new to owning horses

[piggymum]

hi there i am new to owning horses,i would just like to tell you about myself and what i have got, and my problems at moment too .i have a male stallion cob who is 4yrs old not a bad bone in him he respects me and my family and good on lunging and lead too i have had him almost a year this Feb .but have a problem as he won,t let me pick up front feet but will on back, he won,t kick or brake out when he sees over riders. i also have a Shetland who is same age but this one also needs a firm hand at times e.g. sometimes bites so i tap his nose needs more work and bonding too.my young one is a co of 2yrs old we are working on desensitizing with lots of bags and blankets as well as watching him in field and grooming too i am reading books and research on web as well as asking friends on advice.

 

[catroo]

Welcome to horse ownership!

What are your plans with them?

How does the farrier get the stallion to pick his feet up for trimming? I'd imagine if he's successful then it's down to confidence and air of authority.
Regards to the nipping Shetland, I've found tapping on the nose very ineffective as it's almost playful to them (especially colts!), if he's still regularly doing it then it obviously is not putting him off. I find a loud growl more successful, my youngsters occasionally forget their manners and but biting is never an option once they are halter trained. Are all three turned out together?

 

[piggymum]

thanks for that i will try with my Shetland,i feed then haylage as hay sends them crazy as well as supplements and fibre beet as grass is not good at moment.stallion is excepting saddle and have lunge him with on but not sat on him yet. i also having trouble backing up on ground .they are all turnout together and they get along

 

[Patterdale]

Hi, welcome to the forum.

Out of interest, why have they not been gelded? Keeping them entire will only add to their behavioural problems, particularly if you're not very experienced with owning horses.

 

[piggymum]

i will be gelding one this winter,my young one of 2yrs has not dropped yet as for behavioural problems they are not that bad.they listen to me

 

[catroo]

I asked about group turnout because if the Shetland is bottom of the pack he might be looking to make sure you're beneath him in the hierarchy stakes hence the biting. You need to make it clear you're not!

Trouble backing the stallion up on the ground is not good, either he can't back up or he's not respecting your space and this is a slippery slop with an entire. They can quickly go from angels to demons if you're not careful.

 

[piggymum]

thanks for info as to Shetland i probably not making my message clear to him.as for my stallion he is very calm as i am calm with him but clear when giving messages and watching his language that helps .i am trying to save up cash to get him gelded this year as i would like to progress more with him .i don,t intend to give up on him.but as for renting field that is costing 180 a month no shelter and we have to carry water over each day he will not go down with the rent and we had to pay for grass to be cut

 

[piggymum]

with it being dry today i decided to work on my stallion called merlin we started to work on going forward and he has learn,t walk on with me plus take one step back as well and he did not get angry his head was relax and i kept relax too no problems there yet still won.t let me pick up front feet yet but i will keep trying thanks for support

 

[catroo]

Can you ask your farrier to show you how he does it?

He might push against the shoulder to encourage him to shift his weight although this doesn't always work as sometimes they just lean against you.

Has their been any progress with picking up feet since you've had him? I'm sure you're aware but this could be quite serious, if he got an abscess (current weather conditions increase the chance) then you'd need to poultice his foot everyday. It would cost a fortune if you had to get the vet/farrier in each day to do it for you.

 

[piggymum]

yes the farrier see,s him and have been told that he has good feet, and he will pick up for him, as for me when i go to pick up feet he turns his bum to me and then i have to change my position to start again and he keeps doing this over and over.i know the problem is me and i keep trying each day

 

[oldie48]

Sorry but I am very concerned for you. I don't know how much experience you've had before owning these horses but IMO this is a nightmare scenario for a novice owner. I am really sorry to be so blunt but youngsters become increasingly difficult to handle as they get older, the cob stallion is already challenging your authority by turning his bum to you, please get some expert help before things get out of hand.

 

[piggymum]

thanks for your reply yes i am a beginner at owning horses .i do know that books and research is not like having a lots of experience like ridding for years.but its better then having people dump them anywhere as there first owner did nothing with them, and i am trying to give them a good life as i can, i can groom them and touch them as well as walk them and when they do some thing wrong i tell them off but i do not use harsh methods on them but use Kelly marks methods and we don,t move on until we get it right. its better to do something then leaving them for horse meat.

 

[oldie48]

Hi Piggymum, you're clearly a really kind person but you are taking on a huge task which can cost a lot of money and as an inexperienced person you may also be putting yourself into danger. What is your long term aim for these horses? Are you intending to keep the 4 year old entire? Can the farrier trim their feet? Are they vaccinated seen by the vet? Have they had their teeth looked at? etc etc.

 

[madlady]

If my 4yo stallion turned his back on me when I went to pick his feet up he would be getting a short sharp reminder of his manners - I don't accept any of mine turning their back end to me or squaring up to me.

I would say tie the stallion up and tie him up short so he hasn't got much room to move around - if he tries to turn his bum I'd be giving him a crack personally but I appreciate that might not be your way - once he is tied up (with a haynet to keep him happy) I would be repeatedly asking him to lift his front feet, try 'bumping' against his shoulder to shift his weight. As soon as he picks up praise put back down and repeat until he picks up on command.

For the shetland and his nipping I'd be poking him in the nose or pulling his whiskers - accompanied by a loud growl. Colts more so than mares need to understand that you are the boss of the herd when you are there and it does seem as if the stallion and the shetland don't see you as that.

Do you know anyone with more experience who could come out and give you some pointers? Whereabouts are you?

 

[piggymum]

i live in north Yorkshire and yes i do see my problem i have only had them 11 mths,i do find that when he is eating hay that i can do his back ones but when i get to his front feet he lifts then he puts down himself but is not long enough to clean or look at then the farrier has no problems with him.as for my Shetland i have been tapping his nose and also growling at him but i know it is going to be some time when this starts working.but i would just like to say that there first owners did no training with them just kept them in a field they had no respect or manners,i am with them twice a day watching them and working with them thanks for reply

 

[madlady]

I might not be a million miles away from you I'm at the top end of Lancashire (almost in Yorkshire) near to Huddersfield/Halifax - I'd be happy for you to come spend the day at ours so that you can see what I do with mine. I've 2 entires and 4 mares

I'm sure there are other Yorkshire peeps on here as well who'd be happy to help if you are struggling, sometimes a fresh pair of eyes and a few pointers can make the world of difference.

 

[piggymum]

thanks i would love to come and see how you deal with things.thank you for invite

 

[madlady]

thanks i would love to come and see how you deal with things.thank you for invite

Not a problem - if you are serious then let me know when you'd like to visit and drop me a pm

 

[piggymum]

just like to say i have been working on my stallion today and picking up front feet i have told him off a few times but this is working and i praise him when he lifts them.but he never got angry with me but when he shoved his bum in to me i gave him a firm telling this helps,so i hope my training is going in a different direction thanks

 

[lula]

i live in north Yorkshire and yes i do see my problem i have only had them 11 mths,

i would just like to say that there first owners did no training with them just kept them in a field they had no respect or manners,i am with them twice a day watching them and working with them thanks for reply

11 months is enough time for you to have redressed this and educated them as far as manners go.
Horses are not pets and with youngsters, especially colts, you need to teach them to respect you otherwise you're not helping them and you're putting yourself in risk of getting hurt.

I very much hope you take up Madlady's kind offer as i think you need a little practical help.

Goodluck.