Pony's Bad Behaviour sorry incredibly long post :(((((

Red 1 Not going to work as he can't come in lunchtime, stables are full of **** when they go out and they certainly couldn't stand in them till I'm up at 5. I work shifts and very odd times and days, and by virtue of my job, I need to be able to deal with him myself. I'm going with the later out at the moment, and ad lib hay, so he hopefully wont get too hungry.
 
Haven't read the other replies sorry, but when Diva arrived four years ago, she was a horror the first winter for rearing up and tanking back to the yard. She knew her stable had her Haynet in it and was effectively being rewarded for bad behaviour because she'd come in to a net.
So I started removing her haynet and she came in to an empty stable. I'd pop a haynet in after she'd been in fifteen or twenty minutes. The thought of coming in became less exciting, and the behaviour lessened (helped by also using a bridle to bring in).
 
It sounds like you have a solution for the short term, hope it works out ok. All I'd say is 23 is but a spring chicken for a pony. My friend has just bought a 21 year old for her kids to do pony club on and he's perfect. He seems so much younger than our two big 22 year old hunter types and they're pretty young for their age! I'd find him a loaner and give him a job to do, which will also give you a bit of help. He's obviously doing ok if he can canter for ages and not puff.
 
buzyizzy said:
ESTER: No, not overcome with excitement, there was nowhere for him to go, literally no space, so he should have stayed behind me. It was nothing new to him, weather was good, nothing happened. Please don't make this out to be my fault, and please don't judge. You weren't there.
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ermm you said yourself that he was keen to get to the grass as there is nothing in the field? and that he is rather full of it at the moment given his arena antics- I wasn't making it up and there was obviously nowhere for him to go or he would have gone round rather than over the top of you.

Ponys make mistakes as much as people do he just doesn't sound inherently bad to me at all just took advantage of a situation. My own oldie has been known to try and go through people on occassions, he isn't thinking when he does it as he is generally a well mannered, pleasant pony you could give a kid to lead, but he is also a bit more of a handful than he can be at the moment because he is physically not able to do as much work any more..but the mind is still willing! When he is like that I am just very careful to reiterate my handling with him, use additional equipment if needed (usually switch to rope halter) and not handle him with others so I can give him my full attention, it is hard to correct or spot minute changes when you are handling multiple horses I don't think that is a judgey thing to say, it is just fact!

Hopefully now you have kitted up a bit you will be able to preempt him but I do understand that it has worried you.
 
Bless all of you. I've been bringing him in first using a bit and sliphead with a lunge rein and although he does still make a small attempt to go straight on out of the gate instead of turning him to shut the gate on his friend's nose, he's a million times better and is walking beside me every night like a lamb. I have no doubt tho that without the bridle he would be off again!
YO has had no trouble with him, in fact she brought him in on Friday using just a leadrope round his neck and had his mate in the other hand. Clearly he knows she's a competent person. I'm still sore from the accident, so haven't done much with either of them yet.
 
buzyizzy said:
Bless all of you. I've been bringing him in first using a bit and sliphead with a lunge rein and although he does still make a small attempt to go straight on out of the gate instead of turning him to shut the gate on his friend's nose, he's a million times better and is walking beside me every night like a lamb. I have no doubt tho that without the bridle he would be off again!
YO has had no trouble with him, in fact she brought him in on Friday using just a leadrope round his neck and had his mate in the other hand. Clearly he knows she's a competent person. I'm still sore from the accident, so haven't done much with either of them yet.
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Great to hear! The more he continues to behave, the more confident you will become handling him and this will be reflected in your behaviour. Not sure I’d ever advocate just a rope round the neck though!
 
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