Intro bought unhandled 4 year old

Loosehorse! said:
Hey 👋 What an adventure ahead, how wonderful. You've sent me down memory lane.

I got a relatively unhandled 2yo New Forest pony back in 1996. I'd had ponies on DIY as a child back in the days when parents would drop you off for the day and let you get on with it. I'd also completed my BHS stages 1 & 2, but was no expert. Think of that French & Saunders sketch and you're not far off.
I broke my NF pony in myself and we had the best 20 years together until he had to be PTS in 2016. Absolute love of my life. Obviously, as a New Forest he could be something of a tearaway - ripped water drinkers out of stable walls for fun, knew exactly when he was tied to baling twine and would snap it and run off for grass, had to be led with lead rope round nose if fresh grass was about - BUT he was my absolute perfect partner to ride. Years later I led my kids on their little ponies off him, he was unflappable on a hack and loved a brush and people. He'd have probably squared up to a rhino he was that bold.
We were no eventers or prize winners, but he was perfect for me. The actual breaking in was the easy bit. It just needed bags of time spent playing and bond building beforehand.
I wish you the very best of luck xxxx
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Aww thankyou for this, exactly the inspiration I needed to hear! He sounds perfect and I’m so happy you had such an amazing time with him throughout the years, what a beautiful story thankyou so much.

Fast forward 3 weeks and she is now coming straight to me as soon as I enter the paddock I don’t even need to call her! Happy for me to put her headcollar on and off, leads well to and from stable/field. Have taken baby steps so this week is getting her used to be tied up and groomed although she lets me give her a good groom in the stable, I feel like we’re off to an okay start. Exactly what I needed to hear to give me the inspo when backing begins x
 
Swfarrierrs said:
From a farrier’s point of view, the biggest thing is don’t rush the handling...especially the feet. If she’s tricky to catch now, I wouldn’t even be thinking about backing yet. Get the basics solid first: catching, leading, standing quietly. Make every interaction low pressure go in, scratch, leave. Don’t always make catching mean “work.”
With youngsters like this, I always say: teach them to give to pressure and stand before anything else. And start introducing picking up feet early, but in tiny steps...hand down the leg, release, reward. No battles.
If she learns that people are consistent and calm, the rest (including having the farrier out) becomes much easier. Right now it’s all about trust and routine, not progress speed.
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Perfect thankyou, that’s really great advice! She’s not keen on me touching her legs/feet but we’re slowly getting there. I’m hoping by the time the farrier comes in a couple of weeks she will have it down to a T! (I hope)

She’s confidently coming towards me when I enter the paddock, allows me to put headcollar on/off and groom her inside the stable. She’s not keen being tied up but trying to incorporate this every time I bring her in to have dinner. She does look to me for confidence a lot which is a good sign and sometimes plants her feet when walking back to the stable or out to the paddock but with soft words and reassurance she walks nicely for me. I’m in no rush to back her I just want to take it at a steady pace so she can take it all in and know what she’s doing :)
 
Ebony2026 said:
Perfect thankyou, that’s really great advice! She’s not keen on me touching her legs/feet but we’re slowly getting there. I’m hoping by the time the farrier comes in a couple of weeks she will have it down to a T! (I hope)

She’s confidently coming towards me when I enter the paddock, allows me to put headcollar on/off and groom her inside the stable. She’s not keen being tied up but trying to incorporate this every time I bring her in to have dinner. She does look to me for confidence a lot which is a good sign and sometimes plants her feet when walking back to the stable or out to the paddock but with soft words and reassurance she walks nicely for me. I’m in no rush to back her I just want to take it at a steady pace so she can take it all in and know what she’s doing :)
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That all sounds fantastic! You’re doing exactly what she needs....slow, consistent, and calm. The fact she’s coming to you, letting you handle her head, and looking to you for reassurance shows she’s really starting to trust you. The feet will come with tiny, patient steps...just keep letting her set the pace and rewarding every little success. By the time the farrier comes, she’ll be more confident and much easier to handle. At this stage, steady wins the race, and it sounds like you’ve got a great foundation going.
 
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