So anyone want to help me with .... polo ponies?

[quietann]

Hi all –

I moved my horse to a barn on the North Shore (Boston area) in April, mostly for the trails. There were various delays in really getting out there, but by mid-June were going out on little rides. At this point I’m riding her for up to 1.5 hours, mostly walking, some trotting/cantering if the footing is good (she is older, as am I, and neither of us are all that “sound,” so I like to set things up for success.)

We have just expanded access to trails on thousands of acres by (yay!) successful fording of the (small) Ipswich River. It took a while, she is no fan of water, but she made her first crossing on Saturday and now seems to view it as part of her job.

ANYWAY … so when we ford, we go up a hill in the woods, and come out at a field that is used by polo riders for exercising and quick match-ups. Riding along the edge of this field is the only (legal) way to get to most of the trails. Miss Horse is generally well-behaved, but has been set off in the past by … horses galloping all over the place, mostly at benefit rides with lots of horses. (She is a little bit herdbound, and happiest when her fellow equines behave themselves and stay put so she can keep track of them.) So. A problem.

I am not sure my usual gradual exposure technique will work with this. I’ve just stood with her at the entrance to the polo field twice now, and she is head-up and nervous, and this is with polo ponies only tied to trailers or walking around in the distance, no galloping, no mallets, etc. She doesn’t dance around or anything (she’s too lazy for that!), but definitely alarmed.

The polo ponies are not always there of course, but say… if they were not there when I rode out, but WERE there coming back to the barn… then what?

I should add that I mostly ride alone, and (so far) have not found anyone at the barn who is comfortable riding their horse past the polo ponies. My horse is generally easier to handle on her own, and feeds off the energy of her equine companions, which can be a good thing, or a not so good thing.

[Come_Shine]

Can you pop over and ask for a schedule?

[quietann]

@Come Shine

Can you pop over and ask for a schedule?

I actually would not even know who to ask. They are trailered in from area barns. My guess at this point is that they are there on a lot of mornings. I might know who to ask about who to ask, though…

[Come_Shine]

Good luck. I hope you can figure something out.

You can’t be the first person to have this issue maybe someone there can suggest what worked for others.

[skydy]

What does she do when she is “set off”?

With some horses letting them stand and look is counterproductive. Does she move off your leg or does she ignore you when she is distracted?

If she is usually responsive to your aids try letting her have only a glance, then move her along the side of the field and the horses, back and forth, keep her on the aids and repeat until you have her complete attention. Occupying her mind may help.

Be satisfied with a minor improvement, maybe one set of back and forth to begin with.

If she is truly terrified it may take some time.

[quietann]

@skydy

What does she do when she is “set off”?

With some horses letting them stand and look is counterproductive. Does she move off your leg or does she ignore you when she is distracted?.

Hm. Well, the last time we really had problems with this was at a benefit trail ride – admittedly almost 2 years ago. We were riding with one other horse/rider who were not familiar to either of us, but did give us an anchor of sorts. So… horses passing us – mostly those who wanted to go faster than a walk or slow trot, we’d stop and let them pass (all but one group at a walk), mare would start dancing around and then if they picked up a trot or canter within sight, she’d try to bolt after them. She does have a one-rein stop that works and has never bolted successfully with me, but if she’s really high, she might not stay focused on me. I ended up doing a lot of small circles and figure 8s to keep her focus. The woman I was with – and I still thank G-d for her – did finally say that when we were not in sight of other horses, just let her trot out – and that did help to calm her.

I will say that a couple of days ago, we were out and two young women wanted to pass us, I halted the mare, and they passed and cantered off a little sooner than I’d hoped, and she did NOT try to follow them, just got very alert. She (and I) have aged quite a lot in the past year or two, and I may be overestimating her spook based on experiences we had years ago. But ten or twenty polo ponies… hm.

I’d say she would respond well to keeping her feet (and her brain) busy but I honestly cannot be sure of it. She is a wiggly thing and will use lateral work as an evasion. I can give it a try, but probably not for an entire side of the field at first… it is really big! If I get her 15 feet out the first day, and 20 or 25 the next, and so forth, and she isn’t losing her brains, that will be a good sign. The other issue is to not create trouble for the polo players, as that is “their space” when they are there and they aren’t going to all go down to a walk just so a silly horse can pass by. A “good pro” could deal with this in 3 or 4 rides, but that’s not me.

Even with the river, I eventually turned her over to someone who is not super attached to her, and they had a good time splashing around with another horse but did not cross the river, and after that she really was much better about it.

That was last Wednesday. Here she is today just standing in the river [ATTACH=JSON]{“data-align”:“none”,“data-size”:“small”,“data-attachmentid”:9849054}[/ATTACH] . I am very proud of her!

[skydy]

Is your mare turned out and how often do you ride her? If she has an “alert” nature to begin with then I wouldn’t worry too much when she is looky while hacking out. You seem to know that you can stop her if need be, so have faith in your ability.

I do understand your concern. One gelding that I brought up from a weaner until he died at 18 yrs was very spooky hacking out, though not of horses. Poultry was his nemesis. He felt at times as if he would go off like a bomb. However he was on the aids and looked to me for support. That is when YOU have to relax and not contribute to the tension. Somebody has to keep themselves together, and if they are afraid, it’s not going to be the horse.

I was able to get mine through every difficulty but one, when I found it prudent to dismount and lead him past a turkey with babies (chicks? turkelets?) the appearance of and noises from which he just could not cope.

If you are worried about staying on, it might help to try hacking out in a western saddle until you and your mare have dealt with the P.Ponies.

[jump_pony]

I agree with trying to find some kind of schedule, maybe the club website? Maybe drive up to the farm and talk to them about their schedule?
i have spent a couple of winters in Aiken next to a polo farm and all that activity can set off any horse,it took my horse a while to get used to it,and his paddock was near the practice field.
If you can’t find out their schedule, then I think the western saddle idea is a good one, for both your safety and confidence.

[quietann]

@skydy

Is your mare turned out and how often do you ride her? If she has an “alert” nature to begin with then I wouldn’t worry too much when she is looky while hacking out. You seem to know that you can stop her if need be, so have faith in your ability.

I do understand your concern. One gelding that I brought up from a weaner until he died at 18 yrs was very spooky hacking out, though not of horses. Poultry was his nemesis. He felt at times as if he would go off like a bomb. However he was on the aids and looked to me for support. That is when YOU have to relax and not contribute to the tension. Somebody has to keep themselves together, and if they are afraid, it’s not going to be the horse.

I was able to get mine through every difficulty but one, when I found it prudent to dismount and lead him past a turkey with babies (chicks? turkelets?) the appearance of and noises from which he just could not cope.

If you are worried about staying on, it might help to try hacking out in a western saddle until you and your mare have dealt with the P.Ponies.

Thank you for this!

“Alert” is this mare’s first name. She thinks her job in life is “watching for bears!” I’ve seen a photo of her from her breeders, where the herd of mares is out in pasture, all the bays and chestnuts are napping flat out… but there is one little palomino head sticking up and looking toward the person holding the camera, who was not close at all. That is my mare

She gets 6-7 hours of turnout per day, individual (she has rear shoes and has been known to kick). Her paddock is large enough that she has a little bit of grass to nibble, which gives her something to do. She is pretty active and moves around grazing all day, except when she gets her hay.

I moved her from a 24/7 turnout situation because it was good for her physically, but not mentally. She likes her stall and likes being in with the other horses, but she likes being outside too.

You are completely correct about me needing to relax. I may well be overthinking this, but am worried based on prior history. If she’s really upset, I dismount and lead her. (No problems with turkeys – the babies are called poults – she just stares at them.)

The saddle I have is a dressagey-trail saddle and pretty secure. I have never been comfortable in a Western saddle because of hip problems.

[skydy]

Mine also had ears pricked the entire time out hacking. He was very interested in people, learned quickly and was always happy to be ridden. Just not around poultry and, for awhile cattle. He got over the cattle. He had a big spook but never tried to lose his rider.

Some horses are like that. Curious and alert. It seems you have one. It sounds like the prior history happened a long time ago? Why are you worrying now? You can stay on and you can stop her if she spooks. Just take it slow with the ponies and maybe don’t go there when she’s fresh.

Some horses do become more freaked out the longer they are allowed to stand and stare, so after a glance, keeping busy may be the thing to do. Do your hip problems make it difficult for you to canter?

Poults! I had no idea…

[katyb]

Can you not just spend a day or two on the ground in the field? She’d likely get over it with some time.

Me, and my horse - I’d just ride through and hope for the best. Helmet on, and go!

[quietann]

@katyb

Can you not just spend a day or two on the ground in the field? She’d likely get over it with some time.

Me, and my horse - I’d just ride through and hope for the best. Helmet on, and go!

We could definitely do ground work up there. I’d have to ride over but it’s actually a good place for it…

We were actually over there today; there were no polo ponies. She was still very alert, as I would expect of her when she is in a new place. We saw other horses a few times on this ride, and she was very distracted by them… but does respond to various cues to get her attention off them… for a few seconds anyway. Mostly the world’s ugliest leg yield, but if it works I will take it! BTW hearing but not seeing the commuter rail train pretty close by didn’t even warrant an ear flick!

It turns out that there is a trail in the woods on one side of the polo field, so we’d only have to go a few hundred feet before that. But the other side I am not sure about. More exploring coming… I am looking for a buddy right now as I think she’d be more settled that way.

[Palm_Beach]

Until you get your horse trained up you will continue to have problems. You’ll need to address her “alertness” via desensitizing. She needs to learn to calm herself back down when something catches her attention. Also work on her destination addiction - what you are calling herdbound. You’ll need a buddy to help you with that. A horse that does not respond to cues on the trail is an accident waiting to happen.

[quietann]

@Palm Beach

Until you get your horse trained up you will continue to have problems. You’ll need to address her “alertness” via desensitizing. She needs to learn to calm herself back down when something catches her attention. Also work on her destination addiction - what you are calling herdbound. You’ll need a buddy to help you with that. A horse that does not respond to cues on the trail is an accident waiting to happen.

Did I ever say she does not respond to cues?

(So far, her trail riding buddies at the new place have all been worse about wanting to get home now than she is. She does not bolt or even pull, but gets anxious. The one I know is really calm has an owner who isn’t interested in mostly-walking trail rides… She is a pretty serious foxhunter and her rides out are fast. Last thing in the world my horse needs, and I don’t want it.)

Anyway… not saying you are giving bad advice, but I have been trail riding her for 7 years now, alone and with other horses. We are doing a lot more of it now, is all.

[Palm_Beach]

@quietann

We saw other horses a few times on this ride, and she was very distracted by them… but does respond to various cues to get her attention off them… for a few seconds anyway.

“but if she’s really high, she might not stay focused on me.”

“She is a wiggly thing and will use lateral work as an evasion.”

"If she’s really upset, I dismount and lead her. "

[quietann]

@Palm Beach

“but if she’s really high, she might not stay focused on me.”

“She is a wiggly thing and will use lateral work as an evasion.”

"If she’s really upset, I dismount and lead her. "

OK, look, I don’t want a fight, so I’m done. I’ve had helpful suggestions, which I incorporated into today’s ride, and that’s really what I wanted. THANK YOU to everyone for the tips.

As for #3 that’s for my own safety. A tiny handful of times… like when we turned a corner and saw a bear a couple of years ago. And she stayed still long enough for me to get off of her. And did not go galloping back to the barn.

[Palm_Beach]

I have no bone to pick, but I do think that you are ignoring some signs that your horse has some holes in her foundation that could possibly lead to you having a problem with her while out on a trail. It’s very very very difficult to get emergency crews to injured people in the woods. Think about how far out you ride and then how long it would take for a crew to find you, stabilize you, and then carry you to wherever the ambo parked. And what about your horse potentially running loose? Your own words clearly tell me that your horse has some anxiety issues. It may, or it may not, lead to a problem one day. I sincerely hope that it does not and your next 7 years are wonderful. But she is trying to tell you a little something.

[halt]

Polo noise is a thing and alarms a lot of horses not used to it - they see horses running towards each other with riders bearing/waving sticks and think they are aggressively gunning each other down… it totally can make a horse nervous regardless of foundation or training.

Polo is also not something one typically encounters on a trail, so seeing a trail horse be unfamiliar with the cacophony that is polo is not, to me anyway, surprising.

If I were you I’d ride (if you don’t already) with a stirrup or grab-strap around her neck and bring a halter and lead, preferably a rope halter and gloves… cross the river and get to the field, dismount and let her graze (if that is allowed) and watch the horses at her leisure… that is how I got my TB to be okay with them… and he was not okay with them the first time… but getting him out there and just watching made him settle. He figured out they weren’t moving from the field and grass was much, much more exciting.

Actually, it may surprise some people but some horses are more confident and better if they’re just allowed a moment to look at something… but some horses are much worse so you need to figure out which your mare is and go from there.

Certain people would argue that a horse should just put his nose to the ground and work regardless of stimuli, but they are flight animals and different horses react differently to alarming stimuli. My gelding will settle much quicker if he can just watch something a moment… it took him all of two minutes to be okay with four harness racers blistering by at breakneck speed the first time he ever saw carriages/sulkies, but if I had tried to work him through it and not allowed him to look, it would have been productive for no one.

Instead I got on him and we just chilled. He was definitely tense and alert and his neck and head was up but he was still, so I just let him watch them for a moment and take it all in… the public park venue I take lessons at (it has a dressage ring) is smack in the middle of a big 1/2 mile trotting track… so they were circling around us quite quickly… btw, once he saw they were just doing circles we were able to have a constructive, productive, quiet and calm lesson.

[quietann]

Halt, thank you for the tips and the confirmation that polo is, yes, really unusual and scary looking for a lot of horses. I am almost certain she will pick grazing over watching polo ponies. And I do need to carry a rope halter more regularly.

Meanwhile, a person who boards in the area has PM’d me about ways to avoid the polo field entirely, so I am looking into that.

[skydy]

I hope you find a convenient way around so you can enjoy your rides. If you can’t, I’m sure you’ll be able to figure it out.

Mine learned to hold it together when we had to pass “chicken corner” (barely) but the turkeys terrified him. Funny we only encountered the turkeys that one time…

Hang in there and remember to relax!