Won't walk, tried everything

[skully]

Hi guys, I've been loaning my 14.1hh Connemara gelding since June and we've bonded really well, he's an excellent, if a little stubborn ride, and perfect manners on the yard. However over the last couple of weeks he's started refusing to come in from the field. He trots up to me when I go to catch him and allows me to put the headcollar on but as soon as I ask him to walk on he throws his head up and starts walking backwards. If I keep insisting he'll try to spin around to shake me off. He's not scared of anything in the field and his fieldmates come in perfectly so I'm at a loss of what to do. Food doesn't work, he'll take a few steps before stopping again. Usually I have to get somebody else to come out with a whip to wave behind him which sometimes works but he'll be kicking out and dancing all over the place. He's starting to be a danger to the girls who have to catch him when the stable uses him for lessons on a Saturday and I've got no idea what to do to solve the problem. He gets two days off a week and is fed every day, never works that hard and gets plenty of hacks in his schedule so it's not like it's unpleasant for him to come in. We never used to have this problem, he used to be enthusiastic to come in every day! As soon as he comes onto the yard he's perfect in every way, manners are great etc so I don't know why he's such a pain in the field! He's too clever for his own good! Please help, skully xx

 

[Clodagh]

Could he get an electyric shock or caught on something as he comes in? Maybe somethnig has scared him.

 

[skully]

I honestly don't know because I only have him 5 days a week but he's always been fine until recently ...
I've moved him around five different fields over the last two weeks and he hasn't come in easily from any of them so I think he's just being naughty and trying to get away with it. It's just such a pain because I don't have enough time to be standing out in the field for an hour every time I want to ride!

 

[JFTDWS]

Schooling whip, bridle. And mean it.

That's what I'd do...

 

[Carlosmum]

Can you make him back up? Try turning him bum towards the gate & back him. He'll soon realise its easier to go forward.

 

[flintfootfilly]

I'd make sure I used a halter with 12ft rope to bring him in, so I could get effective about sending him forward without having to ask for help.

Beyond that, I'd look at what would make him more likely to see coming in as a good thing. I used to give my gang their hard feed late afternoon, but changed my routine earlier this year when I broke my ankle and couldn't walk across the field to catch them in the morning. It became really important to me that all the ponies would choose to come in when they saw me hobble to the gate and open it for them. Ended up switching feed time from late afternoon to early morning, and it's worked a treat. It's cut down probably about 10 minutes or more on the time taken to bring them all in in the morning.

Is there a change like that that you could make? If not with a hard feed, then is there a haynet he can come in to....... or anything else that he really likes, so he starts to look to coming in?

Sarah

 

[AngieandBen]

Good idea from flintfootfilly ; Exactly what I do with all four of ours.

Open the gates up, put all feed in their stables and shout them! All four come trotting down into their own stables

Could it be there's too much grass so not hungry enough to come in? If so can you limit it ? Mine will do just about anything for a bucket of feed! Good luck

 

[Triskar]

Catch with a lunge line and lungeing cavesson, and take a lunge whip. Any baulking, lunge for 5 minutes, then ask to walk in normally. Worked with my stroppy TB mare in the distant past, although she had a full lungeing session once before she worked out that she wasn't going to get away with it!

 

[putasocinit]

Maybe he has been belted when he didnt want to come in, or maybe he doesnt like lessons something hurts, ponies dont just suddenly decide they dont want to come in it is not even spring. If he is a loan why is he having lessons or is that with you on him