Refusing to leave yard

SaffronWelshDragon

SaffronWelshDragon

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Hi all,

My girl has always been a great hacker. She normally prefers to hack out in company, but this year we've been doing loads of solo hacking, it's just a case of gently talking her into it and encouraging her if she thinks it's not such a good idea.

However, she's now refusing to leave the yard. She won't even walk towards the yard gate, she'll just plant, absolutely no compromise. At the end of October we hacked an hour to a hunter trial, where she randomly came down with colic. Vet came out, sorted her and we got a lift back home. She's been fit as a fiddle since. Now she's never had colic before, she must have been terrified, especially being in a strange place as well, and the vet took an hour to get there, so she was in pain for a considerable time. She's never had a bad experience out hacking, and I now wonder whether this incident has freaked her right out. She's never ever planted before, she'll always compromise and go forward if asked. I can only think that she now associates leaving the yard, with a lot of pain.

Any ideas? I very rarely get a chance to hack in company, only with my sister and Saffron is the leader of the two mares so Mist won't lead anyway. I'm at a loss. I'm currently trying to walk her in hand, but again she won't have it (she's quite motivated by carrots though!) I know what she's like, she'll just need to have one or two good experiences and she'll be fine. I'm considering putting her in the trailer, taking her out a little way, then hacking home, but any other ideas?
 
When my mare was younger and in season, she was a right cow! She would do the same, plant herself, go backwards, side ways, up banks and in ditches but what she wouldn't do was go forward!

She is very whip shy and even if I carried a whip in my boot and got it out she still wouldnt go forward!

in the end the only thing that worked, was turning her in the tightest circle possible and using a very deep voice and telling her to get on! but the first time it took lots of tiny circles!
 
My mare randomly started doing the same.. Would not leave the yard and if she did she would stop so far up the lane.
All i found was sit deep kick on and growl! So it would be to the point of a powering along trot with plenty if leg (less chance of her stopping) and a sticky seat to stay on when she planted and spun! A whip would sometimes help but not always, just growling lots of 'GET ON' and shooing noises.
But as for your mare i would be reluctant to 'bully' her out of the yard as she doesn't seem to be objecting out of badness, just fear.
Maybe try boxing (if she is still okay with that) and remember to praise any positive movements or actions
 
Thanks ex racer rider. That's pretty much it, she's a wise older mare and knows all my tricks; turning a circle, walking to the left / right in an effort to get forward movement etc. There's no other way out of the yard, otherwise I would try going out a different way as I think there is a particular point outside the gate that's her cut off point that she won't go past. My friendly (non horsey) neighbour came out and we walked out of the gate with the help of treat bribery, but again she got to the point where we couldn't go any further.

I tried standing her still in an effort to beat her at her own game, and she did indeed crave some kind of forward movement, but still only in the direction of home. She seems to be evading me by turning her head round to my foot (which she does as evasion anyway), but this also means I can't turn her head to get her to change direction.
 
Can you not turn her head the opposite way?
And i may be shot down for this but what speed are you doing this at? If your waking then no way will you get past that point! Speed it up, kick on, keep kicking and hold on. Set off down your drive/lane (only if its safe) at a spanking trot and i mean a good one, loop a hand on your neckstrap/breastplate/an old stirrup leather and you should get her past. Also do something to distract her as your getting close and try not to tense up.
Do you have anyone else capable who could ride her? Maybe your anticipating a stop/plant and thus causing it?
 
It sounds a bit extreme but I think your idea of using a trailor to get her out might be a good one. It would,hopefully, break the association of away from home = pain. I would imagine you'd need a few 'happy' trips for it to become effective though. Good luck.
 
The first time out will be the hardest but after that i will get easier!
And sometimes our horses learn to read us just as well as we them. You may be tensing, and pressing the 'this is a scary place' button.
But boxing her out (if you can) would benefit
 
Definitely agree with all the above posts - my old git (RIP Zak) could read me like a book and definitely benefited from occasional schooling hacks from an experienced "balls of steel" friend.
 
I turn mine slightly to the left, then the right just enough to put him off balance and make him take a step and keep doing it till he walks properly. Luckily he doesn't go backwards or anything! Also, just wiggling one heel then the other seemed to help as he's very sensitive.
 
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