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The tack room

Discuss horse riding and ownership on our Horse forum.

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Original poster

am so cross with that pony :(

29 replies

MitchiestInge · 20/03/2011 14:16

Daughter had a horrible fall yesterday, I am wondering when you decide to call it a day? Don't mean sell him or give up schooling but to say 'no, YOU can't ride him until you are older and bigger and or he has pretty much definitely grown out of being such a shit'.

OP posts:

AlpinePony · 20/03/2011 16:41

Turning them both "out to grass" won't fix anything though.

Pony club?

marialuisa · 20/03/2011 17:59

Is it worth getting someone completely different in to work with him? Apols if you've tried it already but have just seen a nightmare pony sorted after 2 weeks with a trainer.

Original poster

MitchiestInge · 20/03/2011 18:33

He is being schooled (professionally) three times a week and hacked most days, the increased level of work has been a massive help. These incidents are fewer, further apart than they were and I have a very committed sharer who (I hope) is happy to persevere.

I feel like saying 'you can ride other ponies, but only other people ride that pony until either you are bigger/more competent or he is less unpredictable'. It's not just random bursts of excitement, sometimes he just wants the rider off and that's all there is to it for him. But to my daughter, he's her pony and she just wants to get straight back on - well not straight away, when her arm isn't in a sling of course.

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elephantpoo · 20/03/2011 19:07

Your poor DD :(

Sorry, I don't know about your pony. What's the background?
10/10 to your DD for her committment :)

Original poster

MitchiestInge · 20/03/2011 19:24

I know. I don't want to undermine her commitment, but am wondering how unpredictable is too unpredictable. Obviously they all are or can be.

Umm background? Had him over a year (could it be 18 months ish?) and he'd had several owners in short space of time - all bought him for children who were too small (he's chunky 13.2 cob type) and sold him when he bolted and bucked them off. He was 6 then (I think, I could look through old tack room threads to find out) and 8 now under Jan rules but very very green. He has come a long way since then but I hate it when he does that to anyone but especially my daughter. :(

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elephantpoo · 20/03/2011 19:37

If it were my DD I think I'd be tempted to say 'you can ride other ponies, but only other people ride that pony until either you are bigger/more competent or he is less unpredictable'.
But as it's not my DD and from an outsiders perspective, it sounds as if you've come so far and you're obviously committed to this pony. It'd be a shame to stop your DD being involved in this progress.
Such a hard choice for you.

Original poster

MitchiestInge · 20/03/2011 19:46

Thanks. She's got to have a few weeks off anyway, by which time we should have a little dartmoor on loan so maybe can just encourage her to do lots with him. Think am upset because the failsafe method of having someone school or otherwise work him before she gets on obviously failed yesterday. Also can't identify the trigger, there usually is one but this was very out of nowhere.

OP posts:

LisaD1 · 20/03/2011 20:26

Hi Mitchie,

I typed a reply earlier and then didn't post is as really don't want to upset you but now think maybe I should just tell you..I had a horse, who sounds similar to your pony, I adored him, he was a shit, still is! Was very unpredictable and often dumped me, I tried all sorts with him, had some top riders come and school him and they could get some lovely results from him but he would still be naughty even with them on board. I wold get a "better" rider to school him before I got on, put him on the horsewalker, lunge him anything to try and get the fizz out, nothing worked 100%. If he was in the mood to be good he would be and he and I had many wins when he was in that good mood, if he was in a crap mood boy would I know it. There were no triggers, just how he felt like behaving. I eventually, after 3 very long years of trying all I could, gave him to my best friend, who is a talented rider, she still has him (7 years later) and he is exactly the same, she can have fantastic seasons on him eventing over huge courses and then another day he will dump her in front of a cross pole! She even hacks him out with a neck strap as he is even happy to dump her on the road.

Some horse/ponies are little shits and neither schooling nor age will change that (the horse I'm talking about is 14yrs old now).

If it were my DD I think I would impose the "you can't ride him at the moment" rule and hope that she loses that bond with him or he turns a corner and becomes the pony she needs. I hope he does and if he doesn't at least you can try and get your DD to love something else instead.

I now have a fab horse who does exactly what I want her to do (she's a bit cheeky but never mean) and am so glad I parted ways with the handsome handful!

Good luck :-)

Original poster

MitchiestInge · 20/03/2011 21:22

Oh thank you, I'm glad you posted that, am not upset. Want to hear about many similar experiences whatever the outcome, and yours sounds like a happy ending - pony is not in can of dog food is he?

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olderyetwider · 20/03/2011 22:16

Mitchie, however much you both love the pony he's perhaps not as safe for your DD as you'd like. Your commitment is outstanding, and he's been very lucky to have you, but why not see if you can send him out on loan or something, and let DD enjoy a confidence giver for a while?

Lucyinthepie · 20/03/2011 22:31

A 6 year old is still a green pony in my view and therefore should be ridden by an experienced rider. If he's chunky he might even suit a small adult, I ride my 13.2hh chunky for miles and she carries me with ease. If you've had him 18 months he was only 4 years old when you got him, so newly backed and starting his education. Then you say he had already had several homes, which wasn't great for him at such an early stage in his physical development and education. It sounds as if he was started rather young, and never got the chance to settle down and properly learn his job.
I would either sell him or put him on loan for a set period of time (think in terms of years) to an experienced rider. Maybe a competent youngster who needs a pony for a while before they will want to move on to horses.
I doubt it is a good idea for your daughter to keep on riding him as she doesn't seem to have the experience yet. Horses learn from everything we do with them, whether it's "good" or "bad". He's not being naughty, bad or malicious, he's just a pony doing what ponies do. In this case, learning how to dispose of riders when he feels like it.
Pat Parelli says "Green on green = black and blue" and I think this is what you have here.

Original poster

MitchiestInge · 20/03/2011 22:37

Sorry, he was six when we got him and is eight now. But what you say still holds true. I was shocked to see in his passport that he'd had three changes of home in six weeks and the people I bought him from hadn't even got round to registering as his owners.

I knew he'd be a long term project, I won't outgrow him (unless I put on loads of weight I suppose) although my daughter might. I'd consider loaning him fully to my sharer though.

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Lucyinthepie · 20/03/2011 22:49

There are a lot of fairly amiable ponies out there that looked mature enough so someone got on them. They put up with that so the bridle went on and away the pony went. Then people start saying that he's "broken in". I back horses and ponies from time to time and it's easy, it is what comes next that is difficult and many people just don't do the job properly. Then, if the pony gets confused or just gets taught some habits that us people find undesirable, pony is in trouble.

Maybe you could loan him to your sharer, and ask around to see if you can find a nice safe pony to loan for your daughter?

Original poster

MitchiestInge · 20/03/2011 23:06

Yes, hopefully have nice safe dartmoor on loan for summer or longer. Don't want our pony to actually move home (my horse wouldn't cope, probably need separate thread about pair bonding) but suppose am just hoping to hear that it's not neurotic to stop my daughter from riding him for the time being. Really should be able to make these decisions myself.

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LisaD1 · 20/03/2011 23:35

Haha, no, he's not in a can of dog food, he's safely tucked up in a warm bed with a big haynet! Thanks I'm sure to the fact that he is gorgeous!

I really hope you get things sorted so you are all happy. We give a lot of time and money to our horses and sometimes we need a reminder that they're meant to be fun.

Hope your DD is ok.

ManateeEquineOhara · 21/03/2011 07:25

Oh no, hope your DD is okay, we had issues of a much less but still frustrating kind yesterday too, which have resulted in me saying both DCs cannot ride DHorse in the school for a while, only along tracks, she totally took the piss. (not helped by DD saying she did want a canter, screaming when in canter and then saying she got canter confused with trot - that she was already doing )
It sounds like you are already doing all the right things with someone schooling and getting the Dartmoor on loan. It is definitely not neurotic to stop your daughter from riding him for a while, he is still quite young and so there is a good chance of further improvements.

Original poster

MitchiestInge · 21/03/2011 11:21

Thanks everyone. Have had chat with her, told her how proud I am of her bravery particularly (I dread getting on that pony!) but that for time being she can ride (well she can't ride for a few weeks but you know, when she can) the dartmoor. It was The Plan anyway, do pony club and have fun summer on him while we keep up the schooling etc on her own pony.

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SupersonicDave · 21/03/2011 16:29

Sounds very sensible.

I had (have) a welsh sec B mare that i bought one winter as a project while my 2 were on a break. The plan was to re-school (had been off for a year) get her going nicely then sell on.

I couldn't sell her. She was a dream to handle, bit green to ride, but not nasty. She was 7yrs when i got her, had been in 6 homes in that time Much as i wanted to sell her on, i couldn't do it. I had no full time use for a 12.3hh, so i managed to find a loan home for her. She has been there 4yrs now, with a rider who was big enough to ride her properly, but still small/young enough to take her to pony club. I hope to have her back for DD in a couple of years

Original poster

MitchiestInge · 22/03/2011 09:16

yesterday we replicated, as far as possible, the scene on Saturday (him in one school, horse in one next door) and he did it again - but didn't get away with it that time, although later got his rider off when refusing a jump

person who schools him most wants a stronger bit, have mixed feelings about this but might struggle to find someone willing to work with him otherwise?

OP posts:

marialuisa · 22/03/2011 11:25

What bit do you have him in at the moment? Does he fight it and take off? Sorry, haven't seen your previous posts so unsure what he does exactly.

SupersonicDave · 22/03/2011 11:31

I have found a cherry roller with cheeks an invaluable bit to have. I have been riding my mare in it recently (due to bad behaviour) and it has really helped.

I know lots of people swear by a waterford but yo are quite limited as to where yo can go from there.

Callisto · 22/03/2011 12:15

Instead of a stronger bit have you tried a different noseband? A snaffle-flash or snaffle-grackel combo might be better than a stronger bit?

Why does his rider want to put him in a stronger bit?

Pixel · 22/03/2011 19:10

Or instead of a stronger bit, just a different one. We started dhorse off in a french link snaffle because we thought it would be nice and mild for him but he fidgeted and threw his head about all the time. We changed it to a fulmer snaffle and he much prefers the single joint, even though it is still seen as a mild bit. Perhaps then you and your sharer can find something you are both happy with. (Hope you know what I mean, I probably haven't explained very well!)

Pixel · 22/03/2011 19:11

Sorry, schooling person, not sharer.

ManateeEquineOhara · 22/03/2011 19:32

I agree with what Pixel said, different bits work on different pressure points in the mouth, so it doesn't need to be a stronger bit to change the way the horse goes in it.

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