My pony hops?

Question

my pony hops every five seconds . no lie, he just acts like he;s going to canter and then just keeps trotting. he does it like ten steps in a row and then trots five and then does it again. he was doing it a while before he was lame. now he's doing it worse then ever and he's completely sound. also he counterbents and holds his head really high. woula a hackamore bridle work? he's constantly locking his jaw and has a hard mouth.

i'm a very light rider with my hands, so he does this due to prior riders. he was a made hunter pony before the lameness, and i don't know what to do.. i can't ride him if he hops around NONSTOP. any ideas? thanks.

Answer 1

I have the same problem with my gaming horse. This is what I do....I make him trot (even when he hops) in small lounging circles going one way till he stops hoping. Then I praise him and go the opposite way till he gets it. Then I trot around the arena and do what I intended to do in the first place. If he starts up again I do circles again. I've been doing this for a week or two and I don't have to do it as often anymore.  ( I don't ride daily so it could happen faster than two weeks)

~Have fun

Answer 2

maybe he is having difficulty with his back leads..was the lameness in a hind leg? if so then maybe he is used to using less pressure on that leg from when he was lame and now that he is recovered he is not fully comfortable with using that leg again

-try using a ground pole and asking for the canter while he lands over the pole to encourage correct leads in both the back and the front, and to make him once again comfortable with his footing.

Answer 3

The hoping sounds like a hock issue, if it started when he went lame, chances are there is still a problem.

The locking of his jaw and counter-flexing (if this hasn't been a long time problem) all sounds like he is in pain and could be a spine issue or there again related back to the hoping problem.  

I would have him physically examined by a Vet again, maybe even an Ultrasound of the Ligaments and Tendons. Probably some X-rays too...and after that have a Chiropractor come out and adjust him. This simple sounds like all medical issues, I would stay off his back until you know, as you could be making it all worse by riding him.

Answer 4

A hackamore bridle should only be use in extreme circumstances! these are very harsh and personally i consider them cruel!... Your problem does not sound like a rider problem, more like he may have issues with his feet, ...does he have shoes on?? also ask yourself is he cahnging legs because perhaps you cant keep up with his stride??

Answer 5

If you are going to try a bitless bridle I wouldn't recommend a hackamore because they can cause a lot of damage if you aren't careful. I would try a Dr. Cook's Bitless Bridle, I have one and I love it! It works differently from other bitless bridles because it spreads the pressure over the entire head not just on on sensitive spot like the nose or inside of their mouth. Plus if you don't like it then you can send it back within 30 days for a full refund. I think it would be worth trying.

Answer 6

You should take it to a vet. It probably hurt it's leg!

Answer 7

Well, first of all, this pony needs a complete veterinary evaluation to determine the problem.  You can't solve a problem if you don't know what it is and what's causing it.  I would call a vet aASAP and quit riding this pony until you know what's going on.

Answer 8

i agree with the others, get him checked out then ask the vet for a suggestion...