Any advice for a nappy youngster

[NoProblem123]

I have my hard hat on so tell me what I’m doing wrong !

4 and a half year old gelding who I’ve had nearly a year naps when hacking alone. He’s fine in company but tends to stick himself behind another horse and dawdle, and he does have his moments when he’s hacking alone where he’s really forward and seems pretty confident !
The nap starts with a full stop, he’ll stand very still ears pricked, then he swings around to go back. Sometimes with time and patience he’ll proceed, sometimes I have to hop off and lead him for a bit and then I can hop back on and he’s fine.
All his naps relate to either passing or approaching a field of other horses and he won’t approach or go past.
He may have the odd spook but generally he’s very sensible for his age. I just don’t want to keep a youngster going around the arena and like them to be hacking out nicely.
Is it just his age and he’ll grow out of it ?
He’s got 2 fitted saddles, has seen the dentist and chiropractor so I don’t think he’s any pain issues.
Any advice ??

Sounds like he needs to build confidence. How is he if you have someone out with you on foot? And is there anywhere you could go and just repeatedly practice (with lots of praise) riding past other horses?

I ma no expert but - has he had a bad experience ? if this has just started after a year of ownership, what's changed? Secondly, are YOU confident ? Are you riding him forward when this happens or does it make you anxious ?

Thanks for replies.

He’s fine with a walker in front and we are only going around a fairly small bridlepath at the moment to build is confidence. On the bits where he can’t see horses he’s pretty good !
He’s been like this from the beginning but he was only 3 and a half when I got him and had only really hacked out in company a few times by then. I don’t know if he’s had a bad experience that’s an interesting question.
If there’s a horse in a field where he hasn’t seen one before he’s terrified

I did think it might be me giving off wimpy vibes so I’ve had a professional rider hack him but he does the same. If I walk ahead he’s ok again.

Am I expecting too much of him too soon ?

He is very young so will probably outgrow this. Also you have a way of handling it which works so not the end of the world, not like he’s carting you back home. Maybe mix it up, try with someone walking, try hacking with others but him in front etc

So he was backed and hacking at 3.5yo and now hacking alone at 4.5yo? He's doing quite well for his age if so, nothing wrong with that but I think some baby wobbly moments are normal. I often think with a youngster it's not about nothing ever going wrong, it's about how they cope with it and whether those moments end up being a positive learning experience or not. So it sounds as though you are doing the right things, he's never allowed to go backwards/home and in the end he always goes past the scary thing? Would you say he's getting better, worse or staying the same in terms of how long the nappy moment lasts and how willing he is to ultimately go past? Does he definitely understand the command/aid to move forward and reliably respond when not napping/scared - it's quite common for babies to not actually fully be in front of the leg and/or not reliably get what leg on means, and if they don't get that when calm you've no chance of getting it when distracted by something else?

If you feel things aren't getting better or are getting worse, there might be no harm in going back a step or two, making life a bit easier for him, perhaps take him out in hand or on long lines to really get his confidence up, or hack with a lead horse or ground walker, and/or stick to routes he's confident with when alone, and really work on establishing the 'go' aid first time every time? He is very young and there's plenty of time yet so I wouldn't panic...

I had a very spooky hacker in the past & am now bringing on a 4 yo. I would say your experiences are typical. It takes time for a horse to develop maturity & confidence. Keep at it, baby steps.
When I have had to take a spooky horse past something it really didn’t like, I would get him firmly on the bit, put him shoulder fore on the side closest to the scary thing, and curve his neck & head in the opposite direction. That blocks his view on the scary side, tho it is a bit awkward.
(And if anyone has had a lesson with Marcus Bauer, you will know exactly what this move is.)

Sounds like fairly standard behaviour from a very young horse that needs to learn and build confidence.

If you need to have someone on foot, or hop off and lead for a bit and hop back on - then so be it. The key thing is that he is going forward, and going where YOU want him to go even if you're leading him. I don't agree with the theory that by hopping off and leading for a bit you are teaching bad habits - what you are teaching is that there is really nothing to be scared about, look I'm here and everything is fine, and we ARE going down this road whether you're reluctant or not.

He's very young yet and doing pretty well for his age by the sound of it.

As others have said, I think it's just lack of confidence and babyishness, and you are dealing with it in the right way, by reassuring him, not punishing him for being worried.

I get my daughter to come out with me on a bike for the initial lone hacks, that way she can keep up easily if we're going to trot on a bit, she can go off ahead, out of sight for small amounts of time, and can go behind, and she doesn't get worn out. She could also go quickly for help if need be! It's also a very useful way of getting them used to bikes. Give that a try, see if it helps, but lots of reward behaviour when he is brave, too. Good luck!