Anxious pony hates being stabled

[Wabblit]

Just wondered if anyone had any words of wisdom? We have taken on a pony who is very sweet but has some anxious traits. He is very wilful and bolshy at times (not all the time) and hates being stabled (he will try to jump out over the door). In the field he also jumps fences if he decides he wants to be in a different field and will break through even electric fencing to get somewhere if he's out too long. So he's a tricky one lol!

Ive researched his history and it seems he probably had a bad experience in the past being kept in a stable with minimal grazing (apparently a riding school in London which stabled 24/7 who didn't treat him kindly), I obviously suspect this has contributed to his anxieties about being kept in now. We've built him a post and rail 'pen' attached to his stable which we are in the early days of getting him used to it becoming 'his area'. Ie positive reinforcement, just brushing outside, feeding him there before turning him back out etc. We plan to keep his stable door open and he is happy coming and going at present, sniffing around and eating hay for a short time. It's too early to leave him on his own so we are building it up gradually and letting him lead us how long we feel he is happy there. I just wondered if anyone has any words of comfort that they have had a similar success story or any other suggestions we could add, how long it took etc. He is happy to be in that space currently (for a short time at present) but I know if he was left for too long he would defiantly try to jump out and the anxiety gets to him. It is as if a switch goes off in his head and he is saying "get me outta here". He doesnt like this cold, wet, wintery weather and has a pen previously attached to his stable (open door) previously which he liked and became 'his space', so wondering anything else we can do to help it become his space now he has moved yards to ours. Thanks in advance. He has friends in the stable next door too for company.

 

[Bobthecob15]

Can he not just live out? With a field shelter?

We have one on our yard that was a similar story, was at a so called riding school and stabled for periods, she must have hated it as she developed ulcers. She was bought and treated by a lovely family, the issues seemed to settle but she was out 24/7. Since coming in now for winter (daytime stabled, out at night) her stable behaviour is terrible and she lashes out and bites everyone. They are waiting for the vet to review for possible return of ulcers. She's unsafe to be in the stable with its got that bad, and is now cannot be ridden. She is fine in the field and being handled in open spaces. Such a sad story. She has a tender back too so they are wondering if its something else which has kicked off the ulcers or just she hates being stabled.

 

[SpeedyPony]

I have a pony who also won't stable- I don't have any tried and tested advice for getting them to stay in, as mine has never got over it (he's 22 now).
I also tried feeding in the stable etc, but I left him there after his feed one day for 2 minutes while I went to ask someone if they wanted their horses rug on and he jumped out while tied up (yes, in hindsight it was silly to leave him tied) and got stuck halfway over the door.
After that, I gave up- it wasn't worth him injuring himself (or stressing himself sick) and he has lived out ever since, he is fine to go into a stable if someone stands in there with him (visibly stressed, but polite) so he only goes in a stable now if we need a dark/dry place for vets to be scanning etc and in that situation is usually sedated anyway.
If you have to stable and have a reasonable sized pen/stable, would popping a sheep/mini shetland in with him help?
Or, if it's your land, could he have the run of the yard, with his stable left open to come and go as he pleases?

 

[Wabblit]

Can he not just live out? With a field shelter?

We have one on our yard that was a similar story, was at a so called riding school and stabled for periods, she must have hated it as she developed ulcers. She was bought and treated by a lovely family, the issues seemed to settle but she was out 24/7. Since coming in now for winter (daytime stabled, out at night) her stable behaviour is terrible and she lashes out and bites everyone. They are waiting for the vet to review for possible return of ulcers. She's unsafe to be in the stable with its got that bad, and is now cannot be ridden. She is fine in the field and being handled in open spaces. Such a sad story. She has a tender back too so they are wondering if its something else which has kicked off the ulcers or just she hates being stabled.

Aww that’s so sad.

The trouble is he doesn’t like being out for long (face palm). When we bring him in he stays in a lunge pen over night and actually likes it. It’s just he’s open to all the elements hence why we’ve built a stable pen (which is what he had in his old yard). So just wondering how long he’s going to take to settle and if we can do anything to improve things for him. When he first arrived he hated his lungs pen but now it’s his safe place. If he’s out in the field too long he just breaks down fences to get in. Honestly he’s such a plonker!

 

[paddy555]

how big is the pen? If it is say a 12x12 pen outside the door he may not settle. I have one (a horse) like this that was never taught to stable and by the time he met a stable at 4 he could never get it. A 12/12 type pen wouldn't work for him. He has an open shelter (bit like a stable with no door) and a long, narrow walkway down a hard track with a gate at the end. He wanders up and down that quite happily.
I would think of making the pen larger or a different shape. eg longer and narrow to give him a longer area to walk even putting hay at the far end of it.

 

[Squeak]

Is it possible it's the setup of the stable that's worrying him? Is he used to being able to see horses the whole time e.g. through bars in an indoor barn or opposite and now cant? Or the other way round and he's not used to being able to see them in his stable?

 

[rabatsa]

I had one that would panic in a stable. I was fortunate that I was able to have her loose on a yard with a few others and the stable doors open 24/7.

I put the hay inside the stables. At first she would walk into a stable, grab a mouthful of hay and trot back out. By the end of the first winter she would stand inside to eat the hay. By the end of the second winter I could put a chain across the door while she ate from a bucket. By the end of the third winter she would eat from a bucket with the door closed, as long as she was the first to be let out of the stable once her food was finished. We never got any further.