FED UP OF NAPPY PONY

[rrose]

As you may know my pony has taken up the art of REARING!! everything has been checked and nothing is wrong with her. but im gettting sick off it. like today i have never know her to do it so many times and has now started to spin straight after. i cant do anything with her.. bathing her she will go up, leading her she will go up, riding her she will go up and its a no go getting her out on her own!!!!

i would love to though!

so its getting me down now as im fed up of it!! so if anyone has any tips or adive i would like to give it a go, and i would appricate (sp) it. its like she knows she can get away with it so she does it! but

yea so i had a sh!t day riding today and its starting to bother me BIG time!... shes superin every other aspect. But the last yard we where at was where she started it and since moving she still does it, but the yard before the one she started it (if you understand) she didnt do it. .... ok sorry, for the long post and my poor english. im quite suprised i go a C in my GCSE lol

thanks in advice for your advice.

 

[watcherathome]

1) is there a physical reason, have you checked back/teeth, etc
2) change in diet or grazing? Maybe you could invest in a calmer for a few months to help settle your horse
3)does the tack still fit or has your horse changed shape and is now not comfortable
4) having got away with it a few times, your pony now knows it can..and will keep trying it on, is your riding up to it? Is your pony responding to your nerves?


So many questions, so many causes..sounds like you need somebody a little more experienced to look at what is happening and how you are reacting..do you have an instructor? What do they think?

 

[Enfys]

Hi,

I expect you will get lots of suggestions about how to deal (or try to) with this rearing.
My humble suggestion? If you can, turn her away for a couple of weeks and do the bare minimum with her,feed her, check her, and give yourselves both a chance to chill out and have some breathing space.
Good Luck with whatever you decide, Take Care.

 

[rrose]

i can handle her, as she doesnt scare me, but i have learnt how to stay on bord since her doing it. so i wont come off unless she goes right up. everything has been checked from tack to back etc.. so thanks for advice i will give it ago and get a second opion (sp)

 

[henryhorn]

I could understand her rearing when napping but when bathing/leading?
probably nothing to do with it but have you had her eyes checked?
This isn't normal napping as they don't do it when handled like that in my experience, she may well have sussed a method of avoiding doing what you want but it doesn't sound quite right to me.
Have you tried an older more experienced person handling her, does she do it to them?
I don't like rearers, but you need someone who knows what they're doing to sort this out if no physical cause is found.

 

[JAK]

[ QUOTE ]
My humble suggestion? If you can, turn her away for a couple of weeks and do the bare minimum with her,feed her, check her, and give yourselves both a chance to chill out and have some breathing space.

[/ QUOTE ]
I second this suggestion & you have nothing to lose, as at the moment, you can't really school, hack her out or take her to shows, so you won't be 'missing out' on a great deal!
Having a break is sometimes just enough to help 'break the habit' in itself, though this would normally mean turning away for longer, of course!

Start again with concentrated handling from the ground, then lungeing etc. before attempting to ride her! When you do start riding her, keep it all very low-key & amicable, sticking to simple exercises that are less inclined to stress her out or wind her up!
Build it back up gradually & try & find reasons to praise & reward - I imagine at the moment she is not getting a lot of praise, as you seem to be stuck in a bit of a downward spiral with her & it must be rather difficult at the mo to find reasons to praise her sometimes?

The main thing we give our ponies when addressing a major problem is time - we had SWUO for months before we even attempted to sit on her (knowing what the outcome would be if we rushed it! LOL) & it has paid off!
It also requires extreme vigilance (noting what she does/doesn't like, anticipating her next reaction etc.), an ability to 'read' the pony (working out why she may be reacting in this way & again, anticipating her next move!) & excellent timing (so you are able to praise immediately for the tiniest of efforts or be quick enough to get a correction in if she is about to misbehave!).

It is easy to get stuck in an angry rut & 'ignore' any good behaviours, just pounce on the 'bad bits', so a break will do you both good! 'Cooling' your relationship with her will not do any harm either & will make her more likely to pay attention when you do request something of her!
And enlist some expert help! Rearing is potentially lethal (for both rider/handler and pony & is not something you should be tackling alone anyway!

Use the 'time off' to make a plan of action & decide exactly what it is you want to achieve each step of the way etc! Try & be positive about it all & just take it one step at a time! You want this to be 'lasting solution' not a 'quick fix' remember!
'Slow & steady wins the race' here, I reckon!

 

[chestnut cob]

I agree with everything said so far.

Turn her away for a couple of weeks, maybe more, to let her chill out a bit. Start feeding her a calmer now, just give her a handful of Hifi Lite or something to have it in. Topspec calmer is very good and takes about 3 weeks to work.

I would go right back to the beginning. Get yourself a good instructor who can help you with everything so you don't have to deal with it alone. I would start off with long reining and lunging personally, don't get back on her for a while. Don't put any pressure on, just take it slowly.

There has to be a reason why she's doing it. Like HH says maybe her eyesight is bad, or as someone else said it could be that she's now worked out that she can get away with it and so is just trying it on.

Have you changed her routine at all? My horse got a bit neurotic when we moved yards last year, took him ages to settle. I put him on Topspec calmer, which helped, and just had to make sure I was really firm with him.

Good luck.

 

[JAK]

[ QUOTE ]
There has to be a reason why she's doing it. My horse got a bit neurotic when we moved yards last year, took him ages to settle. I put him on Topspec calmer, which helped, and just had to make sure I was really firm with him.

[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, usually a reason:

1. Teeth, back, tack ok?

2. Eyesight alright?

3. Welsh?

Sorry CC, couldn't resist - twisted sense of humour!

(You know I'm one of his biggest fans really! LOL)

 

[chestnut cob]

[ QUOTE ]

Yes, usually a reason:

1. Teeth, back, tack ok?

2. Eyesight alright?

3. Welsh?

Sorry CC, couldn't resist - twisted sense of humour!

(You know I'm one of his biggest fans really! LOL)

[/ QUOTE ]

LMAO JAK!!

That's Rhyn's excuse anyway.....

However, I think he may have suddenly grown up..... moved yards last weekend (down in Hampshire now) and he's a totally different horse

It's like he's been there all his life, totally chilled out, schooling better than ever. Cant' believe it, keep thinking it's just a transition period and that he's going to throw his toys out of the pram anytime soon!!

 

[JAK]

Wonderful CC - amazing the difference in 'em when they're happy & settled, isn't it?
Often, if the environment is right, so many other things just 'fall into place', don't they? (I firmly believe this anyway, as does Rhyn, Cob Blob, EllieBeast etc.!)

 

[chestnut cob]

Agree, it's amazing. He liked the last yard but certainly seems more settled at this one. He's out on 8 acres with 4 others and it's fab. I can see him getting fat though.....

How is Cob Blob doing these days?

 

[appennea]

My horse was napping badly and checked everything - all thought she was fine. Took her for ground work at T Team Centre and they found she just wasn't quite right. Turned out that after all she had Kissing Spine and damaged ligament in her back. So second opinions are always worth it. They worked her over poles on the ground and watched how she lifted all her feet over - we're they level etc? They weren't and then took her for scans and xrays. Two Chiropractors had seen her and found nothing unusual to indicate such damage. Physio could see how tight she was though.

 

[Weezy]

ohh how interesting - 2nd horse diagnosed by the T Team Centre I have heard of - did you have the vet xray the back to confirm?

 

[Blazingkate]

I'm having the exact same problem with my horse at the mo. He's a bad rearer and a really bad napper. For the rearing, what bit have you got in? Single joint bits will hit the top of the mouth, which may give a reason to rear whereas a straight bar doesn't. I changed to a straight bar 2 weeks ago and the rearing has decreased hugely! My horse also rears when being bathed, and sometimes when being lead. We've been told it's a mental thing. Not meaning he's got a screw loose but because he gets away with it when you're riding, he tries it in other circumstances too. Oh and if you feel her go to rear, turn her head as much as you can. They can't rear if their neck is bent as it makes then unbalanced and wobbly.

As for napping, it could be she's the leader of the herd and doesn't want to leave them, is scaried of going alone, or it could just be naughtiness! It could be you need to improve her trust in you. It could also be that whenever you go out hacking you always go with the same person and horse, and she doesn't want to go without them, that she has grown too attached and finds this other horse comforting. There are many reasons. Things I've tried is lots of circles near the gate (if you can!) and if she naps at shows then do a few circles at the entrance before you set off, and a few at the end. Don't try and argue by pulling, it won't work. Instead use you legs and really push her the other way, and 2 sharp smacks with the crop on the bum will push her forward - the combination of legs and whip should make her got forward and turn the way you want, instead of slowing and turning the way she wants.

The final thing I would suggest has already be suggested, and this is the main thing I am doing. Back to basics. Lots of inhand work to gain trust, and lungeing. Lunge by the gate as well if you can. The more work you do by gates the more they will learn gates mean work not escape from work. It's a long process, because rearing and napping are two of the worse vices to cure, but it can be done with hard work and patience. Send me a PM if you want any more help/to chat etc.

 

[appennea]

Yep - she's had xrays twice now and having op this Friday coming - hoping she's not too mentally scarred bu the whole situation as people had been pushing her constantly to work through the "stiffness" and to correct her "naughty" behaviour.