Worried pony... help!

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shandy133

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i have just bought 3 NF ponies from the sales, two of them are frinedly and are being handled well. but one of them, a 3YO NF cross something, roan gelding is extremely shy/scared and wont let us near him, when you are with him.
You can stroke his head/neck but no where else, if you touch under his belly/legs/lower chest he goes into a colic/lamenitis looking stance - kind of hunched, he almost looks more in pain than scared.
when we went to get his passport at the sales, they said they would post it as it said colt on the passport, not gelding.
does anyone have any ideas what may be wrong with him, or what to do?
we are walkin up to him and stroking his nick at the moment, then leaving him. i think he may have been gelded late, or had a bad experience with it. any ideas? thanks!
 
We had one that was similar, when we sedated him to have a look he was found to be a rig. Due to the passport issue that is the first thing I would check.
Apart from that a physio check and to start working him would be my way forward.
 
Poor thing. I think this sounds like one for Dr Time to sort out. If he is not showing any signs of illness then I'd keep going as you are, not pressurising him. THe only way to be 100% sure is to have a vet examine him but this will probably stress him out even more.

I hope he comes good for you.
 
it has only been since thursday, but its so wierd how the others have settled so quickly, and he wont even look at us when we walk onto the yard, even when we are playing with the others he stands away and seems to "hide" i hope you are right about giving him time to settle, as he is stunning looking and has a nice nature underneath.
 
Give him time, every horse is different , he may have had a rough time in the past .


Plenty of space and time and he should come round . Wouldnt get the vet to him straight away as this would stress him out even further, if he is eating and drinking and going to the toilet and doesnt look to be in severe pain or anything that would need emergency treatment then like i said I would let him be .

Keep us updated .
 
As the others have said, time is very important. I have just rehomed a shetland who wasn't beaten or anything but he had been neglected, he had red raw patches on him,, very bad dandruff, his feet were extremently long, never had his teeth done, fed on chicken corn, the list goes on! Accorrding to his previous owner he is impossible to catch and a night mare for the farried.

Sure enough, I couldn't get any where near him. He has learned that if he stays about 6ft+ away you can't catch him but you can throw food to him.

I spent quite a lot of time in the field fusing the other horses and mucking the field out, just hanging out. Gradually getting closer to him the the wheel barrow as I was picking poo.

After about 3 days he started comming over when I was feeding my mares, expecting me to throw his food for him as usual. After 2 days he had figured out that if he wants food and treats he only gets them out of my hand. So with neck at full stretch he would take it. After a couple more days he would come over when I was brushing them, so i would give him a scratch and a brush with the rubber curry comb, no tieing him up, he walked off when he wanted. It took me a week before I put a lead rope on him. Another week before I could walk up to him when ever I wanted to.

He now walks over to come and see me when I get to the field, no more treats at all. I waited until he was settled before I got the farrier, he came last week, 4 weeks after the pony arrived, he stood like a star (the pony not the farrier!), no probs, I'm hoping he behaves as well for the dentist next week!
 
It means only one testicle is descended (or none at all) so they have all the attribtes of a stallion as the hormones are there but not the balls. Sometimes the testes (which are inside the body) can get trapped or even become cancerous so they need getting out really.
 
I would (if you can) get hold of him and check him over for any obvious signs of ill health. If he seems ok then agree with others that time should help. I have a rescue pony. I've had him a year and still cannot catch him. I have to encourage him into a crush to get a headcollar on and off and to groom/handle him. He's quite a smart arse but has also taken some seriously rough handling at some point. When you initially go to touch him he just braces himself and goes ridged. It may be the same for your pony. What little handling he may have had could have been rough and he may just need plenty of time to come round. It may be days, weeks or months. Good Luck
smile.gif
 
thanks guys, ill keep the hard work and keep you all posted, he is going out tomorrow for the first time, as when you have got hold of him, and do not attempt to stroke anywhere but his head/neck he is a sweeite to handle - sort of. so will be interesting to see how he is tomorrow night. thanks! x
 
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