Making a teenage girl listen and understand?

[HaffiesRock]

I have just moved my pony onto a new yard and share my field with a 19 year old girl, although she seems a lot younger than her years. She has 3 ponies who are all on full livery for their care but the girl is up most days to ride. She doesn't appear very knowledgeable with horses.

She is a lovely girl, but I think I’m going to have a few problems with her. The first thing is she keeps treating my pony. Now I treat him, when he has done something good/overcome a fear etc. I allowed her to give him a mint when we arrived as a “hello” as my pony has been abused in the past and can be particular over who he likes and doesn’t and my life will be easier if he will go to her.
She now treats him every time she sees him with mints. I asked her not to yesterday and explained that I only treat him when he has done something good and I need him to know that a treat is a reward and not just something he always gets, plus he tried to nip me which I hate.
He has a problem with being caught and can be a little bogger which is fine as I know his reasons. I always catch him in the end and I never use food bribery other than a treat once he is caught and has a halter on. The new yard has big grassy fields (he came from a swamp with no grass) so I am having a few catching issues, which I expected, but nothing major. The girl witnessed him not wanting to be caught yesterday and thought it was hilarious and she said not to worry as she’d teach me how to train my horse properly Anyway she’s put on Facebook today that all is well as she managed to train him to be caught with only a tube of extra strong mints and as long as I take mints into the field I will be OK catching him from now.

I very politely commented that I didn’t want her feeding him any treats as I’d said yesterday and although I’m glad he let her near enough to be caught, I’d prefer her not to approach him unless he comes to her. I guess the YO would have seen this too but ill speak to her when I next see her.

This isn’t a bitchy post, she’s a lovely girl but I can see she’s not experienced with horses at all so I worry she will do silly things and not listen to me when I tell her not to do certain things. For example she asked me if I thought I was being cruel for not rugging my horse and I was mean for bumping my pony’s nose with my elbow when he nipped at my pocket for a treats. She said he would be a better pony if I gave him more treats.
I will do my best to educate her in the nicest possible way, but I feel a more stern word may be needed in the future… Any tips?

 

[tessybear]

Very good approach so far, sounds stubborn best to keep it friendly nothing worse than not getting on with your field mate ! Perhaps say you are happy with the way your horse is and do not need tips from the girl and that he only responds well to one to one and her helping has confused him ?

Goodluck

 

[eggs]

No tips I'm afraid but if you do work it out please do let me know!

We have a lovely girl who comes up to help with the horses but she does seem to exist as a polo dispensing machine ....

Also when I put her up on one of my horses with the instruction to walk a large circle at the top end of the school whilst I get on my other horse she promptly went down to the bottom end in trot ....

 

[noodle_]

stable door sign? "do not feed me anything"...?

or keep drumming it into her that he's now nipping as SOMEONE keeps feeding treats??



i have no issue with my pony getting the odd treat of people - as i dont treat her myself it isnt an issue - but i would expect people to respect my wishes if i asked them not too


be more stern!

 

[YorksG]

If she is as socially unskilled as she appears from your post, while being as sure of herself, then I think you will have problems tbh. I think you are going to have to be very direct with her. Do not ask her to do or not do anything, TELL her. Have no truck with her on any social media site, you are not her friend, your horses share a field. I think you are going to have to draw up some very strict rules and stick to them, also have a word with the YO, to ensure that the girl has no interaction with your horse.

 

[Honey08]

I had a 40yr old livery that swore blind she didn't feed ours treats when she treated her own, yet my husband's 17h 4yr old used to pick her up by her pockets ripping her coat, and the ponies started nipping the minute she came on the yard and stopped the minute she left, when the treats went with her!