Please... Any help with napping?!

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Ell95

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I've got a 15.3hh 6 year old ISH and recently I've began hacking him on his own (I've always hacked in company before as he had never been on roads until I got him so had another horse there to build his confidence) But the last few times, we'll be happily trotting along and then he will just stop dead and plant himself. (he only ever does it when we are heading away from the yard) and I have tried everything to get him to move forward, from PC kicks, to getting off and trying to lead him but nothing is working and he is now resorting to backing up all the way home and has even began rearing! it's so frustrating as I will literally be arguing with him in the middle of the road for up to an hour :( I don't want to give up and turn back because then he will be getting his own way but I don't know what to do! Helpp :(
 
Mine used to do this he was only 4/5 used to stop at certain places on the way out i was always told to try keep him moving in the end i found turning him around and making go backwards for a few stops and then turning him back around and asking him to go forwards again worked really well still do it now if he finds something really scary he only used to nap going down the bridlepath just before passing s very scary cottage not sure it would be safe to do this on the roads
 
there has been a few posts about napping recently, so i'm sure if you do a search, it will bring up some answers!
but i will say, if he behaved well when there were other horses out with you, it probably isn't anything to do with his tack/health so it's purely him being stubborn.
mine did this a few times & i tried scare tactics, taking a whip out with me as a threat etc but he still went back to napping!
so my advice is, if there is any other riders on your yard/that you could ask for help & maybe even someone who schools horses then I would tell you to ask one of them to ride/ walk out with you.
I got the lady who re-schooled mine & she just ended up being more stubborn than he was. it might take some time but it is a case of who can be more stubborn! best of luck with it- i know how frustrating it can be!! :)
 
I ride a 17.3 warmblood who has started being nappy, he goes out of the gate, then will plant, rear and spin. This usually goes on for about ten mins. I find that if I turn him in a tight circle with my inside hand down by my knee he can't go up, or back. Then I stop and ask him to go forward, if he goes up and around I repeat again. Then face him forwards, and ask again, with the help of the crop on his bottom and me growling at him he will usually get the message after I have persisted that we either go forwards, round and round, but most certainly not back. Going forward now seems the easy option for horsey :)

He also will try and do it on the road about halfway out, because I have already won the first battle, he is a lot more submissive, I let him stand a few seconds, then push him on, and he will usually go, I am always sitting deep in the saddle with my hands wide apart so that it's harder for him to evade going forward, I always carry a stick with him too, just to remind him.
 
I've always turned a napper around in a tight circle two or three times - the horse initially thinks that it is winning by turning back, but the circle throws it for a few seconds, and if you immediately put your legs on firmly but gently, and get the horse walking forward it forgets what it was doing for a moment. Sometimes you have to do it a couple of times, as the horse may stop again and try to nap again. However if you keep repeating this, the horse works out that it doesn't achieve anything by napping. Once the horse does walk forward, reward it with a "good boy" then don't make any more of a big deal with it, and keep it walking forward calmly and confidently.

Worst case scenario, if this doesn't work, and the horse is still thinking of rearing on hacks, go back a level and hack out with other horses again until you are feeling confident and the horse is relaxed again. I always try to avoid battles with a big youngster if possible - I'd rather them not know its an option.
 
As others have said spin several times so you keep his feet moving. Flex his head as far as you can and then make walking forward the easy option, I also find this tends to prevent rearing as you direct the motion rather than them going up and leaving you as a passenger. I find spurs can also help if you have a horse that knows what side the whip is on and evades away from you, before I get jumped on for this they are tiny.
If he is scared though I would try with a person walking or on a bike before you move to alone. Or start by hacking off road alone before moving on to the roads.
 
That is exactly what my 16.1 mare began doing. I tried the tight circles for a while but when that stopped working I got professional help. I didn't want to smack her as I knew it would make her rear higher and get us both more wound up.

We were taught to reverse. She points the way she wants to go but we back up the way I want to go. It is very important that as soon as she starts to back up I release my hands so that she doesn't pull against me and rear, all the fight is taken out of the situation. It has been working brilliantly. Some days we reverse about 10 yards before she gives up, turns round and goes forwards, other days it's 200 yards of reverse!! But more and more often we are getting straight off the yard without any problems at all.

It has also proved really useful when meeting spooky things like water sprayers when out hacking as it draws the focus on our relationship and she forgets about the scary thing we have just backed past.

I would stress that I had the Pro on foot the first few times to keep an eye out for traffic, but my POLITE tabbard has also made drivers very patient.

Like everything else, different techniques work for different horses. I was lucky enough to have a Pro nearby who helped us work through things calmly and consistently. It has really improved our bond (mine and the horse, not the Pro!!) as she trusts and respects me a lot more now too and vice versa.

Good luck.xx
 
Agree with Debbie linder.

In addition, be strict. never let him come home at a faster pace than you've gone out and try to do circular routes.

Walking backwards has done wonders with my horses who was a planter and a rearer. now i barely have to threaten to make him go backwards and you can almost hear him sigh as he gives in to me!
 
Several techniques work quite well,depending on how brave you can be, as napping can be quite scary. If he plants and reverses when asked to go forward,smack him.
1)If his response is to rear and spin,it is your objecive to keep him in the direction YOU want to go.If he spins left pop your right hand behind your right knee when you feel him turn (sit up though incase he goes up) and keep it there so he doesnt have a choice.When he has quite finished,walk on then a small pat down the neck once he is focused on moving correctly forward.
2)If he reverses make him stand and play the waiting game.Ive been on a napping horse for 3 hours before and he had to walk forward because he was bored.
3)Sounds daft,set him off in a brisk trot,with school manouvers thrown in.Keep him occupied. This works well esp with ponies that are nappy b**gars!
4)Dont forget to keep laughing ;) :)! Determination and perseverance is what stops this behaviour,wrap up in a body armour and whip,whatever will give you the confidence to deal with it. If you feel you cant, get somebody that will deal with it to have a go (at their own risk of course).If he thinks he can get away with it,and you give in, it becomes harder to deal with.
Very best of luck,im sure you will nip it in the bud :)x
 
I've had him for 14 months, and started hacking alone around 5 months ago, the napping has been getting progressively worse over the 5 months.
 
Yesterday the backing up technique worked wonders and he was walking forwards within seconds, and when the napping crops up again under saddle I will also use the tight circles method.
Thanks everyone for your help and kindness!
 
The tip about using a few schooling moves is a good one. It really helps to have the horse infront of your leg and moving forward too. Introduce a few leg yield strides or shoulder in - anything to get him listening to you and distract him from concentrating on going home!
My TB used to nap horrendously and occasionally we can still have an argument but its rare. He was incapable of hacking alone to start with. I used to rope my poor father in assisting us on his bike. He started off riding in front of us, then next to us and eventually behind when his confidence grew.
Just remember..you will still have difficult days but when you have a strategy to deal with it which seems to work for him (and it may be combination of everyones ideas) you will find each time it gets a little bit easier. :)
 
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