Tips to help a very lazy pony become more forward-going!

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billylula

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Had such a depressing hack out with him and 9 year old daughter yesterday. He is so non forward going that it is a real battle to keep him going forward at all. He is quite young (7), and has always been a bit resistant and nappy. Yesterday he would NOT trot or do anything more than a slow walk (if I had walked at normal pace I would have left them far behind!). Daughter is not the most experienced rider in the world but she really tried, sat well down, reins good and with good contact, tried everything from squeezing to kicking to finally using the whip, when he would trot a little but as soon as she takes the leg off he just stops. This makes him a really exhausting ride - not fun. He just doesn't listen. He will listen to my 12 year old - she is a much more confident rider - he becomes a much better pony and will canter fast and jump up to 3' 6" - so he can do it, he just doesn't want to.

I feel really defeated as I don't want to keep using the whip and I don't want my 9 year old to learn to ride flapping her legs around and constantly tense that he will stop! We did have a good 10 minutes in an open field where she got a few strides of canter out of him.

In some ways it is great that he is so sluggish (young riders) - he is bombproof with traffic/dogs/shoots/tractors and I totally trust him out hacking. But there is something going on with him and that makes me wary of him as I wonder if one day he will just change his mind - he is in control at the moment, not us! My older daughter loves him and he goes well for her so that is a good thing, it would be lovely to be able to teach my other daughters to ride on him too though and at the moment it is a real struggle. Schoolwork is impossible with him as they are just not strong enough to boot him on so we mainly hack. Any advice or criticism welcome!
 
Have you ever taken him anything like a fun ride? You need to get him thinking forward - and the school's not the place (imo) for that to happen.

Things need to be fun, fast and furious!
 
Or find some experienced kids or teens who live locally to ride out with? That age range can usually be relied on to be forwards to put it mildly!
 
You have just described one of my horses down to a T!!!!

What breed is yours? Mine is a connie x tbred and will do anything to get out of going forward, especially in the summer mnths. Hacking is a bore and school work just plain knackering.

Like yours he does love his jumping so try to intergrate that into any hacking we do. We are lucky as have access to open common land to ride on, so can always find some gorse bushes to pop over.

The only thing that we have found that gets him going is hunting - he now hunts weekly from the end of Aug to the end of Mar and he is unrecognizable on the hunting field. In fact he can be so forward going brakes can become an issue!

Over the summer I try to take him on some fun rides too keep him sweet. I also find that keeping rding down to 2 - 3 days a week over the summer mnths keeps him a bit keener, but still ensures he is fit enough to start the autumn hunting season.

The other thing I have found with mine is that he is even more sluggish when he need the toilet, so if I have the time, try to stable him for a couple of hours before I ride to make sure he has had a clear out.

Feed wise I have tried everything with mine, including supplements, but was just a waste of money.

What I would suggest is that you find something he enjoys, such as his jumping, then intergrate it where possible. The other side of the coin is if you did sell him I believe there is still a good market for 'plodders'!

I have faced facts now that mine is predominately a hunter, which is fortunate as is an activity that we both enjoy.
 
oldest daughter does that - wouldn't feel happy sending 9 year old out with that bunch of ruffians and without me!! He'd be fab with another horse...
 
Ha Sidney! He's a NF. Very beautiful boy but stubborn as buggery! He LOVES hunting. LOVES it and is a dream to ride - happy to stop if you want, but will just follow everything and jump anything. This thread is helping me get into his head actually - he probably loves riding with 12 year old as she takes him all over the place over logs and brush and little hedges and park benches (naughty I know but they will jump anything together), whereas taking boring old 9 year old and 6 year old out is just no fun.

One good thing is that you certainly don't need a lead rein - he just follows me like a dog, stops when I stop, trots when I run etc. It is bloody exhausting for me though!!
 
Again, just like mine! I had my 9yr old hacking him all last winter, even when hunting fit, as knew he would be safe. See, lazy and stubborn horses do have some advantages!!

I think you are absolutely right taking the route of getting inside his head and seeing what makes him tick. This is what I did with mine, and although it meant giving up any ambitions of being able to do a decent dressage test, we are gaining satisfaction from other activities.

Good luck!
 
I think you've answered your own question - you need to make nannying your little ones more fun for him - more like when he's being ridden by your 12 y/old. Would he liven up slightly if you put tiny jumps in the school for him to trot over, or poles out? What about playing gymkhana games in the school?

And find a hacking buddy for you to ride, or someone you can trust to take your smaller kids out on the pony.
 
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