Any tips on calming down a hyper pony?

[myponymax]

We have recently bought a small, 11hh pony called Max. He is 3 and lives with my grandparents. They have been having some problems with him, he is super hyper and and really naughty. He would rear and try to climb on top of you if you bend down. My grandparents have said that if he won‘t calm down and stop being so hyper we would have to sell him and I really want to show my family he has potential but i’m not sure how to, I have been looking at how to make a horse calmer but all of the things about that posted on the internet talk about how to calm a horse that’s being ridden. But we aren’t going to ride him anytime soon as he isn’t broken in yet. If you pat him and give him treats, he just does the same and gallops around, we don’t really have a problem with him being energetic, it’s just that he’s super cheeky too. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Arzada]

I would find a grass livery where he can live out 24/7 with other equines. Ideally in a settled herd where there aren't any/many changes to the herd. Preferably with a schooling area and if possible the option to rent a stable.

 

[shortstuff99]

Is he entire?

 

[myponymax]

Is he entire?

Yes, although we wanted to keep him a stallion so he could breed with a mare later on

 

[myponymax]

I would find a grass livery where he can live out 24/7 with other equines. Ideally in a settled herd where there aren't any/many changes to the herd. Preferably with a schooling area and if possible the option to rent a stable.

Thank you, my grandparents live in a place that doesn’t really have any horse riding schools or a livery near us, but we will definitely try our best!!

 

[Pinkvboots]

I don't think you realise how tricky stallions can be even at 11h they can be a handful, my advice would be get him gelded and get him a companion he will be much calmer and happier

 

[Shay]

PB is absolutely right - stallions need particualr care. But I would go further and say you need to get him into a gelding youngstock herd so he can learn his boundaries and manners. A companion who can put him in his palceis better than nothing - but you might then find you have attachement problems further down the track.

Horses are not ever meant to be kept alone. They are herd animals.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Yes, although we wanted to keep him a stallion so he could breed with a mare later on

Is he of good enough quality to remain an entire? Is he registered with a breed society?

I do hope he isn't on his own, otherwise it's like dealing with a 5 to 8 yr old boy who has had copious amounts of chocolate and fizz, with the physique of a strapping 15yr old boy. From which it sounds like he is.

Please take care, wear hard hat, have good jacket on and gloves, what appears play can very quickly turn into something a lot more serious.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Yes, although we wanted to keep him a stallion so he could breed with a mare later on

Dear Lord!

This pony needs other equine company, atm he is trying to play with humans as he lacks a herd of friends to play with. He also needs to be gelded asap. Breeding is for knowledgeable folk with excellent examples of their registered breed.

 

[Bellaboo18]

He needs to be gelded and needs company asap. Horses are herd animals so it's cruel to keep them alone.

 

[Starzaan]

To be perfectly honest I think the best thing for the horse would be if your grandparents sold him to someone who knows what they’re doing with a young stallion, and will geld him ASAP and ensure he has company.

 

[SkewbaldPony19]

You could try lunging daily or every other day to burn the energy. Check what food he gets because it might be worth trying to cut down or get rid of feed if he gets any. You could also try to cut down on the grass he eats and feed him more hay instead since grass contains a lot of sugar. He needs a companion since he could be doing it for attention and it's not fair on the horse to be kept alone.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

You could try lunging daily or every other day to burn the energy. Check what food he gets because it might be worth trying to cut down or get rid of feed if he gets any. You could also try to cut down on the grass he eats and feed him more hay instead since grass contains a lot of sugar. He needs a companion since he could be doing it for attention and it's not fair on the horse to be kept alone.

Please do NOT lunge a 3 yr old to get burn off his energy, you will be risking ruining his joints.

 

[Shay]

In addition to that - this is an unbroken 3 year old. He hasn't (I presume) been taught to lunge. If you can think of anything more dangerous to do with an unhandled playful stallion 3 year old I really don't want to know what it is!

 

[Hsaam]

I suggest if you want to keep him a stallion you gets calmer older gelding that can teach him manners but will still play with him. And feed him more hay. Why is he at your grandparents?

 

[Chappie]

Hi myponymax, has anyone in your family kept horses before? I very much recommend initally phoning World Horse Welfare (WHW); they have a very good website and their phone number will be on there. Also the British Horse Society (BHS) have a website and phone line; they are a charity too and they will be a great source of useful information. It's really important your family look into how to manage Max correctly, for all your safety and Max's health and welfare. The other replies you got are very useful, but phoning WHW or the BHS will give you a lot more great advice to work with. Hope you will update us on how you get on!

 

[Chinchilla]

I hate to be a killjoy but I am not sure a 3yo unbroken entire who sounds half feral is a good first pony for anybody, it really might be best if he was sold to be a knowledgeable home and gelded as soon as possible. If you're not willing to do that can you send him away for handling/breaking livery where he will be gelded and have companionship of other horses?

 

[gallopingby]

Oh dear so you’ve bought an unhandled 3 year old colt. Not the best choice for a first pony and l suspect he was very cheap as someone wanted rid of him. His manners aren’t going to improve if you’ve no experience of looking after a pony and it must be pretty tough on your grandparents. Best thing is to have him gelded and then sell him, he definitely needs an older experienced companion. What facilities have you for keeping a suitable quiet pony? You may have great plans to prove to your family that you can cope but an unbroken 3 year old isn’t the way to start, especially at 11 hands. Am l correct in quessing he’s a coloured cob and you’re hoping he’ll grow?

 

[Pinkvboots]

I suggest if you want to keep him a stallion you gets calmer older gelding that can teach him manners but will still play with him. And feed him more hay. Why is he at your grandparents?

Not all stallions can live alongside other horses as as in turned out together, my stallion had to be turned out alone I would never have put him in with a gelding, some stallions will but you need to have the knowledge and experience to know which ones will and I very much doubt the op does by the tone of the post.

 

[Chinchilla]

Yes, although we wanted to keep him a stallion so he could breed with a mare later on

Additionally please do not breed until you have a little more experience and professional help. Foals aren't necessarily easier because they are smaller and your pony is still a baby right now really, if you're struggling with him you'd also struggle with anything you bred.

Breeding is a huge undertaking that requires enormous investment of time, knowledge, facilities, not to mention money. Foals also need own-age companions to develop properly, they definitely cannot be kept alone.