Do you think you can teach an old horse new tricks?

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santander

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I'm thinking of buying a little lead rein pony for the children. I know of a pony who's 23, and really well trained as a lead rein. There's only one problem and that is on the ground she's really rude! She shoves you with her head CONSTANTLY, which is something I never really know what to do about really because I'm against smacking horses on the head! She just won't stand still, basically. However as soon as a child gets on her back she concentrates on being a lead rein pony and behaves.

My question is, is she too old to train some manners into? I'll gladly put the groundwork in if I think it'll be worth it, she's a lovely pony.

Your thoughts please!
 
No I don't think so. My aunt and I just took on a 17 year old pony as a first pony for her daughter who used to headbutt and constantly try to chew through your clothes as the old owner thought it was cute. We completely stopped any treats at all from the hand and pushed him off us then ignored him when he tried to rub so he eventually gave up. Its quite good really as we know when someone else has given him a treat as after just one he tries it on again, a firm word puts him back into "nice pony" mode!
 
I had a horse who used to bite and i was told to be ready, so when he came into my space, he found a knee or elbow. This put him off fairly quickly, and worked much better than smacking, which is an aggresive action rather than defensive. I find if my horse tries to rub on me, a chicken flap of the arm, and maybe a stamp of the foot is usally enough to deter her(no contact) though if yours is rude, you may find your flapping connects.
With the moving her bum, do groundwork, move her round, make her stand, place her back if she moves. Lots of backing up and controlling her feet may help too.
If you are not sure about using the techniques, find a behaviourist or IH person to help. They'll be able to show you in one session, and well worth the money.
 
Well I sold a well mannered 18 year old pony several years ago. 6 months later I ended up buying her back as she'd been labelled dangerous (rearing & spinning when u got on)
Within a week of getting her back problem solved & she lived out her days with me taking fellow liveries friends & children out. Never tried her " New trick" again.
So yes you can teach an old horse new tricks - both good & bad.
 
I would not worry about something like this, if she is ok in all other respects. We had a terror of a pony, re nipping, but she was a good pony to learn on and all three children did learn on her, so they (the kids) get used to pony quirks.
 
I think an aged pony would be more difficult to change than an aged horse. purely based on the fact that ponies seem to be far more intelligent than most horses and have far more 'tricks' up their sleeves.

If the pony is perfect when ridden by tiny children, in my view, it is worth it's weight in gold and I would let the children learn all they can on it. A different pony could be used to teach the children how to handle and gain confidence with ponies on the ground. The downturn would be you couldn't leave the children to 'play' with the pony unattended. It wouldn't take may head butting experiences to frighten a child.

I had an ex lead rein pony as a companion recently, she had been to the very top, looking after numerous children to perfection, but --- she was a prolific knee biter. Sneaky, accurate and quick ! bless her, she is much missed.
 
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