Turns into a nappy donkey on hacks.

[Pink Gorilla]

My horse is fairly well schooled now and we are joining BD in January to compete in the summer season. However on hacks he reverts into riding school pony type mode. If he's alone he's very tense and explosive with a sharp spook on him, so it just isn't fun. Therefore I tend to hack him with my children's pony. But when he's out with his buddy he is very lazy, backwards, nappy and bulges his shoulder towards his friend if I'm trying to school on circles etc. I have to be really very firm with him to get him to move away from my left leg, which I find very easy in the arena. I want to keep his work varied and not just drill him in the arena, but it's so frustrating to have him going like a nappy, wooden novice pony when I know he is capable of going very nicely. I could also feel him on the edge of telling me 'what for' when I was being very insistent today to get him off my left leg. Do anyone else horses forget all schooling on a hack, or nap to the other horses? I don't want a battle and I don't let him get away with it, but he still persists every time.

 

[SEL]

I'm currently using my 13h pony to escort a friend's warmblood who was nappy and backwards hacking. Today he led for quite a lot of the ride with just a few wobbles - huge achievement.

We haven't asked him to do anything other than go forwards and follow the pony, so his lesson is pretty simple. I'm not sure reading your post if you're also trying to school on hacks? You mention circles. I'd park anything apart from forwards and listening for now, with a flick of the schooling whip if your leg doesn't get the message through.

 

[Pink Gorilla]

I'm currently using my 13h pony to escort a friend's warmblood who was nappy and backwards hacking. Today he led for quite a lot of the ride with just a few wobbles - huge achievement.

We haven't asked him to do anything other than go forwards and follow the pony, so his lesson is pretty simple. I'm not sure reading your post if you're also trying to school on hacks? You mention circles. I'd park anything apart from forwards and listening for now, with a flick of the schooling whip if your leg doesn't get the message through.

Yes so my grass arena is too wet, so I'm trying to school whilst on hacks. My horse his happy to follow a tail, but as soon as he is asked to go in front or do simple schooling, he's like a hollow crooked donkey and I struggle to get him to relax forward and supple.

 

[planete]

How much hacking has he done in his life? What you describe is usually the result of nerves in an inexperienced horse. I have just spent over a year training a ten year old pony to hack. It has taken a lot of walking in hand with stops for relaxing spots of grazing, miles of long reining ( and a few near dust biting rides) but the pony is now relaxed enough to stride out even on solo hacks. Training to hack out confidently can be as much work and take as long as training for dressage competitions with some horses.

 

[Pink Gorilla]

How much hacking has he done in his life? What you describe is usually the result of nerves in an inexperienced horse. I have just spent over a year training a ten year old pony to hack. It has taken a lot of walking in hand with stops for relaxing spots of grazing, miles of long reining ( and a few near dust biting rides) but the pony is now relaxed enough to stride out even on solo hacks. Training to hack out confidently can be as much work and take as long as training for dressage competitions with some horses.

He does hack once a week usually, but I avoid it alone, so it usually involves following a tail. Lately I have started asking him to step away and school around the pony, or go off ahead for a little trot and canter. So if we school in a large circle with my daughter holding the pony in the middle (we live on a farm with large fields to hack round luckily), the excessive falling in starts. If we go off ahead for a trot or canter, while my daughter leads the pony along behind, the hollowing and backwards behaviour starts. I was thinking earlier and I do think it comes from a lack of confidence and I have started long reining him out alone these past two weeks since my grass arena has gotten too wet, which each session we've had a little improvement on. It's just frustrating how he looks to the pony for confidence and not me.

 

[scats]

I’ve successfully got lots of nappy hackers out hacking confidently alone, but it takes a lot of work and patience.
Do you have a short, circular route that you can do regularly? I appreciate it’s more difficult now in winter, but I try to stick the reluctant nappers to a familiar route over and over for a while. First go out with another horse, then a foot soldier, then alone.
I’d honestly be doing it every day for a week or so if possible (which is why summer is a good time to work on this) and then every other day. Make it as normal to do that route as going in the school.

You need to build his confidence up on a route that he can handle first.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

He does hack once a week usually, but I avoid it alone, so it usually involves following a tail. Lately I have started asking him to step away and school around the pony, or go off ahead for a little trot and canter. So if we school in a large circle with my daughter holding the pony in the middle (we live on a farm with large fields to hack round luckily), the excessive falling in starts. If we go off ahead for a trot or canter, while my daughter leads the pony along behind, the hollowing and backwards behaviour starts. I was thinking earlier and I do think it comes from a lack of confidence and I have started long reining him out alone these past two weeks since my grass arena has gotten too wet, which each session we've had a little improvement on. It's just frustrating how he looks to the pony for confidence and not me.

You have missed out a step, try asking him to take the lead before you ask him to leave the pony. I'm not surprised he is nappy, you are not setting him.up for success. Have you tried riding in the arena with the pony to get him used to moving away within his comfort zone?

 

[paddy555]

. It's just frustrating how he looks to the pony for confidence and not me.

then I would get rid of the pony so there is only you left. Forget the schooling
if he likes the long reins then when you go out get him listening to you on them. I take mine out on long reins before I start to ride them. That way they are out in front, have to gain confidence being out on their own. Every few yards a fresh instruction.. Trot 5 strides, back to walk. Serpentines as you go along. Trot a few strides and straight into a circle ie lunging on the long reins. One circle and off you go in the other direction. Busy busy, keep him listening and focussing on you. Another command every few strides. It will be hard work to start with (for you)
Work on a route where there is going to be a good going home part, a nice canter, some logs, anything where it is going to be fun. Long rein out, leave the longreins in the hedge and ride back. Nice canter, repeat all the messing around you have done on the long reins. Make it fun. Keep repeating the fun going home part and keep adding a few more yards to it.
If you have your own farm put some poles in a far field, long rein out, lunge him over a few give him some variety and something different to do.

 

[Pink Gorilla]

Great suggestions thanks everyone! Will put them to work this week