I'm not saying you should be afraid of him, but Im going to tell you I am also not afraid of some horses b/c in my opinion there is a difference between Scared and frightened i am frightened of horses but not to the point that if one walks up to me i get scared or anything. Frightened to me means that you are respectful to his size and power but that they still need to know you are the boss. :) Have Fun Training! :)
May 18, 2011 Rating
Hi Unicorn by: Kassi
as i said before i can't do join up because of his leg....also i don't believe in the things Monty Roberts does.
He also already follows me and comes to me at his own will...i know untrained horses can be dangerous i've been training horses since i was 9.
May 15, 2011 Rating
Hi Kassi by: Unicorn
I'm glad you're not scared of Ripper - fear is most detrimental to the training process. Understand, though, that badly behaved horses are dangerous, but well behaved horses are not as dangerous.
You don't need a halter to do join-up. In fact often you do join-up first, then halter the horse. Monty Roberts, who invented join-up, joined-up with a wild mustang on the open plains. (Some of his books include "From My Hands to Yours", "The Man who Listened to Horses", and "Shy Boy: The Horse Who Came in From the Wild".) You'll find a description of join-up in those books.
Basically, with join-up you try to get the horse to come to you solely of his own accord. This helps to build a relationship of trust.
Happy riding!
May 03, 2011 Rating
Hello by: Kassi
I cant do join up with him because of the fact that I haven't put a halter on him. I have never had to do join up before. I have no need to fear him so why should I?
He is still a stallion but he's only 2 years old. My grandpa has this little myth about getting horses gelded before they are the age of 3. But his brother prancer is still a stallion and I have never had this problem, he is 6. He knows I'm boss.
He has been by himself in a paddock for more then a year because of the leg problem he had been having. We had him alone in fear that if he got worked up and playing with another horse he would set back his progress in healing. Now he is alone because its time for his training to begin.
...I have my ways ;)
Apr 24, 2011 Rating
Ripper by: Unicorn
Hmm, this is a tricky one. Rearing is such a dangerous behaviour, you don't want to make a habit of it. First off: follow TheCougar's advice, join-up is going to work just great - you've already more or less joined up with him, seeing as he's following you, but do a proper join-up. Just remember not to repeat it more than three times or it becomes a game and they want to run away first before coming to you every time you catch them.
I've only worked with horses who reared for two different reasons (and please note I'm just a keen amateur so there must be many other reasons for horses to rear): fear, and domination/rebellion. The rebellious horse gets jerked firmly back to earth and given a smart smack with the flat of the hand. (Not hard to hurt him, of course, quickly to let him know he's doing wrong). With a fearful horse, I'll just stay out of his way, let him come down, and then ask him to do whatever sparked his tantrum again. Rearing is sometimes a natural reaction of fear. Since Ripper is blocking your way if you want to exit the paddock, I'd call him a dominant horse. You're part of his herd now, and he wants you to stay in it. Sweet as that might sound you can't let him boss you around. It pays to have the respect of a creature at least five or six times your size. However, hitting Ripper would make him nervous of you, and you can't halter him so you can't jerk his lead rein. A facer. You'll have to rely on body language and tone of voice, looking him in the eye, turning to face him, and speaking in a deep and commanding but not loud tone. Before you consider that, I'd check why Ripper is trying to stop you from leaving his paddock. First off, is he still a stallion? Unless he has breeding potential or is far too young to geld, I'd have him castrated. Geldings are just so much easier to work with and it might eliminate this behaviour. Secondly, does he live all by himself in his paddock? He might be very lonely and therefore stopping you from leaving it. If another horse or pony isn't an option, a donkey works just as well, or even a goat or cow. He sounds like a stallion to me.
Wow, a long waffle that, sorry. So, how are you going to fix the problem? I'm curious and keen to learn something!
Happy riding!
Apr 19, 2011 Rating
in your shoes... by: TheCougar
you should be scared of any creature that is either frightened or angry b/c they can cause harm to themselves and others. If I faced your same problem, i'd religiously use join-up. it gains a horse's trust better than any other method I know of. please consider doing the same. however much you think you and the pony have a good bond, try join-ing up either in a round pen - if possible - or just in the pony's pasture. tnx!
