Childs horse...Trainers & the like please...?

Question

We recently got back a pony of ours that has been on lease for almost 2 years, he was being used as a western pleasure pony he's 18ish, still very sprightly, was always a great mount for the intermediate rider. Has done western pleasure, PC, dressage, show jumping etc

although now he has come back with what i can only describe as a dangerous problem, the people he was on lease with swear he never did anything like this whilst with him... I'm having a hard time believing this, as i have no doubt it's due to a direct action of a person that he has learnt to react in this way. He has always been a very aloof horse, now he seems almost skittish whilst being handled on the ground.

When anyone gets on his back he instantly starts gnawing on the bit (something he never did & yes I’ve had his teeth checked etc etc) If he is being ridden in a small yard at a walk he appears fine, the instant he is asked to trot or is given his head at all he tenses his neck so it's high & straight out.. cont.

Answer 1

This pony has clearly been ridden in something very severe, like a gag bit, for example, and by someone who was extremely heavy handed and hauled on his face a lot. He no longer trusts anyone not to do this- that's why he bolts and goes into flight mode the instant you put anyone on his back. The gnawing on the bit is an indication of both stress and pain- and another sign that he was abused by someone at this place where he was living, as is the skittishness on the ground. Horses don't go from being calm and easy to handle to being jumpy and skittish, not to mention dangerous, overnight without a reason, and you are right to suspect that these people you were leasing this pony to probably abused him in some way or other, but they will never admit to it. They know that if they do, it will only lead to trouble- and perhaps the end of your relationship with them.

I think you are going to have to go back to the very beginning with this pony, if you are to have any hope of saving him. Don't try to ride him at first any more- just spend lots of time on the ground with him, grooming him, talking to him, taking him for walks, that kind of thing. Eventually, as part of your walks, you can have him walk with a saddle on his back- again, no big deal, take your time, and let him decide when you should take the next step. Put him on the longe line as your next step, with a cavesson, not a bridle, and let him get used to moving in and out of different gaits on command again. After that, when he tells you he's ready, you can have him wear something like a hackamore- and again, just longe him with it on for a while, until he gets used to it and figures out that no one is going to yank on his head again.

When you go to reintroduce a rider, my suggestion would be to do what the racehorse trainers do when they "back" yearlings, and start in the stall. The pony will be much more comfortable there, and in a confined space like that, it's difficult if not impossible for him to bolt. Keep the sessons short, and have one person lead him while someone lays across his back, which is just what was done when he was a colt. Make circles around the stall, etc., until he relaxes and accepts what's going on. When he accepts a rider laying on his back, you can have that person sit up and put their feet in the stirrups- but under no circumstances should they touch the reins. Lead the pony some more with the rider up- and let him get used to this. When he relaxes, then it will be time to take the next step, which is to take him out of the stall and put him on the longe line yet again, only this time with a rider on his back. Control will still be with the person on the ground, NOT the rider, at this point.  He needs to get used to the idea that he can walk, trot, and canter without being pressured in his mouth or head, and that he doesn't need to bolt or be fearful about it, because no one is ever going to yank on him again. Only after he accepts this idea do you want to ask the rider to pick up the reins and start to work on steering him gently.

This will not be an easy process, nor will it be a quick one. Whoever abused this pony obviously did it multiple times, and they probably thought you would never know that anything happened. Had the horse not been sent home, that is probably true- you would not have known.  This is a very sad situation, but you are on the right path in dealing with it.

Good luck.

Answer 2

This poor guy has really been abused.  Not meant as a criticism but did you not ever check on him to make sure he was OK.  It's irrelevant now, but how sad he has come to this.  Regardless of how people appear, so many know nothing about horses.  Sorry to hear this happened to him.  Too bad you are unable to help him now.  Sounds like he needs a total re-start from the very basic level in order to get him to accept a rider and not be so nervous.  The chewing on the bit indicates he is so nervous and fearful.  He is just waiting for the "next attack".  I wouldn't over-stress him or try to hurry the process of reindoctrinating him.  Let him relax.  Sometimes re-starting a horse is much more difficult than starting a green horse.  Take care and good luck to you.

Answer 3

Mel's answer is right on target.  Poor thing sounds like someone has been behaving like a predator on his back and he is frightened beyond his ability to reason.

Your best hope is to start this guy all over again and take things real slow.  One thing I would also do is give him some time off of work entirely to re-adjust to life in a new place before I started asking him to do anything.

So sorry to hear this has happened, it is absolutely awful that someone would ruin a wonderful pony through malice or ignorance.  But, I am going to say this as gently as possible, could you perhaps let it become a lesson for the future and come up with a system to verify the riding skills and horsemanship of leasers and regularly check up on your horses?

I hope everything works out for your pony.  Ponies are highly resilient and can surprise with their ability to recover from adversity.

Good luck!

Answer 4

poor guy. assuming he's totally healthy (have assumed any pertinent x rays and testing for diseases like lyme that will make the horse extremely uncomfortable, then it sounds like he's been really traumatized by those people... its become a templated response now, and those are really tough to get thru... with a templated response everytime the horse is put into a certain situation/feeling, the same response happens...  it happens when the horse is put into a situation where the sympathetic nervous system spikes suddenly, and when the parasympathetic nervous system kicks in the horse is still in that situation...it becomes the normal state of mind for that situation...i rehab troubled horses like this and the only thing that i have found that works well is to go back to the beginning with the horse - even before basic lunging and such, and get into the sub cortex and get that working... the sub cortex will override templated responses (which are developed in the cortex, which is imperfect in the horse).. once the horse starts to develop the proper natural responses then you can restart all the rest...it takes a lot of time and energy but i've never had it fail,and i've had horses like what you have...

in response to some of the other posters, i just wanted to add that it is possible for the people who had the horse to have been doing everything right, and then something out of their control happen that completely traumatizes the horse... sometimes this "thing" that happens may not even appear to be much of a big deal to the human, but because the horse thinks differently, this thing is a huge deal to the horse...this whole situation could have been completely an accident...

Answer 5

If I were guessing, I'd figure that whoever rode him had heavy hands and used a severe bit.  I've seen horses recover from this, but only by starting over with no bit, and maybe eventually a simple wide mouth snaffle someday.  It is an awfully long process for an 18 year old pony to go through, but it sounds like he is worth the trouble.  His skittishness on the ground also indicates that he was handled roughly even apart from when he was ridden.  He has some trust issues to overcome with consistent and calm handling.  I prefer use of a rope halter and attached lead so no breakable hardware is involved.  The rope halter gives better control than any other, and allows you to very calmly control him as you ask him for compliance...I use a long lead...12 feet, so I have the option of lungeing at any time while I work with the horse.  I'd lead someone around on him, and lunge him with a rider who knows how to use weight and leg cues to refresh his skills without him having to deal with a bit or headgear.  If that works out, he could be ridden on just the rope halter provided you have a round pen or similar small area to keep it safe.  If you own a bosal or other bitless bridle you could try it.  The point is to avoid any bit while his mouth and his mind recovers. Good luck with him...2 years is a long time in horse years, so give him time to remember who he used to be.