Pony is still a loony... What should i do now, please help!

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rose bud

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Hi everyone,
I'm sure alot of you have read my previous posts, so sorry to go on but i could really do with some thoughts and opinions please!
I bought a new pony approx 2 months ago and for the first 2 - 3 weekr he was perfect! He was bombproof and calm, nothing seemed to phase him.
Then, after about 3 weeks he changed! He started spooking, bucking and generally feeling like he has far too much energy.
He now trots when you lead him in from the field instead of the nice calm walk he used to do.
His living arrangements are : he's at livery in a paddock on his own (it is a small paddock) although surrounded by other ponies, he's out 24/7, i have only recently started feeding him hi - fi lite to put relax me calmer in to try that, he's not getting any hay yet as he is quite chubby, just hi fi lite twice a day.
He is ridden every other day by either me or a ridder that i have for him which involves a good canter. I did think that it may be the grass being rich at the moment but his paddock looks like there isn't alot of grass in there any more.
Please help, im getting to the end of my tether and running out of ideas, bigger field? Company? I'm afraid i can't ride him more at the moment, a different calmer? I just want the lovely pony that i bought back :(
 
Well, the grass hasn't exactly stopped growing and I still muzzle my horse. I think pony has lots of energy!

You could try company in a big field but I would muzzle. Not give him feed and lunge him.
 
His he stabled all night with just hi-fi? My friend has a slightly over weight cob and we find that when we restrict his hay in the stable especially in winter when he's in for longer periods he becomes grumpy and bargy and all his manners go right out of the window. Maybe less grass and hay in the stable might help???
 
Sounds as if he's feeling very well.

Stop feeding him Hi Fi - he doesn't sound as if he needs it.

Perhaps give him some company.

And up his work so that he's doing something at least 5 days a week.
 
What was he doing, work wise, when you bought him? Cut out the Hi Fi, if he is full of energy and a good weight he doesn't need anything. Some ponies really do not (despite what the feed companies try to sell us!).

Can you lunge him and do some ground exercises to improve his manners?
 
Carlosmum said:
Agree with Tally Ho you need to get him off the grass.
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amymay said:
Sounds as if he's feeling very well.

Stop feeding him Hi Fi - he doesn't sound as if he needs it.

Perhaps give him some company.

And up his work so that he's doing something at least 5 days a week.
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Orangehorse said:
What was he doing, work wise, when you bought him? Cut out the Hi Fi, if he is full of energy and a good weight he doesn't need anything. Some ponies really do not (despite what the feed companies try to sell us!).

Can you lunge him and do some ground exercises to improve his manners?
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A combination of the above advice would be mine :D
 
Standard behaviour for cheeky ponies. Move to a new place, first couple of weeks on best behaviour then start testing the waters, working out where their position is. IME it can take them 6 months (more if your routine changes throught the year) to fully settle in and get to know you.

In the meantime....boundaries, boundaries, boundaries! He does NOT trot in from the field, stick his bridle on to lead him in if you have to. No he probably doesn't need the hi-fi and he might benefit from extra work but don't give him excuses. Ride him forwards assertively (not easy if he feels like a bomb under you) this doesn'tnecessarily mean faster, give him stuff to think about other than p'ing about. Do you have an instructor? Everyone benefits from having a knowledgabel pair of eyes on the ground with them

He is the same pony.
 
I think OP is giving the Hi Fi so that she can feed a calmer, to be honest a handful of Hi Fi is not going to make a difference to his behaviour! Also that he is out 24/7 and not stabled at night?

I agree with Big Ginge - new place, new routine, he is trying some new behaviour! He is ridden every other day which shouldn't be an issue, am I right in thinking he is exmoor? (may have this wrong and be mixing up with another person)

I personally would want him to have company in his paddock. Also I have found one of my ponies ot be rather 'testing' since living out 24/7 when he used to come in every night, and I put this down to me doing less with him, he doesn;t get lead in and out every day for a start so some days he does just what he wants! (as in I am not asking anythign of him)

Agree with the boundries - don't let him trot in, and also with riding forward - my welsh is spooky and flighty and the best way to conquer it is to ride forward and keep your leg on, and remain calm and confident. Easier said than done I know.

Its early days yet, and if he was nice and calm in his previous home I am sure he will be with you soon enough.
 
Hi,
Thankyou for the replies so far.
I,m just a bit disssapointed that we are having these problems as he was bought as a confidence giver, and was just that for the first few weeks!
He is out at grass 24/7, he doesn't come in at night and is only having the Hi Fi lite so that I have something to put his supplements in, as this was the lowest calorie feed that I could find. He isn't having any hay yet either.
Unfortunatly I have to work full time and already pay a rider to ride him 3 times in the week for me, so untill the nights start getting lighter again I can't give him more exercise than he currently has.
When I bought him the old owners assured me that he wasn't the type of pony that needed riding everyday.
Yes, he is an exmoor.
I am considering moving him from the livery to a field that is closer (a 2 min walk) from my house and getting him a companion as I feel that I would be able to bond better with him and get him into a routine. I am only on grass livery at the moment but am only able to go and see him once a day at the moment (the yo checks and feeds him for me in the mornings)
I think that this way I will be able to spend more time with him and he will have more room.
Is this a good idea??
 
Daisy dancer said:
Hi everyone,
I'm sure alot of you have read my previous posts, so sorry to go on but i could really do with some thoughts and opinions please!
I bought a new pony approx 2 months ago and for the first 2 - 3 weekr he was perfect! He was bombproof and calm, nothing seemed to phase him.
Then, after about 3 weeks he changed! He started spooking, bucking and generally feeling like he has far too much energy.
He now trots when you lead him in from the field instead of the nice calm walk he used to do.
His living arrangements are : he's at livery in a paddock on his own (it is a small paddock) although surrounded by other ponies, he's out 24/7, i have only recently started feeding him hi - fi lite to put relax me calmer in to try that, he's not getting any hay yet as he is quite chubby, just hi fi lite twice a day.
He is ridden every other day by either me or a ridder that i have for him which involves a good canter. I did think that it may be the grass being rich at the moment but his paddock looks like there isn't alot of grass in there any more.
Please help, im getting to the end of my tether and running out of ideas, bigger field? Company? I'm afraid i can't ride him more at the moment, a different calmer? I just want the lovely pony that i bought back :(
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OP haven't you ever heard that ponies are the work of the devil, sent by satan to test us to the nth degree and beyond:rolleyes: With terrors like this, I like to take an amused stance, walking into the yard thinking 'what you going to TRY and throw at me today' sets you up for dealing with the pony far better than 'OMG:( what will I have to deal with today:(' see it as a challenge from a cheeky pony and not a scary thing and you will feel a lot more confident with dealing with the pony, it will get easier, it will settle, more exercise for a while, possibly grazing muzzle and soaked hay, loose school to de fizz, longer turnout, it will all come out right in the end.
 
I still think this pony would benefit from having company, I thought he was getting a field mate a week or so ago, what happened??

Moving him to a field near home may solve some of your problems but will possibly bring others, where will you find a companion, will they be able to be left while riding, will you have anywhere to ride other than hacking.

I would look round and see if there is another yard that you could try, possibly a riding school that could use him during the week or a herd turnout where he would get much more exercise than he will be getting alone in a small paddock.

Exmoors are very hardy, tough ponies that will thrive on work, this does not have to be done by you as such, but by making his environment more interesting and stimulating.
 
I think that this way I will be able to spend more time with him and he will have more room.
Is this a good idea??
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Definately - but you also need to consider the amount of exercise he'll then be able to get. And of course, he should have company.

I suspect that as he's being worked 5 days a week he is feeling fit and well - which is no excuse for bad behaviour, obviously.

What kind of work does he do when you and the other person ride him?
 
Agree with bigginge, think he's testing you!!! Honestly.
Horses/ponies will act differently with other people and they do need to be kept in line so to speak. Iv twice tried to loan one off my horses ( long time ago now and won't again) 1st person handed her back as a bolter!!! 2nd person handed her back as a nutter!!! I have had the mare for 8 yrs at the time and had done everything with her and was not as they were saying BUT I did remember her testing me out all those years ago.
Get him in line and back to the pony he was before it gets to bad
 
be positive said:
I still think this pony would benefit from having company, I thought he was getting a field mate a week or so ago, what happened??

Moving him to a field near home may solve some of your problems but will possibly bring others, where will you find a companion, will they be able to be left while riding, will you have anywhere to ride other than hacking.

I would look round and see if there is another yard that you could try, possibly a riding school that could use him during the week or a herd turnout where he would get much more exercise than he will be getting alone in a small paddock.

Exmoors are very hardy, tough ponies that will thrive on work, this does not have to be done by you as such, but by making his environment more interesting and stimulating.
Click to expand...

Hi,

Yes, thats right I did try a field mate a week or so ago.
Another livery agreed to put her pony in with him, we watched them for about half an hour, they had sniffed each other and settled down to grazing, so we thought all would be fine (this was a very placid pony) and left them too it.
When I arrived at the yard the next morning the other pony had been taken out of the field. When I asked the yo what had happened she said that after we ha dleft my pony had started chasing the other pony around the field and into the electric fencing so she had taken her out!
This seems strange as I have spoken to two previous owners and the said that he had always had a field companion, but as I didn't see what happened I don't know.
I do have those concerns about getting a companion but can't help but think that in his previous homes he was in a much bigger field with a friend, and this may be adding to his problems as he doesn't any more and his paddock at the livery is small.
 
amymay said:
Definately - but you also need to consider the amount of exercise he'll then be able to get. And of course, he should have company.

I suspect that as he's being worked 5 days a week he is feeling fit and well - which is no excuse for bad behaviour, obviously.

What kind of work does he do when you and the other person ride him?
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Its either riding in the school, just flatwork or hacking out. We have recently found a place that he can have a good gallop though, which he seems to really enjoy!!
 
This seems strange as I have spoken to two previous owners and the said that he had always had a field companion, but as I didn't see what happened I don't know.
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Not strange - just normal newly introduced equine behaviour.

And goes to highlight the need to attend your horse twice a day.

Anyway - sounds as if he has a nice variety of work.

I'd just crack on and enjoy.
 
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amymay said:
Not strange - just normal newely introduced equine behaviour.

And goes to highlight the need to attend your horse twice a day.

Anyway - sounds as if he has a nice variety of work.

I'd just crack on and enjoy.
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This is one of the reasons I am thinking of moving him to be closer to me, so that I can see him twice a day, and don't have to rely on others.
Just trying to weigh up the pro's and con's at the moment, but think it would definatly improve our bond.
 
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