Help - semi feral filly

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OFG

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Bit long but here goes:

Have just found a 14 year old boy to come ride one of the ponies. He has an 18 month old Welsh type 'rescue' filly (aprox 10hh). When I dropped him home after riding on the weekend I popped to the field to see pony.

They haven't been able to get near pony to get head collar on for nearly 3 months. She is happy to tolerate (to a certain degree) having people near her when she is given a haynet / youngstock cubes etc but won't let you near her to do anything else.

She is very nippy and very nervous of people.

Got her herded into the small stable they have for her and spent 20 minutes with her and managed to get head collar on. Got nice bruise on arm as a thank you.

Have said I will come back to do some ground work with her. She is young, unhandled, potentially had a bad start and has no set boundaries. Owners are inexperienced but very willing to learn and do the right thing by the pony.

Now, would anyone attempt to do 'join up' on a semi feral pony or would you use more traditional handling methods and go down that route?

She freaks out when you touch her anywhere else except the neck. So was thinking using a schooling whip with a cloth / sponge tied to the end to use as an extension of my arm to get her used to touch on her body / legs rather than risking getting myself injured.

Advice greatly receieved as although I have had nervous horses in the past and have had my own youngster they have not been semi wild :rolleyes:

If you have got this far - thanks!
 
Read Sarah Westons 'No Fear, No Force' if you can, it explains brilliantly how to deal with semi-feral ponies, I used it for mine and a year on you'd never know he'd ever been 'wild'. If you can get a long stick and stick a stuffed glove on the end you can use that instead of your own hand, and it keeps you out of kick range ;), try using pressure and release techniques,let her see the 'hand' then move it away, do that a few times then hold it longer and closer, let her sniff it if she wants but then move it away again, gradually build up until you can touch her with it, if she moves keep it on her all the while she's moving but take it off as soon as she stops. When she is happy for you to touch her all over with the 'hand' start moving closer until you can replace the glove with your own hand.
 
If she will except you touching her neck then obviously start here until she really likes it then just slowly move forward an inch at a time, moving back to the last spot if she takes offence.
You are lucky she will eat hard food, so try to temp her forward towards you holding the bucket food, and the end of a lead rein. And just at the begining until she trust you more, just let her eat out of the bucket while you hold it! Or even for a little while feed from your hand!
 
Get her in a halter, long rope, and keep it loose and long. Work on basic moving her feet about, moving her forwards, standing at her shoulder turning her around you, backing up etc. All from mostly body language, consistency and your attitude. Very basic to start with, just keep playing with her as much as possibly doing all of this repeatedly. It's all just work on getting her soft and yielding on the ground. Have a pocket full of chaff, or nuts or something similar and can be given throughout, especially for when you're stood trying to stroke her. Let her come forwards to eat it, and with each time she eats, stroke her nose, then when she's happy, softer and moving forwards willingly, start working more up her face rubbing her and just work your way back gradually when she's ready. If she moves about, just keep at it until she softens.

I wasn't one for this as it seemed like it wasn't 'much' to do and didn't like the tit bitting idea, but have been completely converted to it as it's such a nice way of bringing the babies or any of the nervous ones round we've found rather than having to 'get' them in a head collar. All of the above is done without a headcollar on first, and then a headcollar is generally easy as pie to get on as they're soft in their head being handled. For any really nervy ones [ie, more traumatised types] we do leave a short lead on them.

Mark Rashid's 'Horses Never Lie' book is meant to be brilliant and well worth the money...just been advised it from the guy who does our horses and has been taking the time to show me how to do it. He does all of our youngsters now and starts all our babies for us. I'll def be buying it as he's worked wonders with numerous horses that were 'dangerous' or lost causes.

http://www.markrashid.com/docs/leadership.pdf
 
Do you know what? I am loving all this great advice for the OP. No violence, no fear, no force, just good gentle methods, the only thing I would disagree with is the use of food as a reward which could lead to a bit of nippiness. Big up for Sarah Weston and her methods, she's in a class of her own when it comes to bringing these youngsters round.
 
OFG said:
Now, would anyone attempt to do 'join up' on a semi feral pony
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absolutely and definitely not. It would be a seriously bad idea for a semi feral.
I also wouldn't put her in a halter and long rope and work on moving her feet around. She is a semi feral pony not a horse. I have had lots of very nervous horses in the past but the semi feral ponies are not the same and the same approach doesn't work.

Follow Sarah W's methods if you can and if you can get close to her neck scratch her. Don't stroke or pat but scratch. That was what really made the connection with one of mine.
 
paddy555 said:
absolutely and definitely not. It would be a seriously bad idea for a semi feral.
I also wouldn't put her in a halter and long rope and work on moving her feet around. She is a semi feral pony not a horse. I have had lots of very nervous horses in the past but the semi feral ponies are not the same and the same approach doesn't work.

Follow Sarah W's methods if you can and if you can get close to her neck scratch her. Don't stroke or pat but scratch. That was what really made the connection with one of mine.
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Interesting, the trainer's always worked wonders on everyone of ours with this technique. From just 'nervy' ones, to weanlings, to some completely unhandled 3 year olds. He always does it without anything on the horse first. He'll do it wherever the horse is, whether it's in a field or barn full of other horses, or in a pen on its own. Where it is, makes no difference to him. He's a miracle worker far as I'm concerned. The halter and long rope comes after he can do everything with it with nothing on. I've taken up doing what he does with all of them, and it's worked on every one.
 
Spiritedly said:
Read Sarah Westons 'No Fear, No Force' if you can, it explains brilliantly how to deal with semi-feral ponies, I used it for mine and a year on you'd never know he'd ever been 'wild'. If you can get a long stick and stick a stuffed glove on the end you can use that instead of your own hand, and it keeps you out of kick range ;), try using pressure and release techniques,let her see the 'hand' then move it away, do that a few times then hold it longer and closer, let her sniff it if she wants but then move it away again, gradually build up until you can touch her with it, if she moves keep it on her all the while she's moving but take it off as soon as she stops. When she is happy for you to touch her all over with the 'hand' start moving closer until you can replace the glove with your own hand.
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I saw Kelly Marks with young semi-feral at recent demonstration doing exactly the same thing, touch, pressure release.
ChristmasSparkles - The Mark Rashid book is brilliant, talks so much sense.
 
gala said:
Do you know what? I am loving all this great advice for the OP. No violence, no fear, no force, just good gentle methods, the only thing I would disagree with is the use of food as a reward which could lead to a bit of nippiness. Big up for Sarah Weston and her methods, she's in a class of her own when it comes to bringing these youngsters round.
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I totally agree about using food as a reward normally, but sometimes with a feral pony that already will eat hard food it can really help!
OP i wouldnt carry on with food as a reward after she has come to you, just to encourage her at the begining! :)
 
Lots of good advice, just take things slowly,leave the headcollar on for a little while, and no sudden movements and just let her get use to having one thing done to her and is happy to except before you move on to something else.:):):)
 
paddy555 said:
absolutely and definitely not. It would be a seriously bad idea for a semi feral.
I also wouldn't put her in a halter and long rope and work on moving her feet around. She is a semi feral pony not a horse. I have had lots of very nervous horses in the past but the semi feral ponies are not the same and the same approach doesn't work.

Follow Sarah W's methods if you can and if you can get close to her neck scratch her. Don't stroke or pat but scratch. That was what really made the connection with one of mine.
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This ^
Semi or complete feral ponies are a complete difference to dealing with a horse.
Good luck OP, keep up the hands on as much as you can - and keep asking as many here are willing to help :)
 
Thanks for all the great replies.

Will definately look into the book by Sarah Weston.

Had already thought about the stick with something on the end and was scratching her on her neck and around her face / ears when working at getting the head collar on her.

Bit reluctant re food as she is already nipping badly (bruise on arm to prove it) so am going in with my body protector (she managed to nip my boob which was a bit painful) and someone at work even suggested shin guards on my arms :D (which actually I might consider :rolleyes:)

Will keep you all posted and see if I can get any photos for you.

She's a very sweet pony and even when in a confined space where she managed to turn her bum to me she didn't kick out and accepted a scratch to her rump.
 
I bought an unhanded colt. What worked for me was putting his headcollar on and leaving it on until he was used to it. I brought him into the stable for about three days, and just sat in a corner as much as I could, reading a book or whatever until he got used to having a human around him. When he came close I would hold out my hand for him to sniff which eventually led to me being able to touch and scratch him around his head/neck/front end.
Once he was used to a bit of feed out of a bucket I would lead him out of his stable to his feedbucket which got him used to being led. By this point I was his "friend". I then cornered off a small portion of a quite bare field and would put him out, again sitting in the corner whenever I could. He was bored not being able to eat and with no-one to play with again curiosity would bring him over to me. Once he was used to me, I started to use more "normal" training methods. Worked for me anyway. Please note this is a shortened version of events. I basically made it so he had no-one but me in his life so had no alternative than to befriend and trust me. Hope this helps?
 
It helped that I was on a very small yard and could keep him reasonably out of sight of the others until we had made friends with each other!
 
My mmare was the same as this when i bought her as a 2yo- didn;t realise how much so and she had just lived pretty much wild until i bought her. She'd never been handled properly, in a stable or so on. You coudln;t get past her shoulder without her trying to kick or bite you. Couldn't catch her to the point she wudl try to chase you away.. bloomin nightmare! I just persevered and moved yards to a yard where she had to be stabled everynight meaning she was being handled at least twice a day to be turned out and brought in and tried to do as much with her as possible to get her to tolerate me- getting rugs on her, mucking out whilst she was in stable, turning out on her own and so on. We had lots of problems on the way but after about 6 months she really changed and now another year on she is a dream to handle :) If i were you i woudl just go for basic handling and see how this goes. It doens;t sound like the way she has been handled, simply the fact she hasn't been handled at all :)
 
trottingon said:
I bought an unhanded colt. What worked for me was putting his headcollar on and leaving it on until he was used to it. I brought him into the stable for about three days, and just sat in a corner as much as I could, reading a book or whatever until he got used to having a human around him. When he came close I would hold out my hand for him to sniff which eventually led to me being able to touch and scratch him around his head/neck/front end.
Once he was used to a bit of feed out of a bucket I would lead him out of his stable to his feedbucket which got him used to being led. By this point I was his "friend". I then cornered off a small portion of a quite bare field and would put him out, again sitting in the corner whenever I could. He was bored not being able to eat and with no-one to play with again curiosity would bring him over to me. Once he was used to me, I started to use more "normal" training methods. Worked for me anyway. Please note this is a shortened version of events. I basically made it so he had no-one but me in his life so had no alternative than to befriend and trust me. Hope this helps?
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this is the route i would go down- no rushing, builds up trust and curiosity ALWAYS gets the better of any youngster! similarish 2 join up when you stop trying to force them to come to you they suddenly choose to come to you!
 
Unfortunately I have to steer away from answering these type of questions in case I am seen as advertising. I would just say that it is the initial putting of the head collar as a precursor to all the touching and moving work that causes all the long term problems. That's the bit you need to get right. I have had two orders for books this morning so, if one was you, it's in the post!!
 
Sarah Weston's book is brilliant and it actually WORKS. Two semi feral Dartmoor hill ponies arrived here in December and they are now two of the most placid and affectionate ponies you could hope to meet. They crave affection, follow me around the paddock and allow themselves to be touched all over.
 
Leave her be.. I bought a Sec D gelding of a woman just before christmas, who had bought him from a sale and couldnt cope with him. I turned him out with my youngster and 4 year old and just left him. (it helped that them two would come over for cuddles, so he would watch)

He would eat out my hand, if my hand was really stretched out he would nip when he was nervous if you got too close. So i just started all over!

I would just make sure i spent alot of time in the field, pottering with the others and giving him a handfull of food, he slowing started getting more nosier and i could start scratching him bum - but i couldnt approach him from the front.

He just slowly started getting more and more confident, fastforward 4 months i cant get away from him now - :) She will come, shes still a baby. Let her be a baby. She will come, in her own time. Dont push her.
 
Thanks for all the great replied / advice. Here is an update

Went over to see pony today and I couldn't believe the change in her, it was like a different pony.

Because I managed to get the head collar on her last weekend the young lad has managed to catch her and she has been tied up, groomed and had her front feet picked out :eek:

She is still super wary of people and took a little while for her to settle and to let me scratch her neck but after a couple of minutes she was fine.

We took her out around the lanes for a walk which turned into a hour of gentle plodding. Met loose dogs barking, a tractor towing a muck spreader and a couple of mud clad mountain bikers along with the usual assortment of ignorant car drivers. She was a super star and nothing really phased her.

The only thing she really baulked at was the white painted lines at a junction - they were just soooooooo scarey :rolleyes: :D

Next weekend she is going to come and stay at my place for 3 months so she can run with my 3 and get some equine company (been living on her own for nearly a year).

Can then continue her education and get her really settled with humans etc.

Just goes to show what a super temperament she has and credit to her young owner who has only been riding himself for a year and never owned a horse before.

:)
 
There are many people who work under Kelly marks that you can call to come out to show you the best way forward.

When I got my boy back from loan he was a messed up shadow of himself.

I cslledout a chap called Gary bosworth who works under Kelly, not expensive at all, think I paid £20 but was slightly cheaper as he was seeing 2 clients.

He only did one session with us, as he said it was my horses trust issues with me :(, and only I could get that back, which I did, but well worth doing.

Good luck :)
 
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