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Post by Ziggy on Oct 31, 2012 18:28:42 GMT
I know it's Halloween but by spooky I mean, god bless him, he could jump at his own shadow! I sooo adore him and so want to do right by him. How do I get past his baby show pony brain, do calmers actually work?
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Post by lauren on Oct 31, 2012 18:30:53 GMT
some do magic calmers are meant to be good, i would say walk him past things he is scared of such as plastic bags lunge him and rattle a plastic bag?
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Post by Ziggy on Oct 31, 2012 18:32:18 GMT
Yes, good idea Lauren but trouble is he is scared of everything!
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Post by lauren on Oct 31, 2012 18:39:52 GMT
walk him out? take him out with another horse to babysit him?
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Post by brindlerainbow on Oct 31, 2012 18:41:59 GMT
Is this while being ridden or just loose ? Calmers are good but I would say if he is needing calmers at home it doesn't bode well for shows!!! Forget calmers and get on and ride him through his spooks ( that is if he is spooky while ridden ) plenty of leg and a confident jockey should do the trick.
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Post by lauren on Oct 31, 2012 18:46:41 GMT
Is this while being ridden or just loose ? Calmers are good but I would say if he is needing calmers at home it doesn't bode well for shows!!! Forget calmers and get on and ride him through his spooks ( that is if he is spooky while ridden ) plenty of leg and a confident jockey should do the trick. agree with that if you can get some confident to sit on him and keep on him while he has spooks and get him through he will soon realise that the stuff he is spooking at wont eat him, whats he like in traffic? |
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Post by bethanyy on Oct 31, 2012 18:57:17 GMT
Nursery said baby show pony so assuming he's a youngster? Definitely use an older horse to babysit. Also when he does spook ignore his silly behaviour  |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2012 19:00:30 GMT
Get your pony checked out for pain by a reputable equine physio, etc. Ask your vet to recommend one. Musclar pain can lead to excessive spookiness / anxiety - very easily sorted and resulting in a happy pony - happy owner.
In addition to this, add a teaspoon of brewers yeast to his daily feed.
xx
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dazycutter
Happy to help
The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his Tongue.
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Post by dazycutter on Oct 31, 2012 19:28:47 GMT
Nursey, show ponies as you know are like little minature thoroughbreds.. they spook at their own shadow highly bred and hot headed.....Probably nothing at all wrong with him, just the way they are.
forget calmers at home and to be fair, he may reamin the spookiest pony in the world. I agree with other comments, get a confident rider who will ignore the spooks and ride him through it. A nervous jockey and spooky spony is a recipie for disaster which I am sure you know..
You can try aversion therapy with him... that might help
what does he actualy do when he spooks and at what sort of thing!
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Post by GinaGeo on Oct 31, 2012 19:32:12 GMT
Second what others have said. Unless he's lacking in Magnesium the calmers won't do anything, and if he is lacking then feeding Magnesium Oxide will be much more economic. The easiest way would be try feeding him some "MagOx" and see if it has a positive effect.
Other than that make sure there's no pain and then get started with de-sensitization. Don't pander to him, if he's scared of something march upto it boldly yourself with him on a nice long lead rope and stay there until he decides to join you. You'd do it through pressure and release, so put pressure on the rope when he steps forward release the pressure and then repeat. Give him plenty of praise when he comes to stand with you. This can be done with plastic bags in hedge rows, tarps, puddles, traffic signs, anything and everything really.
It helps to build trust as well, if they can do all of that and it doesn't hurt them, then when you go to a show and there's a flapping banner ringside they should have enough trust in you to know that it won't hurt them.
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sarahp
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Post by sarahp on Oct 31, 2012 19:41:06 GMT
Agreed. But pat or tread on whatever it is, kill it yourself, show him you aren't scared of it so neither should he be. I've waded through fords in my rubber riding boots - usefully the thing at the time I had that Cob - danced about in car exhaust in the drive, fed them from a bowl on the car bonnet with the engine running, given them empty paper feed sacks to play with in the field, hung black rubbish bags from places round the yard...... whatever you can think of. The one thing that didn't work was lending a darling D frightened of cows to a dairy farm though, although the worst he'd do was roll his eyes and snort.
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Post by tularula on Nov 2, 2012 15:42:36 GMT
I am having problems with a spooky pony (14.1hh cob). He's 7 and is fab in the heaviest of traffic but is scared of everything else! Blowing leaves, long grass are his speciality and he won't go first through a gate. I have had to stop riding out alone as he will reverse quickly away from the terrifying leaves etc and we usually end up holding up the traffic or scaring pedestrians (have no off road hacking). I carry a schooling whip but it I use it he really throws a wobbler! I am going to get creative and set up a tarp, bags on sticks to walk past and anything else I can think of that might teach him that there's nothing to worry about. Once going ok at home (hopefully!), do you usually find that they cope better generally with scary things? Sorry if i've hijacked this thread but I seem to be having similar probs to Nursey.
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