# Napping horse, help!



## Seahorse (2 March 2008)

A friend of mine at the yard has a horse that naps really badly and won't leave the yard. This morning it took her 1/2 hr to get him to go and he was backing up all over the place. He even backed into people's cars in the car park 
	
	
		
		
	


	




If you smack him he rears and if you use your legs he just goes backwards, and he's very good at knowing where he's going too.

Friend is very upset and doesn't know what to do, I have made a few suggestions, as have a couple of other people at the yard but she doesn't know what to do with him.
My suggestion was the just sit and read a book plan, but she isn't keen to try that, don't know why, as I know it has worked for me in the past. 
What else can I suggest?


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## zigzag (2 March 2008)

Keep making him walk backwards, try and turn him so he walks backwards out of the yard, I did that with one nappy mare she walkd backwards for about 3/4 mile, never napped again


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## Seahorse (2 March 2008)

We tried that and he won't back up when he's told, only when he wants to! If that makes sense! I don't think he's ever been taught how to back up.


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## BethH (2 March 2008)

Turn horse around and make it go backwards past napping area, that way horse has gone forward without realising it, works really well on Ryan!  Hope that makes sense?

Mine can be a so and so and has decided is now not able to hack out alone and has become very temperamental and a bit nappy again, although a poppet in company and in the school, he has always had an issue with this but got through it last summer and made massive progress, so we seem to be back to square 1 and I am convinced the changeable weather is really unsettling him as he is very fiesty and opinionated at the moment.  

I had the incredibly rearing horse on friday which is a worrying step to bad old habits again.  I have been through this before with him more than once and i agree with you, I think if you can make them sit it out then they get bored and take themselves forward and so is their choice and they are more confident with it, just don't let them reverse, make sure your friend takes her weight right back with her upper body so she is blocking the backwards movement, hopefully the horse will understand and feel safer as the weight back will encourage it's own weight on to its back end too if that makes sense?  

Definitely say no to whip or booting with leg as that makes my boy worse.  If he is really bad if I feel it is definitely fear rather than obnoxious behaviour, I get off and lead him past and then get back on again.  I find not being confrontational far better than having a battle as a nappy horse is normally a pretty anxious one with it, the more frustrated I get the more bucking, broncing and rearing I get so I think safety is the best policy all round.

Hope that has given you some idea and wish your friend good luck, it is a really horrible experience to go through.


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## BethH (2 March 2008)

by the way just saw last post, get her the Kelly Marks perfect manners book, gives you a load of tips on how to teach your horse to move it's body around at your say so, this would seem a really good place to start, as when ridden Ryan will go back to a voice command even if he isn't listening to ridden aids


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## lizzieuk1 (2 March 2008)

what about tacking up, putting lunge line on bridle and walking horse out of yard in hand, then a little way down the road getting on,  could also get a helper to bring the lunge whip behind to reinforce leaving the yard or carry lunge whip herself and each time the horse naps make it work on a circle for a minute or so until it realises it must go forward.


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## gemmahodgkinson (2 March 2008)

My five year old mare napped horribly when she came off 4 months of box rest after a fractured leg. I think she totally lost her confidence in being out, so I tried leading her in hand around for a while to get used to being off the yard. But, in the end she was just taking the mick because she knew it scared me when she did it and she would get her own way and go back home. So, I got a very experienced friend to take her out a few times and I have to say she got a very good smack as she even started to think about backing up or spinning and although she did try and buck etc to get out of going forward in the end she just realised it was a lot less hassle to go forward than to nap! She had a tantrum for about half an hour but then it was like something clicked in her mind and she has not napped since. Because my friend was not scared if she did rear or buck she could properly tell her off for being silly. Now my trainer rides her twice a week as well as me riding her and i find that really helps as having a very experienced person ride her just keeps reminding her she cant prat about! she has never tried to nap since and is a very happy forward going girl! Sometimes if you cant sort it out on your own it is better to ask for help rather than lose your confidence which it sounds like your friend will


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## pottamus (2 March 2008)

If you can't get it to back up try circling it really tightly for several turns and then ask for forwards again...each time it does not go forwards when asked circle it 6 times in both directions and keep increasing the amount of turns until the blighter realises it is better to do as told! This will need a strong rider mentally and lot's of patience and grit...so it might not be your friend that does it. But you need to do it for it to learn that resitance equals work of an un-comfortable nature!


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## jumpthemoon (2 March 2008)

My horse naps pretty badly - spins and rears and tries to bu*ger off - but I had a lesson at Jumpcross today and he was napping about going into the water - he spun, reared and went to turn round. Instructor said to shorten reins, and pull his head round in the direction I want to go, then kick kick kick! I did what she said (normally if there was no-one there I'd back off him and go home) but although it about did my legs in, once I'd shortened my reins and turned his head, he couldn't actually rear! I did some PC kicks over and over and in the end he went over the water - the next time went straight away 
	
	
		
		
	


	





I don't know if that method would work for your friends horse, but you've got to mean what you say if yo uare going to ask them to do something they don't want to. It's no good even trying if you are going to give in and not put your whole heart into getting them to do as they're told. Basically, you have to say 'we're going this way' and not give in - take whatever comes. I'd get a good instructor to help her. Also, what about taking her out in company? Does she go out ok with others?


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## H's mum (2 March 2008)

H is really good at doing this when she's in pain (or when she's recovering after being in pain and when she's expecting to be in pain) - I'd ensure first of all that the horse is ok and not hurting anywhere - there's (IMHO) only one reason for bad behaviour and that's pain - however if you can eliminate this ,,, the way I get H to do as I like is to sit it out (she too has the habit of standing on her hind legs and reversing and also has a mean spin on her!)  As soon as she stops and starts going backwards I put her in reverse adn then she naps in the direction that I'm going - as soon as she stops I make her back up - then I turn her around and if she naps again I do the same until she eventually gives in - it can take a long time but you get there in the end! 
	
	
		
		
	


	




Kate x


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## Nudibranch (2 March 2008)

Yup, agree with getting him checked with back, teeth etc. Mine napped when I first got her and I had nobody to ride out with for a lead. So I took her out in-hand for ages - at least 3 months - and then on long reins (don't recommend this if you're not experienced with it though). Anyway it worked, she rode out fine after that. Patience, patience, patience!


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## rosieted (2 March 2008)

My horse used to be exactly like yours. It was because she was and still is so attached to her herd. She is better now because she spent six months going out in company and i guess she realised that she could leave the others and it would be ok, she will always return to them. Its the only thing i can suggest but its not exactly a short term solution!


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## toomanyhorses26 (2 March 2008)

I have always found long reining is really good at getting nappy horses going forward and sometimes you can be a bit firmer from the ground with your body language etc than you can from sitting on them


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## Daisychain (2 March 2008)

Ditto your reply... Get the long reins out, a horse will usually behave the same on long reins as when ridden, if he rears then smack him bloody hard and send him on, you are not going to get squashed so be firm, if he falls over then that his fault, long rein him every where so he gets to go forward and behave, only when he is perfect on the long reins should you attempt riding him again, he has totally dominated your friend i am afraid and seriously needs sorting.


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## Damnation (2 March 2008)

My mare is a really bad napper. On a bad day she will nap in company. She walks backwards if I put my leg on, spins around if I smack her and is just  pain in the arse. I just sit there and keep her facing in the direction I want. I named it the patience method. I just sit, and wait. She can't walk backwards forever! once she stands still I let her stand, once she fidgits etc, I start giving her small squeezes to go forewards, if she goes forweards, she gets a pat and a good girl. If she goes backwards, we start again. Last resort for me is to get off and lead her past and then get back on.


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## Seahorse (2 March 2008)

thanks guys that lot should keep us busy for a while!


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## Tiffany (2 March 2008)

Does anyone else ride him and if so, is he the same with them? Is it when he's on his own or even with company?


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## Seahorse (2 March 2008)

Yes a few other people ride him and he's just as nappy with them, he will still nap even in company when he's in front but will follow another horse eventually!

A very experienced lady rides him once a week and she got the better of him to start with, but he's become wise to her methods now. He won't spin in circles and he won't go back when the rider asks.
She also struggled with him yesterday and it took her 1/2hr to get him to go up the driveway.


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## charliecrisps (3 March 2008)

I have this with my mare. She doesnt even get up our driveway to the road if we are alone... so i got a friend on top, and lunge lines. When she stopped i would re-inforce what my friend on top was trying to get her to do... by driving her forwards. waggling lunge line that sits behind her back legs worked, but it really is baby steps. No quick fix and mine still does it when youre alone and on top but goes fine if you are long reining. Someone has obviously got her in bad habits a couple of years ago and now i think she has learnt that sometimes she gets out of being ridden completely. 
I have tried parelli... but it doesnt help when you are on top i found. I bought parelli 'my horse wont move' and that worked in the short term (using a long rope cowboy style and swinging it from both sides to touch her rump) now she isnt worried about the rope though and still stands there. 
I have tried sitting it out... but she likes to just stand there so it doesnt work...
I paid an instructor for about 3 months as she scares me when she bucks if you try making her walk by force. The instructor had spurs and two whips, and she still didnt move. Just bucked more and higher! My instructor eventually said she wouldnt get on her and to sell her at an auction!?? NO CHANCE.. i cant see her go to a bad home as she is an angel on the ground and really sweet and not nasty
As i have no help, i am trying to get her up the end of the driveway and if she doesnt go i take her in the field and make her work... that my new thing i am trying. I think she is insecure about leaving her friend, although she does the same in company too, but she will eventually move when my gelding gets out of view! Ive tried all the normal checks etc.. cost me about 400 pound in total and she isnt in pain and still does it. I was thinking of moving her to somewhere where she is alone, as she doesnt want to bond with any humans and put any trust in them... maybe then she will have too.... 
Im lost with what to do also and thought i'd share all my tried and tested methods with you!


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