Grrr ... any suggestions for keeping a pony in?

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ObyPony

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HI, this is a long one for my first post, so cakes for getting to the end.

I have a lovely 6mth old colt who is adorable in every way, leads, feet picked out, groomed all the usual stuff you expect never any problem and takes everything in his stride, except he is a complete houdini!

The perimeter is barbed wire, and he 100% respects that. The fence is divided up by electric fencing in half mine on one side and mum and dads on the other and this is the issue.

I have fenced off my winter grazing as I am not on it yet and he walks out under the fence to get through, this i didn't think was too much of a problem as he may have been hungry, despite ample hay and the field has grass but it not flush, so I left him there during the day and put him back at night, that was fine until he started breaking the fence to get in with my others, and then letting them out, where ever i left him he wanted to be in the other side. now he is getting in with mum and dads too, or beating down all the fences. They are not with mine as mum doesn't like one of mine as he is pushy with her and only her, tonight it has resulted in dad getting knocked over as he tried to get mums pony out. I've had horses all my life and I have never known one with such a disrespect for the fence, he is walking through it when it is on. I've tried removing the earth, fencing only his bit as the rest will respect it on or off, double fencing and tonight I am trying double fencing with another fence a few feet away.

When I first had him he escaped the stable after 3 hours! And he has no respect for post and rail, that to him is a climbing frame, and the old place he was terrified of the electric fencing after one whack from it and knew not to go near it if it was on, now he just barges through, and once there is no power connected starts to chew the fence! talk about kicking me when I am down! I have tried putting him with every horse and pony available for a few days at a time, but within a few hours he is out.

it has got worse, in the last 2 weeks he has cost me alot of tape through shredding it and 10 posts. it is getting worse not better and I do think he will get hurt at some point.

I've made it hard for him to get out, easy for him to get out, left him with the rest of the field and everone fenced in and he gets out.

Any suggestions? will he grow out of it or should I chuck him back on the forest and admit defeat for now?

I have not known a pony so hell bent on getting out wherever I leave him.
Any suggestions ... bar shooting him?
wink.gif


Thanks for getting this far. cakes and cookies.
 
Is it mares he is trying to get to?

Could you get him gelded?
Have to say, they all push the fencing issue when young (mine anyway) but seem to grow out of it.

Only other option, if your horses are at home, is to get a mains electric fencer, that will send a bolt so far up his bum he wont challenge it!
May well be that the previous place was on mains.

Know what your going through thou...
 
I brought him from the breeder, the last place was my grans field and that too was battery, but a small D cell powered unit because the field is smaller, he was moved for ease over the winter and I have had nothing but trouble!

There are no mares, it seems wherever I put him he will escape. i've had the odd time with the others, but he just walks through, I literally put him in, let him go, turn around and he is going back through in 5 mins.

He is not going through the perimiter tho
 
can you change the fencing to mains and soak his chest (or whichever body part he's using to get the fencing down) with water?? that usually stops them in their tracks.

Friend had a colt who used to do this but she had two lines of mains fencing between the fields and he'd get through the first bit, couldnt get through the second (which was criss cross wire, some posts etc) . After weeks of retrieveing him she left him to it (the fences were a few feet apart) with a bucket of water. After about 24 hours he popped himself back through and never bothered again...
 
Have you tried the taller lecy fence posts, i have one that would just run through the tape, but i put up the taller post ,then the tape was above his head hight , and he stayed in.
 
The field is not at our house, I wish it was, but then I think I would have a nervous breakdown watching him.

I think I may have to invest in some taller posts and see if that works, I am up for any suggestion, and right now selling him is an option!

I have been told you can get stronger generators for the fencing as it is just a standard horse one.

I am also thinking about clipping his chest level with the fencing so he may feel it more, I'm sure he won't miss a strip of fluff?
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Little monkey! Sounds like everyone else has given the best advice you wil lget - clip him and soak his chest - the water makes the current stronger I think. Get the strongest charger you can and the highest fencing you can. And get him castrated as soon as you can as his natural tendency as an entire will be to see to his herd.... Good luck - sounds like you will need it!
 
Get another fence unit - a really strong one or a variable one and make sure it is attached only to his fence to keep the run short (many people have far too much fence attached for the power of the unit!). Stick it on its highest setting until he has learnt to respect it, once he has you can put it on lower power or intermittent.
 
You can also try long posts and three strips of tape, one at nose level. Make sure your run of electric fencing is not earthing anywhere. No knots in tape, touching only the plastic posts or connectors. It musn't be on wood for example. You can also chuck a bucket of water on the ground where the earth spike is pushed in.
Good luck.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions. I am going to clip him tonight. He is not showing any coltish behaviour at all, and the rest of the horses couldn't care less, until the fence is on the floor, then they make their escape too.

This is not my first colt I have had 6 before, some kept with mares very close and some kept with none in sight, the last one was 3 and no problem, even with mares next door.
I have watched Harry do it and it is just because he can, he's 11h of pure pain with the getting out stakes, but 100% in every other way. I have fenced him in again this morning with the live wire only fencing him and mine in together the rest would not touch the fence incase in bit. has 2 strands high and 2 lines of fencing.

I am seriously considering tethering him, but I don't think it is the sort of thing to do with a foal?

Either that or selling him!
 
I was just wondering if by any chance your pony is a new forest? Mine was a little terror as he can jump over 5 bar gates and stable doors, though he likes living out in a small herd it is just being in he is not keen on.

Perhaps you need a double row of stronger electric fencing and as high as possible. Make sure he has plenty to eat in his field and if possible a consistant companion so he can make friends - hopefully once he has bonded with another pony he might want to stay with his friend.

Hopefully it will be something he will grow out of or possibly you could try feeding him some sort of calmer.
 
I know exactly how you feel, although my problem was 16.1h of Suffolk Punch cross. The only thing he has respect for is electric fencing, and at our old yard, he was forever escaping and going back to the yard, or wandering around the forest. I had a phone call last christmas morning at half 5 to say he was in the forest!

I have been lucky in the fact that other things happened at the yard and I moved him earlier this year. I have since worked out that he was just desperately unhappy, because since moving, he has been as good as gold.

Not saying this is the case at all with your little one, just letting you know I know how frustrating it can be, that no matter what you do, if they want to get out, they will.
 
Interesting my pony was much improved since we moved yards - he has only escaped once from his field how he got out was a mystery and he has jumped the gate once in 15 months when he got spooked in the dark and I let go of the lead rope and he thought he would like to go back to his fieldmates (he lives out 24/7) so jumped the gate into his field - whereas before he would jump out of his stable whenever I tried to put him it now he does not mind a few hours in prision!

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II have been lucky in the fact that other things happened at the yard and I moved him earlier this year. I have since worked out that he was just desperately unhappy, because since moving, he has been as good as gold.

Not saying this is the case at all with your little one, just letting you know I know how frustrating it can be, that no matter what you do, if they want to get out, they will.

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