Rearing whilst napping - how to correct?

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missyme10

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Hey all,

I'm having a problem with one of my horses.

My 5 year old traditional cob is a nappy bugger when insecure, its always when he's on his own, when asked to go into the school when no other horse is in there or even on way out if he can't see horses on the way out.

It used to be refusing to go forward, dancing on spot, little bucks and rears if he really spat his dummy out.

I'd got him out of all this and he was great. My daughter has started riding him and he started doing it again and because she's smaller, younger, and maybe not as strong he got away with it with her. So he's now upped the level and got a lot worse.
His rears are getting really big, and he goes up again and again and its scaring her of course.
Me, I smack his arse, gowl at him and tell him to get on, he goes after chancing his luck a few times, but I don't know how to get around this problem with my daughter.
He's meant for her, her smaller pony is going away on trial on monday so its not a great situation.

My first choice is to work through this, sort him out and he will stay long term for her, but if I can't sort, he will have to be sold as an adult only horse. He's great in every other way.

Any ideas or suggesstions guys, there's gotta be a solution, I really don't want to give up on him x
 
I don't have any advice really as I have a serial napper myself, but if my son is on our napper, I lead him when she chucks her toys out the pram and keep him on the lunge if she is in a mood, could you do this for your daughter maybe, until the pony and your daughter grow in confidence with each other.
 
Yes devilwoman, he leads perfect in hand, has never napped in hand.
I think its more the gate napping whilst ridden that's causing her the bother, he goes for the gate, she tries to turn him and he just keeps going and if she pulls harder he just goes up. I step in, turn him and take him away from the gate and he's fine again.
I think the rearing is much more the problem than the napping, u can see the panic in her face.
I don't want her to loose her confidence.
Lunging I haven't tried and its certainly worth giving a go :) x
 
My first pony was a napping rearer - great buy! Can remember being chased out of yard by groom with a broom, having huge fights with him to get him past gate of fields, him rearing, bucking if I smacked him, getting off and leading him (which he did like a lamb). Eventually, he got into the whole idea of going out alone. But it was a battle of wits. Not sure I'd have the nerve for it now. Hope you get it sorted. Good luck!
 
Yeah that sounds just like him lisabeth :(
I can handle it and I'm only a novice, but one with attitude so I had him beaten. His will isn't that strong thankfully, a pair of spurs, smacked arse and marched in and out of the school a dozen times soon made him reconsider taking the pee out of me.

But he's blooming smart, he knows its a different rider. He also did the same to my sister whe she got on him, but was then perfect for me the following days.

I have a 2 year old section D, I try to see the positive in everything and think oh well he's preparing me well for her :D
 
Hard to say without actually seeing but I would probably lead him into the arena and whilst your daughter rides him, I would stand on the inside of the gate with a whip in my had that he could see to discourage him from carting her to the gate.

The other thing to get your daughter to do if she tries to ride him into the school is nothing! Just sit on him and only keep him facing in the right direction. If he goes up again just ride the rear and do not get behind him or have her kick or hit him but just sit there. It takes a lot more energy for him to rear than it does for her to sit on him. If neither of you puts up a fight he has no reason to go up. Just make him stand there and after a time (and this might run into an hour or so) he will want to move somewhere but again make him stand for a couple more minutes and then ask him to go forward on your terms.

If your daughter is not strong enough to make him do it then offer no resistance and it can very often beat them t their own game.

As for your youngster, do the groundwork right and she will be fine
 
Thanks foxhunter, I will try both ideas.
I hadn't considered not reacting and sitting it out, be interesting to see how he reacts. With my daughter, he tends to keep going to the extent he makes his way back into the barn.
When I say gate, we don't actually have a gate, just a rope across, used to have a pole, and the bugger jumped out on one occassion, the rope worries me if he just keeps going with her.

Actually when I think to the worst he's ever been, he's got into this entrance with me, this is when he's really spat dummy out and lack of space makes it hard to deal with. I've had to let him out, then turn him and march him back in under protest. He can no longer reach the entrance with me, in fact I can ask him to stand in it, then ask him to go forward, so I know he's capable of being persuaded by a strong rider.

But I think this alternative tactic u suggest is worth trying for her, she definitely can't out strength him like I can, so this is the kind of idea I'm looking for :)
 
How about spinning him round in circles works for my boy when he naps. Just make sure it's on her terms i.e not when he is trying to spin. Keep spinning until he is desperate to stop and then ask him to walk on he should soon learn that planting his feet dosent work and it's much easier to walk on when asked.
 
My 5 year old can be quite nappy. I find it helps to get him working forward immediately. We've been having major problems with leaving warm up arenas to go into show jumping classes. At the last show I tried trotting from the far side of the warm up through the gate and straight into the next arena, not allowing him to think of napping. It really worked.

I don't know if your yard layout would allow for this, but it might work if she can mount on the yard and immediately get him trotting and straight into the arena through the gate without stopping. Basically, denying him even the opportunity to think of napping. Once in the arena I'd then trot round and round and round until the message was well and truly drilled in that he will move forward for her.
 
I bought a pony that napped, and reared. Firstly, i stopped the kids riding it, and started riding it myself. (After leaving it in paddock for a while to get used to us and place).

I took her out to an NH riding club and worked mostly on yielding, which I described in another post recently. Disengagement of hind quarters, it is useful with any horse that rears, bucks, naps or whatever. Suffice to say after this she started going forward and napping and rearing disapeared, it is a nervous thing with her, so from time to time it pops up, but easily ridden through unlike previously.

There are heaps more experienced people than me on here, but since this has worked for me I will describe it.

Ask for a lateral bend (lets say to the inside), tip the nose towards you, put your inside- (if bending to the inside of the arena) lower leg behind girth, ask the horse to step his inside hind leg across in front of outside hind leg a couple of steps. Have your hand holding inside rein up and accross lifting up to your outside nipple. (Sorry not good at explaining, but this helps the bend, and helps allow the horse move his hind leg accross).

Then once the horse has yielded - in a flowing movement straighten and allow /ask with positive life and energy the horse to go forward in any direction (the direction you are now facing). This helps unstick the horse, you may need to do this 30 times in your first session, if the horse sticks or naps, do it again, but alternate your bending and yielding to each side, don't just do it on one side.

This is a very good exercise for when you first get on a horse as it helps prevent them bucking esp. if cold backed horses.

You can do these yields on the ground as well. It helps with newly backed horses who often get stuck when someone first hops on to move their feet.

Riding out with other horses, hacking for example, rather than working in an arena - also can be helpful.
 
Does he rear on the road, if so take off hind shoes, he wont like it, it is difficult, obviously no hard feed, and lots of work and keep him out in a field. Check teeth and saddle and try to get a man to ride him first then get daughter on board. He needs to be put in his place, as you know, but if daughter is not enjoying riding him, he will have to go.
Agree with Jeeve on exercises. Keep him away from known napping areas. Make sure he lunges well, obedience and exercise.
 
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I cannot believe you actually let your daughter ride a dangerous pony. What on earth are you thinking. Surely the one that flipped over backwards was enough of a warning to you about how dangerous a rearer can be? Get rid of the pony and find her something that does not rear. There are plenty out there that don't.

Once a nappy horse always one I believe - it is just that a decent brave rider will ride through an episode and come out the other side unscathed and the pony learns that. As soon as you put a weaker rider on a napper old habbits come flooding back.

If you don't want to see you daughter squashed under half a tonne (roughly) of horsemeat or make her lose her nerve completely - get shot!
 
I have a mare who tried this on for a while last year when we broke her in. she was not scared as she would walk in company or if someone as behind her but at a certain point she would say i have gone far enough and go up. i tried legs and smack and it made her worse. i just sat it out in the end and ignored it and kept turning her in a circle. she eventually got bored. Chris cox on horse and countyr is at the mo re-doing a grand prix dressage horse which rears in the arena. he basically does the same thing make them chaser thier tail with thier nose. they cant rear if going round in a circle.
 
Have you had him physically checked out ?
The reason i ask is i have. Horse who was like this as a youngster, i assumed it was a youngster chancing there mitt and i persevered with him and all the crap he threw my way, it wasnt until he threw himself to the ground refusing to go forwward i, got him checked out and to me he looked fine, when seen by the vets and a lameness work up done he was so evenly lame on both hinds he felt and looked level, he had osteochondritis dissecans and was diagnosed rising 5
 
scribble said:
I have a mare who tried this on for a while last year when we broke her in. she was not scared as she would walk in company or if someone as behind her but at a certain point she would say i have gone far enough and go up. i tried legs and smack and it made her worse. i just sat it out in the end and ignored it and kept turning her in a circle. she eventually got bored. Chris cox on horse and countyr is at the mo re-doing a grand prix dressage horse which rears in the arena. he basically does the same thing make them chaser thier tail with thier nose. they cant rear if going round in a circle.
Click to expand...

same here, i have a serial napper/spooky horse that i have been working on for nearly a year, he used to rear when he's saying no but never full height he also runs backwards at speed, ive tried lots of things but he is getting better now and the rearing is only occasionaly, ive found that when he naps and tries to spin and do little rears the best thing is to pull his head round on a tight circle so his head is nearly on my knee and keep him going in that circle until i say we then stop and i let him calm down for a minute then ask him to go forward again, this prevents him from going up with me and i can then get him to ride forward if he does it again same thing and he eventually gets fed up of going on a tight circle and i win! It has been a long process but we are now hacking out alone and he is still tense but the rearing has near enough stopped. Always give lots of praise when he does go forward.:-)
 
The other thing to get your daughter to do if she tries to ride him into the school is nothing! Just sit on him and only keep him facing in the right direction. If he goes up again just ride the rear and do not get behind him or have her kick or hit him but just sit there. It takes a lot more energy for him to rear than it does for her to sit on him. If neither of you puts up a fight he has no reason to go up. Just make him stand there and after a time (and this might run into an hour or so) he will want to move somewhere but again make him stand for a couple more minutes and then ask him to go forward on your terms.

If your daughter is not strong enough to make him do it then offer no resistance and it can very often beat them t their own game.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBcQsVdxEA8&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL



I agree with the above. Here is a video to show that this method does in fact work. Executed to perfection by the best horsman ever Paul "Endospink"!!
 
I sympathise with. Your daughter. I have a 15hh chunky connemara ,I've only had him a few weeks. He is 100 percent fab and really getting my jumping confidence back :) however he sometimes naps and rears,which does scare me. Admittedly he doesn't go high and I've coped with it so far and have won every time. Ijust hope he learns its not worth it soon and doesn't start going higher. We went sj the other night and after 2 fab rounds and impeccable behaviour he decided on the way into the ring for the 3rd round to stop and nap,spinning round and going up :( I've found shouting and smacking make him worse but keeping my hands low and wide and keeping him on a tight circle works,after a minute or so he just gives in and walks forward. He went straight in the ring and flew round after this the other night.
 
PapaFrita said:
I'm afraid I agree. Your daughter has already had a horrible experience with a rearer, why on earth would you take the chance of it happening again or, in the better scenario, have her confidence shattered?
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Afraid I agree too from someone who's confidence is absolutely shattered by a horse with a known problem. Although I'm an adult, if my mare wasn't a solid, confidence giving ride, I would never ride again and that is the danger for your daughter (apart from the obvious safety).

It may also make your daughter feel worse seeing others able to cope with the rearing.

If she's scared, don't let her ride it. Find her something that will build her confidence.
 
Thanks all for the advice.

I will try out many of the suggestions.

I'm not getting shot of him, he's a fab pony other than this problem, so logic suggests trying to solve the issue first.
Obviously if I can't sort it out he may have to go, however if I can cope with him my daughter could have my section D instead, although that would be in the future.

She obviously can't ride him at present and I don't think I'm going to find any over night solution so I may try and find a pony to loan for the next year for her.

Someone asked about shoes and out on the road, he's barefoot and is perfect out hacking. I only hack with a friend as I'm not confident going out on my own, so don't know how he'd be, and I won't chance it in case he behaves the same, so bit of a vicious circle really.

He's a lovely pony in most respects, great on the ground with her, I just think he's being 5 and totally trying his luck.

Have to say, at no point has there ever been any danger of my daughter or I falling off or being chucked off. I don't consider him dangerous as everything he does is all slow, there is nothing sharp about this pony. I'm a novice and I cope easily with his nonsense. My daughter is a good rider but he knows he's stronger, he's smart.

Oh well so much for never having to sell or buy another horse again after her smaller pony sold, I shoukd have known life could never be so simple :(
 
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