Dondi
Member
Hi All, I’m hoping some of your expertise here can help me. I have recently got back into riding after having my children, and bought a lovely 6 year old KWPN gelding. He has only ever been ridden by professionals, jumping and competing since he was backed as a 3 year old. Since coming to me, on my quiet yard I share with 2 ponies, he seems to be displaying some “testing†behaviour when I handle him on the yard. He won’t stand still for me to pick his feet, yet stands for the farrier, he moves and jitters around when I groom him, and he also will not stand still to be mounted at the block. This weather doesn’t make it any easier to get out regularly, so I’m going to do just in hand ground work with him until we start to have a respectful relationship. Last night it took me 20 minutes to pick out one foot, but I had to make sure I did it as he was walking through me and I couldn’t hold onto it. He’s very much still a baby, gelded late so I’ve been told some of this behaviour is due to that, do you think this is true? Teeth, back, vet check and tack have all been done so he’s in good health. I am not competing him, he didn’t enjoy his competing life before according to his owner before me but seems to love hacking and being out and about, not spooky or green on the grass and wide open fields. But I find myself avoiding this because he doesn’t show me the right manners on the ground, and I am far from super confident (although I try and hide this from him as much as possible).
Any advice on how I should handle these ground manners and work with him would be much appreciated, as well as approaches for correcting his behaviour. I’m currently reading a book on clicker training which I am hoping can help, he does love it when he gets something right and I praise him, but yet on certain days he also seems up for a challenge with me. I am committed to him and I and our life together, so I just want to build that relationship on the ground and have him being polite consistently.
Thank you all in advance 😊
Any advice on how I should handle these ground manners and work with him would be much appreciated, as well as approaches for correcting his behaviour. I’m currently reading a book on clicker training which I am hoping can help, he does love it when he gets something right and I praise him, but yet on certain days he also seems up for a challenge with me. I am committed to him and I and our life together, so I just want to build that relationship on the ground and have him being polite consistently.
Thank you all in advance 😊