Hello all! In need of help and advise please :)

[CloTrow]

Hello all!

I'm very new to forums and such so please bare with me if I have posted in the incorrect thread or not doing the right thing...

My name is Chloe and I am posting on here today asking for help with my Welsh X New Forest - Peanut! I will try and post a pic if I can figure out how! He is 16yr (approx. assumed by vet) and 14.2hh.

So here's the story, I have only ever part loaned before or generally just helped out with my friends horses. I worked at an animal rescue centre for 6 years and experienced handling many tricky (abandoned & wild) horses. As well as the beautiful school masters. Last December a lovely welshie was rescued from potentially being sold to the meat market and unfortunately the rescue centre was full...so I was asked if I could take him on. Of course I said yes! He was a complete blank canvas at first, and seemed such a sweety on the ground. I had the vets out to him, and of course the farrier straight away, his teeth were incredibly sharp causing ulcers and his the shoes on his feet were far too small - this of course was all rectified. And once he started getting used to me I realised he was becoming rude and bulshy.
After further research I had discovered he had once been in a riding school (with no idea why he was sold on) and then went on to a women who rode him western/parelli.

Now unfortunately, I do not agree with natural horsemanship, I believe the groundwork is gaining respect out of fear. That's my opinion.
However I did TRY and go down that path...I got a parelli trainer out who claimed to know Peanut from his previous owner, I wanted to see how he had been trained & how he reacted. She immediately kneed him in the face and thrashed him with the crop when she got near him - I will not be having her at my yard again! Nor will I want to proceed with Parelli at all.
I am a traditional rider, I school the traditional English ways and never want to inflict fear on my pony, after all he is with me for unconditional love and the occasional ride out - nothing competitive! I would like to stay this way.

I have tried to hack him out, and he is as good as gold (however recently with the spring grass he has been on his toes) however, I do not believe he respects me. He does things when he wants to, he stops when he wants and sometimes even goes when he wants. I cant always trust he will listen to my aids. Groundwork is a complete nightmare, I cant lunge him to save my life - he just backs up! I assume this is due to parrelli. He does like to follow (I assume this is from being a riding school pony) but he is very very stubborn. Trying to school him under saddle is a complete no no. He will just stand there whilst I ask him to walk with my voice, kick him, slightly tap with with the crop/schooling whip. There's no moving that horse in a school! I try to walk him round the school reinforcing my aids in hand, and so he gets used to my voice commands. Doesn't seem to be making much difference

Basically I am asking if there is a way I can 're-train' my boy to listen to me so we can enjoy our rides out, so he will walk nicely and trot and canter when I ask, rather than he wants to. That's all I want. Nothing massive, I'm not looking to start getting him to piaffe or have a beautiful outline! I just want a happy hacker I can trust, and maybe have a little play around with in the field!

Is there anyone out there that can help me? I'm doing my best to keep patience but I fear I am losing it and right now I'm thinking he may either need to find another home or be a lawn ornament I think he has amazing potential and I want that to be with me! This is why I'm asking for help, I never asked for a horse to retrain, but given that he was just handed to me I want to try and make the best of the situation. I really don't want to give up!

Many many many thanks in advance - I hope someone can understand & help.

Love Clo & Peanut.

 

[R.F.S]

Hello, welcome to the forum

its lovely he now has a nice home, clearly his previous owners were ermm something else! I'm not convinced that the women was doing parelli either, whilst i am no expert in natural horseman ship i have seen it done a few times, once with a particularly nervy horse who responsed fantastically and it was certainly wasn't in anyway abusive. I think you should get an expert in to help you whether it be a riding instructor or sent to someone. In the meantime why not try and school out hacking if he is dead set against the school, this way you can get him really of leg rather than battle on in the school and not really get anywhere, alot of people school out hacking.. myself included. I'm sure there will be others to offer advice.

good luck

 

[honetpot]

It sounds as if you need knowledgeable buddy to give you a hand. I would go on FB, All things horsy east Anglia, Suffolk selling pages and see if you can find someone who can give you a hand in return for yard work etc. You are too far way from me or else I would give you a hand. Depending on your budget on these pages there are a few people you could pay for a few hours to set you on the right course.
With all animals what they like is consistency, if he's been taught NH, he may have to learn a whole new language to understand what you want, so making it clear what is acceptable and what you want him to so in very simple clear horsy terms is really important. It means not hitting him but backing up to you is unacceptable, he has either learned if he does this you stop, its a threat, or you are too far behind his shoulder for him to do this.