Help? I have harry whodini pony

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Alfiepie

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Hi Everyone - I have a 7 yr Haffy hes an absolute gorgeous naughty pony very clever. When in livery he regularly got out of his stable!! despite numerous clips etc over his door well now we have our own paddock and we have sectioned it all off summer and winter paddocks via electric fencing - the trouble is my Haffy is an excellent limbo dancer!! tonight whist I was sorting out our chickens and sheep I saw him limbo under the fencing by the spring gate x 3 (this is after lowering the gate to knee level then adding another gate on top above to chest level both tight and energised ) I also tied plastic bags on the opening - he spooks at them on a hack! oh no not in the paddock - didnt bother at all! ( now removed as not effective) so my question is all you lovely people do you have any suggestions for a very clever haffy to stop him eating his winter paddock too soon - hes also looking like a barrel due to eating all the lush winter grass!! his field mate April is not at all happy!!
 
I also have a Henriette Houdini Haffie :-)))

I have heard tell that wetting their nose and then putting the electric on just as they reach for the snack you hold out can have a good effect. Also lots of strands (3 or 4 mimimum), electric always on never allowed to run down. Mains electric ideally rather than battery, properly earthed with a stake and no grass shorting it out.

However, my Haffie was overweight and altho our grass is poor and her paddock was bare and it was autumn, she came down with lami :-(( Only once to date but that was when I had the wake up call - a months box rest on 2% bodyweight feed per day, all soaked hay, followed by muzzling in paddocks with decent grass. She rubbed her face terribly raw on all the muzzles but I had to persevere. We have now had to fence her a lami paddock of her own - this has 4 foot horsemesh which she cannot limbo.

She has taken revenge by trying to eat her way out one fence post at a time (literally).....I applaud you for taking action because a plump Haffie will probably end up as a lami haffie like mine, and you def dont want to deal with that guilt (and the headache of the detailed management from then on), so you are doing the right thing - do whatever you have to do to keep that pony in!
 
do you have any suggestions for a very clever haffy to stop him eating his winter paddock too soon

Clever pony

Is he only escaping via the gateway?
If so, bite the bullet, spend some pennies (which will probably work out cheaper than laminitis treatment) and perhaps stick some gateposts in and put a proper gate up. I appreciate this may not be possible if you are on livery. :(
 
I have a pony that limbo's too - bizarre to watch isn't it. The first time I saw him to it I really did a double take. (And he isn't a haffie - he's a pie cob.)

Mains electricity fencing with the lowest strand not more than 30cms from the floor. And make sure that there is no undergrowth touching it at any point so the current doesn't short out.

If he does it in the winter with a rug on sew conductive tape to the edges of his rug so the charge gets through properly.

Watch out that he doesn't figure out how to charge temporary electric tape - mine did. Because it tends to only be powered by a battery rather than the mains it isn't as stong anyway. And if you charge it fast enough it breaks and stops hurting anyway. Made him very popular in the pony Club lines when he figurered that out - all 30 ponies free in one swoop! (And mine got sent home...)

You should also see him on the walker if he isn't in the mood. The pushers only shock 3 times before the safety cuts in and the walker stops. He gets around the back where you can reach him and stops. You can see him wincing at each shock - almost counting them - and then relaxes. The only way to get him back out is to climb in there with a lead rope and walk him back to the door. Very effective - we don't tend to put him on the walker anymore!

Don't you just love ponies!
 
My pony got out last night too grrr. I am going to swap the electric rope for electric wire because the energiser was on full and high and I watched her grazing under it touching it and not flinching. I think her mane is insulating her and the rope is not as good a conductor as wire.

I don't want to put any lower strands as then the sheep either can't get through to the water or more likely barge through and rip the fence out. Argh!!
 
Oh yes I love my Harry whodine Alfie Pie!!!! Ive plaited his mane in a french plait for later - hopefully the current can reach his skin - his mane is super thick so it wont last all night so no doubt he will be back in his winter paddock later! - Ive just spent 3 1/2 hrs at the paddock putting up a second line of electric fencing at different levels to the first line next to each other.... We have no mains electric at the paddock so battery 12v is my only option. - I was thinking of writing to the electric fencing companies offering his crash test dummy status - if anyone can keep him in its be worth paying for. Otherwise I will have to save up for post and rail and a proper gate - ( he now has 4 strands of energised tape to get through and I bet he will!!!) - I also put the bottom tape quite low as well! Why is it that Haffies can learn naughty tricks no probs and remember them at the drop of a hat yet when you teach them something good its ike their head is full of cotton wool!!! I was thinking of doing the paddock paradise tracking system but theres no way he will work with that !!!!
Ive tried a grasing muzzle on him - that lasted 5 mins before he got it off!! as said he is a very clever pony!!! I still love him though!!! Keep the suggestions coming though - its become a battle of wits between us both!
 
Alfiepie said:
Oh yes I love my Harry whodine Alfie Pie!!!! Ive plaited his mane in a french plait for later - hopefully the current can reach his skin - his mane is super thick so it wont last all night so no doubt he will be back in his winter paddock later! - Ive just spent 3 1/2 hrs at the paddock putting up a second line of electric fencing at different levels to the first line next to each other.... We have no mains electric at the paddock so battery 12v is my only option. - I was thinking of writing to the electric fencing companies offering his crash test dummy status - if anyone can keep him in its be worth paying for. Otherwise I will have to save up for post and rail and a proper gate - ( he now has 4 strands of energised tape to get through and I bet he will!!!) - I also put the bottom tape quite low as well! Why is it that Haffies can learn naughty tricks no probs and remember them at the drop of a hat yet when you teach them something good its ike their head is full of cotton wool!!! I was thinking of doing the paddock paradise tracking system but theres no way he will work with that !!!!
Ive tried a grasing muzzle on him - that lasted 5 mins before he got it off!! as said he is a very clever pony!!! I still love him though!!! Keep the suggestions coming though - its become a battle of wits between us both!
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I have to put headcollar on over the muzzle, otherwise Liesel haffie rolls and rubs it off....
I also cant do paddock paradise despite her lami due to her behaviour with electric fencing. Such a shame as shes barefoot too so it would be ideal. The greed of a Haffie and their cleverness breeds all sorts of scheming and clever tricks.

This is why (altho she would be great at it) I have never taught Liesel tricks like standing on a bucket and other circus things - next thing I know she would be 'offering' the standing on things when we are out on a hack...:-OOO

I do think we need a picture of Alfie tho.......
 
Alfiepie said:
Oh yes I love my Harry whodine Alfie Pie!!!! Ive plaited his mane in a french plait for later -
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Perhaps wet his mane through too?

I have an arab mare that charges fences. She stands about 20' back, psyches herself up and then gallops through the whole thing, I have watched her do it, but only if there was just one line. Nowadays my fencing is 3 or 4 lines on T posts, a little bit more stable than the plastic posts - she has given up on that game now - perfecting the art of rushing through the gate if it is open even the smallest bit - at 23 you'd think she'd know better :mad:

You may just have to put in permanent fencing to win the battle. :(
 
Id love to add a piccy of my naughty handsome lad!! thing is Im pretty useless!! I should ask him! - I might try the headcollar over the muzzle later Good idea! - Id love to do the paddock paradise stuff as he is barefoot as his paddock mate April my mums welsh sec d. I love the sound of his clip clopping as we are off to the bridleway when we ride out!! I love hearing all your funny stories as well ..... so its not just me thats got a clever bugger then!! Ha Ha:)
 
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