a 10-20 minute walk out before working in the arena. With the Thoroughbreds generally it's a management issue; more turn out, more exercise, less concentrates. Seems to work for us... hope this helps.
 
She's 12, out 24/7. Ridden once/twice a week. Fed a handful of grass nuts to mix some Flyfree supplement in, plus a handful of speedibeet to make it more palatable. She's 3/4 TB which might explain 90% of it!
I might try leading her out to see if that makes a difference. We only ever hack on our own (the horses kept at home) and she does get a little upset being separated.
 
It sounds like it's more to do with being anxious as being out on her own. If you can ride out in company that might help or get her out and about more so that she becomes more relaxed in time.
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What other work does she do other than you riding her once or twice a week? If this is the only work she does it could be that she has too much energy and needs to be worked a bit more perhaps
 

Try lunging first, then do a 15 minute schooling session including a canter, then go out. That's what I do sometimes when I feel my mare in one of 'those' moods.
 
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