so fed up of not hacking :(

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el_Snowflakes

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hi guys,

I have a really strong and stubborn mare. Basically if she doesnt want to do something she throws a strop! I just want to say she is a very nice horse- very sweet and doesnt have a bad bone in her body. Last summer i was taking her out for lone hacks for 1-2 hours enjoying the countryside and just having a ball really :) but over the winter she hasnt been out on many hacks due to dark nights etc. I had a few incidents where i took her out on her own and she would just turn back and head for home and NOTHING i did stopped her. It was really dangerous and not a good feeling to be out of control on the roads. Several time i lost patience with her and hit her and shes had me in tears several times! :( So i decided not to take her out alone again until she was confident out with others. She basically wants to be back at the yard. She loves it there and I feel her attitude to work is just getting really *****ty! I dont feel im in charge when im on her and i dont know what to do as she is completely dead in the mouth and i feel i might as well not have a bit in her mouth as she has little respect for it. I havent had a lesson for a while but am having one next week :) so hopefully i will get some good pointers. Has anyone else got a horse like this? When she does this napping carry on I now usually end up getting off of her and leading her forward as we end up having an absolute carry on and she runs from side to side over the road- up grass verges wherever he hell she wants. Its an absolute nightmare- especially knowing that we used to love hacks :( do you think im wrong to get off and lead when shes carrying on like this? should i quietly ignore her and lead her until i an remount or should i smack her and growl at her!? I know we need to address this in the school and possibly on the ground but i just wonder if any of you have a horse like this or any tips? many thanks

ps. Shes in good health and has had all checks done. Her saddle is due a check so this will be done soon so i havent completely ruled that out. However I have a feeling its more her just wanting her own way as its always her way or the highway :(
 
Have the same problem with my cob - for years and years we hacked out alone as far as I wanted with no problems. Moved here 3 years ago and for the first year or so he was fine then one day he just decided he didn't want to go, an he will spin and rear and rear and rear and bunny hop and rear! I'll fight with him til we go my way, but have decided not to hack him anymore as it is just way to dangerous when he does this on the road :( - last time we got extremely close to falling in a ditch.
Hope you get some good pointers from your lesson - would love to know how you get on and what they recommend!
 
The first thing I would do would be to take the horse off any hard feed especially processed feed and restrict their diet to grass and soaked hay.
I would then wait a week before starting to hack out initially on a short circular hack and repeat it each day for a week, then increase it the following week etc.
When hacking out always wear Hi-Viz especially a long sleeved Hi-Viz jacket so that other road users can clearly see your hand signals.
 
Sounds miserable :(
I had a similar problem when I got my first horse. It was basically a trust issue and the more anxious or annoyed I got the less he could trust me. I did LOADS of work in hand with him and leading. Will she back up when you ask from her chest? You may feel happier if you can lead her out for a bit and have control then, it also takes the pressure off. Just set little targets like end of the road and back and gradually extend it in hand and ridden. My OH used to come along on his bike which helped hugely as he gave both me and my horse loads of confidence to have someone there to give a lead and some support, especially when you don't feel safe (just ensure bike is always safe distance from horse!)

When you get to your target get off her and maybe give a treat or graze in hand so she realises its nice to be with you as well as her horsey friends. If she is playing up get off and stand quietly ignoring her (like a teacher when a kid has a tantrum), then loads of praise when she gives you her attention.

Good luck with your lesson.

Ps I don't think smacking her will help much. Where abouts are you?
 
My mare is exactly the same and then got worse. In the end we couldn't even take her out the gate without her spinning, rearing and kicking out at cars or other horses.

But then we dicided to try again. I started leading her out in a bridle with a lunge line going under the chin and carrying a whip (just in case as she used to be dangerous!). After I was confident that she would do this without playing up I started riding her out and she is fab!! We did different routes everytime so she didn't realise when we were heading home and this stopped her napping.

Hope that helps :)
 
Thanks for all your replies. Firstly she doesnt get a feed- hay/haylage mix only and she has lots of turnout. Secondly i always wear hi-viz and my hand signals etc are alwayd clear ;)

I try to take her circular routes as i dont want her to think its acceptable to turn around for home (however this clearly is acceptable in her book!!) We have a circular route we can go which is quiet road-tracks then main road. She is normally fine on the way back so do you thinki it would be worth leading her up to the point where we about to hit the road then ride her back from there?? its mainly getting past the corner of said quiet road where we are actually walking past her mates in the field! :S.........
 
MeganLindsx said:
My mare is exactly the same and then got worse. In the end we couldn't even take her out the gate without her spinning, rearing and kicking out at cars or other horses.

But then we dicided to try again. I started leading her out in a bridle with a lunge line going under the chin and carrying a whip (just in case as she used to be dangerous!). After I was confident that she would do this without playing up I started riding her out and she is fab!! We did different routes everytime so she didn't realise when we were heading home and this stopped her napping.

Hope that helps :)
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Great to hear that :) I may try this tomoro ;)
 
cheeryplatypus said:
Sounds miserable :(
I had a similar problem when I got my first horse. It was basically a trust issue and the more anxious or annoyed I got the less he could trust me. I did LOADS of work in hand with him and leading. Will she back up when you ask from her chest? You may feel happier if you can lead her out for a bit and have control then, it also takes the pressure off. Just set little targets like end of the road and back and gradually extend it in hand and ridden. My OH used to come along on his bike which helped hugely as he gave both me and my horse loads of confidence to have someone there to give a lead and some support, especially when you don't feel safe (just ensure bike is always safe distance from horse!)

When you get to your target get off her and maybe give a treat or graze in hand so she realises its nice to be with you as well as her horsey friends. If she is playing up get off and stand quietly ignoring her (like a teacher when a kid has a tantrum), then loads of praise when she gives you her attention.

Good luck with your lesson.

Ps I don't think smacking her will help much. Where abouts are you?
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Yes I think your right. A wee smack is fine but a few big ones and I think it just makes her think 'ok i definatly done want to go out now!!' we are in tayside where are u?;)
 
To be honest getting into a fight with a horse on the road in this day and age is something to avoid. There is nothing wrong with getting off and leading for a bit, you win that way, wheras if she takes you home she does. I would be tempted to lead till I was off the roads for a while, whilst also working on some ground work exercises to get her listening to you, and some schooling to try and lighten her up a bit. They always seem to know where you can't fight them as it is dangerous to do so don't they?
I ode a friends horse for her as she couldn't get it out of the yard on her own, I used to reverse it out, until it decided it was easier to go forwards, but it is difficult to do on the roads.
Do you ever box her up to hack out? This might be worth a try too
 
Not too far from us then cheeryplatapus!!

i dont have a box but i have friends that do so might try that at some point. I think thats a really good idea as she wont know which way is 'home'.....mwahahaha!!:D
 
I sympathise with you. My exracer has these tendencies at times. Too much going on blows his mind, gets really nappy and dangerous! He's spun us out in front of cars, reversed us down into ditches, through trees! It's actually quite nerve wracking! Especially as its not every time! Just if we meet too much, all at once! The weird thing is that he's pretty bombproof, it's situations that set him off, or being made to wait at junctions or to pass a car that's parked on side of road! I do always try to stay on him, however a few times if I have felt in serious danger I have dismounted and walked him home! Although it's harder work as he's almost pulled my arms off! I get straight back on him though and will ride it out of him in the safety of the manège!

Sorry, no advice, I'm in a similar boat to you though!!
 
bumblelion said:
I sympathise with you. My exracer has these tendencies at times. Too much going on blows his mind, gets really nappy and dangerous! He's spun us out in front of cars, reversed us down into ditches, through trees! It's actually quite nerve wracking! Especially as its not every time! Just if we meet too much, all at once! The weird thing is that he's pretty bombproof, it's situations that set him off, or being made to wait at junctions or to pass a car that's parked on side of road! I do always try to stay on him, however a few times if I have felt in serious danger I have dismounted and walked him home! Although it's harder work as he's almost pulled my arms off! I get straight back on him though and will ride it out of him in the safety of the manège!

Sorry, no advice, I'm in a similar boat to you though!!
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thats funny as my mare is actually pretty bombproof too.......nothing really bothers her- fillers, traffic, motorbikes, push bikes etc....thats why i dont think its fear- more stubbornness
 
Please dont take this the wrong way, but could it be something you are doing, or not doing.

Our 21 year old cob I have always thought was completely bombproof. She has done showing at big counties with parachutists landing in her ring, horse artillary, JCB displays etc etc. My daughter hacked her alone or in company, perfect in traffic. On odd occasions I hack her and she is perfect.

So I lent her to someone to ride, it was a complete disaster. She was spooky, bucked, set her neck and just trotted home. She completely ignored the bit and the rider. If the rider tried to argue, she dumped her.

This is the pony my daughter and me can take round the estate fields and tracks bareback in a Parelli headcollar if we want to.

We worked out, after some trial and error, that the pony is actually not that confident. She takes her confidence from her rider. Because my daughter and myself dont bother, ride her on the buckles and just kick on, she thinks everything is fine and behaves like a donkey. When less confident people get on her, she panics, she can cope if other horses are with her, but not on her own. She doesn't need a good rider just a confident one. Its obviously a vicious circle too, the more she misbehaves the less confident her rider felt, so the pony got worse.

It might be worth getting someone else to ride her and see if they have the same problems.

Good luck
 
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