know how to cure napping

[horses4lf]

dose any one know how to cure napping :confused:

[applegirl123]

i would be interested in any responses on here.... OJ is soo naughty and SO totally nappy he is horrible to ride - still love him though!! i need to find some way that builds up the bond between us so that i actually enjoy riding him!

[chev]

Napping is nearly always down to a lack of confidence or trust in horse and/or rider.

Is the napping always in teh same situation? Does the horse nap in the same place, or maybe in new places only?

The answer is nearly always to go back to basics and do some groundwork, trust-building work, work on controlling the horse's feet, and getting him to soften and listen.

If the horse is napping in the school but nowhere else, perhaps he's finding some aspect of schooling difficult; in that case, go back a step to something more comfortable.

If he naps only when asked to leave his friends, it's usually because he feels safer with them than with his handler. Work on building his confidence with you.

Pushing and bullying a napper doesn't normally help much; they just lose even more confidence in you.

[KateWooten]

Napping is not a disease ! That's like asking 'what is the cure for a baby crying ?'

Why is he napping ? He is not confident, doesn't have a strong leader, is scared, confused or in pain. Cure him, by finding out what's wrong and then putting it right. It could take a while.

[horses4lf]

do u think i should jon up with him:)

[KateWooten]

What is 'join-up' ? Not a facetious question - I mean, what do you understand by join-up ?

[horses4lf]

its a way of talking to your horse asking him to be ** mate really monty robs is the guy that found it

[KateWooten]

well, join up is not just asking the horse to 'be your mate' .. so no, you should probably not attempt it at this stage. It IS something you should look into though for the future. Read all you can about it, why it works for Mr Roberts, the theory and ideas behind it ... definitely see someone demonstrate the technique in real life. There's so much more to it than that, and without a full understanding, it can be confrontational for the horse, and dangerous for you.

You probably want to think about more direct reactions to your horse's napping at the moment ... how does it start, what do you do when he starts ... how old is he ? how long have you had him ? etc etc

[flintybaby]

Napping is nearly always down to a lack of confidence or trust in horse and/or rider.



I'm not sure I agree with this statement. I have a 14.2hh cob who used to nap. He napped when showjumping, he napped when in the schooling ring and he napped at shows. He wasnt lacking in confidence or trust.

He grew out of that napping just by me being forceful on corners and being prepared for him napping. I think you have to think in advance and think 'when it my horse likely to nap', keep working on pushing the horse forward - even whilst napping and reward him with praise when he goes past a corner nicely.

[chev]

But by being prepared and pushing him on (I don't mean bullying) you are actually showing him that *you* are confident, and his confidence in you grows as a result. Horses will only trust you if they think you are capable leaders; by behaving in a confident manner with him, anticipating his drops in confidence and basically being there for him, you showed him you can be trusted as a leader. So, napping improves. :)

Unfortunately, while napping is ninety nine times out of a hundred a horse saying 'I'm scared and I'm not sure you're the best person to be putting my trust in' riders often misread it as naughtiness, or playing up, or being bolshy. Sometimes the way we react to that just happens to be the right one anyway. Sometimes, sadly, not.

[CurlyWurlyRach]

my horse naps hacking. Ive now stopped hacking and we're schooling until she learns that ill look after her and wont let the hedge monsters get her :rolleyes:
It will take time and patience. Not quick fixes im afraid.

also dont attempt join up unlss you know what your doing or you can do some serious damage to your horses mentaility.

[horses4lf]

thanx guys :)

[Lot1983]

I'm not sure that 'Monty Roberts found' join up, I am sure that is was there long before he made the video's and wrote the books...
I find that my spending time with the pony I ride just chatting to him when he's in the stable, hay for him and tea for me, helps us correct out issues sometimes...

[SA rider]

Napping in a particular spot can be solved with intense exercise on a circle/fig eights/changing rein etc in that particular place.
My pony was cured of severe napping after one (tiring) session. First I rode her in trot and walk on a circle (past the school gate which she kept napping towards). Pushing her past with my legs - really constant intense work. Always changing the rein and making tons of transitions. When I tired my freind got on and continued and then I got back on. Eventually, after about 2 hours of work she got the picture until she was walking, tired but obedient past the open gate without napping - after a few perfect passes we called her good girl, made a fuss of her and stopped.
The next day when I rode her she didn't bother napping...

[Spotty_Pony]

He grew out of that napping just by me being forceful on corners and being prepared for him napping.

I totally agree. My pony's problem wasn't actually this at first, it was actually because he was in a huge amount of pain in his feet. He is now 100% healthy and he is very rarely nappy. When he is nappy I need to be forceful otherwise he knows he can get away with it- that's his personality you see.

Thanks,

Jo

[Alfies-slave]

Napping can be simply because the horse can't see the point of going out. Horses can be trained to nap by riding them out and then doubling back on yourself to return home. The horse simply can't see the point of going a mile down the road and then returning exactly the way it came. Why bother leaving the yard? If you have no option but to double back stop and dismount before turning round. Give the horse a carrot or something. Then there is a purpose to the ride (going to find a carrot!)

Make sure that the horse always has to walk forwards to get home.

Ground driving can work wonders. You are sending the horse forwards. If the horse has issues about being infront or insecurity about leaving home then you can build up its confidence with sympathetic but firm training on the lojg lines.

[Spotty_Pony]

That's a brill. idea Alphie actually... :)