clever stubborn evasive behaviour advice

[AceAmara]

I am riding a lovely but very stubborn native type who is perfectly well and able to go nicely and understands basic schooling. I’ve dealt with various evasions over the years but never this! After trying various other tactics, this pony actually deliberately body slams fences/walls!! Ok so the obvious answer is to keep well away from them but its not always possible and we have very few open field areas to ride in. Example - today out on a hack on a country lane pony starts to nap and generally muck about, I don’t allow this and keep riding forward, leg yeild and ride into the contact - pony goes right through the shoulder and literally drags entire side, my leg/knee included into the fence. Of course my leg is on to try and stop this but is completely ineffectual and Im very lucky to only have a scraped boot and not have trapped a foot! This also happens in the arena when any kind of pressure is put on, it starts with a nap towards the gate but when i manage to block that I find myself being squished against the fence!

 

[Kezzabell2]

I'm sure I'm responding to every post in the same way today! but are you 100% sure that the pony isn't in any sort of pain? sounds like a very strange way for a horse to behave! I personally think that he's trying to tell you that something is wrong!

have there been any other small signs that might have been missed? not standing for you to get on? not happy about being tacked up or caught?

 

[Shay]

I've known a fair few riding school ponies that will do this. They've learned over the years that it is a very quick and effective way to get the rider to stop. With the added plus point that it works! One or two tried it with my daughter when she was young enough to be at a riding school and I've seen a couple of ex RS / school livery horses who will do it from Pony Club.

I don't have a magic wand to offer you I'm afraid. Its inherently hard to break because you have so few tools left to deal with it. One pony I knew that was particularly bad was also school sour and the problem was solved by partially turning him away and only hacking out on the rare occasions he was ridden. He came back after about 6 months and although he kept a fair few of his old habits that particular one didn't return.

The trick is to make the evasion result in harder work - which you probably know - and the only option I can think of atm is to turn the pony in a small tight circle over and over. But you'd need to be able to do it far enough away from a solid surface that he isn't going to break your ankle in the process. Hopefully someone else we be able to offer you more solutions!

Edited to add: Kezzzabelle is obviously right. Rule out pain first!

 

[madlady]

Echo the circling, or backing up or going faster. Anything that makes the napping hard work.

As for stopping yourself being squished on walls/railings I'd be tempted to carry whip in that hand and also maybe some impulsion spurs while you are working through this.

 

[Speedyfluff]

Two things: one, the pony could be in pain. This was the only evasion offered by my friend's mare. She was found to have kissing spines.
Two, if you are absolutely certain there are no pain issues, then you need to understand what allows a horse to fall out through the shoulder and slam you against things. A horse finds it easy to do this if you are bending him AWAY from the object he wants to ram. If you can foresee when he is going to do it, rather than turn his head away (the instinctive reaction), bend him towards it, holding the bend with your leg. This will make it very hard for him to ram into things if done correctly.

 

[Tapir]

My pony used to do a version of this when I first got her & hacked her out alone. She'd stop and then every time I asked her to go forward she'd sidle further and further left so I was either squished against a wall/barbed wire fence or my knee was stuck behind a lamp post or into a parked car. Of course in some of these situations I then couldn't give her a smack with my whip in case she kicked out or got us properly emeshed. Depending on where we were I used to have to either get off (usually off the wrong side) get her going again then re-mount or turn her to her right and then make her reverse. I also carried, and still do, a schooling whip in my left hand and make sure we aren't too close to the edge of the road. Persistence worked and we could hack on our own for miles with no problems after a few months.

 

[EQUIDAE]

I would also rule out pain first but if no pain, could you carry a schooling whip to the outside to encourage the horse to stay away from the side? I rode one who was like this and the only way was to think ahead as (you well know) as soon as they have started it you can't stop them. Prevention is the key.

 

[AceAmara]

thanks all, yes pain has all been ruled out and tack checked as well. Teeth done and back checked. Ive tried a schooling whip but tbh it could be a red hot poker and this pony wouldn’t care. I will try the circling and perhaps impulse spurs so i can apply a stronger aid to push back over when Im being ignored.

 

[Ladyinred]

A horse finds it easy to do this if you are bending him AWAY from the object he wants to ram. If you can foresee when he is going to do it, rather than turn his head away (the instinctive reaction), bend him towards it, holding the bend with your leg. This will make it very hard for him to ram into things if done correctly.

You beat me to it! Exactly this, turn him into the object rather than away from it. If he happens to bang his nose, well, maybe he shouldn't have been doing it in the first place and maybe he will think twice before trying that particular trick again.

 

[JanetGeorge]

Two things: one, the pony could be in pain. This was the only evasion offered by my friend's mare. She was found to have kissing spines.

My 5 year old IDSH, Lucy, started EVIL bucking a couple of months ago - after having been Miss Perfect for at least a year. She only bucked every 4-5 days - and at SOME stage in the exercise program - but she ALWAYS got rid of my rider who is ruddy sticky! She gave a huge buck - and twisted. She was x-rayed today - yes, kissing spines!

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I would get a 2nd opinion on both tack and vet. But yes, the pony needs to find himself walking into stuff becasue of his own actions. We had an Appaloosa mare who was the best napper I have ever met. She like to reverse, oh dear one day she reversed into ahawthorn bush backed up by an oil drum and a barbed wire fence. She didn't like feel of the hawthorn bush and never reversed unasked again (she did plenty of other stuff though!). Rather than trying to block him, try asking him to shoulder in/ quarters in/turn on the forehand away from the fence, if you are absolutely certain that he is pain-free.