Sassy mare running for home

[christine456]

hello all,

I've been part loaning a cob a few days a week since last october which has been going well (thanks for the push H&H forum) and recently took on a second of the same owner's cobs, on a different day of the week so I can start popping a few small jumps as the first horse is arthritic and is limited in what they can do. I have been out and about in company with new mare being on the whole fantastic, not a world beater but much more forward. I tried to go for a hack down the road on our own and we didn't get far before she got spooked by a car / kids screaming at a gate to a horse field. She had been looking around a fair bit more than out with company however she decided she had enough and spun and trotted at speed for home. The other loan horse tries this on occasion, but we can work through it / I anticipate and drive him forward. However the speed at which she spun ran back to the yard really threw me and any attempt at half halting / turning her round leads her to go faster trotting throwing her head round and threaten to buck. When we got back I took her in the arena and we worked hard to let her know running back doesn't mean no work. It would be a shame to be limited to only hacking/ going anywhere with company (where she is good as gold). I have noticed other spooky behaviors e.g shes not that fond of the mounting block because of the loud noises and she also hates her feet being touched but leads lovely.

Any advice for dealing with this sassy mare / building her confidence is much appreciated.

 

[Orangehorse]

hello all,

I've been part loaning a cob a few days a week since last october which has been going well (thanks for the push H&H forum) and recently took on a second of the same owner's cobs, on a different day of the week so I can start popping a few small jumps as the first horse is arthritic and is limited in what they can do. I have been out and about in company with new mare being on the whole fantastic, not a world beater but much more forward. I tried to go for a hack down the road on our own and we didn't get far before she got spooked by a car / kids screaming at a gate to a horse field. She had been looking around a fair bit more than out with company however she decided she had enough and spun and trotted at speed for home. The other loan horse tries this on occasion, but we can work through it / I anticipate and drive him forward. However the speed at which she spun ran back to the yard really threw me and any attempt at half halting / turning her round leads her to go faster trotting throwing her head round and threaten to buck. When we got back I took her in the arena and we worked hard to let her know running back doesn't mean no work. It would be a shame to be limited to only hacking/ going anywhere with company (where she is good as gold). I have noticed other spooky behaviors e.g shes not that fond of the mounting block because of the loud noises and she also hates her feet being touched but leads lovely.

Any advice for dealing with this sassy mare / building her confidence is much appreciated.

This seems to be a cob speciality. They have very strong necks and are happy to just cart the rider as they set their necks against you. I would say that you were fortunate she only trotted and didn't go faster. Obviously just happily ignoring the rider. Who was in charge?

I realise that any horse or pony can be frightened of something and be genuinely alarmed, but they should learn to trust their rider and take directions - but this isn't always easy particularly if you are a new partnership.

You need to work on schooling and see if you can get someone to show you how to do a "one rein stop" and practice it in the arena. Also see if you can do some "trec/agility like" training where she has to concentrate on the obstacles and learn to listen to the rider. This can be done on foot if you like rather than on board to start with.

Can you have someone to ride with while you are getting to know each other. I used to ride a pony that would stop and spin and try to bolt for home and it was very unnerving. He did improve eventually although it took quite a long time.

 

[christine456]

Yes precisely that, she definitely decided she was in charge. As you say it could be partly because its a fairly new partnership. I do worry as I only work with her 1 day a week it will be challenging to build a good bond and make any progress with any of her issues as 2 other people ride her through the week, especially with getting her to pick her feet up, they also mount from the ground which avoids them dealing with her being unsure of the mounting block (which I don't like to do). I will look into the trec training/ obstacles during schooling in the arena and put solo hacks on the back burner for a while. I think It was more unnerving as we had been to clinics and arena hires by this point (via roads) without a wobble from her but she clearly gets alot of reassurance from the other horses coming along as they all do. I could perhaps have someone on foot to reassure her, the yard isn't always busy enough to find a hacking partner.

 

[Orangehorse]

You might want to read the long post by Amber in the Horse Guru post.

 

[LaurenBay]

how is she in hand?

if both of the Horses are owned by the same owner and both do it (although one does it more then the other) I would start to think the owner just turns them back round on themselves rather then doing a circle route. It sounds like a learned behaviour.

 

[christine456]

how is she in hand?

if both of the Horses are owned by the same owner and both do it (although one does it more then the other) I would start to think the owner just turns them back round on themselves rather then doing a circle route. It sounds like a learned behaviour.

It quite difficult to do a circular route from the yard unless after a 1.5 hour hack down including main ish 60mph roads which doesn't help the issue. At this point in time I would not be doing that with her, I can't say what the other riders do

 

[Hackback]

I'm sorry I'm no help, but your post reminded me why I didn't choose a cob. No offence to cob owners, but I can't for the life of me see why people think they're quiet and easy horses

A friend got tanked off with on a cob, in walk. The pony didn't want to put a lot of effort in but she wanted to go home so she simply walked back to the yard and friend could do nothing to deter her. She was so embarrassed.

Good luck with this mare, I'm sure the H&H collective will help you come up with a plan.

 

[christine456]

I'm sorry I'm no help, but your post reminded me why I didn't choose a cob. No offence to cob owners, but I can't for the life of me see why people think they're quiet and easy horses

A friend got tanked off with on a cob, in walk. The pony didn't want to put a lot of effort in but she wanted to go home so she simply walked back to the yard and friend could do nothing to deter her. She was so embarrassed.

Good luck with this mare, I'm sure the H&H collective will help you come up with a plan.

Haha its quite alright, yes I was under the impression they were an easy option due to their height - which often leads me thinking how I'd ever cope with my own/ a taller finer breed! Then again my loan horse is the only one on the yard who's on occasion escaping their stable and other opinionated behaviours. does makes me wonder what I would considering buying in the future.. (can all horses be such a handful??)

 

[Skib]

When I started to hack solo, I was encouraged to ride a clover leaf, turning back to the yard several times but then setting off again, so that the horse learns that reaching the yard gate does not mean the end of the hack. It does depend a bit on the yard or whether the horse is shared. My current share is absolutely forbidden to head for home and when I failed to prevent this, as you describe and also in walk, the YM came out and gave the horse a most enormous whack on the bum.

 

[LaurenBay]

If good in hand, I would lead out to get his confidence up, if your only choice to end the hack is turn back on yourself this will be a hard habit to break. If you can lead out fine then I'd do this for a bit, then I would ride and when you are ready to turn for home then I would dismount and walk him home. Then once he is walking nicely home then I would stay on him and try to walk him back calmly.

Of course if he is a bit of a sod in hand then I wouldn't attempt the above, I would only do it if the Horse was respectful in hand.

 

[AmyMay]

What does the owner advise?

 

[christine456]

Thanks all, some good advice here. She tried it again out with company, but we went back out then she settle down (clover leaf as suggested great suggestion) . Just going to be consistent little and often / try walking her out in hand too to bond a bit and hopefully it will improve over time as owner is sure shes just testing boundaries!. Found a hacking partner so will build up to her going out alone gradually by leading profile, making sure she's listening not just following

 

[ApacheWarrior1]

I have much the same problem with my cob - he is a saint of a horse most of the time and a very cool dude 90 percent of the time but I am a very nervy rider and even though we always do a few circular routes , and always in company, it gets to the halfway mark and the head goes down for a fake scratch of his leg or rub of his face (just to establish and remind me he has the power to put his head down) and then he starts to quicken his stride and walks very briskly and tries to trot , or spooks at nothing . Ive owned him 3 years and love him to bits but I am on the verge of selling him as my confidence is zero now. How do I resolve this please

 

[Clodagh]

I have much the same problem with my cob - he is a saint of a horse most of the time and a very cool dude 90 percent of the time but I am a very nervy rider and even though we always do a few circular routes , and always in company, it gets to the halfway mark and the head goes down for a fake scratch of his leg or rub of his face (just to establish and remind me he has the power to put his head down) and then he starts to quicken his stride and walks very briskly and tries to trot , or spooks at nothing . Ive owned him 3 years and love him to bits but I am on the verge of selling him as my confidence is zero now. How do I resolve this please

Prepare for it, sit deep in the saddle and use your legs and seat to keep him up and thinking. I would cross my reins onto his neck so if he yanks down he only does it against himself and can’t loosen the reins. Then half halt, halt, rein back, turn round and go back the way you have come for a while. It will take ages to break the habit and schooling at home will help to get him more responsive to you. Good luck.

 

[Highmileagecob]

Yep, definitely a cob trait, and probably challenging your authority. They are expert at locking their neck muscles, dropping their noses to just the level where the bit is ineffective, or simply putting their heads down and deciding they have had enough. If you get any warning that she is going to spin, try to keep turning in the same direction until she stands still - not easy with a locked neck, you have my sympathy! Bonding with her is a good idea. I don't think you are ever fully in charge of a cob, but once they have bonded with you, they will do anything for you. This includes removing you from anything they consider dangerous such as pigs in fields, the Husky that could possibly be a wolf, the tiger lurking in the wheely bin etc.. Life is never dull!

 

[FinnishLapphund]

I'm not trying to say that it's not good to let them know that they won't get themselves off the hook when it comes to work by deciding to go home, because you'll just make them do some work in an in- or outdoor arena instead. But I've heard that for some horses that can still be sort of a mini win (sorry couldn't think of a better word for it), because they still get to stay in an area where they presumably already feel safe.

I think it's more thought behind the idea of riding in a clover leaf which Skib suggested, than just teaching the horse that reaching the yard gate/stable doesn't mean that the hack is over. A clover leaf pattern basically means that you're alternating between riding away from home/safety, and riding back towards home/safety. Which sounds like a very good way to help build up confidence, and teaching the horse that saber-tooth tigers, and cave lions won't suddenly start to appear, regardless at which x amount of distance the horse is away from home.

If the layout of the yard, and/or potential riding routes allows it, it can also work to ride straight past the yard gate/stable, and just continue the hack going in that direction.
Alternatively, ride in some type of a circle around the stable/yard, when you come back to the beginning of the "circle", you can choose to try again to ride away in the first direction you wanted to ride in (makes me think of how Apollo 13 did a loop around the moon to help sling itself back into the path the astronauts wanted).
Or you can choose to continue the hack going round in wider, and wider "circles". Since it's unlikely that there will be room to ride in perfect circle shapes, it will probably end up being some other type of shape than a circle, with the yard/stable as a centre point, but I hope people still understand what I'm trying to describe.