i just cant get along with him

[missponymad]

I have a 9yo appaloosa, section A/B, that i am paid to look after. The only problem is i just cant get along with him he kicks the stable door so hard and he scrapes the stable floor so hard that poeple just give him haylage to shut him up and once he has had his haylage he will get put out in the feild, which has ended up in him being 150kilos overwieght, i have tried a muzzle, he is constantly on a diet i have had him for a year and he hasnt come off his diet at all :O he is also bargy and he pulls, and he is meant for a three year old child to ride but even when he has a bridle on and somebody on his back he still pulls, and im scared something is going to happen :/ . dont get me wrong i love him but he is just so hard to get on with :'( please help me because i dont want to stop looking after him :'( thank you xx (i have already posted this thread but it only seemed to stay on the "today" page forand hour so i only got a few replys and i need more tips) thank you so much every one xxxxxxx

 

[moosea]

Hey Don't despair! A year really isn't that long.

Perhaps it would be easier to list the things about him you would like to alter and then work on them one at a time rather than try to deal with with them as one huge problem.

Kicking the door is a really annoying habit and can be very bad for his legs. Would you be able to use something like this
http://www.theponytackshop.co.uk/for_pony/pony_care_stable_equipment/webbing_stable_door_guard_adjustable_stall_guard
to stop him?
Maybe feeding him each time he does it it not such a good idea either as he gets 'rewarded' each time he kicks off.

The bargy thing is another little problem. Do you have use of a school of any sort? Perhaps you could start to do a little ground work with him. Do it after you ride when he's a little less fresh. Start off with really small goals that you know you can achieve.
For example, lead him around the school, or even half way around if you need to, and every time he pulls and gets bargy make him back up three steps.
Be really, really consistent with him and keep working until you get him behaving, then increase the distance you lead him each time.
If he refuses to back up, make him move side ways - as long as he's going where YOU want him to go!
Keep the sessions short to start with.
To start with it might be wise to do ground work in a bridle to give you more control.

Think about what you are going to do before you go to the yard. Think through possible scenarios and solutions so you are prepared and try to keep calm and consistent with him. Think about the outcome you want from him and how best to get it.

It will take time but he will improve.

I'm sure you will get some really good advice from the more experienced members on here.


Keep us updated

 

[ISHmad]

One of the biggest things here is that the pony has trained people on the yard to give him haylage. You can't blame him, he knows if he kicks the door or scrapes the floor he will get what he wants. He needs to be ignored. Not shouted at, not fed haylage to shut him up, nothing.

The feeding of haylage outside of his diet needs to stop too. If this pony is seriously 150 kilos overweight then it is a wonder he can still move with all that extra weight to carry. He has to be a major laminitis risk as well.

I'd suggest getting someone out to help you with the barging and ground manners. Once these are established you should find him much more of a gem to handle and he will be a happier pony.

At the moment he is at risk with all that extra weight so PLEASE start soaking his hay or haylage and restricting his grazing. He needs gentle exercise to begin with to help get the weight off too, lots of walking at a brisk pace and then introduce hill work and so on.

Good luck

 

[Haha]

So who own's the yard the pony is kept on? Ask YO to stop people feeding him. Could he not be moved into a field that has no or hardly no grass? Put a note on the door telling people DO NOT FEED. Exercise gradually building up (on the lung or leading if bargy have you tried a bridle and control halter?) The door kicking I have seen people put a couple of rubber tyres at the door that worked in fact they put a couple in the other part of the stable to stop the horse walking round and round. It worked. Obviously ask the owners permission! You wouldn't want any accidents. The pony will need some roughage to turn his gut but he does need exercise does he get any? Is he ridden at all at the moment or worked in any way?

 

[noblesteed]

get him a grazing muzzle for turnout and STOP people feeding him! before he get laminitis!

 

[missponymad]

hello everyone, thank you so much for all the tips, he is improving slowly but surley
i got a wieghband and he is 147kilos overwieght now i know its only a little bit but im so proud of him he does have a grazing muzzle on whenever he goes (he did have one before but he managed to get it off all the time so i got him a new one) out and i have asked the owner if i could move his feild and she said thats fine so he is in a feild that is basically mud with a small patch of grass. i havent been excercizing him recently because he has lost a shoe so he is really really sore and hes feeling a bit sorry for himself before he lost his shoe i was longreining him and he was really really enjoying it (because he knows how to drive) and when he has his shoe on i am going to get him to pull a tyr eto build up some muscles. i havent been leading him in the school yet because i though i would get him a bit fitter before i started that this bit is to moosea:when you said about the riding thing, i dont ride him because im to big for him (at the moment i migh jump on him now and again when he fit.) he comes i, in the day and has half a small haynet of soaked hay (which i soaked all night to get any sugar out) i think thats all i need to say so any more tips are welcome and thank you xxxx

 

[Kellys Heroes]

Don't despair, a year isn't too long and my share mare is exactly the same - we've just learnt (over the course of nearly 5 years!) to respect one another I suppose and how each other works.
Can you try stapling some sort of foam to the door covered in tarpaulin so when he kicks it doesn't make any noise? Sometimes that helps them to stop - a gelding on our yard stopped when it stopped making noise! Agreed with above, about the haylage feeding how about a note along the lines of "On a strict diet, please do NOT feed!" Carry on soaking, try double netting them? Or reducing the amount he has. Restricted grazing and gradual exercise when he has his shoe back on to build up his muscle and fitness Lots of hill work in walk is good to do this, such as short hacks; maybe tack him up and walk him out in hand?
With his muzzle, try leaving a headcollar on over the top (if he's only out for a couple of hours shouldn't be too much of a problem) or plaiting his forelock (if he has one) round the headband. If it starts to rub, Vaseline around the edges
K x

 

[depurple1]

For scraping the floor, rubber matting can help to muffle the noise and might discourage him from doing it so much.

For kicking the door, an old piece of carpet hung on a piece of wood so there is small gap between the carpet and the door can help stop the noise.

For both, everybody just needs to ignore him, hard as that may be.

 

[Foxhunter49]

Cheaper than the stall guard is a chain with strong clips put onto fasteners either side of the door. That stall guard could easily have a horse that was pawing get a leg over it.

As said, he has people trained and instead of him getting haylage he needs to be stopped.

I had a similar pony who would door bang, the chain stopped this but at night he would bang incessantly. One night at 3 a.m. I had had enough and went down to the stable and picked up a lump of flat wood and gave him a darn good chase around the stable. He was well rugged and the wood made a very satisfying splat. It frightened him enough because he never did it again. That pony left my care and returned a few years later. He started to bang and I only had to raise my voice and he stopped immediately.
As for the rest of his manners they need sorting out. It is not difficult to do he just need corrections when he does misbehave.

 

[Pale Rider]

Cheaper than the stall guard is a chain with strong clips put onto fasteners either side of the door. That stall guard could easily have a horse that was pawing get a leg over it.

As said, he has people trained and instead of him getting haylage he needs to be stopped.

I had a similar pony who would door bang, the chain stopped this but at night he would bang incessantly. One night at 3 a.m. I had had enough and went down to the stable and picked up a lump of flat wood and gave him a darn good chase around the stable. He was well rugged and the wood made a very satisfying splat. It frightened him enough because he never did it again. That pony left my care and returned a few years later. He started to bang and I only had to raise my voice and he stopped immediately.
As for the rest of his manners they need sorting out. It is not difficult to do he just need corrections when he does misbehave.

Well now, you could go down this route if you wanted.

Personally, the way I see it, this little pony has a load of bad habits and they have all been caused by people handling him wrong and encouraging the bad behaviour. To then start frightening him and hitting him with lumps of wood won't solve anything, besides which you want to build a good relationship with him for riding and such like. What you don't want is him being fearful or distrustful of you.

I agree that he needs sorting out, but with thoughtfulness and a plan. Stop his banging and pawing being rewarded for a start, thats the big one here I suspect.

He needs work to make him fit and burn up the calories, you cannot ration for fitness, if he does a lot the fat falls off and he will muscle and fitten up, a lot of behavioural stuff stops when the balance is right.

 

[teddyt]

Ditto pale rider- i agree with that post.

The pulling could be because his teeth need doing, or the bit is uncomfortable, or the saddle doesnt fit. And if the rider pulls, or loses balance and hangs on the reins then the horse will pull so maybe you could have some lessons to help you see what the cause may be?

Can he stay out in the field more? And if you are soaking the hay he can have more, even in the field. If you feed too little the body hangs on to the fat because it thinks it is being starved.

Your pony's behaviour is the way he is trying to communicate with you about things, he is not doing these things to be difficult or to annoy you.

Keep at it, it takes a long time to build a good partnership.

 

[missponymad]

i lunged him today and he went so well, considering the last time in lunged him he refused to move which was annoying. but today he was really nice to lunge, when he got tired he was a bit lazy but i made him go and yes i aggree he has alot of bad habits, loads infact but i found just recently he has started to improve. i have been longreinign him up hills and the other week i have been making him pull a tyre to build up muscle (its what my dad does when he breaks horses to drive) and hes doing really well with that and his old owner did train him to drive so when he is fitter i am going to drive him because i have some carriages for my other pony who also drives. i would ride him but i am to big for him. also somebody said about the little girl riding him holding the reins to tight but she is to young at the moment to understand and she doesnt ride him enough to have lessons so she holds the riens by the buckles. thank you for the tips keep them coming in xxxxx

 

[missponymad]

hello every one, keep the tips coming in, hes not quite good yet lol xxx

 

[missponymad]

hello everyone please keep your tips coming in xxxx

 

[missponymad]

He is doing so well bless him, we're just completely ignoring his door kicking and he is stopping, also I got him a salt lick and he licks that all day when he's in he now only kicks when he sees hay going to another horse and at feeding times! He's still a bit over weight but not 150kilos which I'm pleased about, he has a section of hay at night soaked all day and a handful of nuts as breakfast and diner just as a gesture because all the other horses get feed so I don't want to wind him up, he goes in a starvation paddock all year in the same one which is mainly sand with one small patch of short grass! I've been lunging him, long reining and free schooling over small jumps which he loves! I have a big school which I can now use all year which is helpfull for his excersize, I've been leading him round our. Ile all weathertrack at walk and trot(got me fitter to!) and he stopped with the barging a bit! I can't ride him as I am too big for him because I am 15 and I'm very tall!!! He is now such a nice little pony to work with and I'm thinking of doing some in hand showing with him next year and I'm just so thank full for all the comments!! Xx

 

[Ladylina83]

Have you tried a snack ball ?? my 2 are getting one each for Christmas as they are spending more time than normal in the stable due to this mud and will get their ration of hard feed in that. they kick them round and a little bit drops out should keep them entertained for a while

PS I can't get on with my mare sometimes - 10 years later and I still have these moments

 

[lochpearl]

door kicking - the only thing that will actually stop it and I swear by mine is this http://www.quitkick.com/ it has thoroughly stopped my lad and I only ever stick it back on now to stop him rubbing his tail on his door

 

[jumbyjack]

I'd do a lot of ground work with him to put some manners in place, a pressure halter could help a lot but has to be used corectly. Check out Richard Maxwell's website, he does a brilliant DVD and really explains the use of of the halter very well, maybe do some pole work to vary his work. It may be worth considering having some old macs or similar so you can always keep the work up, they are horribly expensive though.

I'd be a bit careful of any treats etc that contain cerals or molassess, also avoid feeding carrots! Not only does the high suger content put weight on they can be a bit like rocket fuel.

I'm sure you can improve the situation a lot and you will have a nice pony in the end.