Can't sell Problem Pony

[childrensjewelleryco]

We recently bought our daughter a "Mothers dream" bombproof first pony with no vices.
To cut a long story short, it turns out she is the total opposite.

She is fine on the lead rein, but off the lead rein she will buck when asked to trot, and is super sensitive to leg aids. She spooks easily too.

We tracked down an old owner of hers using her passport, who says this is a very long standing behavioral problem with her (she's 13) and her back, teeth, saddle have been checked. They couldn't cope with her and put her out on loan many times.
We have also discovered she has sweet itch. We have been totally done over. The seller doesn't want to know and won't answer our calls or letters.
From doing a bit of digging around it seems we are her 5th home since November 2014!!
I have been trying to sell her as a lead rein only pony or a companion as my conscience won;t allow me to put another child at risk (she's only 12hh). But I have not even had one inquiry. I have contacted several different rescue shelters, and riding schools and nobody wants to know.
I'm really at a loss, to know what to do with her now. We can't afford to keep her as a pet or get her re-schooled.

Any ideas would be appreciated

Yes she does live at home, not on livery.
You are quite right, I am not the person to be schooling and lunging her, which is exactly why we want to sell her. She is just too much pony for me and the kids to cope with.
Thanks for the info on the mounted games, I didn't even know it existed.
Thanks for all you very helpful replies and for being so understanding!

I think problems with horses can appear far worse when they are kept at home. You can't escape the issue and there aren't other horsey people around to bounce ideas off. Do you have any other horses?

OP listen to yourself, you are her fifth home in 18 months, you were had by the seller, there is no good home waiting for this pony even if you give her away. Give her future some serious thought and do the decent thing by her.

I would have no great guilt in PTS in this situation. I think you've explained your situation very well, and the pony sounds dangerous. She will either injure or kill someone, quite possibly a child, or be mistreated in future homes, or both.

Next time be much, much more cautious. The only real attribute that is essential in a child's first pony is temperament. I say this as an experienced equine vet; I will speak very frankly to prospective owners if I get unpleasant vibes from a child's pony, and in fact that is outside the remit of a veterinary examination, yet I make no apologies for it. A pony can be slightly lame, have sarcoids, have COPD... hell, it can be blind and still be a better bet than a pony who is unpredictable and untrustworthy. Get rid of her and if you value the safety of the next child, put her to sleep.

OP do you have a pony club nearby? Or are you members?

Try and get hold of the DC. Explain your situation in full and ask if they know of any local instructors that could come to you and help. It might only cost the same as the riding lesson your dd has at the riding schooL.

In the good old days there would have been teenagers and pony mad but pony less kids queueing up for a free ride buts it's very different these days.

Sorry to hear of your problems, always tricky when it's a littley.
I don't think the games home route would work as she is a bit too small for that unfortunately. Bucking isn't a great attribute either for people leaning over or trying to vault on.
I second the instructor route, even if they gave you a lunging lesson.

The thing about a first pony is that it should be absolutely trustworthy (as far as any animal can be). A good first pony doesn't turn its bottom on someone inexperienced trying to catch it, or attempt to buck etc. These may be problems that can be worked through with an experienced trainer, but I bet as soon as the pony is alone again either with the OP or DD it will try it on again.

To get a confident child you need a quiet pony they feel totally happy with both on and off. You want the sort of pony they can catch, take to a gate, clamber on board and ride bareback round the field, one they can groom for hours, practise their farrier-ing skills on, and generally enjoy. These ponies are born rather than "made", though age may mellow some.

If this pony is still being passed around at 13 I would say there is probably little you can do, and pts is the kindest option.

I'm really sorry, op, but I think you need to get this pony PTAs as soon as possible. It is possible that with years of patient work and lots of expertise she might one day be OK. But she will never be a safe child's pony. And she is 12hh. So who will want her but a child?. She will never have a happy life. in the meantime, your child does not have a pony and is missing out on all the joy and fun and learning that having a pony can give.

It's a really crap situation. But I think you need to take the least worst option. Cut your losses and try to move on. I'm sorry to sound brutal, but I think it's the only way.

We have a very similar pony at home - beautiful looking , lovely mover , but had nine owners in seven years . She started off ok, but once she started feeling at home , she began playing up , bucking , proper broncing , even put me on the floor and tried to stamp on me . The only thing that saved her from being pts was that she was and has always been utterly well behaved to handle , and that my big horse is slavishly devoted to her . So she became a field ornament , suitable for children to make a fuss of , but never to ride , and we found another paragon before their confidence was destroyed . Which is lovely if it's doable , but obviously not everyone can .

Being pts , is not the worst thing that can happen to a pony .

Are there not any horse/pony rescue centres near you? There is a few near me and they take abused/problem/homeless horses/ponies. They can then live in peace. I am shocked everyone is advocating being PTS without even suggesting a sanctuary. Ok they may not have room, but surely it's worth a check before doing something so final.

I don't know of a single horse sanctuary that has spaces.

And, once again, sorry to sound brutal, but if there is a space, it should go to a pony that has a chance of being rehomed.

Sanctuaries near us only take traveller 'rescues' these days. You can't take an unwanted pony to them. Personally I would move her to a livery yard where experienced people could help. Get a behaviouralist out to sort out the problems on the ground. Take it from there. I'd be happy to help if you are in my area,as I'm sure others on here would.

Mrsray- she's 13. She is on her 5th home in 2 years. She bucks and turns her bum. And the OP's daughter doesn't have a pony.

And she has sweet itch.

First time owner. Pony kept at home, possibly without company. Pony is in control on the ground, so all things considered is probably going to be a shit ridden at the moment. That's why I would want her tried on a yard with proper help. If she's given a chance and still doesn't come good then pts. But I would give her a chance.

You say the space should go to a pony that has a chance of being rehomed- yet plenty of posters here think that she may be able to be rehabilitated. The sanctuary near me does extensive rehabilitation work, and also would accept a pony that was going to be put to sleep. Also with the cant think of any horse sanctuary that has spaces comment... do you ring up every day or something? Obviously as spaces can change on a day to day basis. It may be they don't have space but surely it's worth checking at least. Then at least you would have tried everything.

The sanctuary I am talking about is called World Horse Welfare. I used to volunteer for them.

It just depends whether you think being pts is the worst thing that can happen to an animal. I don't.

And the possible rehabilitation argument might apply to a bigger pony or a horse. But would you have a "rehabilitated" pony for your 6 year old? No. Neither would I.

And I can only speak, of course, for the sanctuaries and rescue centrex I know.

I am a strong advocate for pts. But really what has this pony done wrong to make it so disposable?

She is keen off the leg-probably never been schooled to be ridden by children.

She bucks in a walk/trot transition-probably never been schooled off lead. Though this to me contradicts the keen off the leg statement.

She is taking the piss in the field-op needs to stop giving sweets to catch her

She has sweet itch-presumably not too severe as ops dh is a vet and would have noticed before she was brought home.

She needs a basic check up of back/tack and lameness issues. Surely ops dh can do this. Anyone selling saddles caN check a saddle fits enough for a child to Bob around on? Stick her on regumate or pop a marble in to see if any improvements with that.

Then OP needs to get some experienced help and some equine company for this little mare. Even DIY livery oN a decent yard with an instructor coming in twice a week over summer could be enough. The pony needs lunging and long reining and the more miles she gets on the clock the less she will spook.

When did it be ok to have a pony pts because it's not quite push button? It's not crippled, it's not tanking off, it's not rearing and it's not bronking otherwise the competent adult wouldn't have been able to hold it together. The OPS dh is a vet and can surely examine the pony and surely can afford a few lessons a week for a few weeks.

If not then perhaps ponies are too expensive full stop. Because a few lessons can be the least of your worries!

I had a rescue pony as a companion from ILPH (is it now WHW?) that sounds just the same as yours. He had learned to despatch his little rider and be returned to his field. A good small adult could ride him - he'd be a cooplete shit, then literally huff & puff and behave. On the ground he was lovely 99% of the time, but would randomly body slam you with his head up, or refuse to lead (once had to phone for help as the bugger wouldn't bloody move and there was no way he was going to win) or sometimes he'd just drop to the floor and wouldn't get up again going to or from the paddock.
Which was fine, I could cope with that - it kept me on my toes.
With the best will in the world, if you can't handle the pony, stop going near it, you're making things worse. Forget about the seller, it's your problem now. If you REALLY can't afford to sort the problem, then either give her to someone knowledgeable who needs a companion or PTS.

"She needs a basic check up of back/tack and lameness issues. Surely ops dh can do this. Anyone selling saddles caN check a saddle fits enough for a child to Bob around on? Stick her on regumate or pop a marble in to see if any improvements with that"

She's done all that. As have , presumably, at least a couple of the 5 owners she has had in the last 2 years.

But how do you know what she has had done and not done? Nobody knows and I wouldn't trust anyone else's word either until I had done everything myself.

Saddles don't always fit how they should. Mares are sometimes hormonal. Small ponies can take the piss if allowed. My sister bred section As for 18 years and I know that the mares in particular could take the piss out of novices. Not in a nasty way but in a taking the piss way.

I am sure that my 2 small ponies would take the piss if allowed. My gelding who was bred by my sister right royally takes the piss out of her. RefuseS to be caught by her and refuses to load.

It's down to the op to make a decision at the end of the day. But I personally think that this pony just needs a basic vet check, reschooling for a few weeks and a firm hand moving forwards.

And I am of the opinion that ponies should be pts rather than passed on when there are serious issues.

Oh well, if we're not going to believe the OP then all bets are off!!

Trouble is, the OP can't ride her and her dd can't be the firm hand going forward because she's a child.

I agree with PP that pts has to be an option here, not on the basis on her behaviour with you per se but on the basis that over the course of 5 homes in 2 years no one has been able to get to grips with her.

Apologies if I've missed it but I don't think you say whether she is better/worse/the same in company? That might be one way in to working out what's actually going wrong here.

I also think it would be very worth sticking up an advert to see if there's a local child/teenager who could do some work with her. I know you don't have money for a reschooling service but it would definitely be worth looking at local tack shops, PC branches and riding schools to see if someone could spend some time on her over the summer holidays (I made some cash this way from the age of 10 until I went to university, when I sadly stopped being a rake-thin teenager, and I was always cheap as chips!)

Some years ago I had a highland Pony that was very bolshy. He was very quiet and well behaved when I got him, but soon realised he could manipulate me no end. Bucked if asked for any speed out from home, tried to impale me on some railings, monkeyed about the whole time. I spent a lot of money having him re-schooled but he knew deep down he could always get the better of me if he wanted to. We sold him on locally for a very small amount of money, with full disclosure. His new rider was a very strong willed boy, and that seemed to make a lot of difference, we often saw him out and about behaving impeccably.