Turning back on hacks

[Rdrol]

Hi, I'm new to H&H but was after some advice please!
I've recently started loaning a TB x and absolutely adore her. I've known her a while as it's at the yard I keep my daughter's pony. We've built up a great relationship on the ground and comes trotting over as soon as my car pulls up.
However, I tried getting her out on a hack on her own the other day and she constantly turned back. The road where the yard is is a single track Road so I'm worrying she will turn and a car be behind us, thus blocking the way home and then I don't know what she'd try and do.

Fortunately, the other day we met no vehicles and I let her walk back home where at the top of the drive I got her doing some tight circles and then attempted again.
Any advice? Obviously I don't really want to be doing this. I was contemplating dismounting to ease her through but it's something we need to work together on as can't do that every time!
Thanks for reading

 

[MumsGloriousOrca]

Don't think it's more than a typically crafty horse who either got in the habit with former owners / riders and is maybe sending and taking liberties with your inexperience.

Don't take that as though I'm being unkind though not at all - I had a horse that was such a crafty bugger and played up to no end for my daughter because she's tiny, inexperienced and not confident trying to keep hold of him or get a little bit "HEY PACK THAT IN!"

If and when I stuck my head round the corner and just gave him a severe looking at he was almost OK OK... gawd

What I'd probably do and if you feel confident enough to do is pick up a good trot and keep her moving along that lane.
Nothing harsh just come out of the yard or whatever, and get a good trot going then when she seems as though she might be thinking of doing an about turn don't let her slow down just a good light "Come on keep it moving c'mon lessgo LESSSGO!"

Alternatively I'd go an entirely different route and not walk her down that line so she's not already locked in and ready to leg it back again. It's usually just a case of old habits and routine that needs changing / routes and hacking trails and throwing in distractions to catch them off guard and have them pick it up again.

 

[Rdrol]

Great thank you, I'll give trotting out a try! My daughter's pony did it originally when going past the field boundary, but a firm hand and she'd be fine (I was also riding my daughter's pony initially) but first time riding mine out alone, she's more forward going than our chunky laid back cob!
I need to be firmer! Hacking out with someone else she is absolutely fine. Thanks for the tips!

 

[Courbette]

I used to ride a ISH mare that used to plant when leaving the yard. If I tried to push her through it she got quite reactive to the point where I felt like she was considering rearing. She did rear occasionally later in life with a different rider so my concerns were probably justified.

I used to let her calm down but keep her facing the direction I wanted and ask again when she had settled and I felt her getting restless. I planned short circular hacks to start so I could factor in extra time waiting for the napping.

I know some people will have mixed feelings about this but I also used to lead her off the yard past the usual points where she would nap and then get on and do 75% of the hack mounted. The worst bit for her was getting off the yard. As the weeks went on she became more confident and the napping stopped.

Another horse I rode regularly tried napping after being ridden by a more nervous rider for a few weeks. I told her off and gave a tap with the whip to back up my leg and she didn't do it again so they are all different when it comes to napping!

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I've never understood why dismounting and leading past a 'sticky' point and then remounting is considered such a bad thing by some people. Like Courbette, I have had great success in retraining nappy horses by doing that. I do insist that they stand nicely and lead sensibly though.

I also agree that circular hacking routes (or lollipop shaped ones) are best with nappy horses.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

I agree, far better to get off and lead past a sticky point than risk a full blown battle. Result otherwise is often that they will escalate the behaviour next time.
A friend broke one of mine in for me and advised getting off and leading past if she took exception to anything. She strongly advised against getting into an argument with her and she was right. That was a mare who would rapidly up the ante if upset.

 

[Courbette]

I agree, far better to get off and lead past a sticky point than risk a full blown battle. Result otherwise is often that they will escalate the behaviour next time.
A friend broke one of mine in for me and advised getting off and leading past if she took exception to anything. She strongly advised against getting into an argument with her and she was right. That was a mare who would rapidly up the ante if upset.

I agree with this so much. Mine was a very green mare who also got upset. I had a passing livery once try to 'help' by throwing a handful of pebbles at her to encourage her forwards By sitting calmly waiting for the mare to relax before I tried again I clearly wasn't being proactive enough for any onlookers.

 

[oldie48]

We've had a couple who would nap when young. One would whip round and go backwards, so my daughter would just keep him going backwards until he decided it was better and easier to go forwards, the other would get upset and rear so she just used to sit there and wait until he got bored. The first time took 20 mins but very soon he decided it was better to get going. and she schooled him through it Both were fine in company though.

 

[Carrottom]

I tend to agree that there is no harm in dismounting and leading a short way. I have also reversed past certain places where a horse will plant. My best advice with this type of horse is to set out early, allow plenty of time, be firm in what you want to achieve but be flexible and reward the horse for each step.

 

[hopscotch bandit]

Hi, I'm new to H&H but was after some advice please!
I've recently started loaning a TB x and absolutely adore her. I've known her a while as it's at the yard I keep my daughter's pony. We've built up a great relationship on the ground and comes trotting over as soon as my car pulls up.
However, I tried getting her out on a hack on her own the other day and she constantly turned back. The road where the yard is is a single track Road so I'm worrying she will turn and a car be behind us, thus blocking the way home and then I don't know what she'd try and do.

Fortunately, the other day we met no vehicles and I let her walk back home where at the top of the drive I got her doing some tight circles and then attempted again.
Any advice? Obviously I don't really want to be doing this. I was contemplating dismounting to ease her through but it's something we need to work together on as can't do that every time!
Thanks for reading

Please don't start dismounting. This is very dangerous in my opinion as you have less control of the horse, especially if it is a bargy type of horse. It will use its neck strength against your hand and would win every time in a match of strength. A loose horse on the road is dangerous to everyone.

I've been hacking for 15 years on the present horse. I try to avoid hacks where we have to turn back and I'd say 9/10 times we do circular ones because I can guarantee that when we get to the point where we turned back the next time, she will start napping in an effort to return home. This is the only negative thing about her and I've never managed to get her out of it. She doesn't do anything dramatic anymore but in the past she would nap, plant, spin and do mini rears - in fact throw a whole number on me which I used to find incredibly frightening. She did it for a long time. But I never gave up and I only ever hacked on my own. She's not spun on me for many months now, and before that it must have been a year or two and these were because she was genuinely frightened which is different to just being plain nappy.

I came to realise that the spinning in the other direction was just a game to her. Despite the fact that we have upwards of a dozen cars pass us on our lane in less than 1/2 mile each time we hack out (on route to a National Trust place) she has never once managed to spin in front of a car in order for it to take evasive action. I think that says it all. Horses are not daft, they won't put themselves in harms way, they know that it would hurt to get hit by a car, they are not stupid. If she passes the point where she was turned the previous day she will just walk really slow in a zig zag fashion till she gets a smart tap with the whip and then she does as she should, but its taken me a long, long time to have the confidence to do know that I am in control. SHe now takes out young horses or riders of horses that are not very confident and is very rock steady on the road, not caring about buses, tractors or artic lorries.

With your mare you need to keep your inside hand ready to react on the rein and use your legs to move your horse over. You must use your reins to keep a contact on the insider rein to prevent her from being able to turn her head to the inside. Once her head has turned she will make her neck rigid to gain strength against you and she will have won the battle, so you need to make sure you don't reach that stage! Don't be afraid to back up your instruction with a smart tap from a whip if necessary, shoulder is probably the best.

IF she starts to plant then you need to turn around in the direction of home but rein her back past the thing she is planting at, whether it is something she has seen spooky, or whether she is planting as an evasion. This is a really good trick as the horse thinks it has 'won' because it is facing towards home, although it is walking backwards for a distance. Horses soon get bored of walking backwards and when you turn her around in the direction YOU want to go she will be more inclined to do what you ask, although you may have to repeat yourself a few times first! Be careful not to hold her too tight when you do this or she might start to rear, so give and take with your hands whilst asking for rein back. You will work out which contact is the best.

You will never 'win' a battle of strength against a horse. A battle of logic and common sense is much more effective imho.

 

[Kirsty87]

Hi, I'm new to H&H but was after some advice please!
I've recently started loaning a TB x and absolutely adore her. I've known her a while as it's at the yard I keep my daughter's pony. We've built up a great relationship on the ground and comes trotting over as soon as my car pulls up.
However, I tried getting her out on a hack on her own the other day and she constantly turned back. The road where the yard is is a single track Road so I'm worrying she will turn and a car be behind us, thus blocking the way home and then I don't know what she'd try and do.

Fortunately, the other day we met no vehicles and I let her walk back home where at the top of the drive I got her doing some tight circles and then attempted again.
Any advice? Obviously I don't really want to be doing this. I was contemplating dismounting to ease her through but it's something we need to work together on as can't do that every time!
Thanks for reading

Hey, the most effective thing I personally found to cure this, is letting them go where they want to be, do some work right where they want to be and then let them relax in a different place to what they expect. Do some circles or what not, where they want to be for a few minutes then let them walk on, on a looser rein in the direction you want. I will post you the link that cured mine of this in the past. The gate for example is the holy grail to some horses, its where they get let off back to their buddies, so do the work there and make it easier elsewhere. Works a treat x

 

[Courbette]

Please don't start dismounting. This is very dangerous in my opinion as you have less control of the horse, especially if it is a bargy type of horse. It will use its neck strength against your hand and would win every time in a match of strength. A loose horse on the road is dangerous to everyone.

I think this depends on the horse. My horse was happy to follow me on foot and was at more chance of getting loose through me falling off through pressuring her from the saddle than happily following me a little further and remounting. I think, as with all things horses, one solution won't fit all. I was lucky, my mare became very good at hacking alone so I presume her problems were down to a lack of confidence and she either needed me or another horse alongside her until she found her feet

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I have put a lot of effort into training my horses to walk obediently in-hand. Therefore I think the risk of them getting loose is lower if I dismount and lead past an issue and then remount.

A few years ago I rode with various different people and it was invariable that the people who thought that dismounting was terrible needed me to get off because they dropped their phone, or their horse's boots had slipped or even better the hacking route had gates that you couldn't open from on board. The people who trained their horses on the ground to a high standard were a delight to ride with, you could even take turns to open and close gates!