May2018
New User
Hi, I'm new to this forum and purely made an account because I'm really stuck with my yearling. Sorry if I've posted in the wrong category too.
I feel like I should give a backstory to her before I complain about her. Her name is may and shes an 11hh welsh section a. I bought her from the farm I loaned a horse on and she was 8 month old. However, she hadn't yet been weaned. she got weaned at about 9 month old after pestering the yard owner because I felt like she wasn't mine because I couldn't do anything alone with her. While weaning the yard owner told me to feed her spillers stud and youngstock in the field to aid with the weaning. when she was eventually separated from her mother she was put into a field with her half sister and a Shetland. up until 9 month old she had no experience with humans whatsoever. she was terrified of me. she got so attached to those two if I wanted to catch her i had to heard her in while leading the other two. So, i started herding her in and putting the other two back out and feeding her alone and just in general spending time with her. now she is 1 years old and i can put a headcollar on, pick her feet, take her for walks and all the normal stuff as well as overcoming her separation anxiety to her sister.
However,
she will not, for the life of me, catch without her feed bucket. I have tried taking her favourite treats up and feeding her them and that doesn't work. I've built enough trust with her for her to come to the gate to see me without calling for her. if I have the bucket, she simply lets me put the rope around her neck and put her head collar on and slip through the fence before the greedy rescue pony in the field notices. if i don't, she'll come near me but run away if i try to catch her. I think this is because when she was unhandled, I clicker trained her to get her head collar on with the feed. I try to catch her as quick as I can because she hates the rescue pony in her field. If he comes near me, she kicks the life out of him. I thought about clicker training with mints but I know that will attract the rescue pony and it'll get her worked up. I'm the only person to have handled her and I've done so for 4 months now.
I just hoped someone would have advice. I know she is a baby and needs a lot more time and trust and she is capable of being caught, she's just unwilling to be caught if I don't have the feed. she's a really good pony and is a champ with everything. I can do absolutely anything with her. she's used to dogs, cars, tractors, kids and bikes. she's gone from not allowing me near her to allowing me to put rugs on her and groom the life out of her. I take her for daily walks and let her eat the grass to bond with her. I know there's some trust between us because she won't allow others to touch her yet other than me. thank you in advance for any advice.
I feel like I should give a backstory to her before I complain about her. Her name is may and shes an 11hh welsh section a. I bought her from the farm I loaned a horse on and she was 8 month old. However, she hadn't yet been weaned. she got weaned at about 9 month old after pestering the yard owner because I felt like she wasn't mine because I couldn't do anything alone with her. While weaning the yard owner told me to feed her spillers stud and youngstock in the field to aid with the weaning. when she was eventually separated from her mother she was put into a field with her half sister and a Shetland. up until 9 month old she had no experience with humans whatsoever. she was terrified of me. she got so attached to those two if I wanted to catch her i had to heard her in while leading the other two. So, i started herding her in and putting the other two back out and feeding her alone and just in general spending time with her. now she is 1 years old and i can put a headcollar on, pick her feet, take her for walks and all the normal stuff as well as overcoming her separation anxiety to her sister.
However,
she will not, for the life of me, catch without her feed bucket. I have tried taking her favourite treats up and feeding her them and that doesn't work. I've built enough trust with her for her to come to the gate to see me without calling for her. if I have the bucket, she simply lets me put the rope around her neck and put her head collar on and slip through the fence before the greedy rescue pony in the field notices. if i don't, she'll come near me but run away if i try to catch her. I think this is because when she was unhandled, I clicker trained her to get her head collar on with the feed. I try to catch her as quick as I can because she hates the rescue pony in her field. If he comes near me, she kicks the life out of him. I thought about clicker training with mints but I know that will attract the rescue pony and it'll get her worked up. I'm the only person to have handled her and I've done so for 4 months now.
I just hoped someone would have advice. I know she is a baby and needs a lot more time and trust and she is capable of being caught, she's just unwilling to be caught if I don't have the feed. she's a really good pony and is a champ with everything. I can do absolutely anything with her. she's used to dogs, cars, tractors, kids and bikes. she's gone from not allowing me near her to allowing me to put rugs on her and groom the life out of her. I take her for daily walks and let her eat the grass to bond with her. I know there's some trust between us because she won't allow others to touch her yet other than me. thank you in advance for any advice.
