RANT, advice also needed please - re hacking.

jesterfaerie

jesterfaerie

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ADVICE - My new horse seems to have some issues whilst hacking out. For no apparent reason he will refuse to go up a road and the will then decide he wants to go down the road instead and will whip around and charge off in the direction he chooses to go. If I stop him from whipping around he will then run backwards put his head to his chest and then whip around. I have no idea how to stop him doing this or why he is even doing this.
He isn't spooky or afraid of anything and he is perfect to walk out inhand.

I personally find this behaviour very dangerous as he will keep backing up until he hits something which then panics him, he is also like this when he loads. If I try to back my leg up with the whip he just goes back faster. When he does stop and want to go forwards I have no contact on the reins, I have tried standing him still and waiting for him to go forwards in his own time but then he gets annoyed at standing still and tries to whip around.

I really have no idea why he is doing this as when he actually does go forwards he is happy. I have also noticed when he doesn't want to go up a road (even if we have been up it before) he will chop on the bit like mad, so I personally put it down to having no confidence and being very nervous - but I could be wrong. He does this both heading towards and away from home, but if I jump off and lead him he will walk forwards fine - usualy without hesitation.
Any advice would be great, thanks a lot.


RANT - This caused a large problem today as I was hacking him out (heading towards home) and he decided to stop and try whip around in the middle of the road, it is a quiet road but on this occassion I had cars coming from both directions.

The car behind me was great and stopped a long distance away from me however the car coming towards me kept coming, despite us taking up the whole (very narrow) road spinning around and me holding my hand up asking them to stop. The ******* driver carried on whilst I was screaming for him to stop, the horse was cms away from sitting on his car...........really couldn't believe that the car just kept on coming depite me holding my hand up permenantly then shouting at the top of my voice to stop (and I am very loud).

Why on earth do some people insist on endangering themselves and others, I always pull over if possible to let cars pass and if the slow down or stop always thank them.

I know that because he has problems he shouldn't really be on the roads but the roads are very quiet and if he is being a pain and won't behave I usualy just jump off and pull him in and let cars pass if there isn't room but tonight just wasn't safe to jump off especially because of the car. ARGH!!!
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First of all how long have you had him? What sort of horse is he - i.e. TB or WB or cob etc. Where do you keep him? His behaviour sounds to me as if he is very unsettled/insecure.
 
Jaylen - I have had him a week so I have put it down to being nervous due to new surroundings but he is perfectly happy being led in a new place. He is a TB

Kao - I am only long reining him in the field as the moment because he hasn't done it before and has tried to whip around then because we weren't going the way he wanted.
 
How old is he? Can you hack out with another horse for a while? Shame to have a confrontation so early on.
 
How about just a short walk down the road with a really sensible steady horse on the out side of you ( if it's safe/wide enough) just to give him some confidence , he sounds insecure and unsettled , you haven't had him long so mayby stay in the school for now so you can get to know each other first then try the above
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, good luck Im sure he will settle x
 
I am unable to hack out in company.
He is kept at home and I don't have anyone to hack out with me. He has always been hacked out alone (in his past home).
 
Have you got an arena or field you can school in before you go out? If you get him relaxed, listening to you and in front of your leg he might be less inclined to worry and create little dramas (probably not, but its worth a try!
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He is very responsive to me until we get to a place he doesn't want to go.
He does do the backing up thing when he doesn't like things (he did it because he didn't want to go into his stable and we worked around that by encouraging him nicley to go forwards - same with loading).
 
Does he always try to spook in the same direction? Playing up going towards home is so unusual- I wonder if he's just trying to get back to his old home. I knew a horse that did this at every opportunity; she was on 2 weeks holiday, and unerringly tried to make her way back towards her old home -200 miles away.....I don't know how she even knew the direction.

IMO you need to be a supremely confidant & capable rider &/or as a previous poster has said, to have company out hacking, if you are going to take him out at present. I think he's just nervous & unsettled & thinks you've kidnapped him.

Maybe you are more confident or authoritative on the ground than in the saddle, or he's frightened you (or the driver has- no wonder!) and now he senses your tension & it winds him up too when you ride him on the roads.

Does he misbehave when you ride him at home?
 
I would get someone to walk out with you hacking - even if you have to pay an instructor to do so. They can walk behind until you get to a point where he starts to nap, but then can help lead you past if you get stuck. I suspect if you do this a few times he will start gaining confidence in his new location, and will then be happy to hack out alone.
 
I got my horse out of this habit almost by making him reverse. He was quite predictable as in you could feel when he was going to have a hissy fit so I used to whip him round quick and make him rein back until you felt him relax (have been known to go for over 1/2 mile before!!) and then ask him to walk on . I'm lucky cause we have really quiet roads where I am but might be worth a go they soon decide that walking forwards is an easier option!!! would def try long reining but maybe on a circle to begin with two reins so that if there is a nappy moment you can turn him on to the opposite rein without to much fuss. Good luck!
 
alleycat - no it happens in different directions. I probably am more confident on the ground because he goes around the quick he sometime doesn't move his legs fast enough for his body and it does worry me that he will end up falling.

TGM I will try and find someone to walk with me but I don't actually have an instuctor at home.
 
i know i'll get shot for even suggesting this or admiting i've done it but is it possible if he stops refuses to go forward turn him round and make him walk backward? when i first got my horsey he wouldnt walk through a little stream to get ont the main part of the beach so i would turn him round and make him back up when he realised he was past the scary bit he was fine and soon he would just go straight through i know not quite the same situation but there may be something at the part where he stops that he is unsure of. i'm not having a go but the way i see it is if he keeps doing this and he gets away with it he will keep doing it untill he is shown that its not acceptable especially since he is new. goodluck i hope you can sort him out sorry if i havnt been any help
 
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I got my horse out of this habit almost by making him reverse. He was quite predictable as in you could feel when he was going to have a hissy fit so I used to whip him round quick and make him rein back until you felt him relax (have been known to go for over 1/2 mile before!!) and then ask him to walk on . I'm lucky cause we have really quiet roads where I am but might be worth a go they soon decide that walking forwards is an easier option!!! would def try long reining but maybe on a circle to begin with two reins so that if there is a nappy moment you can turn him on to the opposite rein without to much fuss. Good luck!

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I will certainly keep this in mind. I can feel that he is going to do it before he does do it so I have tried different approaches such as; haulting him, pushing him on, relax and change nothing, turn a circle, put him into shoulder in, etc. If he tries to go to the right I will ask him to go to the left but then he just launches himself around with big steps and takes off that way. Ugh.
I may just keep him walking backwards since he seems to enjoy it so much, little beast.
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My TB exrace horse used to behave in a similar way... it was an insecurity thing and if I didn't hack him out regularly on his own he'd do this.

I found that going on the same regular route helped in that he felt confident knowing where he was going. I also had the option of hacking in company - which made life a lot eaiser.

I'd recommend short hacks, extending the distance gradually every few days. What he's doing sounds dangerous, particularly on the roads - but I don't think he's being naughty I think he's just insecure.
 
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i know i'll get shot for even suggesting this or admiting i've done it but is it possible if he stops refuses to go forward turn him round and make him walk backward? when i first got my horsey he wouldnt walk through a little stream to get ont the main part of the beach so i would turn him round and make him back up when he realised he was past the scary bit he was fine and soon he would just go straight through i know not quite the same situation but there may be something at the part where he stops that he is unsure of. i'm not having a go but the way i see it is if he keeps doing this and he gets away with it he will keep doing it untill he is shown that its not acceptable especially since he is new. goodluck i hope you can sort him out sorry if i havnt been any help

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Well toomanyhorses has also just suggested walking him backwards aswell. So I may give it ago as he will happily walk backwards and i do trust him to go back without going upwards. The thing is there is nothing scary where we go (he is fine with all traffic, bags, even snowmen!) and if I walk him down the same road in the opposite way then he is fine even if I take him on the wrong side of the road. So I can't see it being something that he doesn't like it is just going onto the road in a certain direction if you get me?
 
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My TB exrace horse used to behave in a similar way... it was an insecurity thing and if I didn't hack him out regularly on his own he'd do this.

I found that going on the same regular route helped in that he felt confident knowing where he was going. I also had the option of hacking in company - which made life a lot eaiser.

I'd recommend short hacks, extending the distance gradually every few days. What he's doing sounds dangerous, particularly on the roads - but I don't think he's being naughty I think he's just insecure.

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He is also an exracer. I have put it down to insecurity and confidence rather than being nappy, if he behaved on the hack it would only take 5 mins, only keeping it close to home to try build him up.
 
I have the exact same problem with my TB mare. I've had her 3 years now but still can't take her out on her own, however there is absolutely no problem with another horse/cyclist with her. It started where I couldn't even get her off the yard but now I can get off the yard but only go a short distance before she stops dead and refuses to move. I've tried everything to badgering her to walk on, to circling her, to just sitting there for 15mins plus hoping she would get bored and walk on. Nothing seems to work. I have put it down to lack of confidence (even though she is 17) and was never hacked out alone before...(when i went to try her, went out with another horse). I am limited to company for hacking so I am now restricted to going out when i can get company. So any suggestions would be useful trying!
 
Sorry fathorse I am obviously in no place to offer advice but I do hope you get some help from the other replies and posters, good luck with your mare.

I too don't have anyone to hack out with I am now debating whether to ride and lead, although it probably isn't the best idea.
 
My ex racer was nappy for a while but lots of long reining and walking out in hand solved it. If you've only had him a week he may need more time to settle. Obviously the usual advice about teeth, back etc applies... a friend's horse started being funny about hacking out and it turned out he was developing arthritis, so on a bad day he could be very awkward. Not that I think yours has arthritis, but pain can manifest itself in many ways. Good luck...
 
Don't worry I know what you ment (re the arthritis), I will attempt to long rein him out also the suggestion someone else posted about walking infront then gradually behind them. Hopefully we will get this sorted out as he is a lovley little horse just a bit of a worrier I think.
 
My mare does this in the school - she has a nasty habit of running backwards while bucking
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While I haven't conquered the bucking part I can stop her running backwards by leaning right back so all my weight is as far back as I can go (legs back too) then giving her a bit extra rein and kicking her forwards. It looks a bit odd but it does the job
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I would do one of two things depending on why the horse is napping. If the horse naps at the same place every time and is genuinely afraid (pulse up, sweaty, eyes rolling), then getting off and leading is probably the right thing to do. But it sounds like the horse has lost confidence in the rider and so is not listening to your better judgement. In that case, getting off IMHO only reinforces that he is right to be afraid and nap. However running backwards is dangerous especially on the roads. I would avoid using the whip, whichin my experience tends to make TBs nervy and mistrustful. I would get in the habit of using a firm leg aid at all times, as they tend to find this reassuring and then when you really ask with the leg, they don't freak out and shoot forward. I find really booting the horse forward unnerves them as well so when the horse tries to nap, give a reassuring squeeze forward, talk soothingly and pat him. I also find bribery and corruption works well, I keep Polos in my pocket so that when mine go forward and stop napping, they get a Polo! If he runs backwards, turn him quietly around and go back to the spot where he started to nap, ask for a halt, reassure and fuss and Polo mint and then ask again. The horse will soon get the idea! Schooling him to really listen to your leg aids off the roads is a good thing too. If you can try and make each hack as positive an experience as possible, you'll find he gets braver and braver. My TB on our first hack, fell over with fright at a wheelie suitcase and it took about 8 decent calm soothing hacks in a row until he started to trust me and ever since then he's been the boldest bravest horse I've ever had. Re:- the idiot drivers, what I wouldn't give for some kind of James Bond device that would put a puncture in one of their tyres as they bombed off..
 
Originally i would say he was a nappy little **** but seeing as he does it on the way home id say it was genuine insecurity. Maybe a riding partner would be a good idea for a while
 
Tharg - he is fine in hand. I will be giving long reining a go.

Kit - I have found that using the whip doesn't help at all and only makes things worse but when he refuses to go forwards I put my leg on he goes back even more. I have tried haulting him when I feel he is likley to misbehave and told him he was a good lad etc but it didn't stop it from happening. I am going to try do a lot more schooling with him however it has been very hard recently as I school in the field and it has been extreamly wet and snowy. He doesn't sweat up or roll his eyes when he gets stressed or un-nevered he just chops on the bit ALOT until he calms down. Thanks kit and everyone else who has offered advice and experiences.
If you ever do get the James Bond device please mail me one!
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Hi, interesting that yours in an exracer too.

I think it's just the move to a new home that has made him 'revert to type'. Racehorses never hack alone and my guess would be that feeling insecure in a new home he's reverting to his initial training (sorry if that sounds like psycho-babble!)

If you can get some sort of companion for the first few times either on horseback or walking with you I think that would really help. It would be a shame to start in 'battle' mode - as that will just make him think there is something to be afraid off when out hacking - i.e. being punished by you.

Good luck!
 
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