UPDATED 10/06/2014 MASSIVE DIFFERENCE!!

[heart2heart]

We very recently got my son a new pony. He's lovely natured but seems quite nervous. When we went to try him he was lovey the lady's daughters were very very loud and they caught him brought him in etc. My son rode him on the lead rein and all was good. Her daughter rode him off the lead rein and he is very green (only 5) but didn't do anything but he is very typically lacking forwardness being so green. I am not bothered as I bought him as a lead rein.

Anyway he was born and bred there had been shown in hand as a colt until age 3. gelded at 3 and broken at 4. He was 5 this month.

When he arrived at ours he was shaking. He seems to flinch at any sudden movement. He won't come over to me unless we crouch down. he is much better with children and will let my son approach hiM.

I know I need to give him lots of time. I wouldn't put my child on him yet. If we sit in the field he comes over and snuggles us and is very friendly. He wants attention but is nervous of it.

How do I manage the planting when being led? I plan to long line him to teach him to go forwards confidently. I don't want to push his limits and have him run off and create another disaster as when we got back through the electric gate he ran through but stopped. It's difficult going in and out the field as we have to walk through an adjoining field with a big TB in

He's been to a pony club rally recently (2 weeks ago) apparently but I just cannot see how as he is at the moment.

I am thinking of putting him on a calmer but I never used calmer. Do you have any suggestions? Not that I want to keep him on it but so he can have the edge taken in and let the settling in period be at least stressful as possible.

In the field he is out with my veteran arab and they have bonded very quickly. I find them laying down together in the mornings and grooming each other. That is a big bonus as he is very happy turned out with him. My arab is notorious for separation anxiety though so he doesn't help matters shouting if we take pony out. That is why I have been trying to take pony out from day one so they do understand they have to be parted at times.

[honeypot]

I bought a four year old colt from a stud, he had lived most of his life in a stable and was not as I understood it turned out with others. It has taken nearly three years to become what I would class as a normal pony in the field, he is used to having his food put in front of him, and not holding his place in the herd even though the other ponies are not that much bigger than him. He had done all the big shows so is very good when you take him out but has had a very sheltered every day life. Some of the studs put electric fencing across the stable doors so the stallions can not put their heads over so your pony may have had a good zap at sometime as well as keeping them in for long periods.
On a livery yard its difficult as most are set up for the standard animal. Its great that he's bonded with your horse but I think you need a third or you will end up with him totalling depend on your arab and he needs to be somewhere where he can get used to being seen to 3-4 times a day at least. If you have a large enough back garden I would take him home so you can pop out give him a carrot , fill his water or give him a brush every time you go outside or find a small yard where he can share with a couple of other small ponies.
As to the planting, he is just saying no in a polite way, I would not give him a calmer, he just needs time spending with him at this stage.

[fanfarefan]

for safety reasons and liabilty you should not be expected to walk through a field with a loose horse at a livery yard, have a word with YO Especially if you have a child with you aswell . As for a calmer i think its a very good idea we always use Global herbs Supercalm , great stuff , i think you are doing exactly the right thing by taking it slowly good luck

[sarahp]

I agree re walking through a field with a loose horse, it's not safe.

As a small breeder myself, I can see it from the pony's angle - I'm basically a one man band myself which doesn't help and they do get used to being handled by only the few people they know, so he may well find changing homes both geographically and with all new people too a bit mind-boggling. And I know many colts are kept shut in, and heard tell of the electric fence in the stable bit although I've never actually seen it. I can also vouch for ponies that have had no opportunity to become socialised with others young finding it difficult to learn it later - I sold one as a weaned colt foal and bought him back, still entire, three years later. He was seriously weird, very stressy and had no idea how to behave with other horses and I think he must have been kept shut in on his own.

In your place I'd start off by forging a bond with him and gaining his confidence. I work all my weaned foals on the ground using a rope halter and teach them, using pressure/release, to move backwards, forwards and turns on the forehand from a light aid. Lots of praise, and don't tell him off, just try another way to get him to do what you want - for example if he plants, ask him to move his head to the side until he has to move a foot, then praise. And yes, take it slowly. Personally I have never used a calmer.

[fanfarefan]

Good solid advice above slowly but surely !!!! we are great users of herbal calmers because of keeping stress levels down with our EMS and cushings animals , we are also in the middle of hunting country and 3 get very stressed out with hounds about and i have a show pony who is abit of an acrobat in the ring and have found a herbal calmer to be our best friend , it doesnt put them on their knees it just helps them to reason and keep a civil head

[fanfarefan]

sounds as if you are going in the right direction , keep us posted

[sarahp]

All sounds positive so far, glad to hear the YO is changing fields around for you. I'm sure anything you can do to reduce stress levels to him will all stand you in good stead in due course, like putting rug on well away from the fence, then he only has one thing to think of at a time, he's not trying to keep one eye on the rug and the other on the fence.

As for the headshyness I have three thoughts, which may or may not apply to your individual pony. First he may have been told off for biting when a colt which could be why he is a bit wary of fast moving hands near his head. Second he could have a problem in his poll (this has happened to one of mine, when sorted by the physio it had a magic effect on being headshy) and third I wonder what bit he was shown in? Being of an independent mind, I hate the standard thick straight "stallion bit" that many put into colts mouths for showing, I've always found mine hate them and are far happier with my normal sort of first bitting bit - a double jointed snaffle of some sort.

[sarahp]

Definitely no titbits of any kind fed from the hand, only ever from a bucket on the ground, or a manger if that's what's in the box. I went to a Richard Maxwell lecture years ago and my friend asked him about biting stallions - his answer was to poke a long fingernail into his nose if he goes to bite, but without comment, so to speak, on your part, he needs to think he did it to himself. I use a variation of this to stop them running a shoulder into you when leading and it works very well.

I've used an old fashioned rope halter for years before Monty Roberts came over here - a headcollar is completely useless in your situation - and never felt the need to change for normal circumstances, but I mostly have home breds to deal with now, occasionally something bought in has needed more. I'm a huge fan of halters, but you do need to learn how to use them, and the required pressure/release technique.

A purely personal comment but it saddens me to hear stories like this when I have two beautifully behaved 5yo As for sale who would have done the job for you and your son that I can't sell!

[barbiegirl]

It might be an idea to have the pony's eye sight checked. I've known a couple of ponies who behaved similarly to yours and it was due to eye sight issues.

[sarahp]

Great to hear this, keep up the good work.

[flo1]

That's great! it looks as though he's come on loads since he arrived. And what a lovely pony.