NAPPING!!!!!

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PC Steele

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Has anyone got any tips for a pony that is totally soured off in the school. Pony is brilliant out hacking but the minute it goes in the school it puts the handbrake on!!!!! if child rider gives it a kick backed up by a little smack with the whip pony bucks child off. I rode it today tried to get me off but couldnt manage it :D should they just hack it for a while?? Wondered if anybody has had any success in convincing pony that school work isn't that bad!!!!:)
 
What is pony like on the lunge in the school? does it enjoy jumping?

If it were me and it enjoying jumping and goes on the lunge i would lunge it over some jumps in the school and do some fun things with it.

You should keep riding the pony in the school too. Do fun things...trot poles, weaving, mini gymkhana type races. just keep in interesting.

If you cant do that, i would suggest just trying to persevere. Pony may have had a tough time in the school before and now doesnt want to work in there.
I wouldnt be asking for anything taxing. and as soon as pony is going forward i would go straight out and for a little hack as a reward for being good.

Others may do it differently but there is my two penneth worth
 
:DIf I tried to convince a horse that school work was interesting and fun,the horse would call me a hypocrit and liar.:D. I think it is vastly overdone by many people and I dont blame any horse that thinks there are better things in life,eg a stroll in the countryside.
 
Are you sure that the pony is sound on circles? Out hacking, presumably he would be mostly on straight lines? I would just check by putting him on the lunge on a 10m circle on very hard ground and see what happens. If he doesn't go short, then the only thing I can suggest is to make "schooling" more like play for him - pop some tiny fences in between doing circles, for example. I'm sure people with children and ponies will have much better ideas than me.
 
We had a sour pony in the school once and luckily we had mounted games equipment. We would play mounted games all the time with him against another pony and he loved it. We would eventually start doing normal school work then mounted games as a reward until he was happy as larry in the school.

It's just a matter of finding what he enjoys and doing that with him in the school. :)
 
Think problem is that been ridden in school by child then sister has got on and pony has just got more and more bored!!!! The kids are not very experienced I am wondering if this is more of a second pony and they would be better with a true first pony??? They bought it from a dealer who said it was 7 but im covinced it is younger!! I lunged her and she:confused: was good but you could still see her napping towards the field on the lunge. Do you think it would be better doing a bit of schooling during a hack??
 
PC Steele said:
Think problem is that been ridden in school by child then sister has got on and pony has just got more and more bored!!!! The kids are not very experienced I am wondering if this is more of a second pony and they would be better with a true first pony??? They bought it from a dealer who said it was 7 but im covinced it is younger!! I lunged her and she:confused: was good but you could still see her napping towards the field on the lunge. Do you think it would be better doing a bit of schooling during a hack??
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School on a hack is good (i school on hacks all the time)
But obviously you cant hack all the time. I would be trying to keep time in the school to a minimum to start with, making it fun and with lots of praise when she does it right.

Have you tried keeping her on the lead rein for little bit in the school so you can provide gentle encouragement for pony and child?
 
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