Nightmare s*dding pony - help please

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hellspells

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I have 6 year old dartmoor pony I've had for the last 3 years. She is 100% better than she was to handle etc (came from a stud not wild off the moor) anyway her behviour to lead has gone down hill again drastically. Our turnout is a 10min walk up the road, she is not to bad on the way up but in the afternoons coming down she is turing back into a nightmare (she was led in a chiffney for a couple on months earlier this year and it sorted it. I'd much rather get a long term solution as this obviously wasn't).

I was away this weekend and she has walked all over her 'babysitters' - leaving me with one now dangerous pony (she kicked a friend at lunch). What she does is dive into the hedge and turn her body towards you so you can't bend her, flys forward at 100mph and tries to get my big horse who is in my other hand. I can deal with it when I just have her - but when I have my other one its a real struggle. Discipline doesn't seem to work - she just looks at me with a 'is that the best you've got' look


Any ideas? Please!

Mice pies if you got this far!
 
Can you get someone to come with you and lead her back from the other side? and then you could gradually get this person to walk by her side instead of lead and then eventually not walk with you at all when she behaves herself and is a little less exuberant!!
 
How hungry is she? I've found that this can have such an affect on their behaviour comming in. It's not an excuse for bad behaviour, but it really can be a reason.

 
There is a fair amount of grass in her field still - and if she gets bored the little moster happily breaks through the fence to the others (thats a whole other story!). She has always been a little madam (she was named Angelica as a foal after Angelica from the rugrats!!)

I'll try and get someone to walk with me. But nearly everyone is now refussing to have anything to do with her
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I know how you feel. I have a TB and a Shetland and I need to walk them 200m up my drive to the field. 9/10 the TB resembles a donkey, but when she decides to be silly, it is a nightmare to hold onto the two of them. As the previous person says, for my horse the silliness comes when A. the weather is bad and B. she is very hungry. By Jan/Feb I will need to leave her a bit of hay to eat because the grass no longer seems to fill her tummy. Alternatively I would say you need to go back to a headcollar with a chain under her chin, or a bridle, because she has clearly realised she is a big strong girl and she can get away with being a git.
 
For safety's sake I'd say it's back to the chifney for now. That's quite a walk you've got, and what if you're not able to do it, others will have to handle her. I know it's not what you want long-term, but it sounds like you are going to need to do some work with her on the ground (yes more!).
 
Back to the chiffney it is
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Anybody have anythoughts on just using a stallion chain on her normal headcollar or one of the eskardron headcollars? And if the eskardron headcollar can you get them in pony size?
 
I have a bolshy Little Lad, he can sometimes take off, haven't used a chain, but have used a rope round the nose. This is very effective, unless he throws his head round and losens it! We've tried a pressure halter, but di dnot give enough pressure. Next thing for us is a rope pressure halter, but I don't know how effective that is going to be with his partiicular antics. LL doesn't kick though, just goes.
 
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Sorry can't help but have read it all.
But I don't think anyone will take you up on the mice pies front lol
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Hahaha I should read through things first!!!
 
My pony became horrible to lead a few months ago - he was hungry and then he became too full of himself and was dragging me about - and he is seriously strong!! I now use a rope pressure halter and he is a little lamb, he tested it a few times and decided it wasn't worth fighting against it - I just stay calm, put the pressure on and wait until he complies. It really did change his behaviour 100%.
 
Its taken nearly a year for me to get my mare to come in with just head collar and lead rope. Previous to this it was a chifney. if she could get an inch she would take a mile.. vertical rears, trying to box you and running over the top of me. I am only 5'2 and she is 16h so a big girl, many a time I thought about throwing in the towel with her cos she was so bad. I had on several occasions walked her backwards accross the field to stop her throwing her weight about. however now she is now (touch wood) a good girl, and no chifney, however, I always asses the area etc before bring in, and IF i have any doubt that I think she is going to play up with me, i put the lead rope over her nose and give her a stern talking to before she comes in, basically i reinstall to her that I am boss and that her behaviour is not going to be accepted. she still has the odd silly moment spook etc. which is fine, but at least now she keeps her 4 feet on the floor!.

As long as you use your chifney correctly then you can't hurt their mouths, after all it should only be used as and when necessary.. and as soon as they behave take the pressure off...

Another thing i had to do was when she was naughty was to turn round and lead her back down the road to her field and make her walk properly, every time she was naughty I turned round. which really peed her off.

Good luck!
 
I feel sorry for you as I know how difficult small ponies can be. Our problem was slightly different and involved loading but my daughters gymkhana pony was terrible, she broke 3 rope halters one day and towed 3 men out of a horse trailer. We solved it with a Be Nice Headcollar, she reared once and went backwards but the metal studs across the poll obviously gave her a bit of a headache so she tried again and then gave in. She had been a nightmare up to that point but from that day on she was good as gold as long as she had the Be Nice Headcollar on. She always knows if she hasn`t and I think with time would revert. She is only 13 hands but she led us a merry dance for 12 months but it was all worth it as she was the pony they all hated seeing as she was brilliant at the games. Again she came off the moors and was of unknown breeding but we love her to bits and she will end her days with us so don`t give up although I expect theres days you feel like it!
 
I have the skadron headcollar on my 16hh who has always known his own strength and it seems to be working v v well. He did manage to get away from me at the weekend and ran off acros his field but i think that was a combination of me not watching what he was doing behind me - he shot forwards and then i was too far behind him to get any sort of real pull on the rope - and me being a tad hungover and being fragile!

Not sure if they'd do one small enough for yours - although the cob size was a tad small on my horse. The full as too big so i got my saddlers to adjust it. If you can't get one then invest in a stallion chain as they used to use this on my horse when he was at college to lead him to and from the yard.
 
I know exactly how you feel as I have the same problem - except I have a 15.1TB monster and a 15.2 WB/ID tank to take in. Either the TB is biting and kicking or the WB just tows me about.
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I hasten to add, not all the time. As long as the weather is fine (ie not windy) they are both good but heaven help me if it's windy. I have to be very alert to them - keeping them on a short leash and keeping their heads turned slightly towards me. I use stallion chains if I sense trouble. Partly I've had to learn to read them and figure out the best way to handle gates etc. As others have said though, it's all about hunger with mine. This winter I have a field shelter and they have been having haylage in there, hence I think the reason they have been so much better to come in. (Unless it's windy, as you never know where the horse-eating monsters are in the wind
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). I've also found that my TB needs constant reminding as to who is the boss, she is only 4 and a cocky madam. My trainer had to give me loads of help with her in the summer and made me see that I was inadvertantly letting her off with loads of things like just being a tiny bit pushy while tied up. The more I "boss" her now, the easier she is.

Sorry bit of an essay. This year I bought a lead rope attached to a stallion chain, which is easier actually as it means I always have it with me and have a choice whether to use it or not. The other tip I was given (though haven't tried) was with the tank, to put the chain through her mouth like a bit. Obviously it's extreme but a good emergency control method if it's all going a bit Pete Tong.

I don't envy you - it's the bit of my horsey day I hate the most
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There isn't much worse than a bargey horse or pony, no fun for anyone at all.

I have a very dainty arab mare who is, basically, a bolshy, bargey, inconsiderate cowbag to lead in a normal halter.

Thread a chain (large size dog choke chain) through the noseband rings and clip together underneath with the leadrope, just having that on and she is Little Miss Perfect, take it off and she knows. I have never even had to use it, but she obviously understands and respects it. If she barged, or pulled (and she sticks her head up and goes) then I would have absolutely no hesitation whatsoever in reminding her about her manners. Chain over the nose brings the head down and dissuades rearing, chain under the chin brings the head up - excellent for those that grab grass or bugger off with their nose on the floor.

I honestly think that a timely reminder, or even the threat of one, is no bad thing. They are just too big and strong to walk over people, hungry or not.
 
Does this pony do any work? As a 6 year old she is likely to be a little boisterous if she does nothing to use up her surplus energy - if she is purely used as a companion you may be better to find her a home where she has a job to do and loan/buy an older quieter pony as a companion?

If thats not an option then she needs some very firm handling and no break from the chifney until she learns to behave properly. I would suggest getting somebody else to lead your horse temporarily so that you can deal effectively with the delinquent pony! I would also spend a couple of hours at the weekend (or whenever you have some spare time) leading her up and down the road and establishing the rules - better than just waiting for the problem to occur every evening when you've got your hands full and can't do much about it. Do not be worried about being firm in your use of the chifney - this is far preferable to the potentially dangerous behaviour your pony is exhibiting.
 
You could try giving her a toffee and then lead her in!

My grandfather used to use toffees on any horse that was difficult either on the ground or ridden.
You will find that the horse is so busy trying to get the toffee off their teeth they cant think about playing up and so the habit is broken

Have tried it myself several times - it does work.
 
She is worked - and going really sweetly at the moment. Just a horror to lead and generally a bolshy little b!tch.

I really like the toffee idea. Will try that aswell. Going to get a stallion chain at lunch before I bring her in so fingers crossed today!

Thanks everyone.
 
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