Should we admit defeat and sell our stubborn pony?

Yes the hacking wud be good, lots of nice things happy things, to build up her confidence, been good replies here, just beware thst he doesntg et too fit because then if he is not exercised daily he could become spooky from fit freshness. Good luck it will come be positive. Evading capture in my eyes is seen as he is having a nicer time in the field, and isnt having a nice time when caught because he can also feel the nerves, it makes him nervous, so its got to be fun, capture give a treat, release, capturned stroke face release, capture take for a walk, give a treat, release.
 
putasocinit said:
Yes the hacking wud be good, lots of nice things happy things, to build up her confidence, been good replies here, just beware thst he doesntg et too fit because then if he is not exercised daily he could become spooky from fit freshness. Good luck it will come be positive. Evading capture in my eyes is seen as he is having a nicer time in the field, and isnt having a nice time when caught because he can also feel the nerves, it makes him nervous, so its got to be fun, capture give a treat, release, capturned stroke face release, capture take for a walk, give a treat, release.
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....have you considered moving to Lincolnshire......it would be handy to have you around the corner ;):)
 
Bit far away for me, but yes if you were closer i would happily offer my help. Think positive, remember when you go to catch him, dont look at him, look at hos body not his face, this sometimes makes us give the predator appearance without us realising it. Look over there and make you way slowly to him. Stop even and fiddle with something on the ground, you will get there.
 
Just a thought (or two) !. If he hasnt been out for a year he could well just be bored and looking for things to do ie spooking etc . Is it worth getting him out either with your daughter , in hand or ridden. Try and get a varied programme in place to give him something to think about. Maybe set up a trec type course , you can make all sorts of stuff with what you have , few mounted games type things . Nothing too scary to start with to help them build their confidence and acheive small steps .
Do you have transport to get him out to some training etc ?
It is always worth having a stronger rider about to pop on now and then. i wish you all the best .
 
Sounds good maree1, even walking over tarpaulin, picking up flags, daughter carrying a sack like in potatoe races etc, walking under low branches trees, bending poles, its such good fun for everyone.
 
maree t said:
Just a thought (or two) !. If he hasnt been out for a year he could well just be bored and looking for things to do ie spooking etc . Is it worth getting him out either with your daughter , in hand or ridden. Try and get a varied programme in place to give him something to think about. Maybe set up a trec type course , you can make all sorts of stuff with what you have , few mounted games type things . Nothing too scary to start with to help them build their confidence and acheive small steps .
Do you have transport to get him out to some training etc ?
It is always worth having a stronger rider about to pop on now and then. i wish you all the best .
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We will try this as well - we did do some de-spooking on a lesson and he did really well once he stopped quivering. It might help to reignite my daughter's interest if we make everything more varied and enjoyable. In relation to Putasocinit's suggestion of walking under low branches - last summer he had clearly had enough of riding and jumping so he walked over to the overhanging trees near the coppice and wiped my daughter off his back! It looked deliberate to me although he pretended surprise to see her laughing on the floor :D.
 
Agree it is best to sell him, fo him and your daughter. I sold a horse last year that I judt didn't get on with and was nor what I wanted, it was no longer fun. he is now much happier and I have a new more suitable horse and am having the time of my life!!
 
The spooking I can relate to, what breed is the pony op? Definitely lots of desentising work with the schooling whip from the ground initially.. is your instructor helping much as if your daughter has been struggling so long maybe a change of instructor should be considered.. Also have you considered getting your daughter to join the pony club so they can get out having some fun in different disciplines rather than pure arena work which may have melted the pony's head a bit..
As has been said already introduce lots of hacking maybe in hand first so your daughter can see him behaving out and about before hopping on.
My chap was spooky as hell and now hr is allowed to " look" but must keep his rhythm and line, he is a sensitive soul who needs his rider to reassure him that whatever he thinks will eat him won't! For example 2 mths ago, he wouldn't ride past a white block consistently, today he lunged quite happily when arena was being hosed 20 ft away and didn't spook! But you will need to put in heeps of hard work and be consistent and you should see some good results op:)
 
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I was thinking on the leading him in hand over the tarpaulin and under trees to try and build up a relationship, i did think he might do that going under low hanging branches takes a lot of confidence. I am sure an expert will come along soon and put you straight..............good luck

Ofcourse it has been proven if you stare at something your horse will spook at it and may even shy from it, so if you are unnervy about something or think your horse might be only because you are then dont look at it, look ahead, try it it works!
 
I don't think a few minutes lunging will make him too fit, sounds like he is probably quite unfit which might cause him to find jumping tiring. Agree re the Trec thing, we have just started practising at home with our ponies and it's great fun. Bending, S bends. etc. Might be fun for pony and rider. As for teenage girls-arrrrrrgh!!!!!! No idea how to motivate them! Mine is 14, the ten year old is keen as mustard but the 14 yo is devoted to her ipod!
 
horsemadmum1 said:
I don't think a few minutes lunging will make him too fit, sounds like he is probably quite unfit which might cause him to find jumping tiring. Agree re the Trec thing, we have just started practising at home with our ponies and it's great fun. Bending, S bends. etc. Might be fun for pony and rider. As for teenage girls-arrrrrrgh!!!!!! No idea how to motivate them! Mine is 14, the ten year old is keen as mustard but the 14 yo is devoted to her ipod!
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Thanks - we will try the Trec thing and increase the amount of lunging and if he and my daughter do not gel better as a team when riding then we will look to sell him. I think a shot of enthusiasm from both horse and rider might do the world of good. If our neighbour's daughter can join in on her own pony it will make it even more fun.
 
showpony said:
The spooking I can relate to, what breed is the pony op? Definitely lots of desentising work with the schooling whip from the ground initially.. is your instructor helping much as if your daughter has been struggling so long maybe a change of instructor should be considered.. Also have you considered getting your daughter to join the pony club so they can get out having some fun in different disciplines rather than pure arena work which may have melted the pony's head a bit..
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He is an appaloosa and a bit of a sensitive soul - he snorted once at something in the paddock and frightened himself with the noise he made! That did make us laugh. We have used the same instructor since bringing him home 18 months ago and she is very good with the pony and in fairness to to her, she is coping with trying to instruct a teenager who sometimes is really up for it and other times not. Perhaps I should try a more traditional no nonsense instructor for a while but our instructor is very good with the spooky, stubborn, try all the tricks in the book pony :). As I said on another message, I think we will try mixing things up a bit and getting his brain engaged - maybe some of the problem is he is bored rigid. I suspect a more determined rider would help as well though.

thanks
 
I probably say this all the time but join your local riding club! I am a huge believer in the benefit of being a member of BRC. We have lots of teenagers so your daughter would have some "horsey" friends, regular training (alone and in groups which may help the pony's confidence), lots of different activities to engage both of their interest and most importantly a wealth of knowledge, experience and support! All the members of my riding club go out their way to help each other and my confidence is so much better than it was - I know if anything goes wrong I have lots of people to help and get me through it. There are lots of competitions too, even just tiny cross poles or an intro dressage league. You're daughter may feel motivated to try some competitions and practicing with other teenagers. Most of all it is fun! Good luck with him - when I first read your post I thought sell him to someone more suitable but after reading further I think you are attached to him and just need a bit of additional support and instruction in a fun and safe environment.
 
HBrae2 said:
I probably say this all the time but join your local riding club! I am a huge believer in the benefit of being a member of BRC. We have lots of teenagers so your daughter would have some "horsey" friends, regular training (alone and in groups which may help the pony's confidence), lots of different activities to engage both of their interest and most importantly a wealth of knowledge, experience and support! All the members of my riding club go out their way to help each other and my confidence is so much better than it was - I know if anything goes wrong I have lots of people to help and get me through it. There are lots of competitions too, even just tiny cross poles or an intro dressage league. You're daughter may feel motivated to try some competitions and practicing with other teenagers. Most of all it is fun! Good luck with him - when I first read your post I thought sell him to someone more suitable but after reading further I think you are attached to him and just need a bit of additional support and instruction in a fun and safe environment.
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I had not thought of this so I have now contacted a couple of riding clubs to make tentative enquiries - do they cope with relative novices and spooky ponies - I am still a bit wary of the horsey world or rather some of its people!:o
 
There will be someone who will take him on. If he has basic ground manners and doesn't do anything hugely dangerous, then a positive, confident and forward rider will get the best out if him.
The problem is, when you are a confident rider, you can take on any horse and to take on a pony like this, he'd have to be a good price with potential to be polished into more.
He really does need someone who won't think twice about the spooking; maybe he needs a wallop when he spooks, maybe he needs a kind hand to reassure him, maybe he needs to be so bloody busy he doesn't have time to spook (distraction method, I love it). Each horse is an individual and I treat spooks differently on every horse. But no matter what I do, it's not a big deal. Even if you were hanging half off, terrified for ur life during a spook, u have to get over it straight away and carry on. He needs a stubborn determined rider, he'll give in then!

He's 10 now, he can still offer plenty, but don't let it go on any longer. He needs a confident, experienced rider. He's no monster, he's just a typical sod of a pony. They r clever little things!
Someone will want him, but I'd suggest only at the right price. Be honest when you sell him but don't dwell on his bad points as to someone else, they may not be a big deal.

Good luck xx
 
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Harri Green said:
There will be someone who will take him on. If he has basic ground manners and doesn't do anything hugely dangerous, then a positive, confident and forward rider will get the best out if him.
The problem is, when you are a confident rider, you can take on any horse and to take on a pony like this, he'd have to be a good price with potential to be polished into more.
He really does need someone who won't think twice about the spooking; maybe he needs a wallop when he spooks, maybe he needs a kind hand to reassure him, maybe he needs to be so bloody busy he doesn't have time to spook (distraction method, I love it). Each horse is an individual and I treat spooks differently on every horse. But no matter what I do, it's not a big deal. Even if you were hanging half off, terrified for ur life during a spook, u have to get over it straight away and carry on. He needs a stubborn determined rider, he'll give in then!

He's 10 now, he can still offer plenty, but don't let it go on any longer. He needs a confident, experienced rider. He's no monster, he's just a typical sod of a pony. They r clever little things!
Someone will want him, but I'd suggest only at the right price. Be honest when you sell him but don't dwell on his bad points as to someone else, they may not be a big deal.

Good luck xx
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In the last couple of weeks I set up a mini gymkhana course and lead the pony round it but he pulled away sharply at a very low jump and b*ggered off around the paddock and would not be caught for a while. My daughter then rode him but he was difficult although he did eventually go over the jump. This Sunday, he was a pain to catch and then tanked off once when being rode, within 15 minutes he also deliberately (to my eye) threw my daughter - he was starting to buck (which is unusual) and then dropped his shoulder sending her flying. I have to admit defeat and we are going to sell him. Your comment about him potentially being fine for a more experienced and confident rider is hopefully true. He does not have any really horrible habits, he can always be caught (eventually), he does not bite, rear, kick and has none of the typical vices - he is just not the right pony for us.

I feel very sad about it but I think we need to draw a line under our foray into pony ownership and try to find him a good home. We might loan an older, been there and done that sort of pony as my daughter really does love riding but I cannot face buying one and potentially ending up with another one that proves to be unsuitable or to be fair to the pony, where we prove to be unsuitable for its needs.

I need to make the advert honest without making him sound like a monster and I am very realistic about his value (which will be low) given the prevailing market.

:(
 
Just seen this. Don't despair OP - I think you are making a very sensible decision. I have just given away a horse I couldn't cope with and that was just to protect my ancient old bones not my precious daughter's! I have now found an absolute saint whom I love to bits. Hopefully you will find the same. A piece of advice is to under-horse your daughter next time, as she will probably progress better if she is keen to do more and more rather than being put off by the simplest things. That doesn't mean get one too small for her - just get one that is quieter than she thinks she would ideally like!

Also if you can, get someone experienced (instructor?) to help you sell your pony or else you might end up with him going to someone not awfully suitable.

Good luck - am sure things will improve now you have made the decision.
 
:D
tobiano said:
Just seen this. Don't despair OP - I think you are making a very sensible decision. I have just given away a horse I couldn't cope with and that was just to protect my ancient old bones not my precious daughter's! I have now found an absolute saint whom I love to bits. Hopefully you will find the same. A piece of advice is to under-horse your daughter next time, as she will probably progress better if she is keen to do more and more rather than being put off by the simplest things. That doesn't mean get one too small for her - just get one that is quieter than she thinks she would ideally like!

Also if you can, get someone experienced (instructor?) to help you sell your pony or else you might end up with him going to someone not awfully suitable.
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thanks - I think part of the original problem was that we took along an extremely experienced rider and owner to help us when we were looking for a pony, and their instinct (a bit like people who can ski) is to go for something with a bit of life and spirit as that is what they would choose; this time, if we look again, I think something resembling a sofa that can pop jumps would fit the bill :D.

....if it was a quiet and gentle sofa I could try putting my brave girl pants on and ride it - I used to love riding until I came crashing off 10 years ago and discovered that I do not bounce!

I will ask our instructor to help vet potential new owners - I would not want him to go to the wrong person or to frighten another novice. Unlike the person we bought him off, we will be honest about him but point out his good points as well. Perhaps we could do a sofa/appaloosa swop with someone????
 
I would agree that if it's not fun it's not fun. One thing you could try with your daughter and pony is lots of different things in the school. Get his mind always thinking what's coming next and he won't have time to spook. Also use the spooks to get him forwards and do something different so if he spooks sideways add the aids for leg yield and then carry them on after the spook so he stops thinking of it as a spook and more as a leg yield. Kind is a very good way of going. He may be deficient in minerals or vitamins, try a good lo calorie balancer, I use equilibra 500 with mine and find it really good for good work and condition, very toned ponies. Appaloosa's are a smart breed. Also if you have someone local or maybe even a mini holiday doing it, try western riding with him. Appaloosa's are often pretty good at it and you are more secure in the saddle. Hope this helps. Please pm me if you ever want to chat. c
 
That does sound like a deliberate attempt to unship the rider -naughty pony. I don't blame you if you feel you have had enough.
 
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