Taking a dislike to a specific place on a hacking route??

[Twizzel]

We are lucky in that most of our hacking is off road, and straight onto fields/woods. One of our routes is up a track which leads into a field that we walk through the middle of. At the bottom of that field we go into another and then into some woods.

Every time we walk into the first field, Max will slow up, become unresponsive to my leg, however once we are at the bottom of it he will pick up the pace again. He does this in company, yesterday I took him out on his own and he was even more reluctant to go forward, started napping and spinning round to turn for home. Once I got him standing still we turned to go out of the field, however he wouldn't go through the gateway, so we were going round in circles. I got off and led him through as 17.2hh of napping horse isn't my idea of fun and I was on my own.

I know the napping was due to him being out on his own (he normally goes out with the same horse) but what I can't understand is the slowing down to almost a standstill every time we go into the field? There's nothing scary in there, it's exactly the same every time we go in it, not windy, just nothing that would make me think a horse would be reluctant to go into it? As I said, as soon as he leaves this field he picks up the pace and enjoys himself, is responsive and really strides out, but going through this field is hard work.

Ideas?

 

[Fox07]

Is there anything that could be potentially dangerous there- eg a tree looking like its about to fall, a hole in the path? I only ask because a few weeks back out hacking the horses point blank refused to go over a bridge that they had gone over a million times, a few weeks later we rode past and saw the bridge had collapsed. I think they sensed it wasnt stable and thats why they refused to go over anymore. In another incident the horse I was riding refused to go down a path we had been down a lot, next time I went to go down there a tree had fallen across the path. Horses really do have a sixth sense I think!

 

[Shilasdair]

I had a similar problem with my Tb mare out hacking. She's normally very sensible, but suddenly started refusing to walk on the left hand side at a certain point on a single track road, crabbing to the right hand side instead.
This went on for about a week, with me riding her strongly forward, whilst telling her in my best schoolmarm tones 'There's nothing there!'
But there was - a nest of adders - I only realised when some of them got splatted on the road, after which time she was fine again.
S

 

[spookypony]

We have a Pony-vorous Porta-Potty along the path that gets at the very least a sideways stare, but often some spinning and/or walking backwards. Every time. It has yet to make its move, but apparently, it's imminent.

 

[Pedantic]

They are funny, 3 years on the go we have gone to Cloughton Scarborough, on the steep lane down to Robin Hoods bay there is a farm to pass, every year and it doesn't matter which way you approach it from, his lordship hates it, first year was a real problem, last two years slightly better if you can call 10 minutes of spinning and napping better, we do it eventually but dont understand his dislike of passing that farm.

 

[Mamamia]

Don't underestimate horses, if they don't want to go somewhere there is usually a reason. A friend of a friend's horse refused to walk down a track he normally had no problem with, she made him and they ended up getting electrocuted by a buried cable that had become live

(thankfully both survived)

 

[Mithras]

My mare dislikes a cemetary we sometimes pass out hacking. She doesn't refuse to go past, but would rather not, and snorts and looks for things to spook at until we are past it. She actually spooks me as well, so that I can feel shivers going up my spine!

 

[Shilasdair]

Just remembered too, the one time my horse refused to load into a lorry - she put both front feet on the ramp, then refused to go up, no matter what I did.
About a week later, the lorry's owner loaded her eventer, and headed off to compete, only to have the entire ramp fall off en route, leaving her having to jump her horses onto a bank to get them off.
And the next time, with a different lorry, my horse loaded fine.
S

 

[hairycob]

My mare used to give a big leap sideways at the same spot on a favourite canter & I could never work out why. It was only when out for a walk on the same route that I realised she could get a brief glimpse through the hedge of cars whizzing round the track at the autodrome. There was just a big enough gap in the hedge to see movement, but not enough to see what it was.