ObyPony
Member
Hi this is my first post and it'll be really long so I guess it's cookies to the person who gets to the end! and much appreciation for anyone who can throw something tjhat will work into this mix.
I have a 2 yo pony who is a total escap artist and I am seriously pulling my hair out over what to do, He's not my first youngster, but he is the worst and I am seriously considering selling/shooting or turning out anywhere to get him out of my hair!
He escapes from stables even with grills up, climbs through or over post and rail fencing and is currently climbing over/trying to jump and crashing through 5ft electric fencing.
I'm too scared to take him for a walk out of the field, not due to his behaviour as he is quite a nice boy in other respects, but due to the fact the only thing he hasn't tried to get over is the perimiter fence which is barbed.
He's kept with 2 older geldings and a young mare who can be a bit of a bag sometimes. I've tried him on his own, with different combinations of these ponies, my parents horses and he gets out constantly. I've watched him all day and he'll stay in but the second I hide he jumps or climbs, I've watched him hanging by his leg, fall over as I took my pony out to ride, I've opened the entire field and watched my other ponies get extremely overweight, I've put him in a tiny pen, put the rest in a pen, most of the time there is no water in these fields as I upturn the water containers to save it going stagnant, and he is not bullied, he's too bullish for that. he just seems to want to be anywhere but where I put him.
I have also been unable to take out my others, or even put them in starvation as he will get in and break the fence down so they get out, I guess they think he is great for breaking them out but it defeats the object, they are not obese they could do with a bit of a cut down but I have decreased the paddok size,
He will trash the fence if I remove one to groom or ride and either charge around barging into me and whoever I am trying to remove or just charge around in general and destroy all the fencing to the point you end up scrapping the ride/ groom idea and just putting the fencing back up, I gave up taking them out after just ignoring it and finding not a single fence up in a 6 acre field. My parents horses are seperated by electric tape as the mare causes issues between them and she is lower in the pecking order with mine so I have her, and sometimes everything is down and together and fighting.
I currently have barbed with electric round the perimeter and 5ft fencing with 3 strands of wire to create paddoks. It is battery fencing as we can not get mains. I have tested the line and it is fine. I have no stable there, and where there is a stable and paddock there is a stallion and broodmares on one side with a 3ft ditch, which does mean going to 2 seperate yards, which having done in the past is not really a long term option but it is an option, plus there is no company, as this is my 'yard'/sick bay I don't have to worry about upsetting anyone, and his breeder owns the empty field on the other side, but Yard owners, would you even consider trying a pony like this to see if more company can keep him in?
I am totally sick to death of him and seriously considering actually shooting it! I've been in floods of tears over this as it's been constant since just before he was gelded, he was gelded at 18mths, so I've had 6 months of this pretty much every day, twice a day. I've got people to watch/ hold him when I want to take the others out but I really can't rely on someone wanting to hold him every time I take one out the field to even groom it! Really not sure what to do. He will be turned out in a mesh fly mask tomorrow once I fix it to see if it blurs the line between the green grass and green tape so he does not escape.
I am considering tethering, at least while I groom and ride the others as I really am fed up of spending up to 2 hours a day putting fencing back up and being unable to remove the others from the field, but I don't really want to go down that option. So peeps, what would you do?
The options are sell, move to somewhere.. but what sort of place should I look for? tether, or turn out on 4000+ acres and take your chances -My parents have turn out rights on the new forest, so I would just hope for the best.
I have never had a pony or horse that is this bloody minded about staying in.
I have a 2 yo pony who is a total escap artist and I am seriously pulling my hair out over what to do, He's not my first youngster, but he is the worst and I am seriously considering selling/shooting or turning out anywhere to get him out of my hair!
He escapes from stables even with grills up, climbs through or over post and rail fencing and is currently climbing over/trying to jump and crashing through 5ft electric fencing.
I'm too scared to take him for a walk out of the field, not due to his behaviour as he is quite a nice boy in other respects, but due to the fact the only thing he hasn't tried to get over is the perimiter fence which is barbed.
He's kept with 2 older geldings and a young mare who can be a bit of a bag sometimes. I've tried him on his own, with different combinations of these ponies, my parents horses and he gets out constantly. I've watched him all day and he'll stay in but the second I hide he jumps or climbs, I've watched him hanging by his leg, fall over as I took my pony out to ride, I've opened the entire field and watched my other ponies get extremely overweight, I've put him in a tiny pen, put the rest in a pen, most of the time there is no water in these fields as I upturn the water containers to save it going stagnant, and he is not bullied, he's too bullish for that. he just seems to want to be anywhere but where I put him.
I have also been unable to take out my others, or even put them in starvation as he will get in and break the fence down so they get out, I guess they think he is great for breaking them out but it defeats the object, they are not obese they could do with a bit of a cut down but I have decreased the paddok size,
He will trash the fence if I remove one to groom or ride and either charge around barging into me and whoever I am trying to remove or just charge around in general and destroy all the fencing to the point you end up scrapping the ride/ groom idea and just putting the fencing back up, I gave up taking them out after just ignoring it and finding not a single fence up in a 6 acre field. My parents horses are seperated by electric tape as the mare causes issues between them and she is lower in the pecking order with mine so I have her, and sometimes everything is down and together and fighting.
I currently have barbed with electric round the perimeter and 5ft fencing with 3 strands of wire to create paddoks. It is battery fencing as we can not get mains. I have tested the line and it is fine. I have no stable there, and where there is a stable and paddock there is a stallion and broodmares on one side with a 3ft ditch, which does mean going to 2 seperate yards, which having done in the past is not really a long term option but it is an option, plus there is no company, as this is my 'yard'/sick bay I don't have to worry about upsetting anyone, and his breeder owns the empty field on the other side, but Yard owners, would you even consider trying a pony like this to see if more company can keep him in?
I am totally sick to death of him and seriously considering actually shooting it! I've been in floods of tears over this as it's been constant since just before he was gelded, he was gelded at 18mths, so I've had 6 months of this pretty much every day, twice a day. I've got people to watch/ hold him when I want to take the others out but I really can't rely on someone wanting to hold him every time I take one out the field to even groom it! Really not sure what to do. He will be turned out in a mesh fly mask tomorrow once I fix it to see if it blurs the line between the green grass and green tape so he does not escape.
I am considering tethering, at least while I groom and ride the others as I really am fed up of spending up to 2 hours a day putting fencing back up and being unable to remove the others from the field, but I don't really want to go down that option. So peeps, what would you do?
The options are sell, move to somewhere.. but what sort of place should I look for? tether, or turn out on 4000+ acres and take your chances -My parents have turn out rights on the new forest, so I would just hope for the best.
I have never had a pony or horse that is this bloody minded about staying in.