Should I send him away?

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vicm2509

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Ive had my horse just over a year and he naps when trying to hack out alone. I can most of the time get him through it as its an issue with his comfidence, but there are times when I cant and he will have a fit in the road, rear, buck, spin etc.

The worst part is getting him off the yard, he will get to a certain point and realise where I am taking him and wont go any further. He will go if I take him off walking backwards. Then I have to talk and sing to him the whole way. But there are times when we get no further than the other side of the road.

Two weeks ago I took him SJ and after doing the clear round he would not come back out the warm up arena and into the indoor to do his class. As there was a cround around the gate I had no choice but to get off and lead him in the jump on quickly once in the indoor (he then jumped lovely btw). he then did the same at our yard SJ last week and I had to get off and tempt him in with food and have to men push him from behind. This is the first time hes napped other than on hacks.

I know its an issue with his confidence but what he is doing is naughty and I cannot sort it out properly as there are some nasty bends by my yard and the consequenses could be horrific he had one of his fits in the middle of the road. Once he reaches the park and we have a canter and a jump he really enjoys himself though.

We had a breakthough last year and I could get him out alone with a lot of persuasion but had to sing to him on the whole hack and give him a tap when I antisipated a nap. He then threw a splint so didnt do any roadwork for a while then over the winter he only went out in company.

Im seriously considering sending him away for a week or two around september time to a guy whos local. I have seen the work he has done on a few horses and its quite outstanding. He breaks, schools and deals with problem horses and no one has ever had a bad word to say.

I just feel ive tried everything with Baron, we take one step forwards and all is brill, then take two steps back. I didnt mind so much when it was just on hacks as I could go out in company and work on his napping bit by bit, but now its at shows aswell and I cant give him a smack when loads of horses are around as he will buck and walk backwards
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A rational analysis would say that either;
1. It's the horse being naughty so sending him away for reschooling should solve it, or
2. It's you, not taking him on when he does it, so he's learning it's a successful evasion, and starting to use it elsewhere. If this is the case, when you send him away, he'll be better for a while, but when he comes home to you, he'll be back to his old tricks.
I've had a few problem horses like this to school in my time (as a crash test dummy LOL!) and although I could sort them out, they always played up with their owners afterwards.
Sorry as I feel this is probably not what you want to hear.
S
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You need to learn how to spin him and then ask for forward movement. Usually works. Look up IHDG and Kelly Marks stuff. Works quite well with horses that 'plant'
 
It sounds to me as if you've already put in a lot of work, and now you could do with a bit of backup. If you know the way this trainer works and like it, then personally I would send my horse away. I would want the trainer to not only work with my horse, but work with me a bit as well and maybe visit when my horse comes back to make sure I understood how to deal with the problem myself if it happened again.
 
How often is he schooled? Ty used to be a bit nappy and was just a little sod out on a hack. He's being schooled by my YO and myself and he's come on leaps and bounds....so I understand why you're thinking of sending him away.

Only thing I'd say is that it's important that you're around to see the changes and have lessons on him while he's making progress - that way your confidence will build with his.

I don't agree that all nappy horses are always naughty horses - sometimes things just seem too hard or frightening and you need to help them through that - Ty's a prime example.

Does he tend to tense up alot in the school? Ty's neck used to be like a rock as he hated taking up a contact - once my YO worked him through that he's even working in an outline on a hack (not that I encourage it that often).

Is there anyone in the area that can school him once a week and then teach you on him once a week?

x
 
I do not evade the problem. On a hack I never ever get off unless its dangerous to stay on. I talk to him, reassure him and if hes about to nap i give him a little smack and he usually keeps going. If he goes into a full blown nap where the more I ask him to go forwards the worse he gets then if on safe ground I turn him on very tight circles or walk him backwards and he gets praise when he goes forward. He is much better than he was but I have reached a point where I feel I need someone else to help.

When he napped going into the jumping I had no choice but to get off. There were horses, people and children everywhere and I could not risk him running backwards and injuring someone.

I know I am not making his problem worse, he has only just started SJ and he can get a little nervous so it trying to evade it.

The reason I want to send him away is to take him away from his teritory, have someone on his back who is much more confident than me (not that im nervous but he can sometimes make me a little tense) to work him trough his confidence issues and make him understand that napping is naughty.
 
I agree.
You have to summon up the courage to 'take him on' and win. If he rears, as Thistle says, spin him sharply and after one circle ask him if he wants to walk on. If he says no, spin him again. Keep going until he either stops actively napping or walks on.
If he stops dead, that's fine. Sit there until he's bored, then when he wants to walk on, say 'no, I'm not ready yet' for another few minutes, then YOU ask him to walk.
Also, when schooling, always ride away from the exit, halt and dismount, do up your stirrups etc, and give him a treat, makes him less keen to cart you to the door...
Good luck
S
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P.S. Wear hat and back protector!
 
I do this but I cannot possible spin him on the middle of the road, he will slip so if its not dangerous I will walk him backwards instead. On bridle paths I spin and it usually works. I know how to work him trough it, he just keeps doing it.

He is schooled a lot. He can get tense at times in the school, and more so in the first half of a dressage test for example. I have lessons on him every week by a very good instructor. I have also in the last 2 weeks put him on a calmer to try and relax him a little more.
 
I think you would be better getting an instructor to come and work with you both at home. We had a similar situation with Diva who began napping shortly after we bought her. It was very frightening for me and I seriously thought about sending her back. She would go bolt upright and hang then spin and buck. However my OH worked really hard with both her and I and she is now a different horse. Every now and then she says do I have to? And we say absolutely and she says OK no problems just checking.
Find someone who you have confidence in as it may be that you will need them to ride the horse in the early stages - this is what I needed. Then when effective procedures are in place you can then under guidnace take over and alter the action reaction pattern you currently have.
Good luck, keep us posted.
 
Has your instructor been out on a hack with you? It is possible you are doing something inadvertently that you dont realise and someone on the ground could pick up. It sounds like you do need some help, but I agree with comments above that you should try and assist the guy who 'solves problems' to give you something to work with when you have him back. Otherwise you will have the same problems all over again - guaranteed. Not saying it's your fault, but obviously they approach you are taking isn't working, so you need to change it, and if you take your horse to this yard and insist on being involved, it will give you a new approach to work with. Good luck, I'm sure you'll get there in the end
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You could really do with an instructor or trainer working with you together rather than sending him away...you need to know how to deal with the issues in the same way as the 'trainer' so that you carry on the initial work they put in. I had this when I first got my horse, started napping and soon escalated into napping at every turn and corner and in the school too. So I got some help from an experienced lady that takes no sh*t and is firm but fair. She rode him 2 or 3 times through the worst of it and tackled the issues head on without any fuss or flustering and I was with her all the time. She got him more obedient and took the rough edges off his attitude and then I was able to deal with the rest by doing exactly the same as her. My horse would plant and also try to go in the other direction by turning and walking like a crab away from where you wanted to go. My instructor taught me how to turn him on the spot in a circle so he could not get away through his shoulder...I too was frightened of them falling on the road or slipping but he never did and was never in any danger even though at times his nose was nearly touching my instructors leg he was turned so tightly. The process was sorted in 4/5 sessions and never reared it's head again because if he tried I could stop him before he took action.
 
My boy decided to try this trick a few weeks ago, and boy can he plant him self! He didn't however buck (too much energy expenditure for him
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) But I have always been taught to persevere, so lots of leg, and when he tried to spin round I would keep him in a spin, and go round and round until I wanted to stop NOT him. He soon figured out how unpleasant it was. Sometimes he just completely ignores me and refuses to move, like he is frozen (but i can see his eye looking round at me) so he gets a wallop, and I mean a reins in one hand whip above head and down wallop - which is usually followed by a leap forward.

I was all timid before about confronting him, which only made him take the pee more. I used to think that HE was 'scared'! ha!

I would say persevere, and always wear a back protector! I had one pony that napped so bad it cantered home with me over 2 miles on the road. So I went back the same route, he did it again so I took him back again. 3 hours later he finally walked past the point that he kept taking off at, and didnt bolt again. He was also finally nice to me in the field.
 
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