How to manage a napping horse

When a horse is napping they are trying to tell you something and its usually NO!. This sort of horse behaviour happens when we ignore or are not aware of the smaller gestures horses use to tell us they do not feel secure or comfortable enough to go forwards. Signs could include showing hesitation slowing down turning their head sideways to get a better look or smell of something and snorting and spooking. We may also experience tail swishing evasive manoeuvres head tossing tension throughout the body and bucking and rearing.

Horses have a wide repertoire of behaviours and will express these louder and louder to tell us they are not comfortable but if we do not listen and try to force them forwards we are likely to cause napping. Its very important to rule out pain and discomfort when dealing with any behavioural issue such as napping.
Why is my horse napping?
A napping horse can be scary and dangerous for you as a rider but with time and patience this behaviour can be safely overcome. When trying to get to the root of the cause it is important to make the following checks first
Make sure your horse isnt in pain. Ask your vet to investigate possible reasons for napping.
Saddle fitters can check and make adjustments to your saddle to prevent pain from a poorlyfitting saddle.
An equine dental technician or a vet can check your horses teeth and make sure the mouth isnt the cause of any pain.
Physiotherapists can work under referral from your vet to help where a horse has musculoskeletal issues and pain from tense muscles. They can develop training plans to build muscles more evenly if your horse is asymmetrical has a tendency to go better on one rein or may be compensating for injury or pain by moving unevenly. Often these issues are very subtle and hard for the untrained eye to detect.
When you have eliminated pain as being the cause the next step is to consider that your horses napping could be a training issue.
How to handle a napping horse
Horses who nap frequently and are successful in getting back to their comfort zone will learn that this behaviour works and this means they are likely to do it again. If when they nap again you are ready and try not to let them succeed they are likely to increase the intensity and severity of this behaviour which becomes a dangerous situation for all involved.
If you use punishment anything that causes pain or discomfort such as pulling on the reins kicking and using the whip you are likely to increase the anxiety levels your horse is feeling and make the behaviour worse. Instead we need to find