Napping. Oh joy unbounded!

Ok, i've had my pony, Dougal, for 5 months now. He has a severe napping problem which I have been slowly getting him past. He was sold to us as a safe, quite pony with no issues [and man does he have issues] but I think the owner's daughter, who rode him, was scared of him and so let him away with murder. 1-2 weeks after getting him, he started napping and he would rear BIG. In fact, he eventually flipped over during one of his strops and after that stopped rearing and would plant. I tried EVERYTHING you could think of to get him through his napping. I sat for over an hour on him waiting for him to move, haha. Not good.

Eventually my instructor got on him and basically beat him around a bit. After that he improved dramatically and only napped mildly, occasionally. But lately he has decided to start napping again. I know he's is just testing me to see if he can get his own way again. And he's started rearing again. I now know exactly how to handle him and ride him appropriately through his napping strops, but there is one little thing. When he rears up, he spins as soon as he comes down. Which is incredibly frustrating because he spins so fast that I have to turn him towards home to get him facing back in the direction I want. Not a good thing with a napper.

I really don't want to be mauling around at his mouth and he's young so I don't want to "ruin" him, and so I was seeking some advice on how to handle this spinning problem. I know i'll get through this eventually [he is an incredibly stubborn little pony] but I would like to know the best way to handle the situation. Thanks in advance!

Wow. It sounds like you are in a tricky situation.

Rearing can be very dangerous, and must be stopped early on. How old is he by the way?

I don't think you need to worry too much about "ruining" him. If he gets into dangerous habits, they HAVE to be stopped. End of story.

Why don't you maybe ask your instructer to try and ride him again. Perhaps just a short session to get him focussed on the job again, so he won't feel he is going to get away with being dangerous so easily.

Forgive my ignorance... napping? Here it means a blissful little afternoon sleep. What exactly do you mean by napping?

Do you mean he's stocking up? I'm not sure I understand "napping" either.

I am going to assume from the context that napping means that he is freezing up and refusing to move. I would get him to the point were I could move his hindquarters either way really well. When he starts to "nap" flex his head around to one direction and ask him to step over. Ask harder and harder until he moves and get his feet moving. If you keep him bent he can't rear and maybe he will quit.

LOL. Lovely way to put it tealamutt.....I like that.

Ah, sorry, maybe it's a British term?

Napping is when a horse won't go forward or past a certain point. They will either plant [which is freezing up and refusing to move], rearing, spinning, running backwards. Basically anything that prevents them going forward.

We have eliminated any chance that pain may be causing it. He's had his saddle, bridle/bit and teeth checked several times and he only does it out hacking. He does it at irregular places as well, though has his favourite spots to nap.

He used to plant but he after my instructor got on, he does no longer. When he planted he would not respond to any aids to move, no matter how strong. He doesn't anymore plant, well not for more than a few seconds, but he's doing small rears and spinning and though I can get him to go forward eventually, i'm just not entirely sure how to handle the spinning.

I am hoping that this is maybe just him revisiting this problem to see if it will work this time.

He turned 5 in July.

Tealamutt - Haha, I think that's a good way to describe his planting.

Does he give hindquarter, forequarter and head? Underground? When your rinding?
That's the first thing I would check.

I'm not entirely sure what you are asking?

Went out with another horse today and had a couple of naps but he hardly reared at all. And the one he did do was tiny. I'm hoping this is a sign of improvement? Still spinning though.

Another horse? Are there more horses that are napping there? Maybe then it could be a problem with the diet or water, or something there that is making them do that.