Problems out hacking

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lalala

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What would you do if your horse got to a point down the road and just stops dead and wouldn't move?

Bare in mind that i cannot get off and get back on as i cannot get on from the floor?
 
Smack it on the arse with a stick.
tongue.gif
 
Doesnt move at all? Persuade it but just sit with it, it will move when it's hungry lol

Unless it's dangerous not to do so, don't dismount or the horse will win. If needs be pull one rein and turn perhaps but get them walking in the same direction again, don't let them have their own way and wanting to turn back home.
 
If it's the same point on the road I would do one of the following

1. Go out with another horse to encourage it to keep moving
2. Ride really positively from about 20m prior to stopping place, & dont give him a chance to stop
3. Turn around and reverse past the stopping place, then turn back around again

BONUS tip
4. Sit there & prove to your horse that you are more bloody minded than he is. It may take ages, but he will get bored & move. When he does loads of praise.
 
Does it happen randomly, or at a particular point along the road?!

Mine sometimes used to do this but it was always just after we'd left the yard and I could tell when she was just about to. I used to really push her on at a fast trot so she had no chance to stop!
 
Turn the horse around and ask him to walk backwards for a few steps in the direction you want to go. Then turn around and face the direction you want to go and ask him to move foward. Praise any foward movements with a "Good boy/girl" type voice and lots of big pats, do not reprimand any non forward movements other than to walk backwards. If he stops again repeat the process. You might find you do more backwards than forwards walking steps and you might find you only manage to do a few but each time your horse walks forward reward him. Your horse will soon get bored and find it easier to walk forwards in the direction you want to go if all you are going to do is make him walk backwards. This worked for me with my last horse who we spent 20 mins trying to get him to go through water and he kept running backwards away from it. So I turned him around and he ran backwards straight into the water, never had problems after that! It also worked on a young lusitano horse that kept stopping dead on the way out to his field. One day I had to walk him across the field on the approach to his field 3/4 of the way backwards, but it worked and he very rarely played up after that.
 
"Unless it's dangerous not to do so, don't dismount or the horse will win."

Dismounting's obviously not an option in this case - but I was just having this conversation with my fellow livery owners yesterday so was interested to see your statement. I've never felt / heard this before and have always been happy to jump off and do some groundwork exercises when I've hit problems out hacking, but some of the other owners felt that it meant the horse wins. Surely the horse only wins if he goes home / doesn't go past the object etc?

Anyway, back to the question - a friend of mine had a similar problem and (having tried a smack with a stick and sitting it out to no avail) found that she could rein-back past (turned her horse round and backed past, then turned forwards again afterwards). Only any good if your horse does a good rein-back of course!
 
Well what works with one won't work for all. Providing there is not genuinely something to fear at this point in the road I would try the turn around and go backwards step or turn it in tight circles a few times and then ask for forward movement, each time it refuses, turn more circles and it will soon get the message and tire of it. Try going past with another horse and rider?
 
[ QUOTE ]
"Unless it's dangerous not to do so, don't dismount or the horse will win."

Surely the horse only wins if he goes home / doesn't go past the object etc?

[/ QUOTE ]

....or have 10 stone of rider dismount from it's back to walk it on inhand...?

(assuming the average rider is around that weight)
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I've always been told not to dismount when riding a horse that naps, and that's always worked for me, but as long as you see an improvement or whatever method you use works then do that
smile.gif
 
It depends what the horse is napping at.
If they are genuinly scared by something then getting off and walking them is a VERY valid method, advocated by many people!
However if they are just being naughty then yes, I agree that you should stay on and work him past it.
 
I often rein back past something scary - quite effective and another good reason to teach them to back!
But it can also be useful to have someone on the ground to lead them if you can't get off. Could someone walk/cycle with you ?(need to put the bike well out of the way when negotiating the scary bit!)
I often walk with my OH if he can't find anyone else to hack with cos the roads round us are lethal, and a nap could easily find him in the path of a speeding car!
Get your assistant to lead you past a couple of times and then go back and do it on your own.
We did this at the weekend successfully - had to cross a grille over an open drain on a farm track and didn't want to rein back in case the noise of her hooves on the grille frightened her more. She jumped it a couple of times (which can happen, so make sure your leader is aware, and agile enough to get out of the way!) and then walked over it quite happily.
 
I'd give it a bash. And if that didn't work - I'd just sit there.

I've learn't (after having a very nappy horse) that I can sit things out longer than a nappy horse. It'll go eventually. Once you've won that battle, they very rarely do it again.
 
My horse use to do this when i first bought him. I made my mum walk out with me to encourage him and when he still did it i gave him a good hard smack on the bum and he soon started moving. Main thing is to be firm and don't back down by letting him go back or turn around. He will give in before you do
 
[ QUOTE ]
"Unless it's dangerous not to do so, don't dismount or the horse will win."

Dismounting's obviously not an option in this case - but I was just having this conversation with my fellow livery owners yesterday so was interested to see your statement. I've never felt / heard this before and have always been happy to jump off and do some groundwork exercises when I've hit problems out hacking, but some of the other owners felt that it meant the horse wins. Surely the horse only wins if he goes home / doesn't go past the object etc?

Anyway, back to the question - a friend of mine had a similar problem and (having tried a smack with a stick and sitting it out to no avail) found that she could rein-back past (turned her horse round and backed past, then turned forwards again afterwards). Only any good if your horse does a good rein-back of course!

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't ride no more but I've always been told that the horse only wins if you don't get it to do what you want in these situations.
 
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