Help with feeding times...

[Kub]

Harry is good is pretty much every respect, excpet when it comes to food. Now, this works for me in someways, such as loading D) but not so much when he's being fed.

I need to teach him to wait until I put his food down, instead of trying to barge through me and get to it any way he can. As soon as he knows his dinner is being prepared, he gets tense, can paw the ground and be generally impatient. (this is why I try to make it up before he's around but not always possible). When you bring it over, he'll swing himself round trying to get to it, which ain't good because he's not exactly small lol!

How have you guys managed to sort out your greedy ponios? I'm trying to make him wait and give him a dig in the shoulder but we're making slow progress. I want to be able to ask him to wait, put his food down, and then him go to it when I tell it.

Any good ideas? Thanks guys

 

[muffinino]

I sympathise as I have a the same type as you and those coloured cobs have their priorities firmly set

Mine is the type that will try it on every now & then and this gets firmly stamped out as soon as it starts. What I do is, if he invades my personal space or won’t step back when I bring the feed in is I put it behind my back, make him back up using a very firm tone and a poke/pinch on the shoulder or chest, then he is made to stand at the back of the stable until he behaves. Once he’s backed up and behaving, I put the feed on the ground beside me and make him wait, this only involves using my voice, saying ‘stand’ in a firm tone, then once he’s stood for, say 10 seconds, then I soften my voice and say ok and step away from the feed. This works for me but he’s always responded well to it and it’s never got to the point where he is pushing me over to get to it.

Do you feed him tied up or in the stable? Don’t feed him or give him attention whilst he’s performing and wait until he’s calmed down a bit before bringing the feed out; I know it’s the most exciting part of the day but there’s no need for him to get reward for pawing the ground (pet hate of mine, lol). If in the stable, I would put his headcollar on before you feed (I hate leaving them on in the stable but it should only be for a short time) then make the feed up and wait for him to calm down a bit, then take it to the stable. Take someone with you if needed then they can get hold of him and back him up for you, or you get hold of him and back him up with the headcollar. Once he’s backed up, don’t let him lunge for the feed and make him stand and wait out of your personal space, even if it’s for a few seconds, then put the feed down and wait a few seconds, then let him eat. He’s not going to stand perfectly, obviously, but the important thing is he must listen to you when you’re telling him to back up and stand.

 

[ThePony]

Mine does love her food and for some reason recently went through a phase really trying it on! As she is out 24/7 she is fed in her field. I won't just drop it by the gate and run because she needs to learn that it isn't hers until it is on the floor. I won't be bullied into dropping it!
Before I enter the field I make her back up (form practicaly climbing over the gate!), a firm 'back' and a poke in the shoulder. You have to really mean it and be very confident in your approach and stand your ground. Don't let him dictate where you move to - it is not up to him to move you around by barging into your space! As soon as I am in the field (she used to barge, cut infront of me and generally swish around in a very intimidating way, she is 16hh so she is rather too big to do this!) I really make sure to stand my ground, pick a piece of ground where i will feed her (don't over cook it by trying to get all the way across the field!) - usually about 8 meters away. Then I just focus on it and barge my way across! If she cuts me up then I give her a hefty poke and just keep on walking. What ever you do don't stop as it is hard to get the space to move forwards again! It only actually took about 6 days of doing this and now although she is right by my elbow while I walk with her feed, she doesn't touch me or the bowl until it is on the floor. When it is on the floor she is allowed up to it and I tell her how very good she is! I do the same thing in the stable. I own the food until it is on the floor! She isn't tied up in the stable, and when she creates while I am making the food, she is ignored. I think she only does it for attention - good or bad, so I deny her that when she is kicking the door or doing anything else undesirable. When she stops I make sure I tell her she is very good and carry on with making the feed.
Good luck! It is really useful to make sure 'back' is a firmly understood command and I guess this is the ultimate test of it! I was really suprised how quickly she started behaving about it, so there is light at the end of the tunnel!!
(love your boy, he is so gorgeous!!)

 

[Kub]

Thanks guys, sounds like I just need to stand my ground more. He does know what 'back' means but I think he ignores it when food is involved so think I need to go back to basics.

Good point about ignore his pawing, I must admit I usually tell him off so it is giving him attention, I'll stop doing that and ignore him.

I do use his headcollar to hold him back, and it does work, it's just when he doesn't have it on, he doesn't listen so then get barged.

I will get to work on making him understand and reaffirming that back means back lol. And thanks for the lovely comment, glosgirl, I do love him and as soon as he has eaten, he's completely docile again lol!

 

[Kub]

Well we've been working on this but not sure we're getting anywhere He's now going back when I tell him to, but as soon as I pass him in his stable, he's head is trying to get to the food. Sometimes I can put my hand on his nose and he won't push forward, but sometimes it's a real battle and although he stands, he's pushing against you to get past and won't just stand and wait

Any other suggestions?

 

[JenHunt]

Ron loves his food, but I refuse to be bullied into rushing! Instead I use a tubtrug so I can hold both handles in one hand and stop him getting his nose in! when I first got him he was really pushy. I demand that he steps back from the stable door before I go in. I always feed at the back of the stable (as that's where the stone trough is!) and as he starts to turn round I move too with the bucket between me and the wall. He nudges me to make me hurry up but if he's rough I grrr at him and he backs up.

 

[RSL]

Think we have all been there lol

Put a head collar on him, put him feed down, just keep walking him past it, making him stand, its not going to happen over night but it will in time, every time he does what you ask, praise him, ones you've got him under control in the head collar then do it without.

 

[hannah28]

my horse can be like this, i tend to put his dinner in his stable before i get him in, this way it takes the excitable build up away and i can lead him in his stable with control as he has his head collar on and he only gets it when i take it of

 

[Kub]

jenhunt - I have one of those too, he does back up and then when I walk in, starts with the nudging, trying to get his nose into it. The backing up in progress tbh, but good idea about the grring, think I need to be more vocal lol.

RSL - great idea, I'll give that a go, maybe outtside whete there's lots of room

hannah28 - I like this idea but in the winter, Harry usually gets brought in for me because I don't get over til about 6 and most are in before then. I don't want him getting bargy into his stable because his food is there (he did this before) and I want people to be able to deal with him and handle him when food is involved, so think I want him to understand he can't just have.