Young horse throwing tantrums over food whilst hacking

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MTrewhella1

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Hi all :)

I am currently backing a 4 year old youngster and he has been doing so well, responding perfectly to my cues, hacking out with my partner on foot to keep us company and overall being a lovely lad HOWEVER...

Whilst hacking he is always trying to eat out of the hedge (he has plenty of grazing and food at home). I don’t allow him to eat out of the hedge as don’t want to create any bad habits and the rides are still only very short (20 mins or so, mainly bridleways with a short stretch of road).

He has now started to throw tantrums when I don’t let him eat whilst hacking which usually consists of planting and not moving forwards but today he threw in some bucks which totally knocked me back!

I feel really disheartened as everything was going so well and I have no idea how to overcome these tantrums, you would think he never eats! Has anyone got any advice on ways to overcome this please?
 
I wouldn’t hack out with a human, you really need an older horse and then get them going forward, pick up the speed and don’t let him dawdle.
 
bonny said:
I wouldn’t hack out with a human, you really need an older horse and then get them going forward, pick up the speed and don’t let him dawdle.
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I agree it is not that helpful to have a person on foot unless they can walk or jog along so you can be riding at a decent pace, it sounds as if he needs a horse to follow to give you both confidence, if it is not possible to find a hacking companion then the best way to tackle this is probably to go back onto long reins so you can get him going forward again, you may need to jog behind him to get him going but it should be easier to stop the eating if you are unable to do it from on top without the fear of being bucked off.
Can you ride anywhere other than on the bridleways, going around a few fields keeping away from the hedges would give you a better chance of being more independent from your walker but still near enough to have back up if required, every youngster progresses in different ways, there is a key to most and finding that key will allow you to go forward so don't be afraid to try a few different things if what you are doing is not working, it doesn't mean it is wrong it may just be wrong for that horse at that time.
 
What would worry me would be your reaction not his behaviour. Young horses try it on, just like children do. How you react to that, creates patterns of behaviour that can be terribly difficult to change. No one in charge of backing a young horse or bringing one on should be ‘knocked back’ by a buck, and the napping related to the snacking should have been quickly discouraged. You say you have ‘no idea’ how to get rid of the tantrums. Please get help from someone who does - who can get on and show you. You need some real life help from someone experienced.
 
Perhaps get some experienced help before your confidence and his manners take a further set back.

Personally I don’t allow young horses to hack out until the steering and go/stop buttons are well established, especially if the hacking involves meeting traffic. Not being able to control his neck bend means you have no steering and therefore little to no control of him. It would also suggest your long line work needs a revisit.
 
I agree you need some experienced help if this is happening. You absolutely must nip this in the bud. Youngsters try it on and you must be robust enough to ride them forward through it. Essentially, he should be being encouraged to work sufficiently forward into a contact that he does not have the opportunity to do this and is occupied enough not to try it. What basic schooling have you done with him? Is he working into a contact and do you have basic transitions and understanding of leg and rein aids in place? You can do this out hacking as well as in an arena but I also would worry that you actually have very little control of the reins are sufficient long that he is doing this. What happens if something spooks him or you meet something unexpected and worrying on the hack? You need the tools and confidence to be able to anticipate and deal with that. You need to be two steps ahead of a youngster so you set them up to succeed. It seems he is getting the upper hand.
 
Well if he was mine then he would have got a rather sharp forward aid I'm afraid.

Maybe AA is right - take it back to and enclosed space, stick some food about the place and make him walk past it until he is doing everything in the direction and pace that you want.
 
DabDab said:
Well if he was mine then he would have got a rather sharp forward aid I'm afraid.

Maybe AA is right - take it back to and enclosed space, stick some food about the place and make him walk past it until he is doing everything in the direction and pace that you want.
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This, I might even be inclined to use reins looped and smacked either side of the neck if I was worried about a big buck that may unseat me. But if not, I’d be using a stick on his arse if my leg aids were being ignored.
 
Personally I wouldn’t consider a couple of bucks a set back, particularly as you know it was just part of his tantrum. Young horses do try it on, a lot of them will have a buck every now and then to test the rider. If he does it again I would send him forwards quite sharply, with your whip if needed, if you can trot along that path then I would do so.
Another thing is why is he getting the opportunity to try to snatch at grass? Youngsters get bored, they like to be doing things, if he’s going to snatch at grass then I would be marching him along with at least some contact. Can you school as you go? Transitions, leg yield, shoulder fore etc. If you can get his focus on you then he won’t be looking for things to eat.
 
AdorableAlice said:
I didn't mention putting food around.

It just needs teaching to listen to the handler/rider and not have its own agenda for snacking. If the go/stop and steer is not installed and consistent the horse is not safe to hack out.
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I know. You said back to the arena. I said chuck some food around to test themselves before heading back out. I was trying to be helpful, since it's not actually an issue I've come across except with cheeky ponies.

Fear not, I'm sure people know your posting style well enough to know you would never suggest something so unconventional
 
DabDab said:
I know. You said back to the arena. I said chuck some food around to test themselves before heading back out. I was trying to be helpful, since it's not actually an issue I've come across except with cheeky ponies.

Fear not, I'm sure people know your posting style well enough to know you would never suggest something so unconventional
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I can be unconventional- check out Trudy Trollop, :D
 
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