Horse won’t come in from field

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charlottelou21

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Looking for a bit of advice
Hello all
Just putting some feelers out to see if anyone can offer any help/advice.
I’ve not long taken on my first pony, I’ve ridden and been around horses since I was young but this is my first time owning one. He’s a 13.2hh native gelding, 13 years old and as a whole, has a really beautiful temperament.
He lives out 24/7 with two others and is a very sociable boy who doesn’t like leaving his friends.
I’ve now hit a hurdle whereby he won’t move out the field - he’ll come to me, he’ll let me put his controller headcollar on, but then he won’t move.
I’d really appreciate any tips/advice 🫶
 
Have you tried carrots? Mine love carrots at this time of year, but given half a chance they’d all be inside. If you’ve not had him long do you know what the previous routine was?
 
Amy May In A Manger said:
Do you circle him?
Click to expand...
Second this question - my baby native used to do this. I got a good local trainer to come and give me a hand and the two main things I took from it were:
1. Circles - get him a bit off balance so he can't just lean on the rope and pull back.
2. Get good at timing. Pressure on the rope to ask him to move forwards, keep the pressure on, and as soon as he shifts his weight towards you, release the pressure. If he then backs off again, pressure back on, etc.

I also lead in a rope halter rather than a headcollar because, mean as it sounds, it's a lot more uncomfortable for them to lean on. And use a long lead rope so if the horse starts shuffling backwards you can go with them and keep the pressure on.

Yours sounds similar to mine in that it's not pain or fear, just being stubborn and using their weight against you because......they can. It didn't take long at all to crack mine and he doesn't really do it any more. Once he realised that I wasn't going to give up he couldn't be bothered any more.

All the above is assuming you have a basically sensible horse who's just trying it on, and not a horse who's frightened, confused, in pain, liable to take off and run etc.
 
I tend to give them 2 options, 1 is come in nicely, 2 is work hard.

This means tight nose to tail circles, never more than 3. When you stop, quietly ask for forward movement. If they go then give lots of praise, no rushing or pulling, rope loose and a nice relaxed amble in. The choice is entirely theirs. I have no issue giving a treat as a reward if they keep going. You want them to be rewarded and happy about doing the "right" thing so they choose to do it

If they dont, go back to the circles and repeat. It usually only takes 2 or 3 goes before the penny drops. What is never allowed to happen is the pony stood still while I pull or yank. It doesnt work. To get them to circle you step back to their hindquarters and ask them to move, if they dont then you quietly rock them off balance using the halter. Once they start moving they go.

They all follow a similar pattern, hard and testing on the first day, pretty good on the second day and worse than ever on day three. After that most will quietly give in, with perhaps a minor attempt at protest if theres an extenuating set of circumstances.

If theres soundness issues then dont do this, theres other methods. But for a fit and well pony who just doesnt fancy it then its very, very effective
 
I absolutely wouldn't be feeding treats from the hand to a native pony at this point when you are still getting to know each other. It's inviting mugging. Pony is just clinging to the security of his friends, who he already knows and trusts more than he does his human owner. He also may have learned previously that this is a successful option for him. I think you are going to just have to be patient with him, and make sure there's a nice net of hay or a feed waiting AT THE DESTINATION ie the tie up/stable. Also, the first few times at least, I'd just feed, groom, and put back out to make it a pleasant association. It's worth putting the effort in now, you don't want to be one of these people that always has to rely on other people bringing in at the same time.

To get there, use a long rope, a rope halter, and I'd probably add in a schooling whip or carrot stick or lunge whip too. Some horses are better led, others driven, and others a combination of the two. Don't hold him too near to the halter. The SECOND he stops, walk out to the side to unbalance him and try to keep going. If he stops again, go the other way, and so on for as long as it takes. Don't let him graze. You'll be moving in a zig zag, but you'll be moving. Don't drag him once moving, work towards "release" ie loose rope as soon as he moves freely.. The whip can be a visual signal held low and parallel to him, flicked around if needs be. Depends whether he's paying attention to it. It's not there to wallop him, but annoying taps can help.

This is an annoying but VERY common behaviour and you will get better with timing etc as you go on. Owning a horse, any horse but especially your first, is a massively steep learning curve with lots of knock-backs. This is just the first big hurdle, and when you get over it (which you will) you'll be the better horsewoman. Good luck!
 
Have a look at some Steve Young Horsemanship videos - lots of free to view content and he's very down to earth and black and white (although he's well known to rabbit on a bit:p)
 
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