Can anyone recommend some schooling exercises?

[Mirage]

We've had a pony on trial for nearly 4 weeks now,but due to a combination of dark evenings and bad weather,DD2 has only been able to ride her 2-3 times a week in all that time.Today she rode in the school for the 4th time since she arrived and was a bit silly,spooking at things and yanking the reins.This un nerved DD2 who wanted one of us of walk alongside of her 'just in case'.By the end of the lesson,she was trotting her around cones and over trotting poles on her own,and was quite happy,and dealing with the yanks and spooks without turning a hair.

However,DH wasn't impressed and says that he isn't keen on the pony,too nervy,he reckons.She is,but she had been on the same yard with the same people for 4 years,so she has had a lot of change to cope with.2 instructors who've taught DD2 have said that once DD2 gets her confidence up,the pony should be perfect for her,but if DH won't buy her,that is that.I've got a rally booked at PC over the holidays,and plan to ride every day if we can,but I'm not horsey,so don't know of any exercises that DD2 can do with her to up her confidence and get the pony concentrating on her rider rather than looking for something to spook at.

We've tried riding in a circle at each corner of the school,which seemed to work well,but I don't know what else to try.I'd be really grateful for any suggestions,thank you.

[Booboostoo]

Hi Mirage! Are you still on the hunt for a pony or are you taking a break?

Just saw this one on H&H
www.horseandhound.co.uk/classifieds/details.aspx?pu=BPmXvHOJFapxpHa6zlSgMw&cu=975&kw=0&ca=&st=&at=3&ag=9750.949HHO:317475&pg=1&si=CAT*1**0&sr=h&cr=1&kwe=horses&ref=http%3a%2f%2fwww.horseandhound.co.uk%2fforums%2f

[CatPussRoastingOnAnOpenFire]

I hope I didn't offend Mirage with my post. That wasn't my intention.

[DolomitesDonkey]

Eeep, don't want to sound like a nodding dog. Have thought a little bit about what I'd like to articulate. I'm not sure how many ponies you've tried recently or what the system has been, but if she's been trying a new pony every 2 weeks for an hour and at the end of the hour mummy says "no way", then I think you're going to inadvertently upset her confidence too.

I think sooner or later you're going to just have to bite the bullet and get on with it. Read a Thelwell book or 6 to get the picture.

[DolomitesDonkey]

WTS.

[50BalesOfHay]

Sorry Mirage, have been wanting to say what Catpuss said. GD has a very, very, (and another very) challenging horse on loan at the minute. She cries sometimes. She'll be a better rider for it. You have to let them fall off. That's how they learn. (That and a billion lessons: GD had 3 a week when we first got Ben) Otherwise put her back on a lead rein pony: if she's tiny and 7 then she'll struggle anyway. Wind it back a bit, let her get her seat, there is no perfect pony, and if you find one you have to maintain it.

7 is young (especially if she's tiny) get her more lessons, let her muck about on dpony, and think again next year.

Sounds harsh, but 20+ ponies is way too much

[CatPussRoastingOnAnOpenFire]

Can I say something? Without starting a riot?
I think... myself... that you are over thinking the whole thing. You have tried how many ponies? 20, 30? To have tried that many ponies, and not found one that remotely suits, you are searching for something that doesn't exist. If you found an absolutely perfect pony, I'd lay money on your DD being bored of it in six months. And I'm not being a cow here, we have had many many ponies and riders through our yard, and none of them were perfect. But, they all had potential, and just needed time, patience and effort to be very nice.
I'm not saying that you need a rearer, or a bolter, but something that needs a little bit of work won't harm anybody, and will challenge your DD. Mine has been on a complete roller coaster ride in the last eight years.
She has always been given something the right basic shape, and had to live with it. I am a terrible worrier, and DD has at times often been totally wet, and we have had tears, tantrums, falls and bumps, I've cried, she has cried... But she has conquered every one. Sometimes its taken months, but she gets there in the end. Having to work through small problems and work at her pony will only make your daughter stronger as a rider.

[Booboostoo]

Oh well at least DD2 was not upset the pony left!

Maybe wait 8 weeks before getting a new pony? Getting a new pony and not giving it enough work in the middle of the winter is going to cause trouble.

[Mirage]

She has gone back today.DD2 was completely unbothered about her going. We are going to try a PC instructors pony tomorrow,personally I think it'll be too good for what we want at the minute,but she says she'll assess DD2's riding ability while we are there,which will be very useful.I have been offered 6 ponies since Sunday,so it certainly is a buyers market at the minute.

We saw the little hunting pony that we tried,out hunting today,in a snaffle and perfectly behaved.I had a chat to the owner and said we'll come back and try him again.The dds both rode good old dpony today in the school,she is such a good old girl,not everyone's cup of tea,but we all love her and I can trust her not to be silly.DD1 is taking her out hunting on Friday with strict instructions that she has to stay by me,any galloping off and she'll be sent straight home.

I have an added complication now,that dpony has to be off her fields by the end of the month,as part of the lease conditions,until 1st April.She won't be stabled so I have arranged for her to go to my dad's farm down the road for the 8 weeks.However,there are no stables there,so any pony that may arrive before April,will have to live out too.I can't have one at home and one a mile away,they'd never get ridden before it got dark and I'd be running myself ragged.Why can't life be simple?

[Booboostoo]

Just to add another perspective here...you got the new pony mid-winter and were forced to keep her in 24/7 during the rain. These are about the worst circumstances you could have a new pony in (of course none of it your fault, everyone is struggling this winter), so now you have seen the worst the pony can be. All ponies have naughty/difficult times but you usually don't find out about them until later and what can seem like a deal breaker in a trial, may just be laughed off in a pony you've had for a year.

Is it possible to keep her a bit longer, with daily turnout and a bit of lunging (right before DD2 gets on every time) to see what she's like on good days?

[Zazzles007]

Mirage thanks for your updates. I can see that buying a child's pony is even more of a minefield than buying a horse for an adult!

I would agree that if your DD2 has not gelled with pony, and possibly may not like her all that much, then it is time to return pony and continue with your pony hunting. Be assured that you are teaching your DD's some great lessons in perseverance, exploring different solutions for a problem and then saying no when those solutions are not viable.

Let us know how you get on

[Mirage]

Oh my! A friend has just texted me to say that a pony we had on trial a year ago and who threw 3 riders off in one week,is up for sale again,described as a 'super safe child's pony'.He was very distinctive looking and it is definitely him,I even recognised his fancy rug.I had offered £600 for him subject to trial,he is now up for £1500.Wait until I tell the dds!

[Mirage]

Thank you all.We took both ponies to a PC rally today,and apart from a little buck when cantering,she behaved perfectly.She seem so much more relaxed and happy than I've seen her so far,no spooking or flinging her head about.I'm wondering if she was happy to be back in a RS environment,after all it is all she has ever known.Perhaps she finds a private home not as structured as a RS /Livery yard?

I was very proud of DD2,she was very brave and trotted,cantered and jumped very nicely on her own,but she just hasn't gelled with Millie.If she wanted to keep her and there was just one issue,we'd have worked to overcome it,I know it took them a good 5 months of riding every day to really get to grips with dpony and get the best out of her.

Oh well,back to pony hunting,I really don't enjoy it at all.

[Stinkyminkymoo]

Sorry, just read the rest of the thread. I'm sorry your dd isn't getting in with the pony but did want to reiterate what a poster up thread said about the pony putting her nose to the ground, this is stretching over her back and does feel good for her.

I hope you find a suitable pony soon

[Stinkyminkymoo]

I have a stupidly spooky horse who can be a right knobber but I love him! I bought a book called 101 schooling exercises which helped both me and DHorse to focus & concentrate and have our schooling sessions a purpose too.

I hope you keep on with this pony, it's worth remembering that if he's new he might just be trying it on to see what he can get away with so do persevere! Xx

[CatPussRoastingOnAnOpenFire]

You arent alone. This weather is killing us here!
Maybe you are expecting too much too soon? there are bound to be teething problems. My DD was terrible for regressing when she got a new pony. Issues that had been solved ages ago suddenly reared up again no pun intended
and it always took some while to sort things out.

[Mirage]

I mentioned that mare to DD2,and she also told me that it had a hole in it's hoof,in addition to the other stuff.It is funny how adverts are worded,there was one on Horsemart and the pony sounds cracking.Then I realised which pony it is,as a friend tried it.It has been for sale since August & keeps going on trial and coming back.I'm not sure what the issue is but there definitely is one,the price has dropped from £4k to £1750.

We hacked out today in the freezing rain,DD2 refuses to go off the lead rein now, and she has never really been on the l/r before.She asked if she could do some jumping on dpony,but the school was too waterlogged.I am not enjoying horse ownership ATM,I'd been looking forward to lots of lovely hacking over the fields and trying out the new jumps my dad has built,but it is to wet and dangerous to try.

[50BalesOfHay]

There's a nice little 11.2 mare on the QHPC website that I've seen around at shows and always liked. Have PM'd you

[50BalesOfHay]

Why not give dd2 some sessions on the lunge? Just get her to work on up and down transitions, and it might bring her confidence back.

[marialuisa]

Sorry it's not worked out . It may be worth getting in touch with the producers that asked DD2 to ride, they should have a few contacts and know of ponies that are coming up in the spring.

[Mirage]

Thank you.Yes DD2 can ride dpony with no problems at all,as she was originally bought for them to share.She is 13h so DD1 has always got the best out of her as her legs are longer! They have ridden her almost every day for the past 18 months so know her very well indeed.DH and I were saying last night how lucky we were to find her,as she was the 3rd pony we saw and is absolutely perfect for us,never given us a moments worry under the saddle.Although,apparently she had a bad reputation for being naughty in the past. We adore her and she has a home for life with us.

I have lunged Millie this morning and we'll ride later.We aren't going to keep her,but I don't want to dump her back on her owner between Christmas and New Year,so will speak to them and sort out her going back after then.

Waiting until spring sounds a good idea to me.This winter has been utterly dreadful so far and having a pony stabled has meant so much work [wonderful dpony refuses to be stabled!]

Thanks for your advice and input.DH has mentally switched off pony stuff now and I've no one to bounce ideas off.

[Booboostoo]

Ah don't be too hard on yourself! Picking the right pony is as much a matter of luck as it is anything else. If you think that we pick them on the basis of a one hour visit, it's a miracle any partnerships are formed at all!

Can DD2 ride dpony at all? If she can and also get the odd lesson at the RC it would be worth putting the search on hold till spring when more ponies are likely to come on the market.

How did the lunging go? Or have you given up on current trial pony?

[Mirage]

Thank Booboostoo.The dds already have a lesson every week with the chief instructor from the local PC .I've been told by the instructors and other parents that she is a confident rider with an excellent seat,and she has happily ridden ponies that others have termed 'difficult'.We can't keep a pony at a RS because the nearest one is a 14 mile round trip and we have dpony at home.If we kept another pony on livery we wouldn't be able to ride dpony and she is used to being ridden every day.DD2 has been asked to ride for producers before now and we've had to decline because of the distance and it meaning that we'd have no time for riding dpony.

I think part of the problem finding a decent pony is that we aren't on a livery yard near or with other people,so don't get to hear about ponies coming up for loan or sale.People also don't want them to move yards.My friend has a pony that needs a rider and DD2 has ridden her before,but it is a 20 mile trip away,which is a pain.She can't move to us because her dd still rides her sometimes.I think for the time being I'll give the pony hunting a rest,my friend has a lovely 12.2 that she says her dd will outgrow this year and DD2 has ridden him a fair bit in the past.We have first refusal apparently when he goes out on loan.DD2 can carry on sharing dpony for a while longer.

With regard to the hunting pony,I'd like to try him again,but I know someone else is going to see him when it dries up [if it ever does].It doesn't help that I'm crap at picking them,given a choice,I'll pick the wrong one.

[Booboostoo]

I know you have been struggling with this pony search for a while now, so perhaps it's worth a radical re-think. Is it possible that DD2 might benefit from some more riding lessons for the time being and putting the pony hunt on hold for a while? If she develops a bit more core stability she may find it easier to ride a wider range of ponies.

Or perhaps keeping the pony at an RS so it can be on working livery? That option works well for some ponies, they get a lot of work with the RS so they are not so energetic with their owners, DD2 can join in lessons where the pony is likely to be more well behaved following others and if the pony misbehaves the instructor can immediately swap riders so that the pony doesn't get into bad habits.

(free schooling/lunging with the nose on the ground doesn't really correspond to snatching the reins when ridden so don't let that in itself put you off. The first is an attempt by the pony to stretch his necka nd back muscles and it should be encouraged as long as he's not on the forehand. The second is a minor but annoying cheekiness many ponies are prone to and is fixed by a more stable rider maintaining their position and sending the pony on)

[mrslaughan]

What about the pony that the guy you meet at the hunt had - worth a try?

[Mirage]

Thank you all.I turned her out into the school whilst I mucked out and carted hay about and she had a buck and a gallop about in the rain.I'm not used to ponies being in,dpony lives out all year round.I free schooled her for a bit and she was easy to command,but went around with her nose touching the ground.Evidently it is a long term habit if she does it when not ridden too.
marialuisa thank you,that is a kind offer,but at the end of the day DD2 is going to have to ride her and she is a clever pony,she knows when she can put her head down and get away with it.DH and I have decided that she isn't right for us and after the holidays I'll speak to her owner about her going back.Her spookiness,strength and nose to the ground way of going aren't right for DD2.I've also got to be hard hearted and think about what would happen when we had to sell her on,very strong little ponies aren't easy to rehome as tiny riders can't cope with them.I've heard on the grapevine that my friend who owned her several years ago struggled to sell her and had to loan her to her current owners first.

I'm feeling a bit defeated about the pony finding business now.