Dealing with a bored and bolshy colt

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MrB'sMum

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Hi Everyone - I'm hoping someone will be able to give me a bit of advice. I've recently become Mum to a rising two year old minature Shetland colt.

I've ended up owning him almost by 'accident'. He moved into the field next door to my house in April as a temporary grazing measure (he would have been about 1 year old at this point). Prior to that he had been with his breeder, but she had new young stock coming in and needed space. He had already been sold, and was awaiting his new owners to organise collecting him and moving him to his new home. The problem was that the date which they were supposed to come and get him on kept slipping and slipping.

I've been around horses since I was a kid, so as he seemed to be totally on his own I took it upon myself to keep an eye on him, made contact with the breeder and made sure his feet were kept trim etc. I also kept up his handling as best I could, but didn't want to do too much with him in case his owners didn't like my interference.

Six months down the line it became very clear his new owners were not going to be able to take him as they wished, and I made moves to sort out the situation as I didn't like a sweet pony like him to be totally ignored like that. Outshot of this is I now find myself about to take posession of a small pony I never really planned on owning. But he's such a lovely little guy.

I have never had a youngster though, so bringing one on was always going to be a steep learning curve. I've also never had a pony who didn't even come up to my knees (and I'm not tall!) so I'm having to learn new ways of dealing with him. He is very sweet natured, but also horribly bored. He's been on his own for almost 6 months (maybe even longer before he came to me?) and it is showing. He will come to me willingly, I can pick up his feet, touch all parts of him and he doesn't bat an eyelid. However, because he is bored, he is bolshy. If I walk around in the field he charges at me trying to play, he's very nippy, and is constantly rearing at me. I've managed to establish pretty good boundaries when I'm facing him head on - he will move back if I move at him etc - but as soon as I turn my shoulder, he practically tries to climb o my back! He hasn't kicked at me, but he does turn and show me his bum if I challenge him (by this I mean striding forward at him if he invades my space, going 'aaa! and making myself look as big as I can). With him being so small it is easy to push him off, and control him if I need to, but if he caught me off guard he could easily flatten me, and it's only gonna get worse as he grows!

I know most of this is boredom and lack of socialisation - and I have arranged for two sensible older geldings to come and stay with him for the winter in a few weeks - I hope they will teach him some boundaries and also help him let off some steam so I can work with him. I will also be looking for a permanent companion for him, and gelding him as soon as I have all the paperwork signed and he is legally mine to do what I want with. I'd really appreciate some tips on how to work with him on the ground and correct his bolshiness though. I would love to do some joining up with him, but we don't have a school, and his field is not really suitable, its too undulating and I'm constantly worried I'm going to slip down a dip and end up with a small (but still strong!) pony on top of me. I also worry because there are a couple of little girls who live nearby who like to talk to him over the fence (where he is quite well mannered, but a bit nibbly) - but if they got in the field with him he could really hurt them.

Personality wise he is very sweet, friendly and I think in the long term will be a great little friend for me - but I am a bit out of my depth with an unsocialised, bored youngster, and I'm not too sure where to start. Any suggestions as to how I can get him to respect my space and realise that he has to be calm around people? He's not had the start he deserves, and I want to do right by him now.
 
I have arranged for two sensible older geldings to come and stay with him for the winter in a few weeks - I hope they will teach him some boundaries and also help him let off some steam so I can work with him. I will also be looking for a permanent companion for him, and gelding him as soon as I have all the paperwork signed and he is legally mine
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I think that you have sorted out two of the biggest things here. Well done. :)

Handle him consistently. Correct bad behaviour and reward good behaviour.
 
By consistently, I don't mean very minute of every day. :p I mean be consistent on what is acceptable behaviour and what is not acceptable behaviour.
 
Faracat said:
I think that you have sorted out two of the biggest things here. Well done. :)

Handle him consistently. Correct bad behaviour and reward good behaviour.
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Yes, it sounds like you are on the right track OP, nail those two issues and you should see a significant difference... If he is getting really bored, there is no reason why you cant take him out and about for inhand walks, to tire his brain out a bit :D

Oh there is just one oversight on your part, as soon as he is yours you just have to post some pictures on here... we all love the cuteness factor of a fluffy baby:p;):D
 
Hehe - don't worry, I didn't think you were suggesting EVERY minute - although I wouldn't complain about spending all day out there with him. Well, maybe I would. Depends on the weather.

Any suggestions on how best to reward and correct though? I've been working on a basis of fusses if he's good, stomping and growling if he isn't. Not sure if that is the most effective method though...

Will post a pic soon I promise! Although I'll have to find a day when he doesn't look like swampy the mud monster...
 
My grey went through a stage of rearing when I led her when she was a yearling. I corrected the behaviour by sending her forwards (hard to rear when you are moving promptly forwards in a circle round your owner mini-lunging style - long leadrope and dressage whip required). When she walked nicely, she was patted and told 'good girl' plus we didn't do endless boring circles. ;)

It depends what they are doing wrong. My chestnut gelding is quite sensitive - you can't get cross with him as he just gets angry back. So I distract him or set things up so that it's easy for him to do the right thing and hard to do the wrong thing (stack the cards in your favour).

He was ear twitched as a foal and touching his ears was a big no no. We had made some small progress but the breakthrough came when I discovered that he would let me put a fly mask on him. It was one with ear covers. Having had that put on and taken off all summer and I never once grabbed at his ears, seemed to convince him that I didn't want to grab his ear at all and I can now touch them without him reacting negatively. :)

He's also a bit nippy/clothes grabby and gets in your space as you walk through the field. So I walk along flapping my arm up and down (looking like a right plonker) but it keeps him back (he still follows) without him becoming frightened. He hasn't tried to grab my clothes for ages now, so I only flap if he gets a bit too close. :D I always go up and give him some fuss when he's been good, if he was naughty I'd go and fuss a different horse.
 
Faracat said:
My grey went through a stage of rearing when I led her when she was a yearling. I corrected the behaviour by sending her forwards (hard to rear when you are moving promptly forwards in a circle round your owner mini-lunging style - long leadrope and dressage whip required). When she walked nicely, she was patted and told 'good girl' plus we didn't do endless boring circles. ;)

It depends what they are doing wrong. My chestnut gelding is quite sensitive - you can't get cross with him as he just gets angry back. So I distract him or set things up so that it's easy for him to do the right thing and hard to do the wrong thing (stack the cards in your favour).

He was ear twitched as a foal and touching his ears was a big no no. We had made some small progress but the breakthrough came when I discovered that he would let me put a fly mask on him. It was one with ear covers. Having had that put on and taken off all summer and I never once grabbed at his ears, seemed to convince him that I didn't want to grab his ear at all and I can now touch them without him reacting negatively. :)

He's also a bit nippy/clothes grabby and gets in your space as you walk through the field. So I walk along flapping my arm up and down (looking like a right plonker) but it keeps him back (he still follows) without him becoming frightened. He hasn't tried to grab my clothes for ages now, so I only flap if he gets a bit too close. :D I always go up and give him some fuss when he's been good, if he was naughty I'd go and fuss a different horse.
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my boy is the same... always set up to achieve... praise with pats and scratches. Have a look at clicker training, a couple of three min sessions really works the brain... and helps with teaching them to teach themselves emotional control, plus they learn that there is no point in trying to ask for food or treats... it comes when they achieve their task... I have found it really usefull with burning off excess energy with babies. Again I agree with the flappy stuff, go out of your way to be energetic and loud... he will get used to it as the norm and it will help to bomb proof him. If for example you tell him to stand and he moves, calmly just return him to the original spot... repeat, repeat, repeat... repetition is key with babies... it is the easiest way for them to learn :D
 
Faracat said:
Yes she did. :) I love it - in fact I'm thinking of swapping to MLP versions of my lot. No injuries, no worries, less stress... fantastic. ;) :p

ETA.


Very true.
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lol! yeah I live in fear of something bad happening to ben, especially nowadays... computerised horses are far better lol :D
 
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