Small pony napping in the school

[EllieandLisa]

Hi! Wondering if anyone here can help me! We have a 6 year old rescue pony, he’s 11’2. We sent him to be professionally broken about 1 1/2 years ago and is regularly ridden by myself (small adult) alongside his little 8 year old rider. He goes brilliantly for me in the school, easy to ride forward going, will pop over little jumps and canter laps on both reins. However, his little 8 year old rider is finding him very difficult in the school as he seems to lock his neck and nap back to either the gate or any other horses that are in the school! He’s been fantastic getting her off of the lead rein and riding away as he’s super safe. He will follow a person running with him anywhere and he’ll hack out or follow any other horse walk/trot/canter and jump brilliantly bomb proof as a first of the lead rein. We just don’t know how to stop the napping in the school as he doesn’t do it when an adult is riding him! He seems to know when it’s a little person and takes advantage. He has weekly lessons and goes to pony club but she’s still finding him very difficult to steer in the school. Our instructor has put him in a bigger bit to give her a bit more pulling power! Just for steering as his breaks are brilliant! But he still seems to be able to evade her efforts to steer when he wants to even though a competent adult could happily ride him in a snaffle. We’ve also tried balance support reins so that he feels like he’s got more of a contact but he still does it. Any advice on how to get him out of it would be greatly appreciated. Picture of bit!

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

He s only 6 and your 8 year old and he are still learning. Steering comes from seat and legs not mouth. Personally I’m not a fan of a gag in the hands of a child. Play a game..put out cones..in a line or rectangle. Have your child manoeuvre the pony in walk around the cones by shifting weight from one side to the other..so leaning into left stirrup to go left..right to go right..minimal rein pulling. Call it cowboy/girl training...as the pair get into it the exaggerated weight shift can become more minimal and rein support and leg aids taken up.

 

[EllieandLisa]

He s only 6 and your 8 year old and he are still learning. Steering comes from seat and legs not mouth. Personally I’m not a fan of a gag in the hands of a child. Play a game..put out cones..in a line or rectangle. Have your child manoeuvre the pony in walk around the cones by shifting weight from one side to the other..so leaning into left stirrup to go left..right to go right..minimal rein pulling. Call it cowboy/girl training...as the pair get into it the exaggerated weight shift can become more minimal and rein support and leg aids taken up.

Thank you! We’ll try this with some cones!

 

[Wishfilly]

I agree that steering comes from legs not hands- but at 8, and just learning, your child may not have strong enough legs yet. Does your child ride with a crop, and how does the pony react when given a tap down the shoulder if he tries to nap?

I would guess that adult riders can get the pony going from legs to hand easily, and so he doesn't nap with them, but it's a lot harder for you 8yo. Possibly 8yo needs to get stronger legs on a different pony before returning to this one?

 

[EllieandLisa]

I agree that steering comes from legs not hands- but at 8, and just learning, your child may not have strong enough legs yet. Does your child ride with a crop, and how does the pony react when given a tap down the shoulder if he tries to nap?

I would guess that adult riders can get the pony going from legs to hand easily, and so he doesn't nap with them, but it's a lot harder for you 8yo. Possibly 8yo needs to get stronger legs on a different pony before returning to this one?

She rides with a schooling whip so that she can give him a flick to get him going and she does try to use it on his shoulder when he naps but he just seems to ignore everything now! I definitely ride him more with my legs and I’m sure that’s why he doesn’t do it to me but she’s not really using her legs yet other than for traditional pony club kicks to keep him moving! Xx

 

[AmyMay]

I wouldn’t use a gag either. A fulmer may be more useful.

 

[Wishfilly]

She rides with a schooling whip so that she can give him a flick to get him going and she does try to use it on his shoulder when he naps but he just seems to ignore everything now! I definitely ride him more with my legs and I’m sure that’s why he doesn’t do it to me but she’s not really using her legs yet other than for traditional pony club kicks to keep him moving! Xx

At this stage in both of their educations, he may just not be quite the right pony for her- do bear in mind that 6 is young, and he has not had the best start in life if he is a rescue. It sounds like there are things they can do together. But like a lot of ponies, he has learned he can take advantage of a novice child rider.

There are lots of ponies out there that make great lead rein ponies and great second ponies for the same reason.

I don't think there is going to be a magic quick fix for the situation- I think you just need to focus on getting your 8yo to ride with her legs more, explain what to do, how you use your legs, and encourage her to do the same (but she may struggle with strength and co-ordination initially). Definitely steering with minimal/no reins if you can and it's safe to do so. But it may be that they are just not the partner each other needs right now!

 

[Upthecreek]

If the pony is not strong I would not be using a gag bit. A bit with full cheeks is the most helpful for guiding steering, but as others have said, the 8 year old may just not be a strong enough rider yet for a young pony that can be a little opinionated.

 

[maya2008]

The only solution we found was to spend serious ££ on lessons for the child - on a different pony, then on the nappy one. Once the child could ride the pony, the problem disappeared...well until the younger sister had a go and it came back in full force!

Pony is still a nappy madam to the gate/home/wherever if she thinks she can get away with it...goes like a dream for anyone stronger. It is who she is. We had to give child a stronger bit out hacking or she would nap home, at speed, screaming child still attached (I kid you not, down hills, through gates and all!). Child is now bigger and stronger and can ride her in a snaffle.

 

[Goldenstar]

That bit won’t help steering whoever suggested that is well wide of the mark .
Get a cheeked bit on him .
Does he always stand with his OS hind leg like that ?

 

[hollyandivy123]

Have you long reined him....It gets them use to direction from behind and not to follow and be independent,

 

[honetpot]

I agree they are both very young, and stronger bits cause problems, because the child is effectively asking the pony to go forward whilst, often unintentionally putting on the handbrake, to avoid the hands the pony pops out at the shoulder, which makes the nap harder to control.
To be honest, I taught my daughters from four, I would avoid lessons in the school completely, you are practising failure, and the child quickly gets disheartened. Lots of hacking, learning gradually to use body weight to steer, just following another pony or an adult along side walking, until the child gets stronger, at the same time learning leg aids, how to manage the front end of the pony without using the hands.
All they need is time. We never had a school, so for us any learning was done hacking, unless they had a lesson in an open field at PC, even on novice ponies.

 

[Andie02]

As well as trying different bits I suggest that when you ride the pony yourself, try riding him with the stirrups the same length as the 8 year old rides with, you may find that the pony also evades your legs at this length. If he does then you schooling the pony with short stirrups may be the answer to the problem. I had the same problem many years ago with a 4 year old first ridden show pony that suddenly decided that she was not going to do what her small jockey was asking her to do and was also napping to the gate. After a lengthy firm schooling session by myself with my stirrups the same length as my daughter's they went out the next day and won the first ridden at a county show.

 

[M_rides]

I think most of the advice on this thread should really help your daughter and her pony and fingers crossed for you that this is an issue you will be able to overcome soon!

Personally, I would disagree with the idea that the pony isn’t right for your daughter as I think it’s important to keep trying even with a challenge. Also the fact that he goes well with an stronger/bigger rider shows he is not a nasty pony and with a little more work together, the pair should soon improve.

My advice would be to really focus on your daughter’s position and strength when steering. Like others have suggested, practise leaning all her body weight towards the direction she wants as well as not taking her eyes off the point she wants to go to. Both these things will help the pony get a clearer message rather than just a reign pull. Perhaps a pole or cone exercise will help with this and also setting up fun exercises with equipment will help keep both pony and rider engaged as well. On top of this instead of just pulling the reign, try encouraging her to squeeze, release, squeeze, release to avoid the pony napping to the aid.

 

[hollyandivy123]

101 dressage exercises and there is also a pole and jump version, each exercise comes with a map and this will help your daughter work out where she should be aiming for. don't worry about if they say trot or canter start with the shapes in walk