Dealing with a nappy horse can be a challenging and frustrating experience for any equestrian. It doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned rider or new to horse riding, napping can happen to anyone. The key is understanding how to manage and work through this behaviour. In this post, we’ll explore the best ways to tackle the problem.
Understanding the cause
Before you start trying to “fix” the behaviour, it is important to understand why your horse is napping. Understanding the cause will help you tackle the problem.
Rule out spooking
Spooking and napping can look very similar. Both nappy and scared horses can be reluctant to go towards an area/object or run towards an area. A good tip spotting the difference between the two is watching your horse’s ears. Typically a scared horse will keep their ears fixed on what they are scared of, whereas a nappy horse will more likely have relaxed ears or have them pinned back slightly.
Rule out a physical cause
First and foremost, ensure that your horse is not in pain or discomfort. Have a vet and/or an equine chiropractor check for any physical issues. Ill-fitting tack can also cause discomfort, leading to napping. Ensure your horse’s saddle and bridle fit correctly and are in good condition. This is especially important if your horse has suddenly developed this new behaviour.
Understanding your horse’s napping
Once you have established that your horse most likely isn’t spooking and you can’t find a physical reason for the behaviour then it’s time to start evaluation your horse’s behaviour in a bit more detail. Ask yourself:
- Where is your horse napping?
Is it by the gate? Is it on the quickest way home? - When is your horse napping?
Is it throughout the ride? Is it at the beginning? Is it once they are getting tired? Is it every ride or during certain activities? - Do they give you any warning signs?
Any small behaviours before the big one - Is there anything in your behaviour that could be triggering it?
Do you always stop in the same place? Or canter in the same place
Tackling the problem
Once you have ruled out a physical cause for the nappy and started to recognise patterns in your horse’s behaviour, you can start working on a plan to tackle the behaviour. Unfortunately there is no one size fits all method to fixing a nappy horse. But we have tried to give examples of some of the more common behaviours we see and how we would tackle them.
My horse refuses to hack alone, he won’t even leave the yard.
Lots of horses don’t like to hack alone and this can be quite a common behaviour. But I find most horses who won’t hack alone, will hack out with a person on the ground. I find the best way to tackle this behaviour is to ask a friend for help. Start by having a friend walk near their head, just in front when you go out hacking. Then you can slowly reduce their relliance on your friend. Rather than them follow your friend off the yard, have them walk level with you, then slightly behind you (at a safe distance), then trailing behind you increasing the distance. Eventually your horse should be confident leaving the yard without the safety net of a person on the ground.
My horse always stops/slows down at the gate/mounting block/centre line
This behaviour is usually a learned behaviour. How many times are you practicing your halt on the centre line? Or finishing your schooling session at the gate/mounting block? Your horse has learnt this and every time they get to this point they are expecting or hoping for that outcome.
Because you have most likely taught them this behaviour, it’s usually pretty easy to resolve by changing your behaviour. If you usually ride 4 centre lines in a session and halt on all of them, ride more centre lines and only practice your halt on 1 or 2 of them. Ride your centre lines positively, pushing your horse forward before they start to slow down. They will quickly understand that centre lines don’t mean stop.
Take a similar approach if your horse is stopping at the gate/mounting block. Ride positively and with forward aids before your horse starts to slow down. Then when you are ready to finish your session, don’t stop there. Try and stop in a different place each ride. If you have to use the mounting block to dismount, halt at a different part of the school, give them a pat, long rein etc. Make it clear they are finished, then when you are ready, walk them on a long rein to the mounting block to dismount.
My horse pulls/rushes to a certain area
In my experience, a horse pulling or rushing in a certain area is usually because they are expecting to canter and or jump here. But out hacking it can also be due to being on the turn towards home. The first is usually easier to fix by not always cantering/jumping/doing upward transitions in the same place.
When you first start correcting the behaviour, how you tackle it will depend on where you are and your horse. If your horse rushes or pulls when they get to a spot you usually canter, your first action should be to ask them to walk (for a lot of horses I will settle for a jog as long as they stop pulling/trying to canter.) If asking for walk doesn’t work, make them work harder. If there is space to, put them on a circle. Keep circling them until they come back to walk, then you can continue. If they speed up again, put them on another circle. They quickly learn it’s easier to just walk.
If there isn’t enough space to circle, you can use your flexion aids to bring them back to you. Ask for left bend, then right, then left again etc. You can then ask for some leg yeilding left and right. For horses who are just jig jogging, headwaving etc, these aids can be soft, just enough to distract them and give them something else to think about. If you start to ask them for these harder movements every time they rush, they should quickly learn it’s easier to just walk. For horses who are trying to canter/gallop off with you, you might need to be more firm, pulling their head to one side at the start to knock them off balance slightly. Once you have them under control, then try asking them to work harder with soft aids, changing bend, leg yielding etc.
What are your top tips for dealing with a nappy horse?
Last Updated on 06/09/2024