# Turning round for home on a hack



## hollylovesbeau (Jul 7, 2012)

I've just got a new loan horse and he's a 16hh tb so the biggest horse ive ever rode so generally i'm already nervous when i take him out for a hack usually when we get about half way up the road he starts turning round and trying to go home I've tried turning him in circles back to the way I want to go or standing him still but he just walks backwards or ends up trying to push me into a bush because it's on a road its also really dangerous and ive ended up getting off him every time so obviously now every time he keeps doing it until i get off, ive tried going out with other company, using a whip but I just cant seem to get him to keep going, any suggestions?  
I'm fifteen by the way


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## Live2Ride15 (Feb 22, 2012)

Sounds as if he may be scared of something past there, Maybe? I am no expert so I have no advice, Sorry :/


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## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

There's a few things you can try. He's either scare or barn sour. Getting off and walking back is encouraging the behavior.

You say this is by a road - is it a busy road? Is there a grassy area? If there's a grassy area, make him do tight circles when he refuses. Accept any method of safe forward that he wants - if he wants to go out further walking sideways or backwards, let him as long as he's safe and going the way you want. Follow each refusal with a lot of hard work in small circles. The point is to try and make the right choice easy and the wrong choice hard. Accept small goals as a win (say like 20 feet farther out each time) then work him hard when you go back home so he doesn't see it as a reward.

If you can safely hand walk him a little further out then get back on, try that.

If you can ride with a group, stick a halter on him with his bridle and see if he will let himself be ponied out further.

Ask if someone experienced will try to pony him out without a rider.

You could of course try to battle it out with whip and spur but that could be dangerous and is best left for people who really know what they're doing.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## hollylovesbeau (Jul 7, 2012)

Thanks the roads not too busy but there's cars now and again and its mostly ditches and bushes on the side of the road, he's not scared of where we are going because i've been trying different routes and as soon as weve gone a certain distance it's like he's decided he's had enough. I also think he can tell that im nervous, but I don't know how to relax myself when the situation is so scary every time I ride him


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## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

If it makes you scared then someone else may have to work him through it. If its not fear then he's just a being a brat. 

Not to be a jerk but if his height is scaring you then this may not be the horse to be leasing. His height isn't going to change and if you're going to be too scared to correct him, his behavior will get worse.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## hollylovesbeau (Jul 7, 2012)

I'm not scared of his height he's just the biggest horse i've rode, i'm scared that i'm going to get hurt when he has his little paddys


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## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

Fear is fear. Your options are the same-
1. Work him through it, with help if need be
2. Get someone else to
3. Stop trying

I totally understand that it can be scary when a horse is being a jerk but those remain the options you have available to you - and they would be the same even if he wasn't scaring you.

Someone else just started a thread about their horse refusing/napping and there's some other good ideas in there: http://www.horseforum.com/natural-horsemanship/can-natural-horsemanship-help-my-nervous-130432

Aside from the methods I suggested before, you could try a more roundabout way. Lots of groundwork and establishing yourself as his leader would change your relationship and make him more likely to obey you. I'm a big fan of Clinton Anderson and I think it would help.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## hollylovesbeau (Jul 7, 2012)

Okay thankyou will look at the other thread and will give your ideas a go, thanks


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## ArabBossMare (Jul 11, 2012)

One thing I've done with horses that are a bit barn sour like this is to make them work, either right there in tight circles as was mentioned or.. if they are insistent on going home.. work the snot out of them once they get back to the barn either by riding or by lunging them. Then get back on and ride out again. They soon equate "turn around and go home" with more work and typically are more than happy to just happily hack out at a quiet pace.

I have had a couple I had no choice but to let go back home, but boy they got WORKED once we got to the barn, then I asked them to ride out again. One mare it took me doing this about four times with her in the same day before she got the point.. I was one tired soul at the end of that ride but she never tried it again.

I also make a point when i'm riding out to take a few minutes when I get home to work them a bit more, even if it's a few times around the arena before I dismount and get off. This keeps them from getting the mind set that "home = rest" and generally stops this behavior. Just some thoughts


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I think the "work hard near the barn" idea is good. ON top of that, if there is a place that is "out" where you can let the horse graze for a bit, that makes "out" even more appealing. 

If you do need to get off ( no shame in that) then walk him forward, away from the barn and past the "sticky" spot, get back on and see if he will continue. Do this a couple of times, if he still wont' go forward, then go back to the barn and WORK!!! then after the work, start out again. Let him turn around to go back, if he will. just go along with him but once back at the barn , go back to WORK! after 5 minutes of HARD work, go out again, letting him choose whether to go back to the barn or go forward.

This can be very time consuming, so be sure you have several hours to accomplish this, because you must go all the way through it. you must continue to work him every time he chooses to go home . the first time he does not choose to go home at the "sticky" point, you ride him just a bit further (because you have won the battle), turn him around, take him home, detack and put him away.


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## Mckellar (Apr 18, 2012)

Be carefull, I had a horse/+car accident from a bolting horse when I was hacking him... he bolted for the barn.. I tried everything to stop him, it wasnt a fun experience....Please hack with someone and if your nervous he will be too. Or get a trainer to work on this. Some horses just DON'T hack alone , they just can't. If yours is one of those then don't try to force it!

Wanted to add: some drivers are idiots. You want a very calm horse, if some dumb a** decides to honk at you then you have to be confident your horse won't spook .


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## hollylovesbeau (Jul 7, 2012)

okay i'm going to see him in a bit if he starts trying to go home im going attempt to circle him, and I am very worried about the cars but my mums usually in site when he starts being naughty anyway, my main aim at the minute is to not get off him! But thankyou for all your advice i'll give it all a go and see what works best and ill tell you how it goes thanks so much!


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## DoubleS (Jun 11, 2012)

I have had that problem before with some of my ponies.
There's basically two ways I do this; there's an easy fix for horses who just don't want to go out (like just backing or just not wanting to move their feet) and there's one for the more dangerous ponies who do what you described.

The easy way: when they try to back up when you're cueing them to go on, turn them around so they're facing the way _they_ wanted to go, and then back, back, back, back, back.. Making her back the way you wanted to go (in your case, onto the road). If she tries to go forward in one direction or rear, do tiny tiny circles until she gives up and just lets you back her up to where you wanted to go. I've found that after a few repetitions of this; they do what you ask :wink:

The more complicated, but safer way that I use when I'm riding a horse that reacts badly, such as Eagle, who once flipped over on me while she was insisting on backing down a steep ditch (good thing she's 13hh or I would've been toast); is to make the barn hard work, and make the road easy work. 
Basically, just work her HARD by the barn where she wants to be, then take her up to the road (even if you have to lead her) just let her rest there, feed her some treats, rub her, treat her nice. Then go back down to the barn and work. Then go back up to the road and rest. 
Soon they will be anxious to get away from the barn! 

Both ways work for me, but the second one just takes longer


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

It is easy for a horse to turn the front end, much harder to turn his butt. When he turns for home, bring his nose toward your boot only move it back and bump his rib cage to make him move his hindquarters. What you want to do here is to make his hindquarters make a much larger circle than his front eng. His hind legs are designed to move forward, not forward and sideways so it's more tiring. You need to practice this from the ground by tapping on his hip with a long whip with his head bent toward you. He needs to move forward so he can step under. When he does this fairly well, try it from the saddle at home. Carry your crop in case you need to tap him behind your leg if he ignores your heel. If on the trail you feel you should dismount, don't go home but take him for a walk farther down the road. Stop only when you're sure he's given up on the idea of heading home. I wouldn't mount at this time as he'll likely spin and try to take off while you are mounting. When you head home, the moment he picks up speed, turn him and head back away from home again. If you have to chase his butt in circles until he wants to stop then continue walking away. And don't let him eat. Tap his butt each time he drops his head-don't pull on him. He may scoot ahead but at least he lifted his head. He's going to think you are getting right bossy. Good.


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

I am totally with Arabbossmare. If he wants to go back-fine. Walk back and work the snot out of him. I don't mean a little walk, trot and canter. I mean work HARD. Then use the walk away from the barn to cool him out. Each time go a bit further. If he gets resistance, repeat. You may be there a while. I used to be of the "back them up" mindset-no more. It is too easy for them to rear.

Just remember-make the right thing easy. So, you want him to hack away-that is the easy. Barn=work.


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