Pony problems

[Eilean21]

My daughter got her first pony back in may as soon as he arrived we had problems with him bucking not wanting to work in a field, so she was taking him to and arena to get lessons and hacking him out at home. Everything improved he was great in the arena and great hacking out. He is still very stubborn and she needs to be firm with him at times.

He was kept in a field with one other mare and had no issues being separated. Now there are another 4 mares who are kept here and at they were not mixed as the other were out on the hill but a couple of weeks ago I let ours out on the hill as the field was looking very bare and he was loosing weight. The last couple of times my daughter has tried to ride him he has been really nappy. Last week she didn't even get 2 mins down the road and he came charging back up bucking on the way!! She tried to take him out on a short hack yesterday and he was the worst I have ever seen him, he wouldn't even leave from home and he was bucking and bronching then running up the road in the opposite direction from where they usually go, normally if he didn't want to go I would lead him a few steps forward and he would be fine but when I tried to do that he was rearing at me. She ended up walking him in hand round most of the route attempting a couple of times to get on and again he threw her off and ran away, she caught him and walked him round the route and eventually got on when he was heading for home and he was fine all the way back.

Any thoughts why he may be having this way?

Could it be the amount of grass he has had access to on the hill?

Living with 5 mares has gone to his head?

Pain? Although we got him a new saddle and teeth done when we got him? I do have a physio coming on wed to check his back.

A couple of times when my daughter has finished riding him he could not find the others on the hill and got a bit stressed so maybe that's why he doesn't want to be separated.

The last thing me or my daughter wants is to sell him but his behaviour yesterday was dangerous and unacceptable.

 

[be positive]

It is probably a combination of several things, more grass, living with a group of mares, less work than he was doing in the summer plus he has now found his feet in the new home and is feeling more secure in some ways to take charge of the situation.

Mixing mares and geldings is not always successful especially if they are out 24/7 so really are in a herd environment, he sounds as if he would benefit from some more regular work, although I appreciate it is hard to do much at this time of year if he is only coming in at the weekends to be ridden the problem will become more established, could he come in each day for a while to have a bit of groundwork done if nothing else, coming in to be groomed, walked out or lunged will help get a routine which can be extended when there is more time.

Get the physical checks done but I suspect this really is down to too much grass, too much freedom and not enough hard work, you may need to make some changes to his management to break the pattern of behaviour but without knowing what your yard offers it is not easy to know what you can actually do without moving elsewhere.

 

[Eilean21]

Thanks. He is kept at home at the moment. It will now be hard for my daughter to ride him anymore as it will be dark when she gets home from school. I can certainly bring him in everyday and groom him and walk him out.

Do you think it is a good idea to keep him and our other pony in the smaller field for a while and see if he settles down?

 

[PorkChop]

I would pop him in the smaller field with your other pony for the time being. My other advice would be to long rein him on school days, it will keep him going and he will learn that he needs to behave Well done to your daughter with sticking with it too!

 

[FestiveFuzz]

You mention you put him out on the hill because he'd lost weight. Could it be that this loss of weight has meant the saddle no longer fits properly?

 

[Eilean21]

Yes maybe although he had not lost a lot of weight. He has been in the smaller field since the weekend and we managed a quick ride after school and he was perfectly behaved again.

 

[fuzzle]

Have you thought of ulcers?? well worth a chat to a vet, some ulcers can cause weight loss and bad behavior bolting bucking and rearing and can affect horses at all different times of the year, think you have done good by getting teeth back and saddle checked so them problems are eliminated. Well worth a telephone call to your vets they should give you advise and what to do next xxx