*sigh* more advice needed.... Please help!

R

rose bud

Well-Known Member
Joined
17 July 2011
Messages
213
Visit site
Hi everyone, its me again. I'm sorry to keep moaning on about my pony but i would find peoples opinions really usefull at the moment as it is getting me down.
The background is, i bought a new pony about 6 weeks ago, hes a 14 year old exmoor gelding.
He was sold as a bombproof sensible pony, which he was for the first two or 3 weeks that i had him, then something changed. He started spooking when we hacked out and being a bit silly when previously he didn't bat an eyelid at anything.
I put this down to a change in the weather or autumn grass, but it is still happening and now he has started doing a few little bucks as well!
So what is going on with him???
I thought that maybe he wasn't having as much exercise as he had in his old home so have asked a girl from the yard to ride him 3 times in the week for me (as i work full time and with the dark nights and no lights in the school will struggle to ride him at all in the week) and i will ride him at weekends, do you think this is enough exercise and a good idea?
He is living out 24/7 in a paddock on his own although there are horses in the paddocks next to him on 3 sides but i think he had a field companion in his old home.
He is not fed anything apart from 1 section of hay at night, surely its not the hay making him silly is it?
I had thought that he seemed pretty settled in his field but i went there tonight and there were a few skid marks where he must have been galloping about.
Sorry about the long post and thankyou for reading, please give me your opinions and advice on what to do.... He was supposed to be a bombproof confidence giver and at the moment he is definatly not!
What would cause such a change in him?
Please help!
 
blood_magik said:
could it be his saddle?
if he's bucking he could be uncomfortable
Click to expand...

I was wondering if it might be as i am heavier than his last rider. I have got a saddle fitter coming on 24th nov (the earliest that he could come!) to fit him a new saddle.
Would this take 2 weeks to start showing as a problem because he was fine for the first 2 weeks?
Thanks for your reply.
 
It could be the saddle,back etc or more likely he is bored with being on his own, yes he has others near him but not one to have a charge round with, mutually groom or any other normal behaviour that a herd animal needs.
Could he have another one in with him, at least part time, it may help get rid of possible frustrations of being alone.He may be settled in general but this does not mean he is happy.
The extra exercise should help but remember it will also mean he will get more fit.
I assume you are an adult and I think you bought this pony from a child rider it could be that he needs the odd "bomb round" fun ride that he may of had previously to keep him sensible, without making him silly.
 
be positive said:
It could be the saddle,back etc or more likely he is bored with being on his own, yes he has others near him but not one to have a charge round with, mutually groom or any other normal behaviour that a herd animal needs.
Could he have another one in with him, at least part time, it may help get rid of possible frustrations of being alone.He may be settled in general but this does not mean he is happy.
The extra exercise should help but remember it will also mean he will get more fit.
I assume you are an adult and I think you bought this pony from a child rider it could be that he needs the odd "bomb round" fun ride that he may of had previously to keep him sensible, without making him silly.
Click to expand...

Hi,
Thanks for your reply. I think that you are right about the company, i have been thinking about that and may ask the yard owner if i could put one of the other ponies in with him.
Yes, i am an adult rider that bought him from a 14 year old and i think that she did a lot of jumping and bombing about on him. I have been struggling to find anywhere to have a good canter on him out on hacks and am not really into jumping but i do plan to do fun rides on him.
That was one of my concerns with getting a rider for him, that he may get too fit, although he was used to be ridden at least 4 times a week with his previous owner.
 
4 times is not a lot - honest even my semi retired mare does more than that,! Always worth getting his saddle checked - do you have any anyone who helps? Trains? Might be worth getting his eyes checked as well
 
Luci07 said:
4 times is not a lot - honest even my semi retired mare does more than that,! Always worth getting his saddle checked - do you have any anyone who helps? Trains? Might be worth getting his eyes checked as well
Click to expand...

Thankyou, I think i will give him a full mot to put my mind at rest and check its nothing physical. Would it be the vet to check his eyes?
 
Seems to me, he's still trying to settle in, you have had him only 6 weeks, no horse/pony is a paragon, give him time to settle,get use to a new regime and owner/rider. Old saying it takes at least 12 months for horse and rider to get use to each other, so give both of you time to get use to each other.
 
It could be that as you have only had him a few weeks he is just testing the boundaries and seeing how far he can push you, My mare took a year to settle, you have to remember they are very sensitive to change. Excercise him more and he should settle down :)
 
Achinghips said:
What are the differences between how he was kept before and how he's being kept now, environment-wise?
Click to expand...

well... When i went to view him he was kept in a fairly secluded field with a mini shetland for a companion, however they told me that they kept him at a livery over the winter.
I am keeping him at a fairly small and quiet livery yard. He is in a paddock on his own but there are horses and ponies in the fields next to him.
 
About the fitness, I would not worry too much but ask the person riding to give him a faster ride, maybe one day and some schooling another, not to try and get him fit more to give him lots to think about. I ride a livery sometimes, he is spooky and I work him over poles and round fillers in the school it makes him think and listen to me and he has become less spooky.
 
Hi firstly, stop "sighing",be positive, you can sort this! i am in a very similar situation and know how tough it feels, but i will say to you what my friends have told me, you are a confident person who is having a wobble and the pony can use this to it's advantage! get back in control. i wont waffle on but the same is happening to me, after 1wk of having a lovely pony she bucked me off from then on she knew i was having some wobbles and got more unruly, barging when i led her, refusing to walk on if it wasn't in the direction she wanted, in my space in the field, very intimidating. it knocked my confidence big time but as she was new i didn't want to be mean and shout or tell her off too harshly. after good advice i realise tough love and good leadership is the way to go. It might help you as it did me to stop putting pressure on yourself, go back to basics for awhile, remember it is early days. i spent about a week or more just making her respect me in hand and in the field generally, and as hard as it was i got tough,mine is only 5 so needs to learn manners but i suspect yours just needs reminding of them. I type fast so tend to write alot, sorry if i did waffle but i want you to know it can get better quickly, just get out there and show him who's boss (thats you by the way) i must practice what i preach here aswell as i am still working on this respect thing!!
 
He is missing company - horses are gregarious creatures and whilst it may seem ok to have company over the fence, they havent actually got company in the field and someone to boss around/ be friends with - this explains the skid marks and galloping.

One of mine was exactly the same until he had company. He settled down a right treated when we moved another horse into his paddock.

It maybe worth lunging him with and without the saddle to see if he still bucks (on both reins)
 
scrumpy27 said:
Hi firstly, stop "sighing",be positive, you can sort this! i am in a very similar situation and know how tough it feels, but i will say to you what my friends have told me, you are a confident person who is having a wobble and the pony can use this to it's advantage! get back in control. i wont waffle on but the same is happening to me, after 1wk of having a lovely pony she bucked me off from then on she knew i was having some wobbles and got more unruly, barging when i led her, refusing to walk on if it wasn't in the direction she wanted, in my space in the field, very intimidating. it knocked my confidence big time but as she was new i didn't want to be mean and shout or tell her off too harshly. after good advice i realise tough love and good leadership is the way to go. It might help you as it did me to stop putting pressure on yourself, go back to basics for awhile, remember it is early days. i spent about a week or more just making her respect me in hand and in the field generally, and as hard as it was i got tough,mine is only 5 so needs to learn manners but i suspect yours just needs reminding of them. I type fast so tend to write alot, sorry if i did waffle but i want you to know it can get better quickly, just get out there and show him who's boss (thats you by the way) i must practice what i preach here aswell as i am still working on this respect thing!!
Click to expand...

Thankyou for your reply!
I think that you are right, when i first had him i was a lot more confident as i was convinced that he wasn't going to spook or do anything silly and then when he did it started me worrying about why he did it and would he do it again? Which knocked my confidence.
I think that i have also been feeling like he is new and i didnt want to be too hard on him, although i haven't had any other problems with him on the ground, its just when ridden.
Thanks again, and i hope that your pony also continues to improve!
 
It's also worth getting a good instructor to help you out. She can help you with tips on how to respond to his behaviour and having someone on the ground might give you more confidence.
 
Dancing Queen said:
He is missing company - horses are gregarious creatures and whilst it may seem ok to have company over the fence, they havent actually got company in the field and someone to boss around/ be friends with - this explains the skid marks and galloping.

One of mine was exactly the same until he had company. He settled down a right treated when we moved another horse into his paddock.

It maybe worth lunging him with and without the saddle to see if he still bucks (on both reins)
Click to expand...

Thankyou for your reply.
I think that i will have a word with the livery owner to see if there is another pony that would like to share with him, otherwise i may have to think about getting him a companion.
Just out of interest, he has become slightly nappy when we hack out alone (nothing major yet but reluctant to go and threatens to buck when pushed, although does go) would having a field companion make this worse as he wouldn't want to leave him or not as he would be generally happier?
I have tried lunging him and he does buck on both reins, although slightly less on one than the other. I also have a big problem getting him to canter at all on the left rein when i ride him in the school.
 
Exmoors in particular are a herd animal, its a very rare one indeed that is happy on its own. Often they are like little plants & whilst can be perfect in 1 place, can be unhappy, unsettled or naughty when uprooted to be planted elsewhere.

I'd give new pony more time to settle in & the benefit of time. You are doing the right thing in getting saddle checked but I'd also try & look into getting a companion too - and re-inforcing good behaviour. Knowing Exmoors, I'd be inclined to give new pony a good 4 - 6 months to really start to settle with your routines.

Good luck, drop me a PM if you want to let off or need help :)
 
classicalfan said:
It seems unlikely as your post sounds very confident but are you, perhaps, a little nervous when riding him? Horses and ponies can pcik up the 'vibes' and he may be acting up because of it.
Click to expand...

I think that it may be something as simple as he genuinly spooked at something (which we all do) and it may have made you nervous. Then on subsequent rides you are feeling a little nervous when riding and he is picking up on your tension and is looking out for the "Monster in the bushes".

Whilst it is worth getting him a full MOT and considering all the options that may be affecting him. It however may be as simple as getting to know each other and considering whether you are nervous/tense when you are riding him now, as you are expecting him to spook?
 
Keimanp said:
I think that it may be something as simple as he genuinly spooked at something (which we all do) and it may have made you nervous. Then on subsequent rides you are feeling a little nervous when riding and he is picking up on your tension and is looking out for the "Monster in the bushes".

Whilst it is worth getting him a full MOT and considering all the options that may be affecting him. It however may be as simple as getting to know each other and considering whether you are nervous/tense when you are riding him now, as you are expecting him to spook?
Click to expand...

agree with this, sometimes we look for problems when there isn't really one, chances are his back teeth saddle eyes etc are all fine he is just still settling in. You possibly aren't as confident and as gung-ho as his previous owner so he's feeling a little bit lost in his new home.
Do you talk to him when you're riding? i know it sounds daft but i do it quite a lot as my mare is not overly brave when hacking out alone, it helps me to relax and the drone of my voice is either boring her into a stupor or is helping her relax a bit too;):D
is there someone who could walk out with you or ride with you, a bit of company can help the rider as well as the horse somtimes;)
 
Ibblebibble said:
agree with this, sometimes we look for problems when there isn't really one, chances are his back teeth saddle eyes etc are all fine he is just still settling in. You possibly aren't as confident and as gung-ho as his previous owner so he's feeling a little bit lost in his new home.
Do you talk to him when you're riding? i know it sounds daft but i do it quite a lot as my mare is not overly brave when hacking out alone, it helps me to relax and the drone of my voice is either boring her into a stupor or is helping her relax a bit too;):D
is there someone who could walk out with you or ride with you, a bit of company can help the rider as well as the horse somtimes;)
Click to expand...

hi, thankyou for your reply.
I am not as confident as his previous owner, she was a 14 year old girl who had no fear and didn't worry about falling off!
I do try talking to him when we hack out but not alot so will try more.
The first time that he spooked was at a sheep that he had been past loads of times before, then it was white lines on the road!
When we hacked out this weekend the spooking was better but we had 2 or 3 moments when he completly tensed up, started jogging and doing little bucks (not nice!)
I think his previous owner rode him alot so i'm hoping that getting a rider to give him extra exercise was the right thing to do and may settle him?
 
Sounds as if the honeymoon is over and whereas when you bought him you tried him out he is now trying you out and seeing how far he can push you!
Be firm with him on the ground and when you ride, find your best old fashioned school teacher voice and tell him NO if he does not do as you say when you say it and carry that firmness through to your riding. Even if its only a tiny thing that you correct him on it will stop things growing into problems.
Having a companion and someone else to ride him could well help as will you having the saddler as it could be that the saddle is not a perfect fit and with you being heavier than his previous owner it is causing discomfort. Hope you get through the cheeky stage and get everything sorted out.
 
crabbymare said:
Sounds as if the honeymoon is over and whereas when you bought him you tried him out he is now trying you out and seeing how far he can push you!
Be firm with him on the ground and when you ride, find your best old fashioned school teacher voice and tell him NO if he does not do as you say when you say it and carry that firmness through to your riding. Even if its only a tiny thing that you correct him on it will stop things growing into problems.
Having a companion and someone else to ride him could well help as will you having the saddler as it could be that the saddle is not a perfect fit and with you being heavier than his previous owner it is causing discomfort. Hope you get through the cheeky stage and get everything sorted out.
Click to expand...

Thankyou for the advice!
I will try and be more firm with him.
I am trying hard to keep the memory of that perfect pony in my mind that i bought and owned for 2 weeks, i know that he can behave himself, so hopefully we can get back to that!
 
totally agree with the other posters about you needing to be more in charge, take some rescue remedy before you go riding if your not feeling confident- and carry a crop-you dont need to use it just carrying one is enough to show many ponies that you mean it, where hes been spooking put your leg on a good bit before you get there - keep him going and maybe even a good smart trot to give you both confidence -and be the boss! im sure youll soon have your lovely pony back -and periodically you may have to show him whos boss again ponies love trying to push the boundries!!!:D:D:D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top