stubborn horse out hacking! :(

[lala horse lala]

hi just wanted to ask some advice / see if anyone has been in a similar situation to me!

out hacking my horse has recently gotten into the habit of when she doesn’t want to do something or doesn’t want to go a certain way she will walk backwards/ spin/ pull her head down to get the reins out of my hands. wondering what to do when she does this as i really don’t want to let her get away with this (

in some cases i’ve had to get off her and lead her the desired way as sometimes she just won’t let me pick the reins up! she’ll pull them out of my hands and then keep her head almost between her front legs and not let me have any contact. this is the absolutely worst she’ll be but any ideas?

a more mild version of what she’ll do is start walking backwards and then just not go the way i want her to. if i give her a tap with a whip she gets 1000 times more wound up and even worse! any suggestions appreciated. (she is NOT in any pain! gets everything checked regularly and this is just her being stubborn she has no issues when she’s getting her way)

thanks ))

 

[lala horse lala]

.

 

[blitznbobs]

Start by tying a knot in her reins... this a pony trick that your horse has learnt... wear good gloves and hold onto the reins more firmly, bridge the, if necessary try pulling one rein rather than both to turnher. Also a neck strap Or a handful of mane might help you to Keep reins in the right place but if you have a knot in your reins just behind your hands she’ll only be able to pull a couple of inches so it should put her off... there are 2 ways to tackle the backing up... a quick smack with a stick is one but you have to be prepared for a tantrum the other is to sit deep and just keep asking for the same thing (walk forward) whatever she does keep asking the second she gives you a step in the right direction stop asking ... but be prepared to sit there for a while not moving or walking backwards... it can take a good while. The secret to this technique is not to get wound up yourself and only ask at the same strength over and over again... and reward the first movement forward by stopping the aid... it’s effective, but needs patience.

 

[[131452]]

I find that with napping , it helps if you can disrupt the horse before it plants or goes backwards , so feel for any change in posture or stride and when you feel that, really ride him on positively with the attitude that "I dont care what you're doing but I am going this way".
If you let them stop or give them a chance to go backwards or spin, IME this makes it more difficult to deal with

 

[Lintel]

It is most annoying that trick and quite often a pain in the ass of your on a road!
I used to ride an OTTB who's go to was the snatch at reins, try to spin and reverse. Again no issues with pain, just pure stubborness and "I don't want to."
Easier and safer to give in sometimes when its a road and if their were vehicles.
If the road is quiet enough though or your were on a track I what work for me was 1. Wearing gloves. 2. A good roar to get on. 3. A whip/whop action with the reins on her shoulders.
If it was ever needed I would have resort to a smack on the backside, thank god it wasn't I might I been off quicker than I'd hoped!
I'm sure other methods work and I'll be criticised for the use of a smack, but it's something I cannot abide is dangerous and silly behaviour on the road.

 

[lala horse lala]

Start by tying a knot in her reins... this a pony trick that your horse has learnt... wear good gloves and hold onto the reins more firmly, bridge the, if necessary try pulling one rein rather than both to turnher. Also a neck strap Or a handful of mane might help you to Keep reins in the right place but if you have a knot in your reins just behind your hands she’ll only be able to pull a couple of inches so it should put her off... there are 2 ways to tackle the backing up... a quick smack with a stick is one but you have to be prepared for a tantrum the other is to sit deep and just keep asking for the same thing (walk forward) whatever she does keep asking the second she gives you a step in the right direction stop asking ... but be prepared to sit there for a while not moving or walking backwards... it can take a good while. The secret to this technique is not to get wound up yourself and only ask at the same strength over and over again... and reward the first movement forward by stopping the aid... it’s effective, but needs patience.

thank you!! will try this next time that’s really helpful

 

[lala horse lala]

It is most annoying that trick and quite often a pain in the ass of your on a road!
I used to ride an OTTB who's go to was the snatch at reins, try to spin and reverse. Again no issues with pain, just pure stubborness and "I don't want to."
Easier and safer to give in sometimes when its a road and if their were vehicles.
If the road is quiet enough though or your were on a track I what work for me was 1. Wearing gloves. 2. A good roar to get on. 3. A whip/whop action with the reins on her shoulders.
If it was ever needed I would have resort to a smack on the backside, thank god it wasn't I might I been off quicker than I'd hoped!
I'm sure other methods work and I'll be criticised for the use of a smack, but it's something I cannot abide is dangerous and silly behaviour on the road.

definitely agree sometimes a smack is necessary especially if you’re in a dangerous situation ! thank you

 

[LaurenBay]

How long have you had her? is this a recent thing or has she always done this?

You mentioned recently, so if only recent and has never done it before, could she be in pain? this is how my horses arthritis started, her behaviour declined when hacking.

 

[vmac66]

I had a, horse that would plant then spin trying to take off for home. I stopped him by turning a, few tight circles then sending him forward. Think the circling disorientated him enough to get him going forward.

 

[[131452]]

But has anyone considered why this is happening? The horse is clearly lacking in confidence going out.
Did something frighten him? Is he clingy with another horse in the field?
I would focus on improving his confidence by doing in-hand ground work, long-reining (it is not just for babies!,) and going out hacking in company and taking it in turns to take the lead, even if it's for a few strides.
A horse that naps starts refusing a long time before he actually naps.

 

[asmp]

One of ours started napping. Turned out his saddle no longer fitted him. New saddle = no napping. Just a thought

 

[lala horse lala]

How long have you had her? is this a recent thing or has she always done this?

You mentioned recently, so if only recent and has never done it before, could she be in pain? this is how my horses arthritis started, her behaviour declined when hacking.

it’s a fairly recent thing but it’s also very in character for her, it’s a tactic she’s always leaned towards when trying to evade work. also this is something she does in very predictable situations (eg being asked to stand still, or if i ask her to go the opposite direction to the way she knows is home) she is only 6 so still learning

 

[lala horse lala]

But has anyone considered why this is happening? The horse is clearly lacking in confidence going out.
Did something frighten him? Is he clingy with another horse in the field?
I would focus on improving his confidence by doing in-hand ground work, long-reining (it is not just for babies!,) and going out hacking in company and taking it in turns to take the lead, even if it's for a few strides.
A horse that naps starts refusing a long time before he actually naps.

said horse is doing this when following as well, she is exactly the same alone or in company. this used to be something she would do hacking out alone but she’s grown in confidence/ independence and now barely notices the presence of another horse.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Sometimes getting off and insisting that the horse goes in the direction you first asked for is very effective. then you can hop back on and continue your ride, there has been no argument but you have prevailed.

 

[mustardsmum]

I know you say she has been checked etc, but so just check to see if she has pulses in any of her feet - even faint ones..... Our mare suddenly (and utterly out of character) started napping - especially on roads where the gradient changed (uphill or down). She was planting and backing up, but not totally throwing her toys out of the cot. Just refusing to go forward. We though she was being nappy but got her vet checked and it turned out she had very very mild laminitis, had very slight pulses in all four feet. This pony is a fine, small TBxArab who was carrying a tiny bit of extra weight but the recent flush in grass just tipped her over into lami. She was basically foot sore, and my excellent vet noticed she was not loading properly on any of her feet. Three weeks in on box rest, and next week we hope to resume hacking and work, plus less grass! Normally, we check backs, saddles teeth. Maybe we should also check for pulses when this sort of behaviour starts....

 

[[131452]]

If she naps in company it definitely sounds pain related. When was the saddle last checked?

 

[lala horse lala]

If she naps in company it definitely sounds pain related. When was the saddle last checked?

she is not due a saddle check but obviously if need be we will get her checked sooner! do you really think it could be pain? are there any other things you think we should be looking out for.

 

[lala horse lala]

I know you say she has been checked etc, but so just check to see if she has pulses in any of her feet - even faint ones..... Our mare suddenly (and utterly out of character) started napping - especially on roads where the gradient changed (uphill or down). She was planting and backing up, but not totally throwing her toys out of the cot. Just refusing to go forward. We though she was being nappy but got her vet checked and it turned out she had very very mild laminitis, had very slight pulses in all four feet. This pony is a fine, small TBxArab who was carrying a tiny bit of extra weight but the recent flush in grass just tipped her over into lami. She was basically foot sore, and my excellent vet noticed she was not loading properly on any of her feet. Three weeks in on box rest, and next week we hope to resume hacking and work, plus less grass! Normally, we check backs, saddles teeth. Maybe we should also check for pulses when this sort of behaviour starts....

oh wow really hadn’t considered this! to be honest there is no noticeable change in relation to gradient but we will keep an eye out thank you

 

[[131452]]

she is not due a saddle check but obviously if need be we will get her checked sooner! do you really think it could be pain? are there any other things you think we should be looking out for.

Yes this definitely sounds pain related. Horses nap alone because they lack confidence but to nap following another horse is totally different. If this was my horse I would get a saddler out to check and flock the saddle if needed. If the saddle was found to be fine I would call the vet next.

 

[Aperchristmas]

I'm another whose horse started napping when he developed arthritis in his neck. At first I thought he was doing it when turning away from home on certain routes. However once I twigged that he only did it when turning him to go up steepish hills (that only happened to be not in the direction of home), I knew it had to be pain-related. Is there a pattern to when/where she does it?

 

[lala horse lala]

Yes this definitely sounds pain related. Horses nap alone because they lack confidence but to nap following another horse is totally different. If this was my horse I would get a saddler out to check and flock the saddle if needed. If the saddle was found to be fine I would call the vet next.

ok thanks have got saddler coming out soon but will just monitor things for now her napping does seem related to certain things she might want to do though its not just out of no where - eg there’s one route quicker than the other and she tries to turn in that direction, she doesn’t want to go down a path (which she spooks at because it’s not a tunnel shape, you can’t see the other side if that makes sense so it looks like a dead end), and sometimes she naps going down a lane but she has to pass the herd and has always had some sort of difficulty with this! thanks for advice

 

[lala horse lala]

I'm another whose horse started napping when he developed arthritis in his neck. At first I thought he was doing it when turning away from home on certain routes. However once I twigged that he only did it when turning him to go up steepish hills (that only happened to be not in the direction of home), I knew it had to be pain-related. Is there a pattern to when/where she does it?

to be honest there isn’t an obvious pattern in terms of when we go up steeper hills etc, in fact there’s some very steep hills at the start of the hack which she has no issues with at all and never has! but there’s certain fields/ lanes it’s in her character to do this at, ive put it down to excitement in certain cases and really depending on the situation always been able to come up with another reasoning!

 

[tallyho!]

I'd be investigating pain... what breed is she?