Horse scared when dismounting HELP!

[Sgarner]

Long story short: we bought our first pony 3 weeks ago - Jasper, 14.2hh fell X, who is 16 this year...

We've had a rocky start as he's a pretty nervous horse and he's come on leaps and bounds over the last couple of weeks. Riding however is becoming a bit of a nightmare. He's fine to mount from ground (doesnt like mounting block but we working on that) however when it comes to dismounting he immediately backs off quite a few steps super quick the second you are getting off him. He also panics and pulls back more if I try to hold him steady with his bridle while my daughter gets off. Which is resulting in her having to jump off him pretty quickly and probably not in the safest of ways What can we do??!

We've tried me giving him a treat while daughter is dismounting and still does it. We've tried talking to him and reassuring him. I'm constantly worrying now. Any help would be massively appreciated as he is our first ever horse and wasn't prepared for this kind of "work" (we bought him as a bombproof, safe, excellent with children pony and we've ended up with a nervous wreck that can't even be tied up without him snapping a rope and bolting off)

 

[ycbm]

Have you tried putting his bottom to a wall before dismounting? If you haven't be VERY careful if you do as he might rear or do something else.

Did he do this when you tried him? If not, did they do anything you can copy?

This is a repetition, repetition thing to change, but it's a difficult one for novices to deal with,

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I would do it very very slowly and take it step by step - first take feet out of stirrups, sit like that for a few minutes until he is calm and then treat, then lean weight forward and wait until he is calm etc. You could do this with a dummy, and pull the dummy off also.

I would get his back/saddle checked first and foremost though - as it could be the weight shift is making something sore, I'd look at his eyes too just in case your daughter coming into vision is surprising him.

 

[Midlifecrisis]

I think the pony has no confidence in his new handlers. You need the advice and guidance of a really good trainer...unfortunately this is not a great time to be finding one to work with. I’ve assumed you tried the pony prior to purchase and had a vetting too.

 

[ester]

Are you able to consult his previous owner on this behaviour? It is likely something which has happened before that they've been able to manage assuming he didn't show it on viewing.

 

[ihatework]

I’ve seen this a couple of times and in both cases it was saddle related. As you lean forwards to dismount, all your weight gets shifted towards the shoulder/wither - if you have a saddle issue then dismounting anxiety and running backwards are the result.

that’s obviously not the only thing it could be but it’s a big one to rule out

 

[Sgarner]

Are you able to consult his previous owner on this behaviour? It is likely something which has happened before that they've been able to manage assuming he didn't show it on viewing.

Messaged his previous owner who just says he didn't do that when with us. But then found out after we'd had him a week that the previous owner only had him ,4 weeks not 4 months like she's originally told us so to be honest I'm not really taking anything we was told as truthful.

Both me and my daughter rode him before buying and he didn't do it but has done it every time since. He stands perfectly for Mounting it's just the dismount.

Will get his saddle and back checked anyway just to rule out issues. Don't get me wrong I don't mind putting in effort and work if he needs it but it's a shocker when you think your getting an "easy" horse and he turns out the opposite!

 

[Sgarner]

I think the pony has no confidence in his new handlers. You need the advice and guidance of a really good trainer...unfortunately this is not a great time to be finding one to work with. I’ve assumed you tried the pony prior to purchase and had a vetting too.

Yes both me and my daughter rode him before purchasing and had 2 stage vetting and bloods taken. Only thing vet mentioned was a mild tender spot on his neck right up near his mane but said he didn't visibly react it was just a slight muscle tremor when she was feeling around him. I have been told by our vet since getting him that he does need a bit of work on building up his top line however

 

[LaurenBay]

I would do it very very slowly and take it step by step - first take feet out of stirrups, sit like that for a few minutes until he is calm and then treat, then lean weight forward and wait until he is calm etc. You could do this with a dummy, and pull the dummy off also.

I would get his back/saddle checked first and foremost though - as it could be the weight shift is making something sore, I'd look at his eyes too just in case your daughter coming into vision is surprising him.

Good advice. Check the saddle and back first, if all fine then try the first advise with doing it bit by bit.

 

[ester]

so were they dealing as they hadn't had him very long?

 

[dorsetladette]

Did he come with his tack or did you purchase the saddle separately?

 

[Sgarner]

so were they dealing as they hadn't had him very long?

Seems like it now but at the time we was told he was just too steady for her and on the small side for what she wanted (he's supposedly 14.2 but looks more like 14 to me but that might be due to poor top line muscle)

 

[Sgarner]

Did he come with his tack or did you purchase the saddle separately?

Came with some tack - 3x rugs (one fleece, one lightweight, one heavyweight) saddle and saddle pad and his bridle with snaffle bit.

 

[dorsetladette]

Wonder if the saddle isn't fitting properly if your doing more work with him.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

I went to view a horse once, a little Hafflinger mare.

She was fine to mount, I rode her for a bit but she was way way more green than even the advert had admitted to, and I had already decided she was a no-no.

We'd gone back to the yard, and I'd started to dismount, thought nothing of it, like you do, got my feet out the stirrups, when she suddenly erupted! It was weird, never experienced anything like it.

Poor mare, it was a bit of a seedy dealers set-up and I know the place was later "done" by Trading Standards for selling a horse that they apparently knew was dangerous, to a woman, who was injured by it.

I was also made aware, later on, that there were two Haffy's at the yard, the mare I saw being one, who were then touted around all the local markets.

I did wonder what might have caused this behaviour; rather suspect that she'd perhaps had a regular good hiding when someone had got off-of her, and she'd obviously remembered having a beating as soon as someone took their feet out the stirrups.

 

[Red-1]

If she was OK when you tried her, and now acts the same when ridden (as in you don't think she was drugged) then I would say it was a saddle fit issue.

If the saddle does fit then it could need training, and with a nervous horse it means small incremental steps. Of course, it is hard to get off incrementally, so I would do a lt of work at a mounting block and start with being comfy at the block, being happy with you above her, leaning on and off her, one foot in the stirrup, a bit of weight in the stirrup, hopping in the one stirrup, standing in the stirrup etc. etc. just as if you were teaching one to mount. You will also be teaching the dismount step by step.

I would not move onto the next step until she is bullet proof with the current one. I would also do the work from both sides. So, in essence, I would not be mounting until I knew all the steps to dismount were covered.

But I would still wager it is the saddle.

 

[Sgarner]

If she was OK when you tried her, and now acts the same when ridden (as in you don't think she was drugged) then I would say it was a saddle fit issue.

If the saddle does fit then it could need training, and with a nervous horse it means small incremental steps. Of course, it is hard to get off incrementally, so I would do a lt of work at a mounting block and start with being comfy at the block, being happy with you above her, leaning on and off her, one foot in the stirrup, a bit of weight in the stirrup, hopping in the one stirrup, standing in the stirrup etc. etc. just as if you were teaching one to mount. You will also be teaching the dismount step by step.

I would not move onto the next step until she is bullet proof with the current one. I would also do the work from both sides. So, in essence, I would not be mounting until I knew all the steps to dismount were covered.

But I would still wager it is the saddle.

Thank you! will defo check saddle fit first and go from there.

 

[Fransurrey]

My first thought was saddle, too. The neck might be worth a physio visit if the vet picked up on it.

 

[Sgarner]

Ok so tried everywhere but noone will come out to look at his back/saddle fit until this lockdown has been lifted so I thought we'd break down the action of dismounting and see at what point he starts showing he's unhappy... So I'm stood at side of his head stroking him and giving him a mint in my hand... Daughter decided she knows better and dismounted leg over neck and slid off that way instead - without telling me that's what she was going to do!

HOWEVER!!! he didn't bat an eye! No reaction at all, no backing away, nothing! Completely calm about it! I'm aware it's not the safest of ways to get off but... Does this alter anyones advise? Could it still be back/saddle fit issues or is it more likely it's a quirk of his that we need to work with? Sorry if it sounds daft I'm not sure if it makes a difference with weight shifting lol. Thanks for all your help so far!

 

[ycbm]

I reckon that makes it more likely it's the saddle.

How low is the saddle sitting at the front? Does leaning forward to get off push the arch down on the withers?

If not, my guess would be that the saddle is too narrow and leaning forwards to get off makes it pinch. Can you take some photos and show us?

It's far from ideal trying to saddle fit by photo, but you've got no option at the moment and a few people on the forum know what they're looking at.



.

 

[Red-1]

I agree with YCBM. In dismounting the way he hates, you lean forwards. In dismounting the way he wasn't bothered, you lean back.

When you tried him, he was OK and you have had no 'incidents' to change that, apart from creeping pain from an ill fitting saddle.

 

[Sgarner]

I'll take some pics tomorrow when we go up thanks guys

 

[ycbm]

No problem. Can we please have a side on picture of the whole of his body with the saddle on, girthed up. And the best you can get (it's difficult) of how it sits at the wither and on the shoulder.

PS you have a plucky daughter!

.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I agree it sounds almost definitely like the saddle fit.

 

[Sgarner]

No problem. Can we please have a side on picture of the whole of his body with the saddle on, girthed up. And the best you can get (it's difficult) of how it sits at the wither and on the shoulder.

PS you have a plucky daughter!

.

She's too plucky for her own good sometimes lol.

I've got a few images of him with saddle on from day after we've got him but it's saying file too large to attach

 

[Sgarner]

This was last weekend on a 2hour hack,,,hence why hes so sweaty...hes been out of work for a few months before this and defo needs some muscle building up on him

 

[Sgarner]

will get some better image tomorrow

 

[fredflop]

Personally I wouldn’t be riding him until you can get the saddle checked.

in the meantime you can do lots of desensitisation to things moving around him, especially in the saddle area. Try looking up the Jeffries method, looks bizarre and dangerous, massively helped my horse