I'm not saying I'm the only one capeable of dealing with him.............

LauraWheeler said:
Antw23uk That made me laugh :D your mare has personality, sounds like my kinda girl ;) Is she chestnut? I do like a horse with a mind of it's own. Lucy deffinatly had a mind of her own and it helped HER get us both out of some tricky situations I got us into, esp out hunting ;) :o
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Nope she is bay but sometimes I think she aspires to be chesnut so she can blame her colour for her behaviour ;)

Equilibrium Ireland said:
Ant, yes mares, they do keep you honest. Mine makes terrible faces and hates being loved on from outside the stable. As soon as you crawl under the chain and go to give her her brush over, she's a peaceful lamb. And the thing that will put her to sleep is sorting out her tail. She loves her tail done. But try and stand outside her space and she tells you where to go. At feed time she is the only one who I have to tell to go stand in front of her pot. Usually I have to point and say, "and the butt". She then promptly moves and is like, ok already, come on I'm hungry. But I know the second something isn't right with her and more often than not I get her head in my chest telling me things aren't right.
Terri
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I get death threats when im approaching her stable with food ... Seriously until you have seen this girls faces you cannot imagine what she is really like, lol. I say 'AWAY' and she circles her stable. During this circle ive opened the door, put food in and im out again so it works for us :)

LauraWheeler said:
Hevs thankyou.

Equilibrium Ireland So may people tell me to just smack Herbie. Not always a good idea as if you smacked him when he realy didn't deserve it. i.e for just a cheeky nip, (not a full on agressive bite) he will just turn round and kick you. Some people seem to get cross as I do let some things slid with Herbie that other horses would get told off for. But with him it's all about picking your battles. ;)

QUOTE]

I hear you, it is all about picking the right fight that will make a difference for the better :)
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Antw23uk said:
Nope she is bay but sometimes I think she aspires to be chesnut so she can blame her colour for her behaviour ;)
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lol. Shame as she would deff be my kind of mare if she was chestnut. Maybe I won't come up and steal her ;) :p :D
Picking your battles is better otherwise I would spend the whole time fighting with Herbie and I love a challenge but that wouldn't be fun for either of us ;)


mandwhy naughty ponies are the best :p :D and thanks I think he's cute to. :D
 
LauraWheeler said:
Tormenta This is my fear with Herbie and why I say he isn't ever going anywhere. He was passed around enough before I got him. I couldn't bare the thought of that happening to him again. :( He could also easily end up being mistreated. He's not a normal pony who would be scared either he would fight back which would probably make things worse.
Trouble is alot of people don't see this and think I could easily get rid of him :mad: :(
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Laura, it's a lovely video (though I confess I would have loved to have edited the captions for you :D) and Herbie is a lucky pony. All the problems he had are fairly typical for a late gelded colt who has got out of hand - gelding doesn't CURE them - only training and building trust can do that and it's a long job!

When idiots tell you he'd be easy to sell, smile sweetly and say: "Would YOU like him?" Believe me - that shuts them right up! :rolleyes:

You're doing a good job and giving him a good life. And no doubt he's taught you a lot too! Hopefully, you'll never HAVE to sell him but if that time comes, it will just take a LOT of care to find someone who will follow in your footsteps!
 
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I've always had a thing for naughty ponies too. That's why I bought my kids naughty ponies :D They teach confident children so much more than a ploddy old dobbin ever would. Time, patience and correct handling always bring them round. It's nice to see that there are still some young people out there who enjoy working with these ponies and in time he'll shine and may very well eat your words about him never being a childs pony :) Good job and glad you're having fun with him.
 
I've just watched the video of Herbie's story and wanted to say a big 'well done' OP! He is so lucky to have found you and you look like a great wee team together xx
 
Aw I love your vids. You have been through so much together. He is fab. I didn't realise he was 12.2hh. I had always imagined him about 14hh for some reason.
 
This ... He could also easily end up being mistreated. He's not a normal pony who would be scared either he would fight back which would probably make things worse.
Trouble is alot of people don't see this and think I could easily get rid of him

After 5 1/2 years and lots of ups and downs, quite possibly some caused by me and some by him, my boy will still fight if he needed to - I hope/think we have reached a failry mutual agreement that we work nicely together and treat each other with respect and kindness (from me anyway!). I couldnt guarantee that anybody else wouldnt resort to violence with him. Obviously I may be wrong and he may be perfect with another owner (some definitely think this lol) but I really dont want to test this out, I made him a promise when he arrived totally frightened of everyone and everything that we would grow old together.

So yes laura you are not alone and althought I dont post much I like to hear about Herbie as I am sure others are too! x
 
JanetGeorge He is very very riggy. The only horse he will share his field with is a mare and only if she is in season. Then he just spends the whole time mounting her :rolleyes: and A few of them would take him if I offered him. But I love him to much to do that to him ;)

Spring Feather Glad it's not just me :p and your right naughty pony have so much more to teach. Lucy taught me to love, persavere and have patience when I was younger and also how to sit a mean buck ;) :p :D

Cello_song thankyou.

kinnygirl1 yep he's a weener but he is very chunky so takes my leg up quite well. :) He has enough attitude for a 20hh horse though :rolleyes:

Parachute Thankyou. Sorry I made you cry.

rowan666 thankyou I am very proud of my little man. :D

janei your horse is very lucky to have you. I'm shore he knows how much you love him and (like Herbs) he loves you back in his own special way :)
 
I once bought a 16.3hh tb, who was a nightmare to his previous owner and she had him only 6 months, cause she was my friend and bought him cheap from Northampton market, I'd said I'd help and so brought him back to my place he never left and I owned him 11 years before I had him pts, because he was freeze marked it turned out I was his 7 owner in 2 1/2 years, as long as he had turn out everyday no matter the weather and not ridden out on his own and you could sit a massive flybuck, but he was the kindest horse you could meet. If you have the time and lots of patience any horse can be turned around, as they say 1 step forward and 3/4 steps back and then one day all the steps are forward with the odd clich.
 
I normally lurk around on here, but felt I had to sign in to say well done. I love your videos, they remind me so much of my old girl, a new forest, who had similar problems to your two. Watching your videos of jumping and napping in the ring took me right back to the days of rearing, bucking, outright refusal to move in any direction because I had had the bare cheek to ask her to jump more than 2 jumps in a row (despite clearing 3' courses at break-neck speed at home!). She came 5th in a veteran class once because the judge was impressed my her character and my stickability :D By the time she was gifted to me she had had more owners than I'd had hot dinners, was 5 years older than her original advert, had the dodgiest legs I've ever met and chronic laminitus. I've never seen evil faces like her's before or since; the front end bit, the back end kicked and if you stood in the middle you got both. She was my first pony! I loved her dearly and once we got to know each other I could do anything with her. However, she ensured this was not the case with anyone else.

So, keep up the good work and the videos, and ignore all the "when are you moving on?" comments. I wouldn't have given up my girl for the world and wish like anything I still had her - she gave up the battle 2 years ago, aged 33.
 
What a lucky pony to have you - if I come back as a horse I'd like an owner like you.

Yes I would take on a Herbie, but only if I felt I had the right facilities, which for me personally would be the peace and quiet of keeping him at home, with a safe place to school and the option of re-arranging paddocks to suit him, etc. Sadly as I don't yet own land this is a plan for the future, but perhaps when the time is right there will be a Herbie in my life.

I have promised my pony he will not be sold so far as it is within my power to promise that. He has been passed around but as his birth pre-dates passporting it's impossible to see how many owners he's had. He's strong and since I've had him he has bucked, spun, run backwards, leapt into gardens, bolted, rodeoed, flattened me on the ground, but he has a good nature and he has never bitten or kicked. He is sensitive and it turns out that he has an unlevel pelvis, an uneven back and a sore mouth, none of which the saddler or the dentist picked up on. So, like you, I am trying to think outside the box and he is having back treatment and a new saddle but we are also trying bitless. He needs a home where people work with him, not against him.
 
Ah what a lovely video - you have done brilliantly! Herbie is very lucky to have found someone that won't give up on him like all the others, and you can see how grateful he is to have you!
 
What a heart warming story. He is an incredibly lucky pony to have fallen into your hands, and I have the upmost admiration and respect for what you have achieved with him. Good luck for the future :)
 
Your posts are really inspirational and I'm sure lots of people like myself take strength from what you have achieved with your ponies. I know when you lost Lucy I really empathised with having just lost my own chestnut princess (well she was my princess anyway, most people thought she was just a pain and ate vets fees for fun ;) ).

Well done, I think a happy healthy pony should be a measure of success not the rosettes you can display. You only have to look into the eyes of Herbie to see the respect you have shown him is reciprocated!

Keep up the good work :D
 
Echo Bravo what a lucky boy he was. Atleast he had 11 years of knowing what it feels like to be loved.

nativepony Thankyou.

timefort what a lucky girl to find you. There may be some hope of Herbie calming down in about 20years then ;) :p

metalmare it's nice to know there are others out there who would do it. :) But even better to know you would wait till your situation was right. To many people take on difficult ponies and although they are capable of coping with them have to pass them on as the situation doesn't work :( I know they mean well but it realy doesn't help the pony. Also well done with your boy I hope you find a way to make him realy happy in his work.

barneyandem Thankyou.

Charlie Bucket Thankyou.

neddymad Thankyou :o So sorry you lost your chestnut princess. I'm shore she knew how much you loved her and that in the end you did what was right for her. If only love and money could keep them going we'd still have our girls. Sadly we just have to make the most of them while they are here. xx
 
What a lovely story and huge well done for sticking with him - I really don't have any time for people who sell 'problem' horses because they're not prepared to invest the time & effort in them. (You couldn't sell your child because they are difficult!)

I've not seen any of your posts about Herbie before, but I also have a Herbie! My Herbie is a Welsh section D, I bought him as a 3 year old stallion. Took me 10 years to get him out successfully competing, but now he is it's just the most rewarding thing ever :) Still have our moments but we've come a long way from refusing to go into certain parts of the arena, bolting across the arena, screaming at the top of our voice to friends outside, and stopping for a poo in front of the judge!

In the summer we even went to the Trailblazers Championships at Stoneleigh and he behaved so well, at the end of his last test on the 3rd day, when he had tried so hard I saluted to the judge and was sobbing with pride by the time I left the arena. One of the proudest moments ever, so I related to your being placed 3rd in the showjumping massively! It must be completely different to buying a ready-made-horse, so much more meaningful.

I would never ever part with my Herbie and I hope you don't with yours either :)

xx
 
Well done for getting where you are now, it gives me lots of hope for my boy. I have a 16.1hh TB which sounds a very similar case, I was his 4mth home in less than a year and he was in terrible condition, riddled with lice and very underweight, he looked so sad and didn't even notice we were there. I paid £200 for him, but this was out of pity as I felt I could not leave him where he was. I have now had him for 2 years he is moody, agressive, difficult to handle and not straight forward to ride, but I feel like I owe it to him to keep trying, I would be worried where he would end up if I decided to sell him so I just keep going.
 
well I think you are a marvel and I think Herbie is a lucky lad to have you.

I stuck with my old fella, he was always sharp to ride and we had many many issues over the years. He was dreadful in traffic and an arse to load, he was strong willed and everything that was new to him he fought against it - took me 4 hours to get his first rug on! But I had him for 25 years and he was my best friend in the whole world and the day I had to have him put to sleep was one of the worst of my life.

The trust that Herbie has put in you is a rare and true gift and not one that should be ridiculed by anyone. You 2 have a strong bond and he will always be a loyal friend to you.

All I can say is well done to you, enjoy what you have worked hard to achieve!!!
 
Your Herbie is just exactly like my first pony Champ and you've made me cry thinking about him again!!!
He too was a stallion until 5yo, beaten and abused, ridden by teenagers and adults for hours despite being only a 12.1h show pony type. He bit, kicked, reared, bucked, refused to be caught, regularly escaped his field, attacked other horses and people, needed 4 men to lift him bodily into a horsebox, couldn't be bridled or tacked upor tied up the list was endless.

I remember crying with happiness at our first show when he got 4th place out of 16, I had to walk him the 4 miles there and back cos he wouldn't be loaded. The judge said he was lovely with HOYS potential, he behaved perfectly and no one beelived he was the same pony.
The sense of achievement when you get that bond and everything clicks is wonderful. I had him 15 happy years before saying goodbye. I still miss him and I've never managed to forge a bond like it since.
Thank you for persevering, Herbie loves you.
 
Lovely storey and well done for not giving up on him! If it was me, I think I would have to keep him for fear of him falling into the wrong and as somebody else said misunderstanding hands. Perhaps in future if he continues to be a good boy you could consider loaning him or loaning but he would have to stay at your home. I would only loan to someone I knew and on strict understanding that if he started reverting to his old ways they would come to you straight away? This is just if you were to find at some point in the future that you didn't have enough time for him but still wanted him to have a job. I'm sure you will do what's right by him, you've obviously done a great job so far and have a lovely partnership! :)
 
I always tell my pony that if I didn't enjoy riding him so much Id have to get rid of him. Hes the grumpiest pony ever. Is one of those that prefers his own space and will only just about tolerate you init unless your feeding him. Thankfully he also enjoys his work so we just enjoy ourselves doing that
 
I know what you mean about not letting a horse go because you feel you owe it and want to protect it for life.

I plan to keep mine forever.

But sometimes I want to say get real to some people.
They could cope, ride, handle, love and do right by a certain horse so why couldn't there be another person?

If they did the correct checks etc a different person and home might even be better for the horse!
 
emmajanekey Your right it is so much more meaningfull. I've never owned a readymade horse but have compeated them for other people and I have to say my 3rd place jumping Herbie ment more to me than any of those wins I've had on other horses :) Well done with your boy. He's lucky to have you :)

horse_lover your boy is lucky to have you. I know what you mean about buying out of pitty. I never wanted a pony as small as Herbie. But after viewing him I wanted to put him in the boot of the car and take him home there and then. I cryed the whole way home and three days later we went to pick him up. :o

Vanner Thankyou. I'm so sorry for your loss. He will have known how much you loved him. xx

angel7 Well done with your pony it realy is worth it in the end. :D

tobiano thankyou.

TED2010 Thankyou.

MiCsarah Glad you and your horse have fun. He's lucky you understand him so well.

blucanoo1990 I get what you mean but my point is who would want a 12.2hh forester who is not sutable for a child. I know others would be capable of handling him but who else would want to. ;) :p
 
Laura, you & Herbie are together for a reason - learn from each other, keep working together until *whenever*. Too many horses are passed around and blamed for 'bad behaviour' - they learn it often as a survival mechanism... and then somebody comes along who doesn't give up on him, and no matter how much she may not understand she knows he's been misunderstood and she tries hard to help. That person is very special, the bond is very special - remember that :) x
 
Well I don't think he was that much of a problem as I've seen little chaps like him turn into snorting, rearing, bucking and plunging dragons and as a lad was expected to get on them and literally ride them into submission. Times were very different, us children walked to school without our parents and then went out to play with them having no idea where we were or what we were doing.

The people that asked me to ride these troublesome ponies, did so without a single care that it might get me killed or injured - the only thing that did matter was that the pony was worth more as a mount than for meat - and if you could get any to race - that was better still. Often, I used to attend a market where most of the horses were going for meat and used to offer to ride anything - the nearest I got to being a cowboy(for free!) - there were other boys doing the same thing - all gypsies who weren't very pleased at me being there so I'd often get a good hiding as well as bruises from being dumped on to cobblestones. More than once, I was put up on a firey steed who wanted nothing better than to throw me at the earliest opportunity, given the end of a rope halter - I never saw a bit or a saddle - and we'd be off out of the gate - on to the main road often before I'd managed to loop the end through the other side to make reins. Races were up to a set of traffic lights and back but several times I couldn't find the brakes once my mount was off so went clean through two streams of honking cars and on for perhaps a couple of miles - trips like this would invariably earn me a clip around the ear for wearing the pony out "enjoying" myself and missing the auction.

Many years later I bought my elder daughter our first pony - £80 with tack ( and they saw me coming!) and the little devil could be just the same! It was like turning the clock back thirty years some days - he could do two circuits of the yard with his head between his front feet while bucking! He paddled my daughter's shin while she was quietly grooming and bit me so hard just above me bum where I still carry a lump - but he was great fun and both my girls learned to ride on him the hard way. In the end, he came round - as they all will given time and attention but sadly developed laminitis three years out of four and the last attack he couldn't move so that was his end.
 
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