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Post by suprisepackage on Dec 14, 2009 20:53:55 GMT
I have just got a pony which is very quite but he will not stand still when you get on as the people before us had him for four years but just had leg ups and would let him walk straight off. My daughter does not mind him walking away straight away but the pony is getting himself a bit flustered about it.
Any ideas on getting him to stand still while I leg my daughter up.
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Post by mol123 on Dec 14, 2009 21:36:14 GMT
does he do it if someone is holding his head? this may be a starting point then once he is good at that try without someone there or with him facing a fence or wall? my little dartmoor used to do this - a habit he had got in to with kids riding him and letting him get away with it! as i was on my own i mounted and dismounted with his head up against the fence so he learnt to stand, this worked well. good luck
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Post by lollipop on Dec 14, 2009 21:40:26 GMT
Hi, we had a pony who wanted to walk whilst mounting and she suggested we pointed him at a gate /wall etc to block him walking forward
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Post by suprisepackage on Dec 14, 2009 21:40:41 GMT
No had someone holding him while I legged her up and he backed up and panicked and when I held the reins as I legged up he walked round in circles
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Post by teemak on Dec 14, 2009 22:43:35 GMT
what about always having a few pony nuts in your left pocket , feed its face with left hand, whilst you leg up with the right. I have found the more you hold on to them the worse they are. pony must learn to stand in a relaxed chilled way while rider is getting back on after stripping in the ring and at home , so what if the pony is interested in what i have in my pocket,better that than stressy pony and worried child.
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Post by suprisepackage on Dec 15, 2009 10:00:18 GMT
I lunged him for five mins and then tried with someone giving him a handful of food and he stood there while I legged her up maybe I should do this a few times.
Really want to give him a chance don't want to have to take him back as he really is well behaved just this one problem
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Post by sageandonion on Dec 15, 2009 10:50:58 GMT
Proceed as you are going but with caution, particularly if the pony seems nervous or anxious. If pony is anxious you may very likely have a pain issue and it is a long process to find the primary problem.
Take care also that the pony is actually unused to being mounted from a block and the previous owners didn't just mount from the ground whilst pony moving because that is the only way you could get on it.
Having had one with this problem (which unfortunately we did not solve even with numerous experts) I am afraid it can be very dangerous issue. Long story but suffice to say I would not have another with a mounting challenge and would say it needs addressing by a very experienced, confident and agile rider.
One thing I was told is that you should not mount with a fence in front/behind etc., as the pony must want to allow you to mount and does need to be able to move away if there is a pain issue etc.
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Dec 15, 2009 21:40:43 GMT
I don't know if this would work as a retraining technique, but I always taught mine to stand still (which they had to learn to do while I clambered up onto something, fence, tree, whatever to get on from) by refusing to accept them moving. I would postiion them where I wanted, start to climb up the fence or whatever and if they moved, climb back down and back them into exactly the same position and try again, only actually getting on when they stood still. Tedious but it worked! I also didn't allow them to move off until asked and made a play of fiddling with girth, gloves or something to delay it.
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Post by carys on Dec 18, 2009 13:43:58 GMT
It is interesting that the pony stood after being lunged. Is there a chance it is slightly cold backed? In my experience animals like this tend to keep on the move when being mounted and often insisting they stay still leads to a fairly ‘hairy’ experience all-round. I would experiment with warming up before mounting and if this is the key investigate what else you can do to help- i.e. keep a quarter sheet on initially especially if worse in the winter cold or may be use a magnetic rug or equissage machine- although obviously this is not an option for everyone. Does the pony visibly go much better after the first 10 minutes of warm up? This would be another indication of tightness problems initially. If this is the case it is very easy to turn a moving animal into a dangerous animal by restraint so take care but once you eliminate all physical problems and ensure it is just habit then you can start retraining.
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evie
Junior Member
Posts: 94
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Post by evie on Dec 21, 2009 6:32:21 GMT
Start from the beginning.......Teach your pony to stand still at a portable mounting block, then stand on the block always making sure the pony stands still......and the best advice I have ever had was never get on till the pony stands still It may take sometime but its worth it all the horses I back are taught this way and never have a problem being mounted, hope that makes sence...!!!! ;D
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Post by suprisepackage on Dec 21, 2009 8:52:45 GMT
Thanks for all the tips he is actually getting better I have been standing him next to a fence so that he can't move away when I leg my daughter up just can't do a lot at the moment cause of the weather
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Post by suprisepackage on Dec 29, 2009 14:49:46 GMT
Thank you to everyone for all your suggestions but I have now had the pony for two and a half weeks and the problem is now solved even though we have only managed to ride him four times because of the weather.
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Post by sageandonion on Dec 29, 2009 17:21:02 GMT
That's brilliant, sounds like he was just a little anxious and unsure in his new environment. Good luck with him.
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Post by tuppence on Dec 29, 2009 17:30:03 GMT
I don't know if this would work as a retraining technique, but I always taught mine to stand still (which they had to learn to do while I clambered up onto something, fence, tree, whatever to get on from) by refusing to accept them moving. I would postiion them where I wanted, start to climb up the fence or whatever and if they moved, climb back down and back them into exactly the same position and try again, only actually getting on when they stood still. Tedious but it worked! I also didn't allow them to move off until asked and made a play of fiddling with girth, gloves or something to delay it. I do something similar which involves the long drawn out process of me getting a mint out of my pocket and peeling it. The whole time the horse has to stand still. They catch on really quickly!
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