Re: nappy cob

Before I start please dont hit your horse for the behaviour, there will be a reason and hitting her wont get the desired result!!!

It may ba badly fitting tack, if she's bin out of work her shape will have changed and so the saddle wont fit, try to get it checked better safe than sorry!

If she has done it and you have gotten off, she will see this as a reward for bad behaviour. I'm not saying you should stay on when you feel unsafe!thats the last thing im suggesting, but how about letting someone more confident and/or experianced to try and see if she does it with them.

You dont say if you have lessons on her, I would defo reccomend it, Its fab for regaining confidence, and if an instructor sees what she is doing they will be able to offer advice.

Do you have any idea what could have caused it?If she is unfit be careful not to push her, this will make her less likely to want to be ridden, and she's found a way to stop herself being ridden!

If none of this helps try a wip wop rope, lots of people say these helped with their nappy horses, www.intelligenthorsemanship.co.uk go 2 sales, then tack, then giddy up rope, it gives u an explanation of how it works etc.

Sorry for the long post, hope it helped!

Re: nappy cob

does she do this if she is out with another horse? or just on her own?

my pony started doing this last winter, going fine, and then slamming the anchors on, spinning and rearing and refusing to take a step further. it turned out that there were some pigs around the corner... do you think your cob could be spooking at something?

Re: nappy cob

can i just say charli-boi that i've just stopped my horse from napping, never naps now, and it took 5 minutes and i didnt hit him once!!different things work 4 different people, but everyone on my yard has, at some point, told me to "give him a good crack across the bum" and i refused to resort to this tactic, as he gets upset seeing another horse whipped!!he has never been hit in his life (and he's 12!) and i was told that this was the time 2 start hitting him, i waited until the yard was quiet and there was no pressure and off we went!!whenever he started to nap i simply made him walk backwards, setablishing that he could go forwards or backwards and i wasnt upset at whichever he decided, he soon decided that forwards was much easier and we now hack out alone at least twice a week, with no problems!!!

Re: nappy cob

Hi,

This is my expereince with my Welsh Cob Jake, who I have owned since he was 3 years old. He is now 7. Jakes used to be terrible at napping, never anything nasty, just used to plant his feet and not move at all! He was still just a baby and I think as he was my first horse I broke in, I did too much too soon and he was just like 'hay I've had enough and I am confused'. I turned him away for the winter until he was 4 and he came back into work and was such a good boy. Jakes has matured so much in the past couple of years and now 7 years old we have started jumping coloured poles and more advanced training. However he does have the occational 'tantrum' out hacking where he would see something and just run blindly backwards. That something would be a bird in a tree, or a cat, something silly. Cars, lorries anything that I would think was scary for a horse he doesn't bat an eyelid. Luckily I live in an area where there is hardly any traffic and the roads are just farm roads.

With Jakes' tantrums I just sit there and keep my leg on. I sometimes growl at him. I would never use a whip on him in these situations as I found this makes him 100% worse. He is young and basically is testing me out to what he can get away with. What he now realises I am more stubborn than he is and now hardly ever tries it on.

I went through the motions, does his tack fit correctly? Try getting an instructor to check his bridle and the saddle fitter for his saddle. Ok these may cost a bit but it will be worth it to know your horse is happy. Also get his teeth checked over by an Equine Dentist. This should be done at least once a year. If all else fails you could try and Equine Back Person (I can't spell the proper name sorry ;)). Once you know there is not any physical pain and everything is how it should be you can then move onto thinking why is my horse napping? Is it inexperience? Testing you out? Darn right naughtyness because he knows he can get away with it? Fear - is something spooking him? Because he is on his own?  I would highly recommend hacking out, as others have said with a friend on foot to give you both confidence. Also try some Parrelli, his has worked wonders with my horses in gaining their trust.

I hope these suggestions help you and good luck with everything.

Beks

Re: nappy cob

when he/she napps do a  turn on the forhand or a turning about the forhand. send him in the other directions when hes napping at somthing :)