What next with nappy mare?

LifesRemedy

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Hi everyone, I have a 7 year old rescued part tb mare. I have patiently been gaining her trust and overcoming various problems. She is now hacking out really nicely in company and today I took her to a riding school accomplishing several firsts inc. Getting on lorry, working alone, strange place etc. But as for hacking out alone I have now been out a handful of times 20mins max and have exhausted the short route options - she still tries to nap on these routes.

So the question is, do I keep riding the 3 or 4 short routes until the napping subsides or do I go for a longer one aiming to settle/tire her into giving up napping so much??

Many thanks.
 
What does she do when she naps?

I've had a major napping problem with my mare since November last year, unfortunately rather then just 'napping' she was extremely explosive as well (broncing, bucking, leaping, spinning,reacting to EVERYTHING etc). I've had a big break through this week which I think was helped by the fact that I had upped her workload by lunging her every day for a week before I tried riding her again. When I got back on her thankfully the explosive side had gone and I just had the planting or reversing when asked to go forward to deal with.

I've managed to ride her out 3 times this week on my own without having to get off (not managed this since November) but I've stuck to the same ride and I would say that each time her confidence has grown. In a few more days I will start venturing a bit further as the change of scenery may do us both good having done the same route every ride since the napping started!

I need to go and do the horses now but there are more details on this thread http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=604997 explaining how I got her going forward. It's not a flawless method and will probably only work for certain types of nappers but it may be some help to you.
 
The two most memorable have involved planting, bucking, spinning and bolting for home, but that hasn't happened since December now and I have slightly more control. Now she plants, half rears and spins - if I don't catch her first that is, but I'm getting better at pre-empting her. I'm glad you've had your breakthrough, now the weather is improving - slightly - and linger evenings all workloads will be increasing which will help :-)
 
Hi, when you hack out in company do you / can you go in front? If not I'd work on that where possible first so you have company as back up if needed.

Having previously been quite confrontational I'm now firmly of the opinion that the smoother and quieter things can be done the better and quicker in the long run.

If in company and going in front can you eek that out so that you are further in front each time.

I like to achieve milestones when the horse doesn't even realise its happened these days!

Good luck :)
 
In company we will happily go out for hours and yes she will lead reasonably confidently, only the occasional hedge monster that desperately requires a body guard! Why are they scared of things we can't see, but in her case not scared of the scary things ie. Tractors, tankers, cows etc! I'm quite similar to you Turks in that I like to achieve things gently too...it is a very strange phenomenon to the others on my yard!
 
Mine is a napper and I have taken her out in hand loads and loads before I even started riding her, its made a huge difference to her confidence and therefore the napping. She has mag ox too which makes a difference to her spookiness and again, the napping. It's all tied in with lack of confidence, so I think if you can just about get round a 20 min route confidently, do that and keep doing it til its a non event, alternating with longer hacks in company. Obviously you want to be able to go out properly but those first few 'safe' routes are quite important I think.

Also agree try to keep it smooth and calm where possible. I save any inelegant shouting 'get on!' and a smack for if she stops in the middle of a certain busy junction where stopping is dangerous and definitely not cool! In that case I think she can see why I need her to move, plenty of other times she would flatten her ears and threaten to buck if someone did that. I respect that sometimes she is scared and just needs a minute to process, we have a good relationship now so we are building on hacking :-)
 
Thanks mandwhy. When I first had her I couldn't even less her out in-hand without her panicking and nearly taking my head off several times! But yes, I can get round these short routes with usually only 1-2 hairy moments!
 
Oops posted too soon! Yes I agree there are circumstances where one needs to alter ones approach...glad you are getting your hacking sorted, there's hope for me yet then!
 
Personally I would take a day when I had plenty of time and take her out on a long route. if she naps and spins turn her back against herself and just sit her out until she wants to go forward and then wait a tad longer so she goes when you ask. I would keep going until she stops being an idiot and then head for home.
I would certainly take her far and wide to places she has never been. Keep calm, be very determined and you will win her through.
 
Short routes until she is really really confident and going forward on those (don't forget to reward her with fuss etc at one or two points) - can you gradually extend those by adding a little on now and again. It's about her confidence - she gets it from company, she needs to learn to get it from you.
If you can't extend the short routes, start on a longer one, take her as far as she is comfortable, when you feel her getting sticky, get a couple more strides, reward her (food treat if you like) go forward another step and turn her for home. Don't turn her when she is stuck (rewards the planting) or when she wants to (has to be your decision not hers) and build bit by bit. Make it your project, to build her comfort zone bit by bit over the spring and summer.
 
Majority of the time horses nap is not because they are afraid but because they want to get back to other horses. This is why I will take them out on long rides rather than short familiar routs.
The waiting game works but you have to allow plenty of time to sit it out. Next time out it takes less time but, there will often be 'moments' when they try it on for a long time afterwards.
The longest I have sat it out was 3 hours, in the middle of a X roads in a village on big heavyweight hunter. I could have gone any way bar straight ahead. He was not afraid he was just plain nappy! That was really the ed of him trying things on but every now and then he would still stop and think about trying it on.

The most annoying thing was when people walking past would say "Isn't he lovely, can he have sweetie?"
I did not think he was lovely nor that he deserved a toffee!
 
Sounds like you are making progress so well done. I think I would try a longer route. The reason I say this is because I think when horses get bored which she probably will be if you've done this route a lot they may play up to make things more exciting. Also what do you do on your solo hacks? Is it just simply a case of getting round as calmly as possible or do you liven it up with lots of transitions, lateral moves etc... I used to have a napper and it is a nightmare mine was a mare and you could not use force (ie pony club kicks, the whip etc) you just had to sit it out until she got fed up and went forward. Sounds like you are getting there and perhaps a change of scenery will be that last step! Good luck x
 
Have you taken her out in the trailer to a unknown ride on her own? I tried this with my very nappy youngster. She looked to me for leadership in strange places and it did help her confidence. With familiar routes we always tended to have the naps at the same places and that can then sometimes be a rider issue also.
 
my girl is very similar, hacks like a dream in company, but on her own is very nappy, threatens to rear and sometimes does, brilliant at walking backwards and occasional bucks as well as just refusing to move.
i find sometimes i just stand still and wait for her to move, as she will often not respond to a whip or strong leg, it makes her worse.
personally i find longer hacks are much better, as she naps the most in the first 10 minutes when near home as she doesnt want to leave, after about 30 minutes she gets in the swing of things and stops napping, although then can start spooking but is atleast going forward!
also if tired out after a long hack she doesnt try to rush home as much.
i am mean and now she is starting to improve, by reguarly going out on her own, even though it is a lot of effort for me and not much fun, i now sometime circle her back away from home so she doesnt think once she points in one direction towards home that is it. she then starts napping again but i work her through it (only in areas with lots of space- as i ride on a common so plenty of room if she does start backing up ect)
personally i find the more often the better they get, she had over a week off recently and was a horror to hack out alone! just be determined, i always say to my mare if you are going to be a stubborn cow i will be a stubborn cow back, i never give in!
 
My old girl used to be very nappy. I never managed to totally stop her but just used to ignore her. She would buck, rear and be very explosive but i just used to sit it out ad when she stopped, which could be abything from 10 minutes to a coupe of hours, she would get on with what i was asking. In company she was fine, just a liitle explosive over exciting things.
I would carry on with you are doing and start to introduce longer rides with her on your own. Also going somewhere new can help with it. If i went on a totally new ride my girl would behave really good and not put a foot wrong.
 
Thanks for all the ideas everyone, as much as anything else it is nice to know I am not alone and that it sounds like we are making progress. As a lot of you have mentioned its funding the line between confidence of knowing somewhere and boredem doing the same thing.

I have taken her out in the lorry for the first time yesterday and had a lesson, I was very pleasantly surprised. But no, haven't taken her and hacked alone yet.
 
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