planting feet

[dannyboy]

I'm not sure if its subborness or separation anxiety or possibly something else but I'm struggling to get Casper to walk / trot etc: down the lanes.

Murphy is left, prancing about the yard and is very vocal so perhaps this is causing some of the problems. It is definitely getting worse though as usually after turning for home, he is eager to get back and takes on a lovely little forward walk / trot.

Yesterday poor N was kicking and kicking him on with absolutely no outcome. Now I know her little legs are probably like a irritating fly and have no real oomph but I've never seen him be so disobedient / unwilling .

What could I be doing with him to encourage independence? Any tips on how to move him forward, instead of planted his feet and refusing to budge. Its so annoying when your trying to keep a 5yo interested.

[scattymare]

This is a really annoying habit - Matilda will sometimes do this when trying to get her in the stable.
It sounds as though he is reluctant to leave Murphy so is proving just how stubborn he can be.
If it were me I would take him out without the little one on board, armed with a schooling whip. When he stops, keep yourself at his shoulder but give him a flick with the whip - be prepared for him to possibly jump forwards (which is why better to do without a passenger).
Another trick is to rather than pull forwards, turn slightly to the side - it is very difficult for them to plant this way - but if anything like Matilda she will move to the side but then continue to plant! But it may work with Casper - it may be a wibbly wobbly line down the lane but at least he'll be going in the right direction!

[solomon]

If you don't fancy the schooling whip idea, rope round the nose works for my friends stubborn Fjord pony who plants.

[fimacg]

tight circles just to get him moving his feet - he should soon realize walking forward is easier than having to keep walking in a small circle

[fleabitten]

some good ideas here!

i think fi's idea is something you could try, have heard of this before - if you keep turning him round he will keep moving because he has to move otherwise he will fall over, rather than pulling him to make him walk which wont work lol! schooling whip idea might be a good idea to try too.

would agree with scatty, sounds like he's just being a typical wee git of a pony and being crafty/stubborn!

[haffyfan]

as above...murph use to be terrible for going on strike. Getting off and towing was often the way forward for me...constant pressure until he gave to it then instantly release the second you feel them give...that is their reward then. Also the rocking that scatty speaks off both mounted/unmounted as it tips them off balance making them move but N is too little for this to be effective onboard unless you do it from ground.

If all else has failed i've also make him go backwards until he changed his mind and decided to do as asked...this i use more if i for example drop a glove/my phone and he won't turn around to go back and retrieve it.
Be careful of this as obviously nappy horses will run backwards anyhow and can use it as evasion tactics...i know a few people who are reluctant to teach rein back at all until well into the training as they say it induces napping....don't personally agree as i think having control of the feet is very important..if you can control where the feet goes, you can control where the horse goes but can see their argument too.

Once he realises he isn't getting away with it he'll give in...and think of something else! I'm sure it's all to do with the seperation, i guess they just have to know the other always comes back but well i know only too well how difficult this is....and hey it's frustrating but at least yours will part!

[racaille]

This does sound like classic reluctance to leave his mate. I think you just need to try the advice above and see which works, it often helps to vary the tactics as they can get blasé about them. And yes, this is something you should work on without N on board as you may get some grumpy behaviour before you sort the problem.

I also think a Be Nice headcollar would help. I wish I'd found them earlier! You can get them on ebay quite cheaply and it does do away with any tug of war (which a horse will win anyway).

[dannyboy]

I've been putting some of your idea's to use and getting mixed results. I initially had been putting him around in circles anyway and got him to go forward a little.

I've been having diffiulties with him in all other area's too if I'm being perfectly honest. You probably remember him biting me recently! Well I have him out to grass at the moment and he's full of energy, full of himself and being very disrespectful.

I'm going to start putting him on the lunge and do more groundwork with him again to see if I can get his manners improved.

He's only in light work but I still give him a little hard feed each day with carrots as I'm feeding Murphy and it makes it easier. Its not a high energy feed - (Calm & condition - Allen & Page) but I'm concerned with minimal work he's just too lively.

Can a little pony like this change?

[racaille]

Well, ponies aren't known as cheeky blighters without good reason! (You should meet Mr T.... )

But yes, if he is pushing it in all areas it's a good idea to work on his general behaviour. I strongly advise getting a Be Nice halter (or anything similar) as it makes life for you that much easier to start with and it does sound as though he is betting bolshy.

I would not be feeding him hard feed at all. A few carrots when M gets his feed is fine (just a few though) as it sounds as though he is doing very well. (Paco, who is is light to medium work now does not get any hard feed, just to put it in context. He is on good hay only, with a slat/mineral lick. And he's on form enough, thank you very much!)

But C's manners need to improve, you can't have him biting N or towing her around. I'd forget the lunging for now and just work on basics like leading, stopping and standing, respecting your space etc. The great thing about a Be Nice halter is that it automatically puts pressure on him when he does something you don't want and automatically releases it when he does something 'good', so it reinforces good behaviour.

[fimacg]

I did a natural horsemanship 2 day course when I first got Figaro. It help establish boundaries with him and taught some invaluable techniques which I still employ now.

Have you seen this place... it might be worth seeing if someone can come up to you for a couple of lessons with C and teach you a few techniques to nip some of these problems in the bud.

www.diamondslaneequestrian.co.uk/

[spotti]

I wish I lived closer because I'd be there in a flash to give you a hand. Casper sounds just like Faith was when I first got her - disrespectful. rude and generally seeming to think humans were a waste of time - but now look at my little star .

The best thing I found was to teach Faith to back up on cue. This may have to begin a slightly less-than-subtle way if he's being really stubborn (Dually Halters are good, but please read/watch the instructions first as mis-use can create problems), and then if you can work on adding a cue to the behaviour (and one that isn't just applying pressure as this can be confused with other cues - I stand in front of Faith with my hands on my hips and my shoulders square) then it should become much easier for you to let him know exactly what you want, when you want it. I strarted this training with Faith years back and combined with start/stop training she very quickly picked up what I was asking...now all I have to do is start to turn to face her and she backs up . (I went one step further actually, initially as an experiment to see if she could do it, and taught her to back herself up until she stood square. Now she does it all by herself. without an obvious cue, and she knows that she needs to stand square as she doesn't stop backing up until she's got one foot in each corner ).

Obviously I'd recommend rewarding with something Casper likes when he does something well - treats are normaklly a good thing - but maybe with him it might be worth finding something else he likes...perhaps a good scratch behind the withers or a gentle stroke? Don;t forget to reward often, for each little step he takes, and then gradually fade out the in-between rewards so that he has to work harder to earn the big ones.

If you want any help with anything then my PM box is always open .