Reluctant to hack out on his own ..

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BoxCleva

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Hi Folks,
As per the title, 4yr old gelding Welsh Sec D .

Hacks out lovely when in company, but when on his own he becomes reluctant. I'm pretty sure its a confidence issue, but would like advice on what to do to combat it please.

I should say it's my daughters pony and I am just 'chief mucker outer' , but what I did today was to attach a lead to his bit and give it a gentle tug (and lots of encouragement ) when he put the brakes on . This worked , but as I'm old and fat I can't be walking by the side of my daughter on every hack she goes on :D

Many thanks
 
Could be a confidence thing and walking out with daughter is a good idea until horse and daughter's confidence builds. It's good exercise so you'll all benefit :)
 
When they go out with company, will he take the lead?

I've found its best to give them quiet confidence. My horse takes the lead and then I slow her down and let the nervous pair take over. If he becomes unstuck and stops, I simply take the lead and he follows on and then I slow down for him to take the lead again. Or, do this while leading them and you can fall back and let them carry on with you behind them?

Did this with a horse that rider stopped riding due to nerves. She walked most of a hack as she had to get off and lead constantly. Within 4 months, he was striding out and she took him out hacking himself.
 
Build up slowly. At first, get him to take the lead on a short familiar stretch, preferably when almost home. Then gradually increase how long he is in front for, on familiar routes at first. Then ride a small loop away from the others before rejoining them, or riding on a parallel field etc. Once he can stay in front the whole time, you then start out with another horse, but come back different ways. And slowly decrease how long you stay with the other for, till he's happy to go anywhere alone.
 
Littlelegs said:
Build up slowly. At first, get him to take the lead on a short familiar stretch, preferably when almost home. Then gradually increase how long he is in front for, on familiar routes at first. Then ride a small loop away from the others before rejoining them, or riding on a parallel field etc. Once he can stay in front the whole time, you then start out with another horse, but come back different ways. And slowly decrease how long you stay with the other for, till he's happy to go anywhere alone.
Click to expand...

I was going to say this! :D
 
Littlelegs said:
Build up slowly. At first, get him to take the lead on a short familiar stretch, preferably when almost home. Then gradually increase how long he is in front for, on familiar routes at first. Then ride a small loop away from the others before rejoining them, or riding on a parallel field etc. Once he can stay in front the whole time, you then start out with another horse, but come back different ways. And slowly decrease how long you stay with the other for, till he's happy to go anywhere alone.
Click to expand...

Waffles said:
I was going to say this! :D
Click to expand...

So was I!

Just be careful though when separating him from a group, make sure that he is on a familiar route and not far from home, in caase he naps towards the group. Perhaps you could be on foot waiting to give him a lead the first few times he leaves group.
 
Many thanks for all replies.

I have a lot more info that may sway things a little.

My daughter went on a hack today with a friend on her mare and made it about 300 yards and he put the brakes on. All attempts to move him on only resulted in him rearing. Her friend who has ridden almost since she was old enough to walk couldn't move him on either.

She returned to the stables a little dejected. He has hacked out perfectly before with much larger horses leading. The mare he was out with today is a placid little pony. Anyway, I decided that he would be going on a hack regardless, so I walked beside my daughter whilst she rode our boy out. He was perfect. No brakes, no rearing. As good as gold. After a mile or so I stopped to tie my shoe. As soon as he saw me stop, he stopped. He refused to move. Nothing she tried would get him moving. I stood up and walked past him and he instantly started walking without being asked.

To test the theory I stopped another 5 times and he also immediately stopped. Too much for it to be a coincidence. On the way back she tried to get him to trot up the hill back to the stables. He trotted for about 2 seconds and returned to a slow walk. I then made her stand him up and I walked ahead about 50 yards. I then told her to try and trot him again, he not only trotted , but cantered until he made it to where I was and then returned to a walk.



As a very green owner I am assuming (rightly or wrongly) the following:

1. He trusts / has respect for or feels safe with me and the larger horses he has hacked out with previously
2. He has little trust of my daughter or lesser horses when hacking out


Am I way off the mark ? I appreciate I may be putting two and two together and coming up with twelve, but I would be very interested to hear any other ideas.


Thanks
 
I think you're spot on. And its unlikely to be a personal distrust of your daughter, just more at 4 he's not going to be familiar with the idea of the rider (who is behind him) also being the leader. And its possibly less to do with the size of horse, than the other horses personality, i.e. is the horse a leader, rather than just being well behaved, & also how familiar he is with them, eg more likely to follow a field mate than one he sees across the yard.
 
Thank you LL , it's always nice to have someone confirm you're not as nuts as you thought you were :p

My outlook is that you start from the ground up. If he's good in hand then he's likely to be good in the saddle.

I think I'll get my daughter to do a lot more in hand stuff with him and see what effect that has. I don't ride , but I do an awful lot of in hand training with him.
 
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