Napping

[dcp]

Hello, Need a little help please. I have just bought my first horse he is a TBx and is 12. The only small problem we have is that when I ride him he keeps mucking around and refusing to listen to me and turning the opposite way. I know this is him just testing me and trying to bully me around but I would like to know what is the best way to deal with this. Usually when he decides to leave the school and stand at the gate I will keep trying to turn him and he always rears up then I will kick him on. Some people suggest just sitting there and being very patient and not doing anything then he will get bored other people say turn him around in a small circle and if he rears keep kicking him on. His rears are getting bigger everytime he does it and I am a little concerned he might injure us both :eek: can anyone help with suggestions please?

Thank u!

[eventerbabe]

my advice would be, don't let him stop. keep him going, keep your leg on. if he does start napping and stops, turn him onto a small circle in any direction, as long as he keeps moving. might be useful to carry a whip. i don't like using them but resorted to a short jumping whip when i had a similar problem. good luck :)

[baxter]

I know exactly how you feel... you are not alone, my anglo arab was exactly the same as yours sounds... this is what i did:
have had him seven months and gave up on hacking as believe his confidence was low.
spent thoses seven months, schooling, bonding etc etc etc....
took him out to competitions and then tried another hack easter weekend, we managed it but i felt physically and mentally stronger to deal with him, he was listening to me but still spooked into a hawthorn bush !!! and then had to be led past some people... oooo scary people (most embarrassing on my part!) anyway i had a series of mini naps and i'd gone as far as i wanted to and he was threatening to rear (you'll get to know the feeling!) and so i pushed him on a couple more steps and turned for home, albeit crab like sideways manic jogging for half of it until he relaxed again!
my advice is take it slowly, i felt i was putting both me and my boy in danger at first as his rears were getting unmanagable and i was quite frankly scared by his outbursts.... i know it sounds unachievable and boring but if you have him listening to you in all other disciplines make hacking the last hurdle you overcome... you'll get there in the end i promise, just stay safe in the mean time and don't put too much pressure on yourselves. Good Luck.

[baxter]

sorry, mis-read your post, doesn't sound like your having problems hacking but in the school, i also had this and movement, not allowing him to stand is the best way.... a horse cannot rear whilst moving.... persevere, you'll get there i promise and it'ss be a distant memory before long. :)

[racipaci]

My horse sometimes stops and naps when I ask too much of him and he can't cope! :rolleyes: I'm not really into beating him with a stick or anything to make him move so I generally just sit there with my leg on so he knows what I want until he relaxes and moves forward again, it does take a lot of patience.

He recently started doing this a lot, even when going out for a hack which is very unlike him, so I didn't pursue it but called the back lady out who confirmed he had put something out in his back, they generally do these things for a reason you just have to figure out what the reason is. Maybe doing some groundwork with your horse will help improve your relationship when you're on top? :D did you have his back and tack checked when you got him? :D

[paynel]

I know how you feel i had a napper for a first horse and it knocked my confidence really bad, my horse even did gallop off with me!

There are two things in why he could be doing this, one could be his backs out or something so consider having his back checked or his just being naughty or testing you.

Right this is what i did, dont let them stop so they even have a chance to rear! dont give them a chance!
The side they are napping on spin them in a tight circle and try entering the menage or whereever your going from the other side. If he stil doesnt go, spin him about 6 times in a short circle to say "if you dont go, i will spin you" it tells the horse that you are boss and he doesnt do what he wants!

I didnt ride my horse after i got her for at least 6 months i was scared of her, al we did was ground work and i think thats helped our bond, but when i started getting on her again she still napped!

If i was you i would just perserve!

Hope this helps

Lee n Pen Pen

[dcp]

Thanks everyone for your advide.

I haven't had his tack or back checked it is on my list. He can be a cheeky boy and the more I ride him the more he does improve and the more confident I get. I am riding him tonight so no doubt it will happen. I just don't want to get angry with him and do something wrong. I have only had him for 4 weeks so I suppose there is a lot we don't know about each other yet. It's all fun though and I may not know that much about horses but everyday I'm learning. In the meantime I have my body protector just in case we have any accidents.

Cheers

[Yann]

If he's new then he maybe isn't sure of you or that you can be relied on to be in charge, so he may be testing you to make see if you are. Spending quality time on the ground and doing some simple groundwork exercises with him may well help a lot if this is part of the issue.

I'd get his saddle and back checked as soon as possible though, such extreme behaviour may well be a cry for help. They can't tell us if something is hurting or uncomfortable, the only way they can show it is by objecting and being 'naughty'.

[racipaci]

if he's a typical TB like mine is then I would suggest not pushing him too much if he does stop, I know with Dave you really can't bully him into doing something, he tries his best most of the time but I know he finds things hard and does have reason to protest occassionally, the more stressed I get with him the more our schooling deteriorates.

Just take it nice and slowly and calmly and I'm sure things will improve :D

[dcp]

Thanks racipaci when he does it I do sometimes get quite annoyed with him and it doesn't do either of us any good. I will keep calm and try see it from his point of view.

Thanks to everyone for your replies its a great help.

[notpoodle]

that sounds all to familiar :)

my pony did it, too! one day she decided she didnt want to leave the yard on her own anymore. shed stop dead and then turn herself around and proceeded to back into a ditch if i tried to do anything about it (luckily, she does not rear or anything though!).

we had the one major argument about this (i eventually had enough of her behaviour), now there seems to be an agreement between us and i can easily catch her BEFORE she gets a chance to stop or turn around.

i dont know what your horse is like, so not sure what to advise. with my pony it was a case of battling it out ponyclub style the once and then it was fine :)

julia
x

[chickflick1066]

I'm am always interested in threads about napping as it's my Stumpy's favourite trick in the book. But we actually got her to leave the front gate on Friday (instructor rode her) and apart from being surprised she had done it herself she happily walked the short distance to the next farm. Although...this morning, she did get out the gate but got scared when i asked to go further then the end of the barn! I think the reason was that she knew another horse was coming and mustve thought 'hang on a bit, there was another horse a min ago' and she spooked a little. She immeadiatly calmed down when she realised Caspar was still coming with us and happily followed. She will not ride or overtake horses on hacks, how shall i remedy this.

Also: Yann, you suggested doing some groundwork exercises. I am puzzled as to what is involved with groundwork. Would you be able to enlighten me and give me some suggestions as to where i can begin. (am i able to do it on a budget??)

Sorry about the ramble!

Thanks - Araminta

[Yann]

All you need to do goundwork is you, your horse, a lead rope and a headcollar. You also need an enclosed area to work in that isn't grass, or it may be hard to get their attention:D

The exercises are as simple as getting your horse to back up, come to you and step away from you when you ask. What this does in a quiet way is make you a horse higher in the pecking order, as controlling each other's feet is how horses assert themselves over each other. Most horses also like to have someone in charge who'll make the decisions for them, it's how they live in a herd and once you have established that you are that reliable leader they will tend to leave those decisions (like where to go or not to go, napping) to you. There's a bit more to it, you do need to make sure you use appropriate body language and be consistent in your handling too amongst other things. Essentially it boils down to Working with your horse in a way it understands.

There is a good introduction to what it's all about here (http://www.naturalhorsesupply.com/training.shtml) . I would recommend getting a good book on the subject such as Perfect Manners by Kelly Marks.