An update on Paddy the seriously nappy pony!

[skychick]

A few of you may remember my posts on here about 6 weeks ago when my new horse decided that he was going to make his nappy and naughty side apparent one afternoon a week after i bought him!!!
For those of you that didnt here is the link to my origional post

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=354792


If you dont fancy reading all of that then a basic run down of what happened is.....
Bought my new horse at the beginning of march. When i tried him out i rode him in the arena and then i took him out for a hack on his own (with his owner walking/runing with us to give us directions) no sign of nappiness.
I got him home and rode him down the road and back after a day or 2 and he was ok. Then i rode him in the school for the next week as he had no shoes on (he had very good feet but where we are is exceptionally stony so i decided to get him shod) The day after he was shod i rode him out alone....and he decided that after about 200 yards he wasnt going out on his own and had a severe napping fit, spinning, mini rears, massive bucks, bronking and bunny hopping etc. He managed to buck me off twice and so i lead him about half a mile away and tried again. He bcked me straight off.
So i lead him home and tried to ride him in the arena. He bucked me off again! (i hasten to add....his bucks are MASSIVE!)
The next day my instructor rode him out. He started his performance in the yard and she had to literally cling on. But in the end she got him to go down the road albeit backwards. I was told not to ride him out alone for a while (as i think she was a bit dubious of him!) so i rode him out alot in compnay.

Anyways.....7 weeks on!.............

I have really got used to him now, i have been doing alot with him in the school and riding out with lots of different people.
A couple of weeks ago i decided to give it another go. So my mum *who lives up the road from my yard* hs been coming out with me on her bike.
The first time we went out he was not to bad. Very joggy, spooky etc. But no napping.
The second time he span and did a mini buck and i kept spinning him and gave him a quick flick with my whip and he went on fine.
The next time he wasnt too bad napping wise but he seems to be a nervous jibbering wreck. Mum left us halfway along the ride and i made him go about 3 miles away from the yard before turning back.

Yesterday i took him out alone....no bike etc. We got about 1/2 a mile away from the yard and he decided to revert back to his proper napping (although not as severe as the first episode).
He stopped and span. And was doing a few mini rears etc.
I tried circling him round and round and then making him go on but he wasnt having any of it.
Some stupd woman drive right up behind us in her car. I tried to explain to her if she reversed and i turned for home there was a layby 20 feet back i could go into and she could get past.
But she didnt and of course i couldnt go forwards. Where he was napping there was a little dog yapping and yapping and a man in his shed by the road and he was banging and crashing and kept leaning out and saying "whys he dong that?" "i wouldnt ride it...it looks dangerous" which really wasnt helping.

I asked the woman 3 times to reverse so i could go back towards the yard to the driveway so i could pull in. She just looked at me and edged closer. So....i had to get off. I was so annoyed. Paddy will walk on fine when i am on the ground. And he walked perfectly to the next layby and she passed.
In past experience with him when i have got off/been bucked off etc he asnt let me back on. So i was really thinking that the ride was a write off and he had won.
I ied to get back on him and he wouldnt let me, he span and moved away from me so i gave him a good verbal telling off and lead him another 100 yards, i then pushed him right into the hedge so he couldnt move away from me or turn away, and lept on him i didnt worry too much about stirrups! he span, but i span him the way he span in a full circle and gave him a good pony club kick and off we went. I was really surprised i expected the bucking to start. But we went the rest of the ride i had planned to do with out too much hassle apart from him being really nervy.

So it wasnt a total loss.

Paddy is 12 years old, quite spooky but perfect in traffic.
He is fine hacking in company and apparently used to be fine hacking alone (although i think the girl who owned him before had some issues with him where he took advantage of her she owned him 6 months and hadnt ridden him for 3 of those so i found out after i bought him).

There are a few things i cant quite work out/understand so if anyone has some advice/thoughts on how to help id be most appreciative.

1) as i said he is fine in company but spooky. But HATES sheep and cows even in company he turns into a jibbering wreck. He will spot them miles away and thats it, concentration lost, he fixates on them, gets properly on his toes and gets really worked up.
On his own he is even worse. As soon as he sees them he is sweating, joggy, heavy breathing etc.

2) he is quite active going out of the yard and will napp going away but when i turn him for home, he never speeds up or gets strong or tries to race back, he will happily amble back on a loose rein (unless he sees a sheep!)

3) when he is on his own his eyes are out on stalks and he is listening for any noise or anything he can poss get worked up about.

How would you go about building his confidence out and about. I have not taken him anywhere new on his own. I only take him places he has been before so that its less stressfull for him.

The napping is complete naughtyness. he has done it once or twice in the school when he doesnt feel like working and wants to test me out but i have ironed that out now. But i actually think he is generally nervous of being alone.

Sorry that has turned into a complete essay......tea and biscuits all round lol!

 

[ladyt25]

If I am honest i think your only answer is to keep on persvering! It seems to have come on and he has improved so, if it's ony after 7 weeks (or thereabouts) I imagine he can only improve if you keep doing what you are doing. The trick is to be firm with him but not get het up yourself (although it is hard when they make you mad by refusing to do as you ask!).

I am sure he will get better, I have a very nervy pony who is now 23 (I'm had him 15/16 years). he is sooo much better than when i got him - sometimes I can't believe how nervous he was - but some horses are always going to ahve this tendency to be over alert so you just have to find what works best for you to control him. As far as the cattle etc go - horses do tend to get used to them over time, i think he will and in a few months you'll forget he had issues with them).

Good luck!!

 

[HollyWoozle]

My horse has turned out to lack confidence alone, though she is not at all naughty but just plants her feet and tries to turn for home. I know she was hacked entirely alone in her previous home so I tried recently going out alone for the first time (usually someone walks or cycles with me) as we have had her for 6 months. I only tried that once as she was obviously afraid, but then she did the same the next time even when my mum walked with us... so being out on her own that once obviously totally knocked her confidence as she had always been fine with someone walking before.

I have decided to just go back to hacking with human company for now, taking little routes to build her confidence back up and also to try and do more groundwork when I have some time. I think that even after 6 months, she is still not entirely confident in me to keep her safe. Perhaps you could do the same? Just spend some more time with your mum cycling along with you to build Paddy's confidence back up? I know it is a bit tedious and not always practical.

Sorry if that is not much help but it's all I can really think of. I know it is frustrating when you know that they have hacked alone fine in their previous homes. I hope that it works out for you!

 

[skychick]

Thanks guys, i think thats gonna be the best thing to do. Short rides, with the bike as company and just get him more confident.
Where he came from was half town and half rural. I hacked him through the town bit and through the rural area. Although we didnt see any sheep he was really relaxed and not looking for anything. But i know he has seen sheep etc before.
Soon i think they get turned out with sheep in the summer turnout so that could be a good thing!

I think it could also be because he has moved around alot and is not used to getting too settled anywhere.

In all other respects, in the school he is fine alone and in company and we are really getting on well with jumping etc. So i think this could be our summer project!

He is totally fine when i am walking next to him, he doesnt hesitate at all and i dont have to dragg him forwards.

Bless him, back to basics i think. He has come on quite a bit, so i dont want all the hard work to go down the drain!.....its just a pity its so hilly where we are.....i dont get too many offers of a cycling companion ;-) and my poor mum is 62!!

 

[wench]

if he leads out fine, could you try leading him out on a few small circular routes then ride him on them?

 

[HollyWoozle]

Haha! My mum is 60 and struggles on the bike too! If she walks then she can't keep up but she finds it really tricky to go slowly on the bike, bless her. I originally thought that friends could walk with me and then we switch half way... but now there are only few people that I would trust to ride her (which is ridiculous as I am certainly no expert rider myself!). We have to do nearly all roadwork for short routes and when I think about it, it's a lot to expect of Belle (nearly 8) to manage a busy village on her own, no matter what she has done before. There is a lot of traffic, roadworks, crossings, roundabouts, school, pubs etc. etc. and her biggest fear is the playing field when it has people on it.

I had some sort of epiphany about this whilst riding yesterday and thought that she is only young and even if it takes years to get her bombproof, I'm sure we'll get there and it will have been totally worth it. As Paddy is 12, he still has plenty of years left in him so some months of hard work on the hacking should pay off nicely. Especially as you have overcome the nappiness in the school as well. I think I will definitely try finding someone with a super safe horse for us to ride in company also, so Belle can see from another neddy that there is nothing to be worried about.

 

[skychick]

Yeah that certainly helps havin calm horses to ride out with! What is completely ridiculous is that i ride out with a 3 year old rising 4 ex race horse who is so laid back its untrue, barely spooks, paddy can spook and run right into him he doesnt move! And the other is an 8 year old ex racer who is the same! totally laid back, not really spooky, never get het up! paddy is a 12 yo irish sports x cob who is a complete jessy!

Ahh bless belle if she is only nearly 8 you will get there in the end.

With paddy i dont think it helps that he has been passed around alot etc. (being 14.2 i think he has been bought several times as a childs pony.....which he very much isnt!!) and so has been bought and sold quite a bit and has learnt what to do to get his own way!
Still......im afraid paddy.....im no quitter lol!! the bike comes back and we will get there in the end!
Also having only had him for 7 weeks i doubt he is properly settled yet!

 

[siennamum]

I think you have to bear in mind that what he is demonstrating when he is 'scared' is not that he's afraid of x or y, but that he still hasn't sufficient confidence in you. Some animals have been passed from pillar to post and will take time to build a relationship of trust.

If you are having fun doing other stuff, then the confidence will come in time. I would avoid doing anything much which may result in a confrontation, really focus on having fun with him. Bizarrely, stuff like going XC schooling and on long off road hacks with a group of friends are a great way of getting him to gain confidence.

When he is spooky, try as much as possible to NOT reassure him overly. Be a bit bossy & act indifferent when he is silly. Find lots of small challenges, even in they involve ground work on the yard, stuff where he has to take your word for it that something is ok & be effusive with your praise. I would also do some groundwork which involves him moving away from you, turns on the forehand, rein back etc. He has to start to see you as a good leader.

 

[skychick]

Thats really good advice siennamum actually about the spookyness and not over reassuring. When i am out and i see something i.e a child by a garden ence or a cow, sheep, piece of machinery, or a gatepost lying on the ground (his new favorite object to spook at!) i try and keep my reins long, talking to who ever i am with or myself and completely ignore it rather than shortening reins and anticipating it.
I give him a good pat etc if he is on his own and is generally het up, but if he is jumpng at the same gatepost that he is jumping at every time....he gets a kick on and a dont be so bloody silly!
I have started having lessons on him. His groundwork/schooling is quite rusty so i am planning on doing lots of stuff to help with him listening and doing as i ask.
Infact i have a lesson tomorrow morning so i could get working with my instrctor on some turns on the forehand etc.

I think your right, avoid confrontation untill he has alot more trust in me. Thanks siennamum