Grrr... Sympathy needed from those of you with obstinate ponies!

metalmare

metalmare

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The dear, sweet pony who I have had for a year has had the dentist, had his back worked on, had a new saddle, had a new bridle, had a bitless noseband as he tells me he likes this... You name it, the indulged animal has had it.

Now, a year into ownership, with many bumps ironed out, I dare to fall asleep at night visualising the schooling exercises we could do the following day to help supple and loosen his back. I dream of great things to come. I think of all the well schooled horses I have ridden and I imagine this feeling on my pony.

So this morning we have lovely work in walk and trot, reasonable leg yield, reasonable transitions, a nice active gait and even the beginnings of some bending and lateral flexion. It could almost be called pleasurable. It could almost be called productive... A baby step forward.

Then he just has to go and ruin it all with (yet another) rodeo session, not playful or excited but perfectly hell bent on getting me off and the bitless that he says he likes so much, only served to allow him to really get his head between his knees! He has a wonderful knack of throwing the bucks between darting forward, spinning and twisting... Rather like a balloon when you let the air back out. He has never had me off yet (touch wood) but at no point did this feature in my mental rehearsal last night! How is one to school the feral beast?

I try to give him the benefit of the doubt... Perhaps he's tired from the little lunge work he did yesterday... Perhaps he was resenting being ridden in a different paddock to usual (probable)... Perhaps he couldn't balance on the undulating ground...

Ultimately, I think he just had a different agenda to me and he hasn't heard of the saying, 'you tell a gelding, ask a mare and discuss it with a stallion.'

Remind me why I own a welsh pony?
 
Sounds like a little monkey.. But then being a welshy what do you expect? My old boy was the same :rolleyes:

Regarding the broncing have you ever taught your pony the one rein stop? Great for shutting down a tanking horse or broncing horse in your case.
 
I bring him round tight on one rein, usually the right rein, which does stop him. It's not so much an issue of whether or not I can stay on or stop him, I can do both, it's just really disappointing when a schooling session is going well and then I can't get a sensible canter. I kept popping him back up into canter in the hope of riding him through it, but I only managed about 3 strides of canter without a buck. Ride him forward and he says 'you want forward, you got forward' and shoots off with his body low to the ground as only a pony can, if you know what I mean. He can buck on circles, too. He's a real artiste :-)

But he looked so cute and sleepy when I got off I couldn't be too cross. More frustrated really.
 
I do know the feeling! So frustrating when they're doing so well and then throw it all away.. I think sometimes horses don't realise how good they've got it :rolleyes::p
 
I have lots of sympathy! I own a welsh D (my first pony - had him since November) and he is just so stubborn.

I too spend my evenings planning a lovely schooling session and get quite excited about it, then I get on and he just plants his feet! Ignores voice, leg and whip! However much I go in with the attitude 'he will do everything I ask whether he likes it or not' he still gets away with doing next to nothing!

In my case I think lots of the issues are with me and my riding/confidence but I do really feel your pain! :)
 
They're out of the same mould, aren't they? A breed that really is true to their stereotype.

I have seen welsh cobs working nicely and calmly; do you think they are lobotomised? All credit to the riders who get them there!
 
I used to have a little Welsh Cob x TB x Arab mare who was an absolute star. She was opinionated like a cob but loved to work so was a joy but she too could be stubborn and she often decided to put a stop in jumping competitions but never refused at home, very frustrating for my SIL who used to compete with her. My gelding on the other hand is just plain hard work but he is very handsome, at least he has got something going for him.:)
 
Crugeran Celt said:
I used to have a little Welsh Cob x TB x Arab mare who was an absolute star. She was opinionated like a cob but loved to work so was a joy but she too could be stubborn and she often decided to put a stop in jumping competitions but never refused at home, very frustrating for my SIL who used to compete with her. My gelding on the other hand is just plain hard work but he is very handsome, at least he has got something going for him.:)
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Welsh X TB X Arab: that's 3 big personalities rolled into one!

Sadly mine just likes eating and sleeping, like me, and considers work an inconvenience.
 
I am beginning to think it's a native thing. I may be short but I also find them a lot harder to stay on when they do throw the towel in :mad:
 
You have all my sympathies too, is it a theme running through with the Welshies.;) Just having spent a week to catch my welsh c, he now looks at me like 'yeah, so what'.
I do have patience in bucketloads, but even so , he has pushed my limits. Have yet to even start riding him yet:eek:
 
Not just my welsh D then :D

I have ruled out every source of pain or issue yet every now and then during a schooling session she decides she wants me off and acts accordingly! Now I've compromised and am doing more jumping and hacking with her. I figure, if I do lots of what she likes to do, she can give me a schooling session now and then ;)
 
Megibo said:
Not just my welsh D then :D

I have ruled out every source of pain or issue yet every now and then during a schooling session she decides she wants me off and acts accordingly! Now I've compromised and am doing more jumping and hacking with her. I figure, if I do lots of what she likes to do, she can give me a schooling session now and then ;)
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LOL, mine almost exclusively hacks, this is the first schooling session in months due to the wet ground. Therein lies the answer I daresay.
 
Tiffany Blue said:
I am beginning to think it's a native thing. I may be short but I also find them a lot harder to stay on when they do throw the towel in :mad:
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I think I'm in my comfort zone with a bolting / bucking 14hh. I'm sure I would be straight off a 16hh, perched up there like a pea on a whatever it is. Drum?
 
Putting two and two together and probably making a completely unreasonable assumption, you say that you're working to supple and loosen his back, then you say that you can only get three reasonable strides of canter? Are you absolutely sure that he's at a level of fitness and musculature where he is capable of cantering correctly and comfortably? He still might be saying "Actually I can't DO this:(".

ANd yes, I do have an obstinate Welsh, mine decides which paddock he wants to be in and puts himself there, amongst other stubborn traits.
 
Can my 2 welsh C's join the club... one gets ill at the mere mention of work and the sight of any tack appearing leads to some dire illness that requires the vet, if he hasn't already read my mind as i go to catch him, if I think about riding him or giving him a bath as I'm walking across the field he knows and gleefully ruins my plans by bogging off up the field bucking and farting as he goes, then stands at a safe distance looking please with himself before running off again..... luckily for him he looks very pretty when he runs and aside from his work and bath related issues he is amazingly well behaved or I might have murdered him by now.

The other one has perfected many gymnastic airs above the ground type moves and will happily put on a fine display if you should ask him to do something so unreasonable as walk sensibly. Once lunged him and he was perfectly behaved so after I picked my jaw up off the ground I thought we best stop before it all went horribly wrong... stopped him walked up to him and went to lead him back to the gate 2 steps and he exploded why???? :confused: wouldn't move and any asking him to move resulted in rearing plunging snorting being a general twonk, wouldn't even move in the direction of his mates, we were just stuck in in the middle of the field, 40 minutes later we made it the 70 yards to the gate :rolleyes:
 
jemima*askin said:
Putting two and two together and probably making a completely unreasonable assumption, you say that you're working to supple and loosen his back, then you say that you can only get three reasonable strides of canter? Are you absolutely sure that he's at a level of fitness and musculature where he is capable of cantering correctly and comfortably? He still might be saying "Actually I can't DO this:(".

ANd yes, I do have an obstinate Welsh, mine decides which paddock he wants to be in and puts himself there, amongst other stubborn traits.
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I don't doubt he doesn't find it easy, but he has cantered calmly in the past, even before his back was worked on and he is fine on hacks. Also, I didn't ask him to canter earlier, the first time he shot off. I certainly wouldn't rule out that he finds it tricky but on another day he can be absolutely fine. He did the same the first time I ever took him in the 'bottom' paddock to school and today is the first time I have taken him in this paddock and guess what... Same reaction.

So I'm not ruling out discomfort and I will be asking my instructor to have a look, but I don't think that's the whole story.
 
DizzyDoughnut said:
Can my 2 welsh C's join the club... one gets ill at the mere mention of work and the sight of any tack appearing leads to some dire illness that requires the vet, if he hasn't already read my mind as i go to catch him, if I think about riding him or giving him a bath as I'm walking across the field he knows and gleefully ruins my plans by bogging off up the field bucking and farting as he goes, then stands at a safe distance looking please with himself before running off again..... luckily for him he looks very pretty when he runs and aside from his work and bath related issues he is amazingly well behaved or I might have murdered him by now.

The other one has perfected many gymnastic airs above the ground type moves and will happily put on a fine display if you should ask him to do something so unreasonable as walk sensibly. Once lunged him and he was perfectly behaved so after I picked my jaw up off the ground I thought we best stop before it all went horribly wrong... stopped him walked up to him and went to lead him back to the gate 2 steps and he exploded why???? :confused: wouldn't move and any asking him to move resulted in rearing plunging snorting being a general twonk, wouldn't even move in the direction of his mates, we were just stuck in in the middle of the field, 40 minutes later we made it the 70 yards to the gate :rolleyes:
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LOL, sounds about right!
 
Well....the solution to this is.....

Learn swear words in Welsh.....shouted at a norty Sec C ...this works a treat:)

Bryndu
 
My daughter has a very opinionated section A. She has perfected the airs above the ground and could show a Lippizaner a thing or 2. Luckily my daughter finds it hilarious, ignores the antics and off they go! She's a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde, when she's good she's very good but when she's bad she's horrid! We all love her tho.
 
bimbomb said:
My daughter has a very opinionated section A. She has perfected the airs above the ground and could show a Lippizaner a thing or 2. Luckily my daughter finds it hilarious, ignores the antics and off they go! She's a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde, when she's good she's very good but when she's bad she's horrid! We all love her tho.
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Well, they do have a way of winning people over when they want to. I love section As!
 
id say its a welsh thing my first 13.2 welsh c cross b bolted in the riding club and jumped the bonnet of a peugeot that was parked in her usual escape route..not included the numerous other bolts which included bunny hops. i believe the welsh brain has something to do with it all..

the only advice i can give from my little bucking thoroughbred is as hard as it might be to sit to it ride through and try your best to not use any leg or touch his mouth and just sit tight. eventually he will realise actually hes just wasting his own valuable eergy and stop(we hope ha ha). i did this with mine and know many others that have to and its solved the issue slowly:)
 
Apparently,when our new pony's owner first bought him,he had learnt to buck and drop his shoulder to get his rider off.He was reschooled with a blow up doll weighted with sand tied onto the saddle to stop that little trick.
 
Meant to add that he is welsh too,Section A. Knobberpony is a B and very clever,a friend of my daughter wanted to ride her,been to RS for years,can canter,jump ect .Daughter warmed knobberpony up,friend hopped on,I assured her that knobberpony wouldn't run off across the field with her,child boasts that she rides really fast ponies at RS.She kicks knobberpony on,reaction,nothing ,tries again,nothing.Cue legs flapping away,whilst knobberpony just stands there admiring the scenery and not moving an inch.

I ended up leading the child around myself,no way was that pony moving an inch without me.Then my eldest jumped back on,galloped her around and flew over a course of jumps,the crafty old thing knows just how much she can get away with.:D
 
I always thought my girl had some welsh in her. This thread has confirmed my suspicions! She is a lazy ****** and only does the absolute bare minimum. She has also taken to planting in the school and refusing to budge.
She is perfectly capable of shifting her arse as proven by the fact she power walks and jogs home when out hacking.
 
This thread has made me feel so much better (sorry if that sounds selfish OP). I was crying earlier this week after yet another session of planting and achieving next to nothing, but it's good to know its not just me! :D
 
I still can't get the Sec D I've been riding to go within three meters of the pile of 2x4s sitting just outside the arena on the long side (part of the construction site that is the YOs house). Those 2x4s have been there for weeks now. I got her to the rail today, only to have her rear and spin away from them.
 
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