my nf mare evie is napping everytime i take her out always at same spot it dont matter if im riding her or walking her she walks down road perfect till we get to where the field ends then she stops dead she alway goes out with the same pony i wondering what best advice is,a couple of thing that i thought it could be was to do with me putting hay out i always put it out when she back in field but ive tried going up a couple hours before taking her out and puting a small bit out but this didnt work either it just seems she like the sercurty of the field we tried other pony going first because shes fine dosent worry wether shes behind or in front tried evie leading so its not that im not expecting a quick fix but something to be able to work on and to be able to go out with her

Being a New Forest mare she is of course very bright so I think she taking the p*** out of you. Since the napping is right on her feild border she is clearly saying that she doesn't want to work, which is unacceptable. At the most basic I would recomend PC kicks and probably a schooling crop and take her on - you may spend a long time at the corner of the field but in the end you HAVE to win. A more gentle approach would be to rig a secure 50m circle in your field (Kelly Marks suggests hay bales for this) or work with a long lunge rein - possibly over the poll - and 'run' her free until she gives in to you and joins up. I would recommend Kelly Marks book for home instruction on this method. After she joins up she is supposed to see you as the boss and do as you say meekly!! In my experience with young NF stock they are tricky to get to join up and may then proceed to return to whatever problem you had in the first place - one young mare the moment she walked out of the ring, so we had to start all over again in a coral in the yard, no prizes for guessing who was most tired in the end!! My daughter and I have found it a valuable extra aid in addition to more classic techniques but we do have friends who swear by it, so worth a try. Good luck!

beat some manners into it

sounds like you need someone to help you that is more experienced with napping and nf ponies

What are you actually doing when she naps? If you're giving up and going back then you're teaching her how to get her own way....



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I have emailed you. Expert in this I am, by default.

Mera used to nap badly - cantering sideways bronking, sitting on her backside rearing and spinning, and running backwards to name but a few of her napping techniques!!

She is mum's pony, but mum is a fairly new rider and when Mera napped like this it made her nervous which made Mera worse. I took over the ride for 6months and mum rebuilt her confidence on my cob and had some lessons.

I used various techniques to get her over it:

Went back to basics and did a fair bit of long reining encouraging her to go forwards.

When she started napping I would sit quietly and push her forwards with my legs and seat giving with my reins - as soon as she stepped forwards relaxed the seat and leg. This made going forwards a much more comfortable experience then napping.

At one point (at her worst) we had vertical rears, sitting on her backside spinning round and then cantering sideways bronking. At this stage I rode her with two schooling whips (one on either side). I would ask her to move forward with seat and legs giving with the reins and then if she continued a sharp tap on the backside with both sticks was enough to send her forward. Same principle as the one above as soon as she moved forwards praise and relax so it's more comfortable to go forwards.

It took me about 4months to get her going nicely and mum and I both rode her for the following two months before mum took over the ride completely. During the two month swop over period I gave mum lessons and she had professional lessons to help rebuild their relationship.

If you have never dealt with a napping pony I strongly recommend getting someone experienced in to give you a hand, as the situation can quickly become a learnt behaviour and escalate resulting in a very dangerous situation.

thanks for all the replies will put them into practice i dont take her back to field even though i feel like it i just want to enjoy taking her out ive asked a friend to help me and she defintly wont take any nonsence but i no its got to me to do the work or she will keep taking the p*** out of me

Hi Angie why dont you try Kate Robb or Sarah Weston they advertise on here i think. I have heard good reports about both. They will be able to help with the boxing too. Please seek professional help from one person dont let too many people interfer (no insults ment to anyone who has offered to help already) Just know from experience that everyone has different ideas on how to deal with this and things get confusing if everyone not saying same thing.