Overcoming napping in horses 

Noted!

That’s great to know you’ve found some benefit. You might also like my book and dvd ‘Understanding Horse Performance: Brain, Pain or Training?’ which gives lots more insights, plus guest contributions from 27 eminent equestrians, and plenty of help figuring out where the problem stems from as well as what to do with it.

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Id take a riding session to just get on and slowly test out what cues work for him and just sit on him and learn his mannerisms. It took me a little bit to learn one of my mares quirks too! She was swinging her head side to side when i tried walking straight forward and would actually turn when i tried to keep her straight. After a couple of short rides in the roundpen i figured out that she neck reined beautifully and that stopped the head swinging😁

There are always lots of possibilities, and in the UK you can ask for help from an Intelligent Horsemanship Recommended Trainer (www.intelligenthorsemanship.co.uk), or from your riding coach. If he used to hack out fine and there are now problems, I would want to rule out pain issues first of all.

I have the same problem at the minute, do you have any tips?

@@gracejohnston7902 I have the exact same issue too and it makes me want to cry. He’s not started rearing too. I know it’s not pain related as he’s fine in company and in the school. I really want to get the problem rectified but have no idea where to start looking :(

Tansy's Mum thank you for taking the time to comment, and I’m pleased to be able to offer encouragement. You might like to read my book and watch my dvd ‘Understanding Horse Performance: Brain, Pain or Training?’ to see if it gives you more insights: www.ethicalhorseproducts.co.uk/QuickShop/Specials.php.

There's no simple answer to that question. It might be that you keep the pressure on until the horse takes a step forwards, then release the pressure the instant they make an effort in the right direction. The thought process there is to make it uncomfortable to do what you don't want, and comfortable to do what you don't want. But there are many situations where this might not be the right / best / safe option. In the UK you can contact your local Intelligent Horsemanship Recommended Trainer for help at www.intelligenthorsemanship.co.uk.

My horse was the same. What I found helped was turning him in a circle when he tried to go backwards, then releasing once we were going in the right direction of travel. It took a bit of patience and time but we went from refusing to go out the gate to cantering happily around fields without napping 😊 the other thing that helped me was to get down and walk him in hand a bit and then get back up

@@TheTeapotte That's really helpful, thank you :-)

Glad you've got a diagnosis, hope it helps you to move forwards.

Did you actually watch the video?

Maria Keenan release pressure when she moves forward, it teaches them that if they don’t move u put pressure wherever and when they move you don’t.

Personally I don't believe in keeping any constant contact, as the horse then has to learn to switch off to your signals. I'd recommend asking for help from your riding coach, as each horse is an individual.

MsGroovalicious reluctance to go forwards

Thank you for asking this. I was searching for a definition of napping.