He's just a tad bit crazy!

by Kassi
(Ontario, Ca)

Ripper- eatin his bread!

Hi!
Well at my grandparents' we have 3 ponies and there all brothers and sisters.
Prancer-6
pippy-4
ripper-2

Prancer-I started prancer really late because he was having troubles with his leg. I actually just started his ground work a year ago. Ive never had any problems with him and hes my baby.

Pippy- I started pippy when she was 6 months old. She loved to go on walks and do anything you asked her. She learned how to do some really cool tricks and she is now broke to drive and ride.

Then there's ripper. I just started working with ripper last month and now I'm his favorite person in the world! Except that has led to one big problem! He is yet to be lead train or even have a halter on. Hes never been touched before becuase he had a leg problem and if he got worked up his leg would tense up and he couldn't move now hes is better but I'm taking it easy and just becoming his friend. When I enter his field I only walk about 30 feet away from the gate. I walk around and he follows me like a dog except when I want to leave. He runs circles around me and starts rearing and stops 2 feet in front of me almost hitting me.

I am not afraid of him he is a just a pony. I know how to solve this problem but I am really curious as to what any of you would do in this situation.

Comments for He's just a tad bit crazy!

Average Rating

Click here to add your own comments

May 23, 2011
Rating

What Ive learned
by: Delaney

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!

Click here to add your own comments

Return to Horse Training Stories.