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Post by jackiedo on Dec 27, 2012 17:49:11 GMT 1
As many of you know, in September I bought a WSA mare from Holmfirth who had been separated from her foal at York the day before. She was sick, had neglected feet, worms etc and not in the best of condition. All that has changed now, and she is healthy, vaccinated, wormed, chipped. has had her teeth done, is happy and relaxed, unthreatened so much that she will follow my husband in or walk round the field with him by his side like a dog. She is 12 years old. She will lunge, long rein and has accepted a saddle and a bridle (and yes they fit perfectly) without any problems. She has developed a topline in the 3 months I have had her. She is being trained by a very good trainer, gently and without pressure but she has come to a sticking point. She will NOT accept a rider. Her trainer has told me that she feels that she will never be safe enough for a child to ride. I am not going to discard her, and I have no intention of breeding from her, it would have been very nice for my grandchildren to ride her. Obviously cash is an issue, Although the pony cost very little, she has a full wardrobe of good English tack and rugs etc, and I spent hundreds on her at the vets. Should I just give up hope and accept her as a pet?
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Post by jen1 on Dec 27, 2012 17:53:35 GMT 1
i suppose the last thing on the list to answer your question is get her looked at for kissing spine,
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Post by donnalex on Dec 27, 2012 18:37:24 GMT 1
That is the problem when little ponies are less than easy to back and ride. If they are never going to be easy to ride then who is actually going to ride them anyway and is it worth it? Would you consider driving her? Your grandchildren could still enjoy her with the family as a driving pony with the added bonus that adults can really be involved. And if she took to driving really well maybe a few years down the line try again with riding?
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Post by bramblesmum on Dec 28, 2012 23:27:11 GMT 1
If she can be broken to drive I would fully recomend absolutly great fun and would give her a nice job for you to all enjoy x
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Post by wabuska on Dec 29, 2012 10:40:00 GMT 1
It makes me wonder about those ads one sees for 11-12.2hh ponies described as 'good second pony' or 'only for confident child.' Rather small pool of buyers! That is frustrating Jackie... hope some solution presents itself.
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Post by jackiedo on Dec 29, 2012 12:47:53 GMT 1
She is a very opinionated little girl to be honest. I don't think she likes children very much. She is an angel with my total novice nervous of the other horses husband, cheerily greets him, nuzzles him etc, but when she was at the first yard, not well, the vet said she did need to be out and walking around but in at night. when he used to go see her there she used to prance about and run bucking with joy up the field to see him. When she was first introduced to a roller she bucked, a saddle pad, she bucked, a rug she bucked... Yet once I asked my 7 year old grandson to bring her in whilst I was still mucking out (he has been around horses all his life) and she came in ok, except that she is very free striding, and when I heard him say slow down Silver I shouted, "Stand" and she assumed the position, four square head beautifully carried as though she was in a show ring... I think I am going to give her a while and try a different tactic. I used to be able to do this myself up to my 30's as I only weighed 7.5stone, but now, in my 50's I am considerably more than that, so to do it myself is not an option
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Post by Hannah on Dec 29, 2012 15:59:27 GMT 1
What does she do to 'not accept a rider'? Ditto getting her back x-rayed. How is she if you lean over (without putting pressure on her back) and brush/stroke her on the other side? Would she be a candidate for false legs?
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Post by diggydoggy on Dec 29, 2012 16:47:32 GMT 1
I think you have come a very long way in a short time with her - and have spent the money "up front" to achieve what she is now. My advice would be to hang on in there for a few months, keep your costs down and give her a bit more time- to get the pony you deserve, rather than someone else reaping the rewards for your hard work and commitment. Maybe she would be rideable by children if you had "side walkers" like the R.D.A. do with their ponies. Good luck and best wishes.
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Post by jackiedo on Dec 29, 2012 18:29:44 GMT 1
She bucks. She used to buck when we brushed past her neck, she bucks when someone leans over her. Whatever she does not like that you do.... she bucks. I will get her back checked further but it looks and feels quite normal, no lumps or bumps or vertebrae obviously out of place. She is on a hill and uses her back correctly climbing up and down, and has started to develop a rounded bottom and moves comfortably and willingly. She can comfortably stretch. I think it is her saying NO rather than discomfort.
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Post by marianne on Dec 29, 2012 19:02:39 GMT 1
Jackie, it's great to hear how much you've already achieved with Silver, you've come a VERY long way in just 3 months :-)
I have a rescue pony mare I got 3-4 (?) years ago. She came with a criminal record ;D but was too good a challenge to pass up! Though she has regained trust in humans and is generally a very happy chilled mare, there are still situations where she tenses up (fight/flight) and I know I will never allow a youngster to ride her.
I have however learned SO MUCH from this beautiful lady it is a privilege to have her in my life.
Have I helped? Probably not hahaha. Good luck making decisions ;D
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Caroline
Grand Prix Poster
Intermediate Poster
Posts: 2,277
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Post by Caroline on Dec 29, 2012 22:50:07 GMT 1
Jackie, it's great to hear how much you've already achieved with Silver, you've come a VERY long way in just 3 months :-) I have a rescue pony mare I got 3-4 (?) years ago. She came with a criminal record ;D but was too good a challenge to pass up! Though she has regained trust in humans and is generally a very happy chilled mare, there are still situations where she tenses up (fight/flight) and I know I will never allow a youngster to ride her. I have however learned SO MUCH from this beautiful lady it is a privilege to have her in my life. Have I helped? Probably not hahaha. Good luck making decisions ;D 3 months? Oh my goodness...I would say that you have made as much progress as you need to at this stage, possibly more than that particular horse needed. The art of building trust lies in only asking a percentage of what a horse is happy to give you each day. What percentage you take defines you as a horseperson (and maybe as a person - as the two are hard to seperate). But whatever it is, as long as it is less than 100%, it will be a little more each day and over time the horse will happily give more. I think that the less you take, the more they offer freely...and the more you take, the more that what they give is a "give" rather than a free offer. But take more than they happily give and it is not trust you build, but compliance. That compliance has a cost. I also think that like crystal growth, the slower it is, the more perfect and strong it is...but that's more of a spiritual and philosophical theory. I doubt you want a Caroline lecture on taking things slow however! I am just saying chill out a bit, give the horse time to absorb what you have taught her before doing more. Bucking seems to generally mean pain, so make sure that is eliminated by getting an equine osteopath to properly examine her. If it truly is psychological, you must find a way to win that horse's willing partnership.
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Post by lizpurlo on Dec 29, 2012 23:25:56 GMT 1
Can you lead her out off another horse? She might enjoy ride and lead, and it would get her used to you being above her, as well as giving her some relaxed and enjoyable exercise in company.
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Post by jackiedo on Dec 30, 2012 1:34:27 GMT 1
I do not think it is pain. She never "flinches" there is no tensing in anticipation that I have previously seen with pain issues. She bucked at the vet when he came to vaccinate her. I think she has had a number of owners before she came to me. It is not the end of the world if she won't be ridden. She has been a brood mare and had several foals (at least 3) sometimes brood mares do get VERY defensive and she has quite a dominant personality, but, no one can always say forever, and if anything happened to me I would like her to have another string to her bow so to speak.
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Post by jill on Dec 30, 2012 9:13:23 GMT 1
Her choice of defence is always going to be in there, as it has worked for her so well in the past, so even if you do manage to get her happy to be ridden, you will never be sure she won't buck if something stresses her. So you wouldn't be confident putting children on her, and that will set up a cycle of worry and concern she will sense and will make her more likely to react. If it was a big horse, you could maybe let a rough rider ride her through it but a pony is different, the only possible jockeys are children. I don't suppose you know whether she has ever been properly started and nicely ridden, or whether, like Columbo that we had here, she has been the subject of botched attempts to sit on her which have left a bad memory. All you can really do is lots of groundwork and hope she accepts the leadership and relaxes enough to make some sort of progress. Good luck - it will be hugely rewarding if you do make some useful progress.
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Post by kafee on Dec 30, 2012 12:57:13 GMT 1
Just a thought: how about trying a bute test like Michellep did with Talin. Despite vets and physio's etc. assuring her that there was nothing wrong with Talin, the bute prooved that there was.
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