pony rolling

[Sags_Deer]

okay any ideas on this one please. 11.2 sect a 13 yr old pony not in much work looking for new home been teaching child for about a year and totally wrong pony for her. He has tried to roll with her on top a few times. lunged him yesterday just walking along he suddenly tried to get down and roll, have to admit i did smack him as he had his saddle on his back. Any ideas why he may do this sometimes apart from being naughty and probably bored cos he is not doing much work.

 

[Scarlett]

has he had his back/tack checked? it could be a sign of pain or discomfort.....

 

[Sags_Deer]

back is okay teeth not checked okay, would he roll even if the rider is not on his back

 

[jcberry]

a pony at a riding stable i used to go to used to roll all the time with a rider on its back, then they realised he had sweetitch!!!

 

[Sags_Deer]

ok def not sweet itch but thanks for that one!!

 

[giggles mum]

A pony at my riding school used to roll while being ridden in almost EVERY lesson, which was becoming a major problem.

Now he's turned out in the sand school a lot of the time so he can get his rolling out of the way without endangering a rider! I think in a lot of cases ponies just prefer the texture of an arena surface for rolling rather than a stable or field.

 

[Claireg9]

sounds like discomfort, is there any riders small enough but experienced enough to get on him and gee him up a bit to see if its just boredom?
If so try it out, other wise id get back, teeth and tack all checked again, he could also have a skin condition less visible than sweet itch so might be worth contacting your vet for advice.
Once you've eliminated all pain or discomfort you can start really telling naughty pony whos boss.
Hope he's ok x

 

[jcberry]

i think some ponys are just naughty!!! Hope you sort out the prob!! x

 

[lordflynn]

my pony used to try this-sometimes I think they just like the nice scratchy surface! get someone on him that wont let him get away with it or get him on the lunge riderless and dont let him get away with it! Just chase him on everytime he looks like he's thinking about it-he'll soon get the idea that its less work for him not to do it. Does he get plenty of turnout so he can roll then?

 

[Sags_Deer]

yes he is turned out 24/7 and ive seen him roll in the field so he does do that which is good for his back. Since they are trying to sell him i will get them to get the vet out to check teeth before to be on the safe side. I had a small adult ride him on the roads in the winter months he was fine then but i guess that was road riding diff to the fields.

 

[Vey]

I would think that this was just a pony not yet understanding that when you are being ridden you can't roll and get rid of your itches. It is not naughty as such - how can you expect the pony to understand all at once that it is fine to roll in the field and not fine with a rider up. After all, it is fine to trot in a field and fine to trot with a rider. The flies this year are something else!

 

[Laafet]

I've ridden ponies and ex racehorses at BRC that would try to get down and roll as soon as they got in the school or on the woodchip gallop. Just being plain naughty and trying to avoid work as they'd learnt how to do this. They had all been checked out ok but just naughty.

 

[teapot]

Had a pony like that at RS I used to work at, used to do it with his owner plus in a couple of lessons.

He was fine with the bigger kids who could ride him on and use a whip more effectively. He rolled when I teaching the WL kids once and owner jumped off in time. Owner got back on and as she asked him to trot on again - I got after him with a whip - only way to move the git otherwise. Sounds harsh but he didn't do it again in that lesson