A Hot Pony, Or...?

[IndigoSky]

Hi all!
We just got a new pony from a former trainer up at my mom’s property. She’s very skiddish… the former owner said she’s been abused before so I have to be very slow when grooming her and tacking her up.
I’ve been taking her down to the arena, turning her out and then lunging her. She doesn’t seem to turn out very well because she doesn’t want to run around and she’s PERFECT when longeing.
However, when I get on her, she’s very forward and just wants to take off. I’ve tried half halting which works pretty well but not well enough when I finally decide to give her her head. We put her on the longe line today while I was riding her and just went in circles… She definitely wasn’t as good with me ontop of her as she was when I longed her by herself earlier.
She doesn’t seem hot or hyper at all except for when she’s under the saddle. So my question is… does anyone have any good tips for a pony like this? I would like to train her and give her a good home where she will be appreciated for who she is and treated well.

Also, I haven’t even tried jumping her yet because its hard to even get a trot out of her and feel safe but she’s used to jumping up to 4 feet is what her former owner told me.

[maddiehorse]

I bet she’s just really scared as she just got there. Probably will just take a gentle hand along with lots of time and patience before she will calm down and learn to trust you. Being ridden is a lot more stressful for them as they can’t see completely what you are doing and IIRC a predator would jump on their backs in the wild.

[BostonHJ]

Most horses that are hot to ride are not terribly fresh in turnout (whereas my exceptionally lazy to ride horse plays non-stop outside). Most people prefer a horse that does not run much in turnout for a number of reasons. Work on voice commands in hand and on the lunge, and then use the same commands when you ride. Most importantly… Get help from a trainer, sooner than later. This sounds like you are over horsed a bit and it could go south quickly. Please don’t start jumping this horse without professional help.

[Silk]

My opinion, for what it is worth, is to go really slow. WALK…WALK…WALK this pony until she is responsive and comfortable at a walk. Walk circle, walk transitions, halt, extend the walk, collect the walk…walk ground poles, start some lateral movements at the walk, etc. Only when she is comfortable and responsive at the walk should you attempt a trot. Go as mild as you safely can with the bit in her mouth.

Sounds like this pony was convinced that GO is the only speed…and sounds like she was slammed through the pony jumpers or similar.

Teach her the voice command Whoa (to slow) and Ho (to stop). Sounds like the half halts make her nervous, as she doesnt understand what they mean…a lot of time with a pony like this, pulling means go forward.

[RedHorses]

Horses will often try to scoot out from under an uncomfortable saddle. Try looking at the fit, and the placement. If the saddle is sitting over her shoulder blades try putting it further back. Remember that it’s the horse who has final say on whether or not a saddle fits.

Make sure you don’t have a “hot seat” when riding her. Any tension on your part could be setting her off.

[independentlyawesome]

Do you have pastures you can turn her out in with other horses? I love putting horses like her on tons of turnout with a nice herd (ideally 24/7 but usually more like 14/7). She can get some of her sillies out & it’s good socialization for her.

I do agree with the other posters, though, that she’s probably just scared when you’re up on top of her. I’d follow the advice to do lots and lots and lots of walking. Walk around the arena, trails when you’re safe in the arena, and just exploring everything in a relaxed manner. I’d teach her a one-rein stop so that you have 100% brakes if she gets too excited. I’d work on walk-halt transitions so you can get a nice, round walk going. Then do the same thing with trot, just a few steps, then go back to all of your walk work until she’s relaxed.

And check your saddle fit! That’s one of the big differences between lunging & riding - the saddle.

[TheJenners]

It’s skittish.

Agree this could be a pain issue or issue with saddle fit. How old is she?

[Cindyg]

You just got her and she’s been abused. My advice is to slow WAY down. She doesn’t even know you. She doesn’t know if she’s safe with you. She doesn’t know how you ask for things or what you’ll do if she makes a mistake.

Spend a lot of time getting to know each other. Go back and make sure to fill in all the holes in her training – like you were starting her out as a baby; but when you come to something she already knows how to do and feels safe doing, then you can move on to the next thing.

Can you handle her ears? Her mouth? Can you catch her? Can you pick up all four feet? Will she stand tied? Cross tied? Can you touch her belly? Can you bathe her? Will she move sideways in the cross tie so you can pass? Does she lead without pulling or spooking? Will she back up for you? Does she stand quietly for the saddle? Is she OK with her bit? Is she OK with plastic, umbrellas, fly spray? Is she OK at the mounting block. And so forth.

Slow way down. An abused horse has some issues.

[annaelizabeth]

I’m the same as above. If I was getting on and I probably wouldn’t for a month or more I would just be working on a nice relaxed walk and halting from the walk. You can start teaching half halts in the walk too.
But first i’d just be doing a whole heap of ground work. Teaching her to yield her front feet and her back feet, teaching her to stop on your command. Maybe remouthing with a set of driving reins if your confident in yourself.
I wouldn’t be getting on until I could see her being physically relaxed while doing ground work. No point getting on her back if she is already tense.
Good luck with her. With persistance and kindness she will come around and you will get a lovely partner in the end.

[HealingHeart]

Check teeth, back, saddle fit…do you lung with a halter or bridle? Some type of pressure is making her respond. Hands, leg, weight etc…, that she is not comfortable with.

[candysgirl]

Sounds to me like she’s green and doesn’t know what you’re asking. I’d start over at square one and pretend she knows nothing.

[HomelessPony]

As others have mentioned, go back to basics with her. Make sure you end every ride on a good note - if you ride for 10 minutes practicing a relaxed walk with some halts and she’s been good, leave it at that for the day. I had one that was very poorly started and as a result very hot when she first came to me. I basically started her over and only did walk-trot for about a month, gradually building up to trot poles, cantering, and small jumps over time. Totally different pony once she was used to the new program. This one had trust issues too, so ground work and lots of grooming, treats, etc. also helped.

[Crown_Royal]

I think she’s scared and probably doesn’t trust you (since you only just got her).

I have a 26 year old Arabian x Quarter Horse large pony gelding that I’ve owned for 10 years and came from an abusive and neglectful situation. I don’t know if his personality would have been drastically different if he had been raised correctly, but he is very much a “pleaser” and even now is still fearful of potential punishment. He has excellent ground manners and lunges very well, but is typically at least a little tense. Like you were advised for this pony, I do things slowly and carefully around him so he doesn’t think something bad is coming (whereas my young TB doesn’t care if you throw his blanket on quickly or act a little silly with him and will stand there unphased). But like your mare, he won’t go run around turnout to get the extra energy out (either in an arena or a field)…he just stands there.

What worked for my guy was lots of positive handling on the ground to build trust. It doesn’t all have to be very structured training (maybe your mare already had great ground training anyway) but even just positive experiences doing daily things with you (grooming, taking on short walks in-hand, bathing, leading in and out of turnout, etc.) will help her build some trust and faith in you as her leader. Then when you go to get on her back, she won’t have as much to worry about. And once you get on, ride with a no-pressure kind of attitude. As in, “oh we’re just going to take a relaxed walk from here to there, a little scratch on the neck here and there, then let’s maybe just say whoaaa and stand here and scratch the neck a little bit, and go on and walk over here.” I would be conscious of how you’re gripping the reins, how fast you move your hands while sitting on her, how quietly you apply leg when you need it, and the progression of forward aids (be easy when you mount but keep a steady feel of your leg on her from the start so when you apply leg to go forward, it’s not suddenly hitting her sides instead of already being there and just making a little more pressure…also maybe start with some quiet easy voice aids). Give lots of neck scratches and rubs and quiet/low voiced reassurance. Keep your body relaxed and your attitude low pressure. Start out your rides with the goal just being to amble around at the walk (it may not start or feel like a slow amble, but don’t hop on with the goal of riding her on contact and asking her to correctly bend her body and so forth). For a while it may just be some quiet walking rides. Maybe eventually ask for a trot (and with this kind of horse, I wouldn’t worry about getting an immediate response yet, the quieter and slower you apply the aids, the less likely she’ll be to shoot forward) but just down the short side, then walk and try to amble again. Build up to more. Don’t think about jumping yet. You’ll feel her when she starts to trust you and can kind of breathe and go more consistently. But usually with this kind of horse (if she’s anything like the abused gelding I have), time, patience, and trust are your friends.

This is, of course, after you’ve checked saddle fit and checked that you have the right bit for her.

My very skittish gelding did end up being a lovely ride for me (not so much anyone else) and hasn’t tried to shoot forward from me in years. He no longer feels like a tense bundle of nerves when I ride, but I also am careful to kind of respect his personality and not be rough or playful or whatever with him. I never move my hands suddenly when I’m sitting on him, I am careful about how I swing my legs (when getting on/off or adjusting the stirrup length), I never raise my voice while sitting on him, and I give him quiet praises and a little scratch here and there when he does well to give him some confidence.

[Gumby80]

The best advice I ever heard was this: If a horse comes to you that has been abused, the things you do differently are … nothing. Treat them like any other horse. Start from the beginning, identify what’s missing in her training, and address things in the right order. Many horses have owners who make excuses for them, tiptoeing around them because they were “abused”. Of course, there’s some genuinely damaged horses out there, but most just have gaps in basic training that have never been addressed. Because, you know, the horse was abused, so I can’t ask him to do that. Gets to be a bit of a vicious circle sometimes.

Get her so she’s respectful and responsive on the ground, and she knows how to move away from pressure. If you aren’t sure how to do that, get someone to help you. While I’m not too sold on the “desensitizing” crowd, at least make sure you can throw a rope or a blanket over her back from the ground without her begin bothered. It’s amazing the number of horses who are “spooky under saddle” that have never been taught to be ok with someone or something moving around on top of them.

Get her really good at giving to pressure laterally, first in a halter, then in a bit. On the ground first, then under saddle. Teach her to stop off one rein: yes, it’s a bit cowboy, but if they know how to give to one rein first, stopping off both reins becomes much easier. Aim to walk, and then trot her on a long rein. If she speeds off, bend her to a stop, then release and try again. Teach her to be in control of herself, rather than you having to be in control of her all the time. Don’t work on a contact until she’s happy on a long rein.

This all sounds a bit tree-hugger hippy, but it does work. I’ve been riding a speedy little pony who sounds very similar to your pony, although not abused as far as I know. She’s gone from being a little dirt bike with the throttle jammed open to loping around on the buckle, and happily working on a light, consistent contact. I think as riders, we’re often taught that if you get on the horse and ride it “correctly”, everything will work. What’s often not said is that sometimes, you first have to teach the horse what you mean. Much of the time that’s just basic logic, but do get some help if you’re unsure. It can speed up the process immensely!