youngster being silly on way back from hack

[Fox07]

my young horse (turns 4 in july) has started being a silly bugger on our way back home (we currently hack out with sensible horses so they arent winding her up, its her!) she starts getting faster and faster and when I go to slow her using my seat and hands she goes overbent and jogs. I have tried focuisng her energy on other things- flexing her neck, shoulder in etc but as soon as we stop this shes off again. I dont think pushing her on when she starts on the way home is the answer and I am concerned about her thinking she can do this all the time. Should I be pushing her on as soon as we start the hack and not let her stop even if she wants to? or should I be thinking about doing something else? any suggestions appreciated

 

[Pauli]

Hey,

horses who want to go back to the yard often get faster on the way home. Now you have to figure out why she wants to go back home and only then you can start changing things. If you comfort her right after a ride, tack the tack off, feed her, let her go back into the field, then of course she wants to go back home where she can relax. There are different things you can try. Each horse responds different so you have to figure out what suits you and you mare best.
On the way back you could let her have a picnic. Just stop for a few minutes and let her graze. Just make her comfortable being out hacking and make her feel like there is no rush to go home.
If you have an arena at your your yard you could go for a little hack and instead of turning her away after the hack ride her for a bit in the arena, school her or lung her. This does not give her the idea of comfort and if you repeat it a few times it might help her, But it probably wont help her if she is rushing home to another horse as the horse will be there and gving her comfort simply by being there.
You could also ride in a circle which helps a lot of horses I have worked with. Ride home, let her rush but do not stop at your yard, carry on. But carry on in a circle meaning you will end up at the yard again. If you repeat the circle a few times the first time you are doing it, many horses realise that there is no point in rushing home as they will only go past and carry on. With some horses it only takes one circle till they change their pattern and stop running home.
You can also hide a feed bucket on the way home. Feed her before you reach the yard, loosen her girth, make her comfortable and then bring her home. You can also give her her feed generally away from the yard for a while. This way she has something to look forward to when leaving the yard. It helps if the feed is very yummy and special

These are just a few ideas of many You know your horse best and I am sure you find the right way to teach your horse not to rush home.
But most horses I have trained stopped running home as soon as they happy to go out and had something to look forward too