“Hello my name is Kelsey and my horse's name is Spy.  She is a new horse and she is perfect in most ways, but on a hack she can be very nervous and when I go out she spins and tries to run home - what should I do to help us both gain our confidence?”

H&C’s expert Jenny Rudall replies: “Hi Kelsey, it sounds like you are right. Spy may be lacking a bit of confidence and there are lots of things you can do to help her.

New horse, old fears

When you get a new horse, it is impossible to know of his or her past experiences so I always treat a horse’s behaviour as one of fright and work on building confidence first.  This is sometimes not always the case, and some horses can just be testing your leadership skills and it maybe a case of finding an experienced rider who can encourage Spy out and not allow her to turn around.  We are often scared of possible outcomes on hacks ourselves, and a horse may sense this, so maybe see how she reacts with a different rider on board. If she is better behaved, you may need to build up your own confidence on a more suitable, braver horse.

Ride out with a more sensible horse next to you or even more than one if you have friends you can hack with and if needs be, let them lead the way keeping her straight and not letting her turn.  Go out at a sensible time of day when traffic is at a minimum and remember your high viz.  Use lots of voice and look ahead yourself; be confident, don’t go for miles, take her out for small amounts of time and build it up slowly praising all the way.  Good luck and I am sure you and Spy will be hacking in no time, Jenny.”