companion pony

[Kirstd33]

After much effort, expense and heart wrenching deliberation over the past I've pretty much decided not to ride coblet in the short term, and in the longer term who knows. He just continues to be too unpredictable under saddle, bucking at even walk and trot the past couple of times we've even attempted to hack off the yard and then the final straw was on Sunday when we were doing some practice at the mounting block and he'd lined up I'd got my leg over and he suddenly decided to spin, take off from the yard and canter/buck the 200 yards across the yard and up to the field with me clinging onto the neck of his turnout rug! All caught on yard CCTV obvs!
YO and other liveries maintain their thinking that hes just feeling too well and this behaviour can be ridden through but I'm not prepared to do it, especially with this weather making regular riding untenable (no arena or trailer to get to one)

Unfortunately I can't turn him away for the winter at the yard we're on as a combo of clay soil and not enough grazing means that all liveries are in overnight now until at least March, so I was looking at the possibility of loaning him out as a companion?

What do you all think? Is there much interest in loans as companions ponies, he's low maintenance, declared sound by the vet, can live out and generally keeps himself to himself with others providing they have enough food.

 

[Amymay Again]

I'd just keep him at the yard you're at, personally.

 

[Kirstd33]

I would happily as we adore him, however I feel he (and I to be fair) would be far happier with him turned away and just left to be a pony, as he's also suffered with ulcers on and off and i just feel a semi feral lifestyle would suit him best at least for a good few months after all the surgery, box rest and relative micro management the poor soul has endured over the past 8 months.

 

[KittenInTheTree]

If you feel that stabling at night would be detrimental, and/or that he needs time off to just be a pony, then you could send him off on full grass livery over winter. I am unclear over what happened at the mounting block. It reads as if he was rugged when you tried to get on him, but that would be daft, so I must be reading it wrong.

 

[Tiddlypom]

You swung your leg over him at the mounting block when he was wearing his turnout rug?

 

[Kirstd33]

You swung your leg over him at the mounting block when he was wearing his turnout rug?

yes not my finest decision granted, but I have ridden him bareback plenty of times in just a head collar - I wont be doing it again for sure, you'd all be horrified at the video

 

[Lady Jane]

You swung your leg over him at the mounting block when he was wearing his turnout rug?

I too was a bit surprised if pony can be unpredictable

 

[I'm Dun]

The pony needs a vet not loaning out.

 

[Kirstd33]

He had surgery on his annular ligaments and following surgery all in hand walking and ridden rehab has been carried out to the letter until full vet supervision every 3 weeks, and at every stage the vet has given the green light to progress onto the next phase, At his last check -up the vet did a full and comprehensive workup, eg flexions on hard and soft, lunging again on both and a full examination and told me to "crack-on now" with every aspect of ridden work apart from lunging and ridden small circles. The vets have seen his behaviour under saddle and taken the view that its behavioural??Pony has also had teeth done, regular physio and chiro, saddle refitted regularly and has been ridden by a professional far better rider than me, as I was doubting myself in the equation. I'm not prepared to just crack on and hence have come to the decision that coblet is better turned away for a spell and quite possibly retired at 17.
Loaning out would give him the ability to be turned away - it would 100% be to a companion home only so he wouldn't be ridden.

 

[splashgirl45]

Your motives might be good but you cannot be sure what people do with loan horses, if he has daily turnout where you are he will be fine with that. Or if you think he needs to be out 24/7 fund grass livery for him for the winter elsewhere .. you didn’t say how the professional rider did with him, was he the same or better?

 

[Kirstd33]

Your motives might be good but you cannot be sure what people do with loan horses, if he has daily turnout where you are he will be fine with that. Or if you think he needs to be out 24/7 fund grass livery for him for the winter elsewhere .. you didn’t say how the professional rider did with him, was he the same or better?

I know I'm having sleepless night over this and at my wits end as we truly adore him and just want the best for him, and could he be turned away at our yard then please believe me he wouldnt be going anywhere. I just don't think that 4-6 hrs tuenout a day for the next 4 months is the best course of action for him, so I am also looking at other yards that would let him be out 24/7.
Interestingly he behaved identically for the proffessional rider in as much as OK for 15 mins walking warm up, then starting when asked to work in trot and canter, he escalates his behaviour, so starts off head shaking and rooting, then bucking and finally tried bolting back to where i was standing 200 mtrs away.
The riders opinion was she felt no lameness or unbalanced way of going and that its learnt behaviour and she suggested having him on schooling livery - I'm just not convinced that's the right course of action currently?

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

If you're not quite sure of longer term plan maybe grass livery would be better. I'm guessing people want companions on an ongoing basis so one that's possibly going to move on again might be less appealing. Also companions are not hard to come by and if you're not able to keep very close oversight of the home he could end up in a real pickle.

 

[JenJ]

After much effort, expense and heart wrenching deliberation over the past I've pretty much decided not to ride coblet in the short term, and in the longer term who knows. He just continues to be too unpredictable under saddle, bucking at even walk and trot the past couple of times we've even attempted to hack off the yard and then the final straw was on Sunday when we were doing some practice at the mounting block and he'd lined up I'd got my leg over and he suddenly decided to spin, take off from the yard and canter/buck the 200 yards across the yard and up to the field with me clinging onto the neck of his turnout rug! All caught on yard CCTV obvs!
YO and other liveries maintain their thinking that hes just feeling too well and this behaviour can be ridden through but I'm not prepared to do it, especially with this weather making regular riding untenable (no arena or trailer to get to one)

Unfortunately I can't turn him away for the winter at the yard we're on as a combo of clay soil and not enough grazing means that all liveries are in overnight now until at least March, so I was looking at the possibility of loaning him out as a companion?

What do you all think? Is there much interest in loans as companions ponies, he's low maintenance, declared sound by the vet, can live out and generally keeps himself to himself with others providing they have enough food.

I personally wouldn't loan him out. There are already too many companion ponies looking for loan homes, I wouldn't add more to the mix. Especially as he is a rideable size; you can't be certain that he's not going to be ridden, whatever the loaner says.

I would never trust a loan of my own horses, unless to someone I knew well and had almost daily contact with. I've seen far too many go wrong in the past, including one of my old mares (wasn't mine by then).

That said, there ARE good loaners out there. I am one myself - it's ten years since I last bought a horse, and over that time I've had 6 on loan, including my current two ponies. But I know I'm a good loaner, I don't know that about anyone else, and not everyone is. I won't take the risk.

 

[alibali]

From a personal point of view I wouldn't entertain a short term companion due to the upheaval of introducing them to the 'herd' which would be followed soon after by the upheaval of losing them and introducing another. My companions 'job' (as well as company) is to stay on his own safely and without fuss, be low maintenance and introduce calm and consistency for any other horses I may have. So I would actually be quite selective in any companion I took on.

I would be extremely cautious as to where and with whom you place him if you do loan him out.

 

[Gloi]

The last thing I would be wanting to do with this pony is to loan him unless it is to a close friend where you are still keeping an eye on him. Better to stay where he is and just do ground work or no work with him. It does sound like a pain response from him though.

 

[nutjob]

It's possible that the annular ligament is not the only issue and whilst the surgery has been successful there may be something else going on. There are quite a lot of retirement places available now which have more turnout if you don't think your current place is suiting him. Based on his behaviour I would probably have the neck and back xray'd before making a decision to retire but equally you can spend £1000's trying to get to the bottom of something, especially where the horse is not obviously lame and 17 is not that young to consider retirement. Companion horses which have been passed on have a habit of ending up doped up at dodgy dealers, I wouldn't pass him on unless there is someone you know locally where you can easily visit and who is definitely looking for a companion.

It's a miserable situation to be in.

 

[Zoeypxo]

Retirement livery would be more suitable.
its very common for ‘unridden’ companion horses to end up being ridden as soon as they are out on loan