help needed- YO problems and pickle of a pony

I know just how you are feeling.........cobs eh. On the plus side you know that he has been made to behave previously and that he did, SO it is something that he can do. I am not a fluffy sort but he must respect you. When you go in the stable and he pushes forward just grab a handful of his chest and squeeze as tight as is necessary and tell him to back up. Put on a controller headcollar of whatever sort takes your fancy and to be honest although they are not for the uninitiated I would stick on a chiffney. Your safety comes first in my view. Makes sure he walks at your shoulder and if nec give him a tug if he gets rude. He must do what YOU want not him. He is purely taking the p***. Make sure you turn him to face you before letting him go in the field and remove bridle/chiffney or whatever carefully. I would cut all feed and just give him hay. Whatever you ask him to do he MUST do. If you give in over the tiniest thing it is another win for him. But don't worry he is being a spoilt kid having a tantrum, see if there is someone nice and helpful to give you a hand if necessary....it makes things so much worse when it is so slippery. You can do it.
 
My fell can be a bargy idiot sometimes, we had a spell in the summer where my YO ended up on the floor cos he pulled her over and he was diving for grass all the time too. I went for a fairly direct approach - he had his bridle on, we had already done some in-hand work in the school (over, back, stand etc.) so I spent half an hour leading him in his bridle on a lunge line in from the field, stop reverse, over etc. etc. We repeated that a few times and we had about a week of bringing him in in a bridle. This seemed to help and he got a lot better - he was still diving for grass at the gate etc. and was very rude when I took him in-hand to a show (on grass!) - for that I carried a short crop and when he dived for grass I pulled his head up and gave him a slap across his chest - now he barely dives and when he does he gets his head pulled up and a shout and he knows!

ETA: I also demand good behaviour and manners everywhere else as well, for example he will go over and back in the stable and I've been working on his being in the stable with the door open and not leaving or barging out. We started that with just having the door open and his headcoller on and he could only leave when asked, if he tried to walk out before I wanted him to I pushed him back and said back - if that didn't work he got a slap on the chest again. Now more often than not he waits to be told he can leave his box, I can go his rugs, tack him up nad put haynets up and down with the door open and he might stand with his head peering out but he doesn't put his feet outside the door!

He's been a pest to bring in in the snow as he's so desperate to get to his haynet he's dragged one person over already. Last couple of days I've brought him in earlier so he isn't quite as desperate (so he's ha 2 hours instead of 3) and he's has the rope round his nose.

I'm not too concerned about the snow behaviour as he was fine up until then. Also it's too slippy to be trying to make him stand and reverse and faffing about etc. If he had been a pain these last couple of days I would have no hesitation sticking a chiffney in to get him safely to his stable without anyone ending up pulled over. Sometimes you just have to be very very firm!
 
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I am a YO and in teh morning I turn out all the horses, all have to walk politely in pairs otherwise I would be there for ages walking them out one at a time. I am amazed at the number of owners who's horses walk all over them. Bargy, pulling at the lead rope and generally messing around.

As i have to handle them, I train them. I put them in a dually the very first time I take them out and inmmediately correct their behaviour if they misbehave. I will back them up, make them stand, and then walk alongside me. It normally takes a couple of days for the bolshy ones to get the message. I always end up with lovely horses to lead, and the owners are always astounded. it has to be firm but fair. Reprimand evey single time they misbehave - and you will eventually pick up the behaviour before they actually misbehave and stop them misbehaving. Once you have reached that stage you have them sorted and an 'oi' or an 'ahah' from me normally brings them back to their good behaviour. With the really bolshy ones I reward with carrots, so I will lead so far then stand, back up and walk on. If they lead well and stand still I may give a carrot - or may not depending on how I feel. They soon learn to stay focussed on me and behave for their potential reward. Then I will walk them to the field stopping and walking when I want. turning and going back to the stable when I want or just walking to the field.

Persistance, consistancy and daily in hand work are essential

BUT the other thing that you need to do is get rid of all hard feed. Give just fibre. He is a cob - he will thrive on fibre only and that may help him stay calm.
 
Bosworth said:
I am a YO and in teh morning I turn out all the horses, all have to walk politely in pairs otherwise I would be there for ages walking them out one at a time. I am amazed at the number of owners who's horses walk all over them. Bargy, pulling at the lead rope and generally messing around.

As i have to handle them, I train them. I put them in a dually the very first time I take them out and inmmediately correct their behaviour if they misbehave. I will back them up, make them stand, and then walk alongside me. It normally takes a couple of days for the bolshy ones to get the message. I always end up with lovely horses to lead, and the owners are always astounded. it has to be firm but fair. Reprimand evey single time they misbehave - and you will eventually pick up the behaviour before they actually misbehave and stop them misbehaving. Once you have reached that stage you have them sorted and an 'oi' or an 'ahah' from me normally brings them back to their good behaviour. With the really bolshy ones I reward with carrots, so I will lead so far then stand, back up and walk on. If they lead well and stand still I may give a carrot - or may not depending on how I feel. They soon learn to stay focussed on me and behave for their potential reward. Then I will walk them to the field stopping and walking when I want. turning and going back to the stable when I want or just walking to the field.

Persistance, consistancy and daily in hand work are essential

BUT the other thing that you need to do is get rid of all hard feed. Give just fibre. He is a cob - he will thrive on fibre only and that may help him stay calm.
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Excellent advice, I too was a naughty horse owner once, my YM soon sorted her out for me (an unbacked 4year old) I felt so silly afterwards. Now she's like a puppy on a lead (maybe not a good analogy sometimes puppies sit and refuse to walk on when tired, maybe more a well trained gun dog!). Thanks to my YM she's now a relaxed, happy yet respectful horse to handle and I'm enjoying all the benefits.

This YM is only about 45mins from 'north of Portsmouth', and takes on horses for boot camp esque training, if you want her details let me know. Baby steps, first step is recognising you have a problem.

good luck.
 
digitalangel said:
QR

lead out in lunge line. i had one like this - cant get away from you then.
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Sorry, but yes they can. One did with me, the day she was delivered here. In spite of me wearing hat, gloves, lunge line she went, she pulled me over and I eventually had to let go, she was then terrified of the trailing line and fell over at a flat out gallop, knocking out all her top incisors.
That's what happens when people don't train horses to walk with them. :( :( :(
 
kerelli, youre probably right, they can, but it helped with me and the horse i had who used to just ...leave... with no notice, meaning i was skiiing behind her until i had to drop the rope/fell over. with a longer line though i was able to hang on as a had a little more length than say a leadrope thus enabling me to have enough leverage to turn.

Dont think it works for everyone though. But this horse bolted when led, and that an a rope headcollar did seem to help.
 
The groundwork is definitely the way to go but in the mean time I'd use a bridle and lunge line. My old boy (also a cob) used to stick his shoulder out to knock me off balance and whip round away from me to run away. with a lead rope I had no chance but the lunge line gave me enough time to pull his head back round and turn him around me. As soon as he knew I was back in control he stopped doing it.

I also do this to load my boy now as he walks on like a dream but as I'm going round the back to do the breaching bar up he shoots off backwards, snapping his leadrope or the string he's tied to. With the lunge line I can keep hold of him the whole time, even if he shoots backwards and as soon as he realises he's not free despite his antics he walks back on.
 
I would say be very wary if using a lunge line with a bridle - don't do it unless you are ABSOLUTELY sure you can hold him. A horse on my old yard managed to stand on a lunge line attached to his bit. He needed 18 stitches in his tongue and the vet said he could easily have bled to death if not treated immediately (thank god the vet was nearby and the horse is now fine).
 
Some good advice offered above - if he behaved for a previous instructor it sounds as if the little devil is aware that he can get away from you and your mum!

Cobs can be so strong so you need to use something that he respects - you have tried a bridle - and have said that didn't work. There have been many votes for the dually type natural horsemanship headcollar - never used one but a friend of mine swears by it.

I personally have used a chiffney with great success, but my favourite is a heavy weight newmarket chain which I have that is stitched onto a 3m webbing lunge line. I use it slipped through the left hand side of the horse's headcollar noseband, where it then goes across the nose, through the noseband on the right hand side and clip it to the ring level with the horses eye on the RHS. This has given me control over thuggish colts and entires of all ages and types. In most cases you don't even need to check the webbing line, as they feel the weight of the chain across the nose and they back off from it. If you do have to check then you will only need to do it once or twice. I guess it is a little like a waterford snaffle - perceived as severe, but the horse respects it, so you actually don't have to much pressure on it. With the lunge line or webbing attached, it means you can hang on out of harms way if they decide to add "airs above ground" to their repertoire!

Do be careful with lunge lines and long lead ropes though - if they get away from you, you'll end up facing their back end and perfectly placed to be double barrelled!!:eek:

Best of luck - you 'll get there in the end!
 
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