Hi everyone,
Hopefully some will be able to help me, sorry if there is any bad spelling as im writting this really quick because iv got to go out lol.
I have a 3 year old new forest by playaway iv owned him since 15 months old hes been a lovely boy till recently not sure if its anything to do with the time of year or something im doing wrong but anyway hes being a pain to lead in and out the field, he live out 24/7 but i like to bring him in as often as i can for a brush but not as often as i should as i work but take any oppertunity when im not at work, when walking him he is swinging his head about, barging into me, trying to run off, bucking and rearing to be honist its really lowering my confidence, everyone has said to me that im to nice with him and i need to become much firmer with him, the thing is if i tell him of he comes back at me, they have said when walking to take a whip and smack him with it a say a firm no! thats all well and good but what if he decided to retaliate towards me? lol i know it sounds silly but im scared of messing all the work iv done with him but then the nicley nicley approech hasn't work ether. Hes most of the time ok in the field and goes back when asked but today he was in one of them moods and decied he was'nt and started swinging his backside at me and trying to barral me, i just chassed him off. Iv been really doubting whether i should carry on with him with my confidence so low but it seems to me that a lot of people go through the same, i do forget sometimes that he is only a baby.

Before your confidence gets any lower and you make any rash decisions about your future with him, have you considered enlisting the help of a professional? Sarah Weston, who is listed in the directory on here, uses Intelligent/Natural Horsemanship techniques and I feel your situation could really be helped by her
Dont worry, it is not all mumbo jumbo, fluffy bunny stuff and you may only need one session with her to re establish the boundaries you once had with your pony and her prices are reasonable

.

I agree with Cheryl. You need some tried and tested techniques, which Sarah will show you, which will give your confidence a boost. Your boy's just trying it on, but it can be frightening when they're big and it needs to stop now.

Give Sarah a ring before you lose more confidence.



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Thanks for the responses

I live in Lincoln so i think it would be a bit far for her to travel, there is a man called Gary Bosworth who does NH iv had him out before i might give him a call and see what he can do for me, im feeling a bit down at the minute and feel just like giving up i just dont seem to be getting anywhere.

We live just south of Lincoln and husband had a lot of assistance last year with a lady called Belinda, from North Hykeham, who also does NH, etc, with his then 2 yo. She could be just a little bolshy at times, but NH certainly helped establish the boundaries and assisted husband who's a novice pony owner Saffron is now 3 and although they've done next to nothing over the winter, she certainly hasn't forgotten anything, when the need arises Whatever's going on certainly does need to stop now and then you'll both be happier

I am relatively new to horse keeping and have been on a seriously upward learning curve these past few years.
I would definitely give Sarah Weston a ring. She teaches Intelligent Horsemanship, not NH. I know that there are several people on this forum who will poo poo our recommendations, (which seriously P***es me off). Her work is brilliant!!!! I went to her when we bought some New Forest youngstock and I wanted to learn to bring them up to be respectful gentlemen.
Sarah has given me SO much confidence with not just my Foresters, but also my huge riding horses - despite the fact that she has not been asked to work with the big lads.
She will not only give you loads of tips, even over the phone, but she is sure to be able to put you in touch with a like minded trainer in your area through the Intelligent Horsemanship network.
She teaches you to use your body language to train your horses. You won't have to smack him or be horrid, but just a few changes in your body language will show him that you are the "leader" - not him. He should be very happy not to have to be the leader and change his attitude. I have had Sarah here several times and her work gives me goose bumps as the horses respond so quickly. Google her and have a read of her blog, give her a ring and pick her brains and then find someone in your area and give it a go. It would be such a shame to give up on him when you have come so far.
Good luck.

Ahh, i think i know which Belinda your talking about, is it Belinda Good? if so then she is at my yard in hykeham she was at the brick yard but shes been here now for a couple of months she has a spanish horse with a funny name lol, i do know of her work but sometime a bit afraid to ask, i dont like bothering anyone.

what is it?a colt gelding mare?

i would agree with your friend it needs to be told and if comes back at you you tell it again.

my cob i havent had long was only gelded end of last summer and he wasa covering stallion,he is still very much "colty"
his last owners where way to soft with him when i got him home and he tried things on with me he was told off from day 1.
and he is now alot better than he was but still needs reminding every now and then who is in charge and that of course is me.

good luck

He is a gelding and has been since he was 13 month, its all a bit confusing to me, my head is in a spin with all the advise im getting, one person tells me one thing then the other says.. no dont do that do this!! i dont know where to start lol, i think maybe i need to go back to basics again, i'll just see what the next couple of weeks have in store for me and try some stuff and see how i go x x

Hi Laura,

do give Garry a ring. He's a really nice bloke and can show you how to work with your pony without ever having to hit him. He'll make a real difference in just one session and that should start your confidence going upwards again very quickly.

His telephone number is on the IH website www.intelligenthorsemanship.co.uk under specialist trainers.

Just got this off the IH website (Steve, I hope you won't mind seeing as it is in Norfolk!)

Garry Bosworth and Liz Pitman will be giving a short demonstration on the benefits of good leading and groundwork at Hall Farm (World Horse Welfare centre), Snetterton, Norfolk on 6th May at 7pm. All proceeds go to WHW.

We're not the organisers and I'm afraid I don't have ticket booking details yet, other than prices which are £10, and £5 for under 14s. Sorry it's vague, I've been waiting for more information before posting. Tickets will, though, be available on the door. I'll let you know more as and when I hear.

Youngsters can be tricky at times. It's all a learning curve for them. Have you owned young ponies before?

Well done for realising that you need help. It can be confusing when you get different advice. The best thing is to find out what works best for you and your pony, before you lose confidence in each other.

Establishing a good "ground" relationship will pay dividends when it comes to backing him. I don't know how experienced you are but when the time comes I suggest you seek expert help so that you are both confident enough to take the next steps.

Have you got any pics of him? I bred a playaway baby who was a lovely pony.

Best of luck and let us know how you get on.

Thank you sarah,
I have emailed Gary today and i know he will get back to me in the next couple of day, he also lives round the corner from me so if i dont hear from him i will pop round and see him.
Someone on here did suggest you earler to me so i looked you up and realized you were on the same list as Gary.
Thanks for giving me that information of the demo Gary will be doing im going to look into it shortly and maybe talk my husband into going with me, hes good on direction lol.

Hi cliar,
He is my first baby, i think iv made him sound a lot worse than he really is, i think i worry to much and think im going to mess him up but everyone tells me im doing fine and not to worry, i think it is a confidence thing on both our parts and i know i need to be confident for him, its hard sometimes when your avoiding being kicked and trampled on but i will get there, i will have someone to help me with the breaking side im already saving for that, im going to have someone come to the yard to do him or maybe one of my friends will we will see when the tme comes, im not intending to break him till next year, im i no rush,
Here is a picture of him from the winter in his wooly coat, es lost most of it now and looks very slim, fit and shiny.

Youngsters are very rewarding, I love seeing them grow up and develop. There is no rush to back them early, glad to hear that you will take your time with him.

Am sure that you will get more confident as time goes on. With the right encouragement it will come, don't worry. A learning process for both of you then.

This was my playaway child, now on the IOW.


Have you seen the playaway babies thread? There are some more pics of siblings on there.

Here is Warren Playway in case you haven't seen a pic so far.

Nice pictures clare,
Your baby looks lovely and warren playaway looks a strong stocky lad.

Yes, Laura, it's Belinda Good! Not just a Spanish horse, but from Spain Don't be afraid to ask, she's a very nice person Haven't seen her all winter so didn't know she'd changed yards, but she could well be at my riding club's show in a fortnight. Tell her you've heard of Saffron the NF, with fieldmates Pinkie (NF), Slaney (Irish) and Alice (the tb)

If you think of your lad as having the same kind of mentality / mental age as a cheeky 12 year old boy seriously testing the boundaries, you won;t go far wrong!

I'm sure that a good Natural / Intelligent Horsemanship practitioner is definitely the way to go. He just needs to be reminded of his place in your herd - you're the leader, he's the cheeky youngster!

On a good note, it's usually this type of mentality that often ends up really excelling at something!

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Thanks everyone for your help,
I had Gary Bosworth out today, he worked with my boy in the field then he took him out of the field and thats when the fun started, bucking, rearing, dragging. Gary did the work he did with him in the field but just kept at him as star kept trying to pull Gary to the grass but eventually he got the idea then finished on a good note. Gary said he thinks its the spring grass and his age, he suggests that i try a calmer to put in a feed as he may benifit from it, poor gary was up against it all tonight my pony pulling him about, other horses running about making him worse and it was so windy but at least he could see what he was really like, so now iv got to get on a do it myself so i will start monday as i have the whole day off work, i'll spend the day with him, wish me luck! i think im going to need it lol.

Good luck Laura


http://www.nfstallions.info/ . . . http://www.forestuprising.org.uk/

You have to tret them all the same kids, puppy's and youngstock 'firm but fair'. I have had youngster's for years and you do have to be firm, you don't have to wack them or be cruel just firm ! I show all mine as early as possible and do lots of ground work, i have a yearling that has just been gelded and he was becoming a SOD, i used to use a show cane when i walked him and if he tryed to barge or swing his head at me i would raise the cane slightly and he would back off (never hit him with it) i also used a halter rope on him and that seemed to sort out some of the dragging off. But really you do have to be firm and if you don't feel confident to do it yourself get someone who is confident because if not he will become worse with you knowing he can get away with it ! Good luck it really is worth it in the end.

All as above and just remember to be consistent with whatever approach you take It won't take him long to know what you're asking for! There's plenty of brains in NF's noddles, they're just not always convinced you know best in certain situations

Littlejag you sound just lik me to a Tee I very much have the same attidude as you, i have a rising 5 yr old who i have since he was rising 2 everytime we introduced him to something new he would hit us with a challenge, I to am still always worried about doing something that could potenctial ruin him thats always been my main worry (ALWAYS) i have learnt to be firm with him he is very much a pony who give him a inch he will take a mile. I have always wanted to bring on a youngster and im nearly finally there but it has not been easy and at times when im home ive thought "my god i should have left to professions" but you really do have to keep going and with some profession help which i seeked you will get there im sure, try not to let it get you down or worry to much im such a worrier it drove me mad on a bad day but you have to take the good with the bad, god im giving advice i dont even listen too myself all the best....

Thank you so much for that charls, it nice to know there's someone out there like me lol, i have my good days and bad days but i am getting there very slowly.

I cant belive how helpfull and friendly everyone has been on this forum, there has not been any negative feedback at all its great....unlike some other forums!!!

Yhanks everyone x x

Im sure you will be fine...Keep us all posted would love to know how you get on and would love pictures!
P.s Some times asking to many horsey people advice can be rather confusing afew people i asked all had different views, sometimes to many opinions can be hard work!! Listen to one person you think that suits you best and stick with their advice

If it were me i would whack a chiffney bit on, put it on a lunge line so if it decided to go up/strike out ive got enough room to get out of the way without having to let go and carry a long whip. If it reared i would pull full force down on the chiffney till the little s*** realised going up means pain. If it struck out or tried to take a chunk out of me id belt it hard with the whip, it would soon learn not to f*** about.

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I dont think i need to even think about putting a chifney on him yet, he is doing fine at the moment and calming down nicely with the calmer iv been giving him, iv had to start from the begining again but hayho im in no rush, im taking one step at a time aa often as i can.

Vieshot -Glad i'm not one of your ponies! Respect always works for me!

Yes ive got two perfectly behaved boys. A 5yo child could handle either of my horses, even the 3yo.

But yes, you go ahead an respect the damn animal when its legs are trying to smash you into next month

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little jag-calmers arent effective as of straight away they take time to get into the horse/ponies system,most of it you will find in phscological (on your part) as you are waiting for him to misbehave so therefore are probably tense/nervous when handling him,not he is on a calmer you have relaxed around him as you think this has started to take effect.
respect is built up over time and no amount of calmers will bring that bond between horse and rider.
i know this as my last horse was very nervous didnt like raised voices etc..but had the most wonderfull attitude i put him on calmers and was thinking how much difference they made,but when i took him off of the calmer he was far better behaved then when on them,but this point i had had him a yr and he built his trust in me and we had a great and very succsessfull year together.calmers will work on some but not most.

and i am with you vieshot mine are told the day they step out of line who is boss,they only need telling the once and they dont do it again.

im with vie one good telling off youd never need do it again

He is only on a calmer because a profesional told me to put him on it while the grass was coming through to replace his magnisium he was lacking its not for his behaver. I have no problem in telling him off if i feel im in any danger but at the moment he is being a naughty 3 year old, he has a lovely temprament and learns quickly, im not into smacking, the only time i did smack him is when he bit me really hard and i smacked him out of shock, must admit he didnt do it again but as a rule thats not what i do.

I have a 3 yr old filly - who last year tried the going up and striking out route.......... She also is the type to retaliate if whacked - as I found out
So I put her in a rope halter or scrabrig when leading her out - which gives more control - and she recognises this and doesnt play up! She was ALWAYS just trying it on, and now knows not to - she has also chilled out because she realises I am boss and she trusts me!
She is my first youngster, so I am experimenting too - but I use common sense rather than the 'Natural Horsemanship', though I feel most of it is the same! If she bites or strikes out she gets a whack - but mainly she knows if I am displeased due to my body language and voice - and that is when she asks to come back into my space like she did as a 6month foal when I was her 'mum'!
Good luck with yours, I am sure it is just a 'stage' and you will come out ok............. but unless your grazing is really difficient I wouldnt think a magnesium calmer would help any more than bach rescue remedies on yourself (and I have tried both )

Hi,
Well done on asking for help. I am grateful to the members here for sharing their experience and advice when I first got my NF as a 7 month old. He is a playaway baby too! Thunder has just turned 3 as well! lol

I swear by ground work (backing up, getting them to 'give' to pressure in the ribs, front of chest, rear etc) and this worked well with a section A youngster I had who started biting, I'd back him up every time I lead him till he lowered his head and licked his lips in submission. If he tried to bite again I'd stop and repeat the exercise.. yes it was time consuming at first but only took a week and we saw major changes.
A good book for manners is: Perfect Manners by Kelly Marks - there are some real fun exercises that will build your bond together too.

Hope the professional help nearby is an option too.

I agree with the firm but fair approach - with all my animals and children! lol

Hugs, Jane and the boys.

Thanks everyone for your replys.

I had a profesional out a couple of times which did help but very expensive.
We have a lady at the yard who is at quite a high level of parelli i asked for some advise from her, she did some work with him in the field then spend 10 mins every day doing work with him for a week...i didnt do anything with him for a week apart from groom and poo pick! just left her to do what she was doing, then at the end of the week she took him out the field and did the same work with him walking him down to the yard, what a difference he was as good as gold didnt put a foot wrong.

Iv had to keep up the work in the field, its great he seems to have got the idea now, as long as he stays out of my space im fine, i still get very nervous but learning how to breath and try to relax..well to make him think im relaxed lol, in the mean time my heart is coming out my chest lol.

It seems to be coming together slowly, he learns very quickly to what im asking, its not such hard work ether as i was made to belive it would be with a young horse just time consuming and its not rocket sience, as long as the ground work is done correctly and he understands what i want then i cant go far wrong

Thanks again your all great x x

That is truly wonderful to hear! Well done! and well done your friend on the yard How lovely of her to help every day - I'm sure she's thrilled to see a change in him and you your nerves will ease in time I'm sure ((hugs))
I know with my section A who started biting it was hard to relax and not EXPECT the behaviour, he still doesn't bite now, well apart from the farrier but he knows him! lol I sold him last year and was honest about his one 'former vice' and showed them how we handled it etc I haven't heard that they've had any trouble with it so that's good.

I hope that you have a lovely summer and move forward together (at a safe distance) from here. Hope you bought your friend a big bunch of flowers or whatever! lol

Hugs, Jane and Thunder

Great news!

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Hi I am Tamsin, I am 16 so I may not have the best advice around but I have had what you are getting. I have a 3 year old that I have owned since he was born. At around the age of 2 and a half he was finding out that he was stronger than me and it was fun to spook and rear and just play me up. Untill some one at a horse shop showed me this serton control head coller. It has a propper name but I can't remember what its called as I cant remeber any thing lol. Just ask in ya local horse shop for a control head coller and it should look like a normal head coller but with this extra rope material that goes behind there ears and then down throw the metal circle that you normaly clip ya lead rope on to. This helped loads and has ever since kept his feet on the ground as it makes me even with him. All so I find doing a loud firm mans voice helps, I have now idea why but he stops and looks at me when I do it haha. Don't sell him though, I know how you feel, but that sort of thing can be worked through with in a month! xxx

It's a very valid point using a long enough lead rein in the same way will save you buying a special head collar You can do it up and over the ears and back down (over the pole) or over the nose just pop it through the rings in your head collar

Hugs, Jane and Thunder

Littlejag how is it all going? Any pictures yet

Hes doing fantastic! he walks back and forth to his field like a doppy donkie lol, now we have established who's boss he is more relaxed and behaving himself, i am so please with him and myself i feel we have really bonded now, he waits at the gate for me and when i go in with the head color hes the one putting his head into it its like he cant wait to get it on, hes my baby and i love him so much lol.

This is a pic of him but not a recent one this one is from the winter so he looks a bit scruffy.

hi i know how you feel i have a 2 yr old who 6 months ago was perfect except at meal times!hes now pushing me around saying im boss which is horrible as before he was a poppet to own,i have now found that the dually halter is slowly working on him so he is not so bad taking him out for short walks as he tends to front kick me ,bite me and rear which does worry me and he knows it.i have put him on the nfed to sale but hes slowly gettin better so may not sale now. all i can say is keep going as i am X

Hi Yazz, i thought at one point about selling mine too but i just carried on as i knew there should be a way some where that i could stop this horrible behaver.
Mine to used to front kick me, rear and bite it can be very scary, i did try a dually but it didnt seem to work for me, a lady showed me how to do a little bit of parelli with him which worked wonders, i was always against parelli but every time he wanted to be silly i just shake the rope and he goes back then when hes thought about it a bit i'll rub his head and tell him to walk on, now he doesn't walk into my space or push me around, i just have to watch him and check him quickly when i know hes thinking about being naughty or not paying attension to me, this method may work for you!!

hi laura, it sounds as though your ok with your one now,its horrible when they do act like that as they really can be so scary and i think he knows this to.may try that with the rope and see if it works as took him out for some grass today on the dually and didnt work so perhaps its not really helping him X

Littlejag he looks cheeky
Im so pleased your doing well, I have just finally broken mine to ride, I needed alot of help though as he was my first youngster I have had him from rising 2 and he is now 5 and still puts challenges my way but we get there in the end I had a nightmare the first time i backed him (sat on him with his tack) he most definitly didnt want me on, so i came off on post and rail fencing rather painful but now he is fine to mount, I think the saddle must of slipped and was not to sure of the sensation off the pressure on his left side.

It all time and patients! Good luck and keep us updated