Re-breaking a turned away pony

[Fells_4_ever]

My current project is buttons. I rescued her about 2 months ago and have been working really hard to get the weight back onto her. Now shes just right. Shes eight yrs old and 11.2hh
Im in a dilemma. I know shes been broken because shes ridable by the kids. I was lunging her the other day and i told her to halt and she did so immediately. I think someone has taken a lot of time to break her in the past
In the meantime shes been badly treated and getting the bridle on her is almost wrestling. Im at my wits end and need to start bringing her back into work but i dont know how to go about it because the slightest thing terrifys her!
I really need your help. Please!!!!

[prince&me]

when i was helping with a pony with the same problem we used to just hold the bit near the mouth then slowly creep it in to the mouth and contiue with the rest of the tack.

sorry its rubbish advice but thats what we done.

[bethfornow]

before you even worry with a bit or any other tack you need to get her used to nice people again and make sure she knows noises and sudden movements arn't going to hurt her. this is sometimes called sacking out. Start with a plastic grocery bag. let her sniff it and get used to it, then start making noises with it. be sure to reassure her if she is nervous and give her a treat as soon as she lets out a breath and relaxes. then do the same thing but wave it arround.

after she ready for the bit cup a tiny bit of feed in your hand then "feed" her the bit like you normally would. at first she'll open her mouth to eat and you can slip the bit in before she has time to object. soon she'll associate the bit with a treat and open her mouth on her own.

Another suggestion would be to attach a very smooth,easy, "baby" bit to her halter and let her live in it for a couple days so she learns it's not harmful again.

hope this helps. :)

[Barrelbabe_23]

Are you doing anything like juming,barrels,or are you just letting kids ride her?

If your just lettign kids ride,just take a halter put it on her, take a lead line and clip it on one side and tie in on the other......let her get used to that and then try to use the bridle and the bit......I hope it work(I never done it before but it seems like it would work!)

Brianna

[Fells_4_ever]

Thankyou! Im going down to the stahles today with a happy mputh snaffle for the soft bit and i'll stick my sister on her with just the halter on. The bag thing is a really good idea. I think that will help loads but she just has such a problem with anyone approaching her from the right side. I've had her eyes checked and she's all good. I suspect the person who beat her did it mostly from the right.
Thankyou soooo much!!!
Does anyone know any trust building excercises that i can do with her while she's just loose in the paddock?

[horsecrazygirly]

if you can try to show her the bit and but it up to her teeth,then stop. the nexy day you can try to put it in her mouth. just take it day by day.

[tmontz]

One really good trust building excersize you can try is the "catching game" What you do is go out there with a good book and maybe a few treats. Just find a place in the middle of the pasture or paddock and sit... totally ignore her... Read your book, enjoy the day... whatever, but don't look at the pony, just mind your own business... pretty soon the pony will become interested in what you're doing and slowly make her way towards you... sniffing and snorting... when she does come up to you, keep ignoring her... and slowly slip her a cookie. do this a few times, and your pony will learn that you're totally harmless and you just want a friend... :D Let me know how it goes!!!
Teri

[Max]

I know a good trust thing for was to hug my horse see if you can just wrap your arms around her head and put it into your chest.What this does is it cuts off eye sight and partial hearing if you can't do this just yet just start from the base of the neck then work your way up to the pole then put your arm over her neck and so on.You could probobly do this on the right side to help her there.Eventually they soak this kind of stuff up.The catching game is good also you can do with treats or without all horses are different some you can just scratch them on their forehead and they love it.If you want to get crazy depending on your set up every time you walk by go say hi and then leave don't spend a whole lot of time with them but enough to tease them.Do this for about a week or two and then stop and they will usually miss it.But most of all, the thing I found most is just don't put them in a bad situation and they will become trusting in time

Max

[bethfornow]

Max is probably right. Simply giving her time is probably the best advice.

Also, I know it may seem a little counter productive but start doing every thing from her right side. Approach her from the right, walk up behind her on the right, even tack her up from the right if you are sure it is skitishness. If you think it may be her vision, a good way to check is to put her in the round pen with her head tied slightly to the left. This forces her to look out with her right eye. If she cant see as well, she will be frightful, cautous and may trip over herself.

Hope this helps

[Max]

...Approach her from the right, walk up behind her on the right, even tack her up from the right...

Bethfornow is right, get her used to you being on the right, just get her to think there is no reason to be freaked out.Its kinda like when you walk in your house if every time you stepped in you fell through the floor you probably would not want to walk inside.But you walk inside anyway because it's never happened before.

[RealCowgirl]

i would serisouly reccomend parelli training.
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i started doing it with my horse a little over a year ago and what a diffrence.
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he used to be so bad when i tried to bridle him, now he's perfect.
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it could also be the bit your using.
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check and see if any sharp edges are on it that may cause your pony pain.
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hope that helps!

[alliekk]

You have a new horse, and want to start training her immediately, it's exciting to see what you can do with her. The problem is she just doesn't trust you. If you are really serious about her being the IDEAL pony, just give her time. Lots and lots of time. Go into her paddock every few hours and just giver her a treat and a nice rub(preferably on her right side, since that is the side that makes her anxious) then walk away. By doing this, it is making her think, "why are you going to walk away like that? Can I have some more?" Of course, she won't just think this right off the bat, she might blow out a breath of relief once you're gone, but don't give up. Keep coming with the treats, she will eventually just associate you with something pleasant and will look forward to your visits. Once she begins to feel a little more comfortable with you, try going part of the way to her and standing there for a little while, just to see if she will close the gap. If she doesn't, don't fret, it just means it's going to take a little longer. Eventually she will be so happy to see you that she wont need the treats, she now has someone she trusts. Only when they trust the handler will they show their fullest abilities. I hope this works and good luck!!!!
~ALLIE~

[DixieGirl]

I would start with basic ground work then work your way up to riding him. They learn to trust you and let you do anything to them. That would be what I would do. :)

[Ivianna]

The treats are a great Idea... and always giving them from the right is an amazing way to get her to chill about that side. but be careful. we used to give our horses treats ALL the time... and ponies are historically the BIGGEST brats when they get used to getting their treats... they expect it... just make sure she remembers that the treats are a privelege... not something for her to expect. try only giving her the treat every OTHER time you go to see her. That way it's just what it is... a treat.

[Walk_On_Cowgirl]

she just has such a problem with anyone approaching her from the right side. I've had her eyes checked and she's all good. I suspect the person who beat her did it mostly from the right.


One thing you can try is working with both sides instead of her "good" side. What I have learned is that horses learn on both sides of their brains and if they are either left or right handed (which is their good side) then try to spend a lot of time working on the side that she's not comfortable on. The more you show her that everything is OK the better she'll be on that side. The other thing you can do, it's kind of a trust exercise, is try "linking up" with her. For instance, put her in a round pen w/o a lunge line on her and work her both ways. kinda like free lunging only in a more confined area. When turning her, she'll probably turn away from you at first. work her both directions until she's comfortable. When she's ready she'll drop her head and chew. When YOU stop pushing her she should come into you. When she does make sure you praise her. When she's comfortable doing this, Sack her out with the plastic bag (wal-mart bags are the best. they make more noise and hold up a lil better), do the same routine as before. once she's comfortable and drops her head she should come in to you, then rub the back first on her legs then on the belly and back. adventually you should be able to rub it on her face as well. Make sure you atleast get to rub her each time you do this and that she's comfortable before you quit. Also always make sure you quit on a good note. Hope this helps ya out!!!