Ideas for managing a greedy pony

[KikiDee]

Thank you. I have just replied to another poster which answers some of your points.

I admit, I would love him to be in a big herd but I just don't have that option. Yes, he probably is bored to an extent but he has hours of playtime with horses from all sides of his fence or grooming time.

I don't know what other toys to get other than a jolly ball which he already has but I will Google it. I'm not doing as much with him as I should be either which doesn't help, I know and I will be picking this up in the New Year.

You're right, he doesn't need something to have all the time and I don't mind him going a few hours without because he does have grass to pick at, I think it's more just that he's running out so quickly rather than it lasting several hours and the problem is that when he hasn't got food, he's eating shelters and breaking things so yes, he probably is bored, you are right and the only thing I can do currently is provide distractions. I guess my go-to for that was food but maybe something like a hayball would tie the two in together.

If he's chewing wood and he likes to gnaw at/chew with his teeth I wonder if the compressed fibre bricks would be a good distraction for him? You can double net them and hang so they're not against a wall so harder to get through. Silvermoor do the 'swinging' fibre balls as well that are designed to be hung up and hard to get a hold of. I've also used the bizzy licks with bored stabled horses - they spin on the holder so they can't just grip them and bite chunks off, and the refills seem to last mine ages. There's also a brand of lickit that's made out of a compressed granola rather than the usual sugary type stuff, I think they were called Uncle Jimmy's? They do a sugar-free version and I used them during a bleak period where I had no turnout, they kept my horses amused for several days as they could only manage to nibble a tiny bit off at a time.

Sorry I feel like you're going to spend half your life constructing some sort of soft-play centre for your horse with all these suggestions on this thread

 

[southerncomfort]

Unfortunately I think you are always going to struggle with him in that set up. You know its not great, so im not going to beat you up about it.

Is he in work GC? I think without friends to play with, you really need to be doing something mentally and physically stimulating with him every day.

I suspect that if he were being worked you'd be able to confine him less. The temperatures are due to drop in the next week or so...maybe he could go out with others for part of the day then..?

I don't mean to sound harsh, and I know you've had strong reasons to keep him this way. However, you've posted before about not really having the time to give him that you thought you would have. Ultimately, you may have to reassess whether are able to give this young horse what he needs.

Believe me, I know how hard it is....I rehomed a young pony years ago because I got a new job with longer hours and I just wasn't able to give him the time that he deserved.

Please don't be offended. I know its not what you want to hear, but he does sound bored and lonely.

 

[GrassChop]

If he's chewing wood and he likes to gnaw at/chew with his teeth I wonder if the compressed fibre bricks would be a good distraction for him? You can double net them and hang so they're not against a wall so harder to get through. Silvermoor do the 'swinging' fibre balls as well that are designed to be hung up and hard to get a hold of. I've also used the bizzy licks with bored stabled horses - they spin on the holder so they can't just grip them and bite chunks off, and the refills seem to last mine ages. There's also a brand of lickit that's made out of a compressed granola rather than the usual sugary type stuff, I think they were called Uncle Jimmy's? They do a sugar-free version and I used them during a bleak period where I had no turnout, they kept my horses amused for several days as they could only manage to nibble a tiny bit off at a time.

Sorry I feel like you're going to spend half your life constructing some sort of soft-play centre for your horse with all these suggestions on this thread

Thank you. I will have a look!

He would love a soft play centre

 

[GrassChop]

Unfortunately I think you are always going to struggle with him in that set up. You know its not great, so im not going to beat you up about it.

Is he in work GC? I think without friends to play with, you really need to be doing something mentally and physically stimulating with him every day.

I suspect that if he were being worked you'd be able to confine him less. The temperatures are due to drop in the next week or so...maybe he could go out with others for part of the day then..?

I don't mean to sound harsh, and I know you've had strong reasons to keep him this way. However, you've posted before about not really having the time to give him that you thought you would have. Ultimately, you may have to reassess whether are able to give this young horse what he needs.

Believe me, I know how hard it is....I rehomed a young pony years ago because I got a new job with longer hours and I just wasn't able to give him the time that he deserved.

Please don't be offended. I know its not what you want to hear, but he does sound bored and lonely.

He's been in work on and off but not as much as he probably needs as of recent to satisfy his boredom but I am picking this up next year and plan to get him into work once he is 5. I wanted to give him more time to physically mature. He's been backed lightly and long reined a lot with lots of other in hand work I have done with him but I felt he was still not quite there yet physically to carry a rider. Although, despite being in nearly daily work through the summer, it didn't change the way he is with destructiveness or food obsession.

He has friends on all sides and plays with the boys daily, games of bitey face or just stood licking each other as boys do for some strange reason or he's grooming with my mare so he's not without company or getting to play though I appreciate it isn't entirely the same.

Yes, his diet won't be so restrictive when he's in work so this will happen but just not right now. However, I don't think he will be able to live with my mare still because she needs a lot more food than he does and he will eat it if it's there so she will lose out because, unlike him, she will take a break from eating and he will get in while she's off grazing/snoozing to polish it off. The same with the others that have adlib, he wouldn't leave anything for anyone else. I'm likely to have the same difficulty when he is in ridden work, he may not be restricted as much but he will still finish off everything in a record time leaving him without for a longer period.

I will say though, this has been the first year he has been in this set up in his own paddock. Before that, he was living with my mare and was still just as destructive despite having a huge supply of food constantly.

I have considered many a time about rehoming him but my mare is getting older, albeit she isn't physically showing it yet, so there will come a time that she will be retired from ridden work and he will be in full time work. They will both be in work from next year providing I feel he is physically matured enough so I do have plans for him and having a professional keeping him ticking over if necessary once she has fully started him and has him riding out so I'm hoping things will improve but I'm focusing on the issue I have currently which is mainly the fact he eats everything so quickly and is left without for long periods minus what grass he can pick at so he is bored, destructive and hungry.

 

[KikiDee]

He's been in work on and off but not as much as he probably needs as of recent to satisfy his boredom but I am picking this up next year and plan to get him into work once he is 5. I wanted to give him more time to physically mature. He's been backed lightly and long reined a lot with lots of other in hand work I have done with him but I felt he was still not quite there yet physically to carry a rider. Although, despite being in nearly daily work through the summer, it didn't change the way he is with destructiveness or food obsession.

He has friends on all sides and plays with the boys daily, games of bitey face or just stood licking each other as boys do for some strange reason or he's grooming with my mare so he's not without company or getting to play though I appreciate it isn't entirely the same.

Yes, his diet won't be so restrictive when he's in work so this will happen but just not right now. However, I don't think he will be able to live with my mare still because she needs a lot more food than he does and he will eat it if it's there so she will lose out because, unlike him, she will take a break from eating and he will get in while she's off grazing/snoozing to polish it off. The same with the others that have adlib, he wouldn't leave anything for anyone else. I'm likely to have the same difficulty when he is in ridden work, he may not be restricted as much but he will still finish off everything in a record time leaving him without for a longer period.

I will say though, this has been the first year he has been in this set up in his own paddock. Before that, he was living with my mare and was still just as destructive despite having a huge supply of food constantly.

I have considered many a time about rehoming him but my mare is getting older, albeit she isn't physically showing it yet, so there will come a time that she will be retired from ridden work and he will be in full time work. They will both be in work from next year providing I feel he is physically matured enough so I do have plans for him and having a professional keeping him ticking over if necessary once she has fully started him and has him riding out so I'm hoping things will improve but I'm focusing on the issue I have currently which is mainly the fact he eats everything so quickly and is left without for long periods minus what grass he can pick at so he is bored, destructive and hungry.

I never make decisions about my horses in the depths of winter, it's a bleak time when everything is 100% harder than it should be. I tell myself winter is for surviving thot thriving! We are only a few weeks away from longer days and better weather, everything will feel much more positive then.