Ned in a Stable!

Shantara

Shantara

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I got bullied into posting this :P

As I'm trying lots of different things with Ned, I decided he should learn to go in a stable, as no one can tell if he'll ever need to go in one and it may be a step towards going in a trailer.
He used to go in one to be tacked up, but he's always been a twit and it was easier to just to do anything with him outside in the yard.
The day that REALLY put him and everyone else off was when some silly individual (not me! I have no idea who) put him in a stable out of the way at a show. Everyone at the yard knows he doesn't like stables and shows blow his mind enough as it is.
Sure enough, he decided enough was enough and he ripped the door off it's hinges, resulting in his owner needing an entirely new door!

Everyone, including myself, have been avoiding putting him in a stable, as I said before, there hasn't been a need...yet!

Anyway! I thought I'd give him a little taster first, so I got ready to go on a hack, and since I was first ready I lead him to an empty stable and opened the door. He snorted but walked right in! He snorted some more and had a little wander with me at his side.
My friends eventually got ready and we left for the hack (we had a right good gallop!)
When we came back I thought I'd untack and have a little groom in the stable. I walked him in and left the door open for a short while and just stood with him. He soon settled and I closed the door and set about untacking. He was perfect!! He didn't even try to barge out when I opened the door AND he backed up like a pro when I asked :)
I thought I'd give him one last test, then put him back in his pen.
I walked out, shut the door and went around a corner (about 2ft away, so I could go and rescue him if he panicked) but he just stood there!!

Again, I am so proud of that horse :) He's well on his way to being normal!!

Stable002.jpg
 
rhino said:
Are you calling me a bully? :eek: :mad: :D

Well done, he doesn't look too bothered about it all :)
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I might be :B

He was so good! At first we had some snorting, heavy breathing and even a little bit of whites of the eyes! But I stayed with him and talked to him and I think he ended up enjoying it, secretly :P
 
Well done Annie and Ned :) I think your approach was perfect..nice and calm. Ned obviously felt this and was relaxed. He certainly looks very chilled in the photo (or is he asleep!!).

I would just keep popping him in the stable for a few mins every day. He will soon not be fussed by it. I also know someone with a horse who can't be stabled. She worries what she would do if he got injured and had to be on box rest. I will pass your method on to her :)

PS: I always love your Ned posts...keep them up!!
 
Thanks :D Even if I just take him in and give him a groom while I wait for a lift, I'm sure it'll help and when I pass my test I'll be able to get up there every day and then our real work begins :D

Good luck to your friend LIZ66! I hope I'll never have to put him on box rest, but it'll be useful if the need ever arises!
 
I am so pleased for you! What a nice looking and relaxed boy!!
My baby Moses went through a stage of jumping out of his stable. He also jumped over the front bar in the trailer. I got him home and we have not attempted it again. i think i will try him in a box next time. I am going to have to get the loan of one as my own would not work, as he would do the same as he did in the trailer. i think you did eveything right and the happy picture shows that,
Moses is happy in his stable now to.
 
Sukistokes2 said:
I am so pleased for you! What a nice looking and relaxed boy!!
My baby Moses went through a stage of jumping out of his stable. He also jumped over the front bar in the trailer. I got him home and we have not attempted it again. i think i will try him in a box next time. I am going to have to get the loan of one as my own would not work, as he would do the same as he did in the trailer. i think you did eveything right and the happy picture shows that,
Moses is happy in his stable now to.
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yay :D glad you've had a success too!
Moses sounds a lot like Ned XD He also jumped over the front bar in a trailer and caught his back on the roof, which took all the skin off...ouch! That's what put him off going in small, dark-ish spaces. Apparently he was a star to load and travel before!
 
What a nice approach and very forward thinking of you, you never know when your efforts will benefit him but i'm sure they will one day.
 
Brilliant, a nice gradual approach is the most likely to work, you're getting on great with him.
Suggestion: If you want to leave a headcollar on him (I'm guessing in case he panics?) maybe use a Fieldsafe headcollar. I can't see your door bolts in the photo, but just have a look and see if there's anything he could get his headcollar caught on in or just outside of his stable. Horses do the wierdest things sometimes...

When you announced that you'd been given him on loan it was one of the happiest threads I'd read on here for weeks. :-)
 
Tinypony said:
Brilliant, a nice gradual approach is the most likely to work, you're getting on great with him.
Suggestion: If you want to leave a headcollar on him (I'm guessing in case he panics?) maybe use a Fieldsafe headcollar. I can't see your door bolts in the photo, but just have a look and see if there's anything he could get his headcollar caught on in or just outside of his stable. Horses do the wierdest things sometimes...

When you announced that you'd been given him on loan it was one of the happiest threads I'd read on here for weeks. :-)
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Ooh, I've not heard of fieldsafe, I'll have a little lookie on ebay :)
I did have a look to see if there was anything, but I couldn't see anything that he could catch himself on unless he went seriously weird!

I don't have him quite yet ^^ I'm so so so excited :D He's got so much potential, I really hope I can turn him into the horse I know he could be, even if it takes me years!

ETA: I had a look on ebay, but they look similar to what I have on, may I ask what the difference is? (I might just be being noob-ish, do excuse me ^^)
 
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That sounds horrible!
Moses was a bit beat up, we managed to drop the front bar so his feet could touch the ground, he then fell over, reared and fell over backwards, he ended up facing the wrong way and trying to jump out the back. We slammed everything shut and drove him to the yard with him facing the wrong way. When we got to the yard you should have seen peoples faces when he walked out of the back facing the wrong way. i think people thought we had traveled him that way cos we were thick!! he was a little stiff but fine. i stayed with him to make sure he was ok, we put him in the round pen so he wouln't stiffen up. The trip home I cross tied him in an open trailer!! Bless him he just walked up the ramp, likes his food does moses, will go anywhere for pony nuts!!!
 
Sukistokes2 said:
That sounds horrible!
Moses was a bit beat up, we managed to drop the front bar so his feet could touch the ground, he then fell over, reared and fell over backwards, he ended up facing the wrong way and trying to jump out the back. We slammed everything shut and drove him to the yard with him facing the wrong way. When we got to the yard you should have seen peoples faces when he walked out of the back facing the wrong way. i think people thought we had traveled him that way cos we were thick!! he was a little stiff but fine. i stayed with him to make sure he was ok, we put him in the round pen so he wouln't stiffen up. The trip home I cross tied him in an open trailer!! Bless him he just walked up the ramp, likes his food does moses, will go anywhere for pony nuts!!!
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Yikes! How scary D: glad he wasn't hurt! Ned likes his food, but it's hard to bribe him with it :P However, last year when I was doing the trailer training (long story, I hope to start again soon) I could keep him occupied by pretending I couldn't quite open the polo packet. I know it's a bit mean to tease him like that, but it kept him distracted!
 
Why on earth would you force poor Ned into a stable? Do you not know that is cruel? I am now going to stalk your threads and send you PM's pointing out your level of cruelty for ever more! :D ;)

Seriously though, well done. Nice to see him looking so relaxed about it all. Just goes to show a little kindness goes a long way.
 
biccie1 said:
Why on earth would you force poor Ned into a stable? Do you not know that is cruel? I am now going to stalk your threads and send you PM's pointing out your level of cruelty for ever more! :D ;)

Seriously though, well done. Nice to see him looking so relaxed about it all. Just goes to show a little kindness goes a long way.
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I know, I know, I'm awful :'( The poor horse should be taken away from me!

Hehe, thank you ^^
 
Well done! my old pony used to have a fear of stables too (just think it was fear of the unknown) got him over it by giving him his evening feed in there with the door open first, then closed, then leaving him in for 5 mins after he'd finished, then 10, then 20 mins etc :) I love reading your posts with Ned seems like you follow your instincts and it works, good luck with him in the future
 
Fieldsafe headcollars don't have any fixed buckles, they do up with velcro Annie. So if they hook themselves up it just comes apart. Nylon headcollars can be very strong. Does your stable have a hook on the door bolt? That's a classic for catching headcollars. Although I have one gelding who would probably manage to hang himself on the red headcollar hook, but he's not normal.
BTW - don't you know you're being a noob (whatever that is... ), honestly, you think you know everything you do, but you don't, how dare you even think of posting??
 
Tinypony said:
Fieldsafe headcollars don't have any fixed buckles, they do up with velcro Annie. So if they hook themselves up it just comes apart. Nylon headcollars can be very strong. Does your stable have a hook on the door bolt? That's a classic for catching headcollars. Although I have one gelding who would probably manage to hang himself on the red headcollar hook, but he's not normal.
BTW - don't you know you're being a noob (whatever that is... ), honestly, you think you know everything you do, but you don't, how dare you even think of posting??
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Ah, I see! I'll have a look around :) I'm going into town and there's a horsey shop there (horsatack) so I'll have a browse. If not, there's always the net!

And of course I know everything, it was a momentary laps in concentration! :P
 
Well dOne for posting Annie! Yay well done you and ned seems a very logical approach which will help him overcome his fears! Keep up the good work he looks v happy in his box, ears pricked!
 
Well done you and Ned!

I always enjoy your posts about Ned. There's something refreshingly honest and unaffected about the way you write, and your enthusiasm and love for Ned is always touching.

You come across as down-to-earth and I get the impression your progress with horses is achieved by dedication and hard work rather than being privileged enough to have had ponies and horses bought for you. Not that there's anything wrong with the latter, such people are very fortunate and may also work hard. But I personally find your approach heartening and would be sad if you stopped updating us.

I'll stop bullying now. :p:p
 
FionaM12 said:
Well done you and Ned!

I always enjoy your posts about Ned. There's something refreshingly honest and unaffected about the way you write, and your enthusiasm and love for Ned is always touching.

You come across as down-to-earth and I get the impression your progress with horses is achieved by dedication and hard work rather than being privileged enough to have had ponies and horses bought for you. Not that there's anything wrong with the latter, such people are very fortunate and may also work hard. But I personally find your approach heartening and would be sad if you stopped updating us.

I'll stop bullying now. :p:p
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Thank you so much Fiona, this really means a lot to me :)
When I was a kid, I thought I was going to be one of the lucky ones who had ponies bought for me, as I was spoilt with 4 loan ponies at age 6-7/8 ish but after I had to leave that yard it was "We'll pay for lessons untill you get a job, then you're on your own!" Fair enough to my parents, they're fantastic and give me lots of lifts which means I can see Ned more often than I would normally ^^ It gives me a good feeling paying for things myself too, it keeps me from drinking and partying like a 'normal' 22yr old ;) haha!
 
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