Not bonding with pony 😔

[BorderNF]

Hi I just wanted to ask and see if anyone had any advice and positive stories regarding buying a horse or pony who hasn’t been what you had hoped and how to move forward.

Just under a year a go I bought myself my first pony, as a petite adult I went for a 14hh native pony who was being advertised as a second pony. He had been a child pony from the age of 8 (moving homes every couple of years) doing well in show jumping and pony club. He is now 16 and sold to me as his old owner felt a slowed paced hacking home would be best for him. Looking back my due diligence could have been better but I went and tried him and had him vetting all of which was very positive.

The first couple of weeks he was fine but since then he has chipped away at my confidence and I’m now feeling very disheartened. He’s a persistent bucker when asked to do something he doesn’t want, he will bolt either in the school or out hacking. He’s extremely nappy and anxious, box walking, constantly calling to other horses, kicking out at you when being lunged, rearing in his stable or even jumping out of his field (he always has company is never left on his own). He will also plant and refuse to move when leading him somewhere he doesn’t want to go. I have a very experienced yard manager who helps but he also does all these things with her. I’m feeling quite despondent and unsure what to do, I feel like I can’t sell him with his issues and because of his age and the fact he’s already had 8 homes. Previous owners (not the lady I bought him from) have said he was very nappy with them (he would throw her off if she hacked him alone) and he was always known to throw big bucks.

He's had a new saddle, teeth, back checked and regular chiropractor appointments. I have considered ulcers and am looking at getting him scoped but I do feel some of this is behaviour related.

Thank you.

Gosh that all sounds very difficult indeed. Sounds well beyond not bonding and into frankly dangerous territory - bucking, bolting and kicking are a lot more than most novice owners would be able to deal with. His behaviour says to me loud and clear that he's in pain somewhere (he may not be obviously lame but there's lots of things that wouldn't show up in that way, some that may well even not show up on a 5 stage vetting). I'd definitely get the vet out to him ASAP, not necessarily to launch down an expensive diagnostic or treatment pathway which may be challenging with a horse his age but to get a clearer picture of where he is at and your options. For instance a nerve block or bute trial is relatively quick and easy and if he dramatically improves at least you know there is some pain somewhere - is he insured for vets fees? I'd get on phone to insurance after talking to vets and find out what they might cover in terms of diagnostic work up for loss of performance/ behavioural issues. Again knowledge is power. I'd certainly get him onto an ulcer treatment asap as well, even if ulcers aren't the root cause with all that stress and anxiety I'd be surprised if he doesn't have some by now, either way the treatment won't do any harm.

If you can get some positive answers on his health/and or something you're able to fix/improve then it might be worth investing in some professional schooling to see if you can get him to a point where he's hacking nicely at least, if so it may be an option either for you to have confidence in him or perhaps loan him out to a hacking home? I wouldn't be surprised though if you feel you'll never be comfortable with him as your own ride at this stage, for me while as a younger person I was brave and would ride anything I was asked to, nowadays I need to be more realistic about safety, that's not to say I expect horses to be machines and never do anything wrong but there's some horses now I just don't trust and it's not worth it to me to take the risk. If not possible to get him going again you may then need to think towards retirement for him, do you have a plan for that? Or even PTS if he can't settle into a field ornament/ retirement lifestyle although that would be a last resort for me.

I agree - this is pain related on some level. He needs a full work up with x-rays and scoping really. There will be a behavioural element too if it's been going on a while as he will anticipate pain, but I'd say that level of reactivity stems from pain.

I agree about a vet fully checking him out but I would also make the decision that you aren’t going to ride him again. If he can continue in work post vet etc check, then see if there is someone relatively experienced who would be interested in a loan.

Can you afford to get yourself another horse or loan another one to get some confidence and enjoyment back?

I’d be getting a full lameness work up, bloods and scoping personally, and I wouldn’t be riding until this is done
its nothing to do with bonding, it’s just dangerous!!

Thank you for your replies I agree that he could be reacting to pain that maybe he's had for a long time. He also had a brush with laminitis last year so has been on soaked hay and restricted grazing which has been hard for him especially as he’s a typical greedy native. Unfortunately I can’t afford another horse which makes it all a little harder. I will ensure I do the best for him and get him checked out. Thank you.

I should note we’ve had a few good times and lot of his behaviours tend to happen when he feels he’s put in an unmanageable situation. The rearing in his stable happens when one other horse is taken out (he’ll still have at least two in with him) the kicking out at me on the lunge is when I correct him for trying to eat the grass at the edge of the school or if he turns in on me.

I'd definitely get him checked for ulcers, especially as you've had his teeth and saddle checked.

This reel popped up on my feed today and thought it and the comments/ suggestions might interest you OP (much younger pony but not dissimilar issues). Not endorsing the dealer particularly (she's a bit Marmite I think) but interesting to see that even professionals can struggle to know what to do in these circumstances. Some quite useful ideas in the comments, be aware the CCTV footage is a bit 🫣 , don't watch if seeing other people fall off makes you anxious

www.facebook.com/share/r/1By8VvCj4p/

Chances are it is behavioural and at that age, it's unlikely to change except with persistent experienced handling.

I'd bet on ulcers but it isn't really worth the cost of getting him scoped tbh, I'd just treat him. It won't do him any harm if he doesn't have them.

The kicking out when being lunged if you stop him eating needs correcting swiftly though and I'd be teaching him a healthy respect for the lunge whip. That kind of behaviour is really dangerous, he could kill you if a kick landed in the wrong place

Please scope for ulcers before treating. The medication is very expensive and its a false economy to treat without diagnosis. With a pony like this you need to know what you are dealing with.. and you also need to know if they've gone. I've seen so many people on my yard treat in a variety of ways for a period of time.. but have no idea if they've actually ever gone

I came on to say I had similar issues bonding with a difficult pony, but agreed with other PP it sounds like a different issue.

Once you have (hopefully) ruled out pain or discomfort it could be worth trying a behaviourist if you haven’t? I used an amazing TRT lady who was amazing with him (and me)!

Not much help but solidarity OP, is he your first own?
mine was and having such a confidence knock so early on in ownership difficult to build up from again.

It sounds like pain or previous abuse. Keep looking into the pain, if you say roughly where you live someone may be able to recommend a specialist vet.
Alongside this go back to basics and treat him as if he were an unbroken young horse born on a moor and completely untouched.
Look into how to bond and train a horse like this and completely lower your expectations.