Help with fizzy pony please?!

[Vicky7041]

I have recently bought a 13.2hh welsh C x 12 year old mare. I compete on the mounted games circuit. She is 110% on the ground with everything I ask her to do, but hacking out can sometimes be dangerous.
I am a very confident rider but she leapes and plunges for no reason and yesterday she leapt so high and to the side that she nearly went into a stone wall and as i pulled away to avoid the wall she went down onto her knees. This is the first time she has done it and it has caused me to worry.
I have had her backed, teeth, and a new saddle fitted to eliminate any pain factor. (I ride her with a nice contact and never hang onto her mouth which I think has happened in the past and why she started plunging, she is also very strong and would have a child off in minutes)

I think she will always be a fizzy mare but I want to try and stop her plunging. She will also rout and you cannot make her go in any direction sometimes, I know I have my work cut out! But she is a lovely mare and will be good at her job. I also found out that about 5 years ago she was rescued from being very ill-treated, she was beaten up continously from her owners at the time, so she doesnt trust anyone and if she does rout there is no point smacking her as this is the treament she used to get.
When I bought her 8 weeks ago she had no top line and it looked like her neck was on upside down!, I have introduced her to the pessoa which we have now built up to 5 mins each rein and she is building up very gradually, i wondered if once her muscles are more correct that she might not be able to hollow out to plunge??!!
She is on calm and condition and a magnesium calmer, but a friend said to me yesterday that calm and condition sent her TB nutty! but i need something to keep putting on topline.

If there is anyone with any suggestions to any of the above i WOULD be very grateful to hear from you!

Yes I may have been mad to take her on you might ber wondering but I really think I can change some of this! Especially with some helpful advice!!

 

[miamibear]

I would introduce a balancer and low calorie chaff like happy hoof. The balancer will help with muscle retention i.e topline but is non heating. It also contains all vit and minerals needed so you can feed hay and thats it just with the balancer.

Make sure she gets hay or grass if she is out but not haylage, sometimes that can make them a but wappy.

Apart from that as much hacking as you can to get her used to it.

Oh and knee boots, brushing boots, over reach boots, just in case

 

[brighteyes]

Why do you need 'topline'? Work her hard, feed her high fibre stuff and a good vit/min supplement and forget about putting condition (and topline) on any other way than through correct training (pessoa is good) and 'native pony' nutrition. Go hacking in company, if you aren't already and take very good care on the roads - wear hi viz gear and a body protector, too. Good luck.

 

[squid35]

We have a stallion that was very on the edge for a while due to being moved and we were having trouble getting him to hold condition/topline/weight.

we found that calmers didnt work and in some case made him worse! in the end the best solution for us was LUCIBIX from simple system as the bulk feed and some topline cubes (i think from dodson and horell) i was told that alot of people dont like to feed it as it can make them "stodgey" but that was a big plus for us!!

he was not in work at the time and never once got to much to handel! he is now cool and a cucumber and looking great!

I dont think your mad at all, i was on the proce phillip cup teams and loved it! where do you compete????

 

[Vicky7041]

I compete all around the country, from March through to October so the season has finished now! I have competed in all areas, i went through P.C, P.P.C, tretathalons, O.D.E, S.J and I can honestly say I have the most fun on horseback that I have ever had!
We get to do displays at many big country shows, its a real crowd puller as its so much fun. It does have a bad press though as people see small adults on ponies and dont agree with it.

Something stodgey would be good! (which is stodgey the cubes or the lucibix?)

As for the other comments, I always boot up and wear Hi-Viz stuff (in fact my tabbard says "does my bum look big on this?!).

I need build topline as when I got her her shouldblades were protruding, and she looked a bit dipped backed. Her topline has improved with the work load as she wasnt worked much before. Do you think this is why she routs/naps??

 

[squid35]

The cubes are STODGEY! hee hee

Lucibix are totally non heating, i compete my show jumper off them also and i can feed him quiet nuts without him being a compleate loon!

would love to get into mounted games again, agree with the bit about bad press, when i was doing PPC i was on a 10hand pont and i was very tall but i only weighed 7stone!

where abouts are you based???

 

[elaineh]

Maybe get an RA for advice.

 

[Vicky7041]

RA? am having total blonde moment, and cannot think what that stands for!!

 

[MagicMelon]

Maybe try her on a high fibre diet? Like lots of high fibre cubes or fibre based things like speedi-beet, Hi-Fi chaff etc. Lots of horses can compete purely of fibre diets and it certainly shouldnt make them nutty. If you feed enough, hopefully she'll gain a little more weight as well. Put her on hay, rather than haylage (if thats what shes on) as haylage can make some horses nutty. Obviously make sure she's rugged up really well etc.

Maybe try a different calmer if the one she's on isnt helping? And make sure she's getting decent vit & min supplement in case she's lacking magnesium or something.

 

[Vicky7041]

She's on hay not haylege. Someone has recommended using Blue Chip as basically they are balancers. The calmer had made a difference, i just don't know if she was just having a major off day, but I just want to try and get the balance right! But I've got to have a controllable pony!

 

[vicijp]

Is routing the same as rein raking?
If so try a hackamore, and then slowly change her into a rubber bit. It can help no end to forgetting that they once had their back teeth hung off.
Im sure youll see an improvement with quiet, consistent riding after a few weeks.

 

[henryhorn]

I would actually long rein her out a few times. That way if she plunges you can re-assure her and you aren't going to fall off.
It may help her discipline as most of the problems like this go back to basic obedience. long reining should help when she refuses to go in any direction, it's amazing what a long reining can do even to an older horse. I think she lacks confidence as well as basic training, do some long reining in an arena or field first until you feel you have total control, then long rein her along the road.
When she starts leaping about try turning and walking in the opposite direction every time. turn back and walk towards home, if she messes, turn away again.
Always wear reflective tabard with L or young horse on to warm drivers and preferably a body protector yourself.
section C's are often fizzy, they just are, but most settle down and become obedient with sufficient training. At 12 she is still young enough to learn some manners, though if she is a Games pony, it won't be easy!

 

[Vicky7041]

Routing, is where she just stands still and won't move in any direction. Very frustrating, i just sit there now until she's ready to move forward.

 

[Vicky7041]

I agree that she lacks basic trainging and I hadnt thought of long reining. But I really doubt she'll plunge on the lunge, she only does it when ridden. I thought that is because people have hung on to her mouth, i give her head all the time, so its not that (maybe the hackamore is worth a go, but i've to go downgrade back into a snaffle ready for the new season in March).

She was getting better until the other day, i think it was made worse by the fact she was in company on her own shes quiet to hack, sometimes she jogs, but theres no silly leaping and going down the road sideways!

 

[Vicky7041]

Opps lots of mistakes! Sorry, still half asleep!

 

[the watcher]

Vicky, give it time, judging by history this horse needs to learn to trust you. You can tinker with feed and bits and various other stuff but nothing will make an overnight difference. Just do as much as you can and keep the pony too busy to think about messing around

Not good news, I had a little welshie PB who was a firecracker, it was a year or so before she really calmed down with being ridden or lunged nearly every day