should i persevere...

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Jezzabell

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So here is the story..(apologise in advance for the babbling)

I had been looking for a pony for a few months, something sane quiet to hack & regain my confidence, i found 'the one'. i did all i was advised i.e turn up to see her un announced, test road her EVERYWHERE, asked all the questions..she was brill.

She arrived Saturday, i put her in her stable & left her to settle in..that night we introduced her to her field friend..all went well! Became apparant when catching shes a little nervous (carrots easily sway her). Put her in stable try to brush, Very warey of me round her rear i.e past her shoulder!!

I have managed to tack her up twice take her for a walk throught fields (me leading & no road just yet). Last night i tried to get on her, she doesn't do anything nasty at all, she just tenses up and moves her back end until you leave it.

I need advice..She is the sweetest little pony and i really do not want to have to sell her as i think she has been passed around enough. With time i think she could be great but i only have around 2hours a night with her and feel she would benefit from someone with more time and experience?

Someone at my yard suggested she may have been frightened of her previous owners hence the reason she was so quiet?:(
 
I would keep going just take everything slowly and gradually build her confidence with you. If she did everything you wanted when you tried her then you know she can do it so maybe she is just very unsure of new people. Have you tried getting her back checked?
 
Completely agree with the above post. If you know she can be everything you want with a bit of work persevere, as said above i would probably get her back checked then at least you can eliminate this from your enquiery. Did you have her vetted before you bought her?
 
She only arrived on saturday so you haven't even had her a week. I think that she needs more time to settle in her new home and to get to know you. :) I agree that if her back is tense it would be woth having it and the saddle fit checked but as an owner of a nervous nelly, it could just be her being worried that is causing the tension.
 
Agree with whats been said about persevering and getting back checked! I got my boy 3 years ago now, when I first got him he wouldnt let anyone near him, let alone catch him - he was 3 and just gelded. Spent loads of time just being with him, built up trust didnt do much etc but still couldnt get on him! Sent him to what I thought was a reputable/good breaking yard, they rebacked him I rode him regularly (no-one from the yard ever got on him but me) but was still really sharp and very spooky, after a while they told me to get rid of him he was dangerous and only a matter of time before he killed someone!!!! So we were back to square one, with me not having the skills or experience to bring on a 3 yr old with problems! I then sent him to another yard that worked with 'problem' horses, within 2 minutes of the great yo checking him over she spotted a back problem that I nor the other yard had even seen!!!! He had physio, they identified previous injuries and we started him again from the beginning.

We still have problems he is still spooky and mistrustful of anyone but me but I have persevered and so glad I did, I really nearly gave up on him but couldnt as I new he had had a bad time before he came to me.

Guess the decision is about what you want from your horse and whether you see it as a long term committment you can make to her.
 
I had a 2stage vetting as my vet said if she is only going to be for plodding around on she wouldn't need a 5?
I am considering getting her back checked, in the end i managed to lay across her back (with saddle on) and she happily stood there. I have a synthetic saddle which my tack shop advised as she needs feeding up abit & a horsey mum measured her up for fitting.
Tonight the same friends mum is coming to lunge (if she will) to see if there is any major issues..

I think im over reacting abit but i do not want to do more harm than good :confused:
 
I would personally (if it was my pony) get her back checked, get a proper saddler out and also get her teeth checked while I was at it! I would also take things slowly and not be in a rush to ride until all the checks were done. :)
 
Certainly persevere! I got a new horse in October, just wanted something sensible to hack out and have fun on. She was very quiet when we saw her there, being tacked up etc.

Got her home and she is still a bit nervy now and has moments where she either freaks a bit or is just naughty. Yesterday she decided she didn't like being brushed! But I must say that persevering has definitely been worth it - I couldn't bear for her to be passed on when she lacks confidence and requires some patience. She has dramatically improved my riding and although she is very frustrating at times, I have really come to love her and enjoy riding her. She is much better now to handle, it just has taken a lot of practice.

2 hours a night with your horse should be more than enough I think. I really only ride Belle 3 times a week as I live 30 minutes away (keep her at my parents house) and even we are managing to get better, so with 2 hours a night of calm perseverence I'm sure your mare would come round to being a lovely horse within a few months.

I would get her back checked as others here suggested and then once you know she isn't in any discomfort you can set about making friends with her. I got to a point with Belle where I was totally lost and didn't know how to handle her so my instructor came to the house and helped me. Just two sessions with my instructor taught me what I needed to know and now we get along much better. If Belle has a mad moment now then I can deal with it calmly and quietly. Good luck with getting her sorted. :)
 
it took my first pony (perfect at old home but a testing menace when arrived at ours) 3 months to get to know us and my new boy is still getting used to me 7 months on so there's no hurry, 2 hours a day is fine, thats quite normal for horse people and tbh if you thought you wouldnt have enough time you wouldnt have bought her :) no stress, do all the checks to rule out discomfort and i'm sure she'll calm down, some settle quicker than others
 
Thankyou soo much for all your replies i feel so much more at ease :)

I think because my old horse was just a hop on and go i was kind of expecting the same..

Yesterday she had her tootsies clipped and it was around 3hours after i tried hopping on...looking back WHAT AN IDIOT. I really do not want to leave her out of work but is it means her settling better i will roll with it :p
 
if you dont think she's ready for riding then just play with her on the ground, lateral, spacial awareness, etc and get a bond going. it sounds odd but my mare getting a minor tendon injury in the first month of having her worked wonders, we got to know eachother on the ground first and that helped with the riding
 
Well, turns out i was being abit soft with her:rolleyes:

My friends mummy came down who does alot with show ponies etc, watched how i am with Ginger & showed me where i am going wrong..i need to be more 'attentive' with her and guess what... IT WORKED :D

usually she is super stubborn i.e refuses to come out of the stable, that's now changed..she wouldnt let me near her rear, that's changed a little :)

I even managed a ride (on the lead:o) but hey its better than nothing!!

Much happier now, she has agreed to come down 3 or more times a week to help me teach her to lunge...
So she is staying :D
 
Jezzabell said:
Well, turns out i was being abit soft with her:rolleyes:

My friends mummy came down who does alot with show ponies etc, watched how i am with Ginger & showed me where i am going wrong..i need to be more 'attentive' with her and guess what... IT WORKED :D

usually she is super stubborn i.e refuses to come out of the stable, that's now changed..she wouldnt let me near her rear, that's changed a little :)

I even managed a ride (on the lead:o) but hey its better than nothing!!

Much happier now, she has agreed to come down 3 or more times a week to help me teach her to lunge...
So she is staying :D
Click to expand...

That's great news! I was also being a bit too soft with Belle as I couldn't tell what was real panic and what was her trying it on. We get on a lot better now that I am firm and obvious in my commands, though I am still very kind with her and reward good behaviour rather than ever punishing. It can be tough but keep on at it and even the tiniest bit of progress will make it seem worth it. :)
 
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