Neice's pony is a squasher! What can I do?

[sandi_84]

My neice has a very sweet mare and the only issue I have with her is this:
At our yard we have a set of stalls to tie the pony's up in so they can have a haynet and be groomed and tacked up if there is no stable available (roll on the finishing of our new stable block!) but I have found that when she is in the stall she pushes into you with her body, not sharply but with a steady pressure. I'm not exactly what you would call robust and sometimes it's bordering on painfull if you aren't expecting it. I can generally handle it but she's a pain in the butt to move when she's squishing you against the side bar. If you push even with fingertips she just leans into it and I worry that my neice will end up getting squished and hurt herself. She doesn't do this in the stable and she's otherwise fine to stand in the stall so it's not the smaller space that's the problem and apart from this she's a fabby wee pony. What can I do?

 

[BeckyCandy]

I'd try a dually when she starts pushing her weight against you put pressure on the dually until she moves off you its a pressure release system the second she moves release the pressure and praise she will soon stop. I have a stallion that puts hes body into you as a dominance thing a lady on here recommended the duallly because you can use it for all sorts of ground work and leading it's really helped him and he has given up and is now much easier to handle and is back in a standard head collar if he forgets he's manners the dually goes back on and he remembers them again Try saying a command such as over or back as your are applying the pressure Good Luck!

 

[Allie5]

Do you speak to her when you push her? Sometimes just saying "over" or something helps. My youngster can get a bit over familiar when he wants a scratch! I start with fingertip pressure, little regular taps whilst telling him to move over. If he ignores me i gradually increase the pressure of the taps whilst continuing to ask him to move. Last week it resulted in a fairly hefty poke in the ribs to get him to shirt! Horses will lean into constant pressure so try the taps on her side whilst verbally asking her to move away

 

[Tickles]

What BeckyCandy said - but without the head-squasher to start with.

Practice teaching 'over' and 'back' in hand in a larger (safer) space first. Reward with treats/praise. Once pony responds consistently you should be fine in the smaller space too.

Dually then if not.

 

[YorksG]

Apparently my Great Uncle had a horse that did this a lot! He solved the problem by having a piece of broomstick that was just longer than he was wide, when the horse leaned on him, he held the stick infront of him and the horse leant on the stick, rather than on Great Uncle. I presume that the horse learnt not to do it, as it did not get any reward , merely caused itself discomfort when it leaned harder. May be worth a try. I have to say that I always teach horses to move over to voice commands, backed up by a well placed thumb just infront of the horses hip

 

[sandi_84]

I'd try a dually Good Luck!

Can they not be really bad in the hands of someone (i.e me) who's never used one before? Don't want to do something that's going to add extra issues through my mishandling

Do you speak to her when you push her?

Last week it resulted in a fairly hefty poke in the ribs to get him to shirt!

Yes I tell her "over" and "shift" when i'm getting really squashed and generally start with a push with my hand to fingertip "pokes" too but she just won't move out of the way. She responds to "over" and "back" when she's loose in the stable and when she is in a headcollar.
The worst of it is that the bar is about rib height on me but it's about neck height for my neice. She could hop out the side easy enough if she sees it coming but that's not solving the issue really.

 

[el_Snowflakes]

give her a gentle jab with a hoof pick-that will soon get her shifting!

 

[Alyth]

I like Yuletide's grandfathers trick!! Imo the dually halter is a nasty peice of work, the pony does need to learn Parelli's porcupine game though!! As a matter of interest re the dually halter idea, how can affecting the head create a response in the hindquarter?

 

[AngieandBen]

Yes i was thinking that! if the pony is squashing you with his hind quarters then a dually will have no effect! I like the broomstick idea an shout "stand still" at the same time!

 

[millreef]

*sniggers, dually halter argument brewing*
I think actually this is more of the little cheeky-pony-invading-your-space-and-trying-it-on syndrome. I've an Anglo Arab Stallion and if he tries to step into my space or lean on me I tell him with the voice first then move him with a finger (obviously not "the" finger - we're civilized you know)!

 

[ISHmad]

The pony needs some groundwork doing to learn to move away from pressure instead of into it. We are on this journey with our youngster who one day is fine then the next day completely forgets again!

 

[BonneMaman]

LOL - I used to have a horse that did this when you tried to clip him! Actually used to lift up the two opposite legs to where you were in his keenness to squish! Swift poke in the ribs worked a treat ...

As for a dually being a nasty piece of work .... lol

 

[sandi_84]

Ok so persist with the poke and don't touch the dually, got it
Thanks everone!

 

[winterwood]

The pony needs some groundwork doing to learn to move away from pressure instead of into it. We are on this journey with our youngster who one day is fine then the next day completely forgets again!

I agree with this

 

[Honey08]

Until you have trained the pony out of this behaviour I would not put her in the stalls - tie her up in the yard or something. Work on the moving away while in a larger stable where you can get away... I learned the hard way last year that however experienced we are, they weigh a lot more!! Two summers off riding and an operation was the result for me! Don't put yourself or your niece in a position where you could get hurt...

 

[amandap]

Until you have trained the pony out of this behaviour I would not put her in the stalls - tie her up in the yard or something. Work on the moving away while in a larger stable where you can get away... I learned the hard way last year that however experienced we are, they weigh a lot more!! Two summers off riding and an operation was the result for me! Don't put yourself or your niece in a position where you could get hurt...

I agree 100% don't use the stalls until she is retrained.

 

[Tammytoo]

Boring piece of info coming up!

Fact - Horses naturally lean into pressure. This is because in the wild, if a horse was attacked by a predator, pulling away would cause more damage to the horse as the claws and teeth of the predator would drag through the flesh. It is instinct to lean into the pressure to minimise this damage. This is why when your pony stands on your foot and you try and push him off, he leans back onto your foot! He's not being awkward, it's just instinct!

So, you have to teach your pony to be polite and move away from pressure.

 

[Foxhunter49]

I agree that she needs to learn to move away from pressure BUT a lot of ponies will just try things on and take advantage.

Have a hoof pick handy and when she leans into you push the point into her side or shoulder. Let her learn that if she leans into you it hurts. Her choice.

 

[Jesstickle]

Have a hoof pick handy and when she leans into you push the point into her side or shoulder. Let her learn that if she leans into you it hurts. Her choice.

That's what I'd do. If I didn't have anything pokey to hand I'd use my elbow

 

[amandap]

Boring piece of info coming up!

Fact - Horses naturally lean into pressure. This is because in the wild, if a horse was attacked by a predator, pulling away would cause more damage to the horse as the claws and teeth of the predator would drag through the flesh. It is instinct to lean into the pressure to minimise this damage. This is why when your pony stands on your foot and you try and push him off, he leans back onto your foot! He's not being awkward, it's just instinct!

So, you have to teach your pony to be polite and move away from pressure.

Seconded and there's no need to poke to train this. Train from both sides and to go back and forward as well.
http://www.logicalhorsemanship.co.uk/publications.html

 

[hayinamanger]

A sharp 'get over!' and a good poke in the ribs should do the trick.

 

[BeckyCandy]

Sorry assumed you'd tried other things such a as poking and having no such luck if shes just being a bit idle with it then forget the dually this was a last resort for me after being trodden on bitten and barged about. A poke wouldn't sort my problem out however if she is literallly just pressing you against a wall I agree with others a poke with a hoof pick or elbow should soon get her over.

 

[Shilasdair]

Boring piece of info coming up!

Fact - Horses naturally lean into pressure. This is because in the wild, if a horse was attacked by a predator, pulling away would cause more damage to the horse as the claws and teeth of the predator would drag through the flesh. It is instinct to lean into the pressure to minimise this damage. This is why when your pony stands on your foot and you try and push him off, he leans back onto your foot! He's not being awkward, it's just instinct!

So, you have to teach your pony to be polite and move away from pressure.

So why, if horses 'lean into pressure' do I not find mine stuck to trees, walls, each other?
Tell me the scientific evidence, please, otherwise I call Parelli (aka BS) on it!
S

 

[winterwood]

Not sure of any scientific evidence, but horses do lean into pressure when you apply it. Especially if they haven't been trained to yield to pressure.

 

[amandap]

So why, if horses 'lean into pressure' do I not find mine stuck to trees, walls, each other?
Tell me the scientific evidence, please, otherwise I call Parelli (aka BS) on it!
S

This is a reference to the response written by a scientist/behaviourist. This piece isn't about the so called into-pressure response but is the first reference that came up on a quick search.
Quote from this article. http://research.vet.upenn.edu/Havem...ofBehaviouralProblems/tabid/3129/Default.aspx

Quote from linked article.
"Agonistic responses to conflict. When faced with discomfort or a threat most horses move away. If they cannot escape from such a stimulus, horses enter behavioural conflict and increase the kinetic effort in a bid to relieve the pressure. Some horses develop seemingly irrational phobias by becoming sensitised to associated stimuli and anticipating the escalation of bit or leg pressure that riders use to make them “behave”. Examples of agonistic responses to conflict include:"

It is a well known response taught about in all versions of NH.

Having said that and my earlier post I believe some horses learn to actively use squashing/trapping humans to object to something.