HELP with new pony!

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Hi there.
I've just bought two ponies. They haven't been out their stables for a long time. One is very friendly, although a little timid he's happy for you to put a headcollar on him etc. and is now happy living at my yard living out, living it large, but the other is absolutely petrified.
Every day I give him feed and now he happily takes it from my hand :)
But when it goes with try to do anything with him, he FREAKS.
I'm a bit lost. I need to get him out of this yard and to mine. His feet desperately need doing, de-licing etc., gelding etc. but I can't touch him at all.
He will happily take feed from me (tense and scared) but I can't touch him.
I don't want people to just tell me to give him time etc. as I have been spending 2 weeks solid with him and it's taken a lot to get to this point, just need some bright ideas or help :-) Thanks xxxx
 
Waiting around for them to come to you is all well and good... if you don't mind spending a year to get a headcollar on ;). Imo the best way with feral types is to go in a box with them (provided they're not the violent type) and do some enforced handling. Place a hand on him, he'll run round the box, you follow - don't take your hand off - until he gets over it. Once he realises you aren't going to eat him then he should relax a little.

This is how I handled my feral youngster, and now he runs up to me in the field for cuddles, so can't have damaged him too badly ;). May help if there's anyone around experienced in unhandled youngstock?
 
2 weeks is nothing in the grand scheme of things though so it will take more time, he has obviously improved in those 2 weeks as he will take food from you, just keep on doing what you are doing i'm afraid, you can't rush things with a nervous one.
have you tried sitting in his stable doing nothing, read a book, ignore him, horses are naturally nosey and he will find it hard to resist coming over and investigating you;)
 
TwoStroke said:
Waiting around for them to come to you is all well and good... if you don't mind spending a year to get a headcollar on ;). Imo the best way with feral types is to go in a box with them (provided they're not the violent type) and do some enforced handling. Place a hand on him, he'll run round the box, you follow - don't take your hand off - until he gets over it. Once he realises you aren't going to eat him then he should relax a little.
Exactly this!
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2 hours every day is killing me. I have my big sport horse to look after and the other resce pony.
He's not violent but does threaten to kick me. When he's scared he slips on the floor and panics even more.
As soon as I get a head collar on him we'll be away!
It's so sad as he doesn't realise how lucky he is to have landed on his feet, just need him to realise.
I'm not a patient person but I've a lot of time for this little horse. I feel so sorry for him!
 
Could he be sedated? If you put some sedalin in his feed it might allow the vet to get close enough to give him sedative in the vein, then geld him, trim feet, de-louse and get a headcollar on while he's knocked out? It's a bit drastic though.
 
The old headcollar over a bucket of feed trick? So he has to put his head through the nose, then - woosh! Headcollar on before he can scarper?
 
IIRC a very wise lady who has handled more untamed natives than most of us could shake a stick at has a trick with a gate which seems to work rather well. Sadly she's no longer on here which means that we are unable to benefit from her experience.

Perhaps you could get hold of a couple of people to help, put one end of the gate in a corner of the stable and then swing it over to trap the pony. He'll be horrified but it won't last long.
 
Sugar_and_Spice said:
Could he be sedated? If you put some sedalin in his feed it might allow the vet to get close enough to give him sedative in the vein, then geld him, trim feet, de-louse and get a headcollar on while he's knocked out? It's a bit drastic though.
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Well this is what I was thinking! Asking vet to dart him or something! (lol)
We've tried the head through headcollar trick to get feed but he it didn't work. I'll keep trying this before we sedate him x
 
Dee O'Dorant said:
IIRC a very wise lady who has handled more untamed natives than most of us could shake a stick at has a trick with a gate which seems to work rather well. Sadly she's no longer on here which means that we are unable to benefit from her experience.

Perhaps you could get hold of a couple of people to help, put one end of the gate in a corner of the stable and then swing it over to trap the pony. He'll be horrified but it won't last long.
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Yes, this was another plan of mine but don't really have any strong men to help me!
 
I think the sedating thing is probably the best suggestion - give him the absolute maximum in his feed that the vet will allow and hopfully he will be quiet enough to take an injection, or just get the headcollar on.

Is there anyway you could "herd" him from the stable into a smaller area?

He sounds a lucky pony to have found you.
 
Tammytoo said:
I think the sedating thing is probably the best suggestion - give him the absolute maximum in his feed that the vet will allow and hopfully he will be quiet enough to take an injection, or just get the headcollar on.

Is there anyway you could "herd" him from the stable into a smaller area?

He sounds a lucky pony to have found you.
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Thanks Tammytoo, a comment like this really picks me up.
He's a fantastic little bean and is going to be a fantastic show pony.
It just breaks my heart to think of the life he has now and it makes me so sad how I'm the only human he trusts but he's too scared for me to fuss him. Of course I know he doesn't know that and thinks I'm going to hurt him.
Will pop a picture up x
 
Word of warning...... it took us 4 mths to get a headcollar on our youngster who lived in a herd, we tried the headcollar in a bucket, we tried sedating him, and we tried trapping him, this all ended up with it taking alot longer than it should have, trust is you key here, there is no quick answer, but if you trick him he will take longer to trust you, he even jumped a 5 bar gate when we trapped him.

We literally had lots of treats and a long rope, you give him a treat and gradually get him used to the rope on his side, this may take a week or 2! You then get him used to having the rope thrown over his neck, and reward, take rope off, finally you build up to rope over neck, pulled up to behind ears, then long end brough over nose and you have made a halter, we could lead our horse like this eventually, then one day we made the rope halter and slipped a headcollar over the top.

Go back and read my posts of despair!! lol
 
Just thought I'd update this thread to say, that this pony is now living the life of Riley at my new yard with plenty of pasture and lots of friends.
I got the headcollar on enticing him over the door with feed.. which took about half an hour (did up headpiece, undid nose piece, gently put over his head and then did up nose). Then I put a leadrope on him and he flipped himself inside out, but as he's quite small I was strong enough to hold him and he gradually came round :-)
I taught him to lead, gave him his first taste of grass etc. Then once I had him confidently leading I got him standing on my trailer eating a haynet and then one day I boxed them both up and off they went to their new life. The journey lasted 4 hours and they are now the happiest ponies alive :-)
 
TwoStroke said:
Waiting around for them to come to you is all well and good... if you don't mind spending a year to get a headcollar on ;). Imo the best way with feral types is to go in a box with them (provided they're not the violent type) and do some enforced handling. Place a hand on him, he'll run round the box, you follow - don't take your hand off - until he gets over it. Once he realises you aren't going to eat him then he should relax a little.

This is how I handled my feral youngster, and now he runs up to me in the field for cuddles, so can't have damaged him too badly ;). May help if there's anyone around experienced in unhandled youngstock?
Click to expand...

I agree - you need to force yourself, gently but firmly on him. It is going to take some time though but a pony will get used to anything so long as you keep doing it to them.
 
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