How long do you give a pony to settle ????

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DressageDiva1962

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This post is in addition to my long reining post on Monday.........

I bought my pony from a busy livery yard where he was only hacked out in company or schooled in an arena as he belonged to a young girl, too young to hack alone, he's 15 and a very succesful competition pony, I hacked him 3 times from their yard in company before I brought him home, and went to see him competing etc, unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond my control he's had 8 weeks in a field being a horse and I rode him for the first time on Monday then Tuesday, I long reined him yesterday and rode him today, he's an absolute nightmare !!! I struggle to get on him, then he wont leave the yard, he plants his feet and refuses to budge so I get off and lead him and then struggle to get back on, same thing happens again....I managed to find a friend to hack with today, she came up to meet me but it didnt really make much difference, he still refused to go forward, kept spinning round and napping and then all of a sudden he completely lost the plot and started jogging and plunging, but at least he was going forward !!!! he dosent shy or spook he isnt frightend of anything, he's either trying it on or genuinely insecure........strange this is, he'll leave my other 2 horses out in the field and come in and be brushed and they stand at the fence shouting him but he dosent respond ???

What to do next....... I dont have anyone regular to ride and I'm not on a yard, I live in the middle of nowhere so if the worse happend and I came off nobody would know....mad as it sounds, I'm not actually scared of this pony and I actually enjoy riding him when he's behaving so I do want to stick with him but just wondering how long to persist before I'd expect to start to see some results and changes....?????

Thank you in advance of advice and feedback.
 
DressageDiva1962 said:
This post is in addition to my long reining post on Monday.........

I bought my pony from a busy livery yard where he was only hacked out in company or schooled in an arena as he belonged to a young girl, too young to hack alone, he's 15 and a very succesful competition pony, I hacked him 3 times from their yard in company before I brought him home, and went to see him competing etc, unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond my control he's had 8 weeks in a field being a horse and I rode him for the first time on Monday then Tuesday, I long reined him yesterday and rode him today, he's an absolute nightmare !!! I struggle to get on him, then he wont leave the yard, he plants his feet and refuses to budge so I get off and lead him and then struggle to get back on, same thing happens again....I managed to find a friend to hack with today, she came up to meet me but it didnt really make much difference, he still refused to go forward, kept spinning round and napping and then all of a sudden he completely lost the plot and started jogging and plunging, but at least he was going forward !!!! he dosent shy or spook he isnt frightend of anything, he's either trying it on or genuinely insecure........strange this is, he'll leave my other 2 horses out in the field and come in and be brushed and they stand at the fence shouting him but he dosent respond ???

What to do next....... I dont have anyone regular to ride and I'm not on a yard, I live in the middle of nowhere so if the worse happend and I came off nobody would know....mad as it sounds, I'm not actually scared of this pony and I actually enjoy riding him when he's behaving so I do want to stick with him but just wondering how long to persist before I'd expect to start to see some results and changes....?????

Thank you in advance of advice and feedback.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear it's not going well so far with your new pony. However, I think you probably need to cut him a bit of slack. He's moved home from a busy yard to pretty much being left to his own devices for 2 months and now you are expecting to throw a saddle on his back and him behave perfectly. Even if you hadn't had to give him the time off, he would have had a settling in period.

When he was turned away, did you do anything with him? If not, you probably would benefit from just spending lots of time with him, grooming etc, and maybe taking for walks in hand. He is probably finding the quiet life a little strange and is a bit shell shocked.

I completely sympathise about not being on a yard and your situation with regard to hacking. I have the same problem. Do you have transport? If so perhaps you could box him back to his old yard and hack with some people from there a few times just to get him back in to the swing of things. Or have a look at the facebook page in my signature below - that was set up to help people with no hacking partners find someone to ride with.

Good luck. :)
 
What tack have you got on him?

And did you ask what he was like to ride if given some time off? (one of my key questions).
 
amymay said:
What tack have you got on him?

And did you ask what he was like to ride if given some time off? (one of my key questions).
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They had him in a stronger bit, I've changed him to a mild loose ring snaffle and he's just got a brand new made to measure saddle in the last couple of days, he didnt have a break with his previous owners, he was ridden and competed regularly for the last 2 years, he had to have physio when I got him hence some of the time off as his back was a bit sore, that's why we had a new made to measure saddle for him. I've known this pony for about 18 months so I've havent bought him blind if you know what I mean, that's why this behaviour is a complete shock to me !!
 
To be honest, I would say just keep perservering! He's not 'trying it on' as such but he does sound like he lacks confidence or is not happy/comfortable with something so i would continue doing what you're doing and praise any good behaviour. This is providing he's not doing something dangerous (ie rearing etc). Personally I can cope with a bit of spinning/refusing to move and jogging. The trick is to remain calm and firm with what you are asking him to do. Do some ground work to remind him what commands mean and then put them to practice whilst on board. If needs be and you have somewhere there then ask someone to lead him as opposed to you getting off - I am one who much prefers to be on and 'win' these little disagreements! :)
 
It shouldn't be shocking.

Remember, a horse is a prey animal and it's very much driven by the desire to feel secure and safe in its environment, and if it doesn't, it will do whatever is necessary to return to that equilibrium. A lot of behaviours that we describe as resistance or naughtiness are merely the horse feeling insecure and then resisting whatever it is we are asking it to do that makes it insecure. I imagine this horse has had quite a shock, moving from a busy yard with lots of horses and people around, to a quiet one, and then getting two months left to his own devices in a field rather than learning to rely on his new owner as his herd leader who will keep him safe.

I have found (this is purely anecdotal evidence) that horses quickly formulate safe geographical boundaries when they are moved to a new location, and so long as they're doing something in that space, they're fine. But venture out of that space, they might "misbehave." So if you move to a new barn and only ride in the arena, that becomes the horse's safe space. Then six months later, you go out on a hack, it would not be surprising if the horse freaked out. In your case, the horse has settled on his safe location being his pasture. Of course, if you have already established a relationship with a horse where it trusts you to decide where to go and trusts your judgment, then this isn't a huge issue but if you haven't, it's no wonder that the horse says, "Who are you and I don't believe that there aren't lions in this new place you're trying to ride me."

Also, does the horse have equine friends or is he all alone?
 
I have been through something similar this year with my new pony. I bought her in April, she is 15 and was on a working livery in her old home where she had lived for the past 8 years. I bought as a perfect schooling and hacking pony.

When I got her to the stables where I was to keep her she was very aggressive. I would have massive bruises where she would ram me up against the wall when tacking her up and she would buck and go backwards etc when riding her out. I even phoned her old owners and asked them to take her back, but they begged me to give her longer to settle in. I was also told by other people on my yard to get rid. It was a nightmare!!!

Anyway, I kept her. Luckily I have a field at home so kept her here over the summer. Taking her out in hand and lots and lots of groundwork and just spending time with her getting to know me (even had her in the garden munching on grass while I ate my lunch). She is getting much better now, we can tack up with limited injuries to me!! Plus we have a couple of routes we have done often (me on the ground leadreining one of mykids), which I can now ride with her happily. In fact we start the hack on the ground and then I get on. She can still be nappy, but I tend to get off and walk with her so she gains more and more trust in me. We have even tried a couple of new routes, again me getting off from time to time to just walk with her and let her eat some grass, so its a nice relaxed experience for her.

Just today we had a wonderful hack, cantering and galloping. I am so glad I stuck it out with her and she really needed lots of time to settle in and trust in me. That time I spend doing groundwork and just being with her I think made a huge difference.

I hope you can get through this too and finish up with a wonderful hacking pony like I have. Good luck!!
 
DressageDiva1962 said:
I dont have anyone regular to ride and I'm not on a yard, I live in the middle of nowhere so if the worse happend and I came off nobody would know...
Click to expand...

There are a couple of apps you can use to help with this:
http://www.horseridersos.com/ £4.99 for both iPhone and Android.

or

One Touch SOS for Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ideophone.sos&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5pZGVvcGhvbmUuc29zIl0. Free!

If you don't have a smartphone, save your next of kin's details under "ICE" (In Case of Emergency) in your normal phone. A dog-tag can also be attached to your saddle/bridle with emergency contact info on.
 
Caol Ila said:
It shouldn't be shocking.

Remember, a horse is a prey animal and it's very much driven by the desire to feel secure and safe in its environment, and if it doesn't, it will do whatever is necessary to return to that equilibrium. A lot of behaviours that we describe as resistance or naughtiness are merely the horse feeling insecure and then resisting whatever it is we are asking it to do that makes it insecure. I imagine this horse has had quite a shock, moving from a busy yard with lots of horses and people around, to a quiet one, and then getting two months left to his own devices in a field rather than learning to rely on his new owner as his herd leader who will keep him safe.

I have found (this is purely anecdotal evidence) that horses quickly formulate safe geographical boundaries when they are moved to a new location, and so long as they're doing something in that space, they're fine. But venture out of that space, they might "misbehave." So if you move to a new barn and only ride in the arena, that becomes the horse's safe space. Then six months later, you go out on a hack, it would not be surprising if the horse freaked out. In your case, the horse has settled on his safe location being his pasture. Of course, if you have already established a relationship with a horse where it trusts you to decide where to go and trusts your judgment, then this isn't a huge issue but if you haven't, it's no wonder that the horse says, "Who are you and I don't believe that there aren't lions in this new place you're trying to ride me."

Also, does the horse have equine friends or is he all alone?
Click to expand...

Thank you, yes he is turned out with my retired pony and a companion and he comes away from them with no issues even when they shout him he dosent try and run back or shout to them...
 
Lizzy_Doodle said:
There are a couple of apps you can use to help with this:
http://www.horseridersos.com/ £4.99 for both iPhone and Android.

or

One Touch SOS for Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ideophone.sos&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5pZGVvcGhvbmUuc29zIl0. Free!

If you don't have a smartphone, save your next of kin's details under "ICE" (In Case of Emergency) in your normal phone. A dog-tag can also be attached to your saddle/bridle with emergency contact info on.
Click to expand...

Thank you, I have the BEIDS package with a tag on my saddle and a bracelet and membership all paid up, best to be safe...and I always ride in reflective gear even when not on the road.
 
rafty said:
I have been through something similar this year with my new pony. I bought her in April, she is 15 and was on a working livery in her old home where she had lived for the past 8 years. I bought as a perfect schooling and hacking pony.

When I got her to the stables where I was to keep her she was very aggressive. I would have massive bruises where she would ram me up against the wall when tacking her up and she would buck and go backwards etc when riding her out. I even phoned her old owners and asked them to take her back, but they begged me to give her longer to settle in. I was also told by other people on my yard to get rid. It was a nightmare!!!

Anyway, I kept her. Luckily I have a field at home so kept her here over the summer. Taking her out in hand and lots and lots of groundwork and just spending time with her getting to know me (even had her in the garden munching on grass while I ate my lunch). She is getting much better now, we can tack up with limited injuries to me!! Plus we have a couple of routes we have done often (me on the ground leadreining one of mykids), which I can now ride with her happily. In fact we start the hack on the ground and then I get on. She can still be nappy, but I tend to get off and walk with her so she gains more and more trust in me. We have even tried a couple of new routes, again me getting off from time to time to just walk with her and let her eat some grass, so its a nice relaxed experience for her.

Just today we had a wonderful hack, cantering and galloping. I am so glad I stuck it out with her and she really needed lots of time to settle in and trust in me. That time I spend doing groundwork and just being with her I think made a huge difference.

I hope you can get through this too and finish up with a wonderful hacking pony like I have. Good luck!!
Click to expand...

Thank you for that very positive advice, its given me some hope, thank you x
 
DressageDiva1962 said:
Thank you, yes he is turned out with my retired pony and a companion and he comes away from them with no issues even when they shout him he dosent try and run back or shout to them...
Click to expand...

That's good. It should make it easier for you to establish a reasonable relationship with him. I asked because if he were on his own, he'd probably be even more neurotic and would have recommended finding him a friend before doing anything. As he has friends, it's up to you to start sorting it out.

I bought a minimally-handled three-year old a number of years ago. After I bought him, but before I moved him to my yard, I went to the yard he was on to work with him for the first time without his original owner present. Understandably, he balked at following me out of the pasture. So I did some NH-style ground exercises with him in the pasture (all his mates were fine -- left us alone). Then I brought him out of the gate, gave him a pat, and took him back in. A day or two later when I returned, he came out of the field with me no problem.
 
Could you possibly box him to a friends and ride out with them? Might avoid the yard leaving issues and be more like a competition outing which he is obviously familiar with.
 
smiggy said:
Could you possibly box him to a friends and ride out with them? Might avoid the yard leaving issues and be more like a competition outing which he is obviously familiar with.
Click to expand...


I have thought about this, unfortunately, I dont drive so it would have to be on a weekend so would need to tie in with OH's weekend plans, he does an awful lot for me already so dont want to push it, but it is an option worth thinking about to drive somewhere and hack home is an option ???
 
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