This message is from: Bossmare [EMAIL PROTECTED]
I don't know if this will help or not but your pony sounds like an appaloosa
pony mare I had. She was 6 when I got her and had been used previous to
that as a ponyride pony at fairs so she was used to a variety of things.
She was also very smart.
Although she was bright and alert and interested in what was going on in the
barn she would retreat to the back of the stall when I approached with the
halter. If I went towards her she would start to circle the stall or show
me her butt. She never threatened; she knew just how much to move to avoid
capture.
In my case I had other horses in the barn so I started to ignore her. I
would turn the others out and she would whinny and be anxious to go. I'd go
to the stall door and if she retreated I left. Eventually she stopped
retreating and would stay at the door to be haltered. I found that giving
this little mare lots of praise when she did something right and actually go
on and on with it until she was convinced she really was the greatest helped
immensely. We had a lot of various things to get over such as fly spray
and the vet. Eventually with persistance and lots of praise she relaxed and
became a very well-mannered and affectionate pony but was not above
reverting to her old tricks with a new handler as I found out when I went on
vacation and the caretaker said he couldn't get a halter on herhim with
40 years experience as a trainer. I told him to ignore her, make a fuss
over the other horses, clean the barn and when she was ready she would
almost halter herself. Over the years our caretaker became quite fond of
her as we all did. We also said she was one smart gal and we all learned
more from her than any other horse we had.
You could also try entering the stall and ignoring your pony. Bring a book,
stand in the corner and act as if he isn't there. You might be surprised.
If he approaches give lots of praise but don't try to halter him or even
touch him. If it's an attitude problem this should help but you might want
to have the vet look at his teeth and eyes to see if there is a physical
problem.
Good luck. I should note that more than a bit of my old appy pony has shown
up in my new Fjord mare. When she misbehaves in a certain way we call her
Bonnie, and that's not her name.
Lois Berenyi
- Original Message -
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: Fjord Horse List fjordhorse@angus.mystery.com
Sent: Saturday, May 11, 2002 2:28 PM
Subject: shyness
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Hi,
I would really appreciate some help or suggestions from every one of you,
if
you have the time. I have a Fjord (my first) and a Haflinger (also my
first).
I am afraid I will eventually have to sell one of them, do to lack of time
to
give each to amount of attention they deserve. I want so much to keep
Aron,
my Fjord, because I have loved the Fjord ever since I first saw one and
realized there was such a breed. But my Haflinger is also a wonderful
horse.
The problem I have with Aron is, he is what I would call head shy. I have
owned him since last November. He will be 5 in May. He has been trained to
ride and drive. His training was very concentrated in 30 days. I first saw
Aron when he was a yearling. Aron was shy at that time. He was very
curious
and would stay close with the other Fjords, but would not let me get close
to
him. He would always stay just out of reach, but he was and is drop dead
gorgeous and he was a little smaller than the others, and I liked that. I
didn't have the money or a place to keep him at that time. Ultimately a
friend bought him and then I bought him from my friend. He doesn't kick,
doesn't bite, doesn't buck, and has a wonderful smooth trot and is 13.2
plus,
and does not gain weight readily. I have started the Pat Parelli 7 games
with
him. He is real nice with a halter on him and lets me touch him all over.
The
problem is, whenever I go into his stall he turns and walks away from me
and
I have to follow him around awhile before he lets me halter him. He does
this
even when I don't have a halter in my hand. He turns away every time I try
to
touch him from midway up his neck to his head. It's like he doesn't want
anything to do with me. I believe this is very different from how most
Fjords
behave. As far as I know, he has never been abused. He was imprinted for 3
weeks and left alone until he was sold at 2 and a half. I don't think this
is
a game he plays. I am very disappointed in this behavior, because I want
him
to come to me, not always turn and walk away. I want him to be friendly. I
love having horses around and taking care of them. Riding is a bonus. But
I
am a person that loves to care for them and groom them and love the smell
of
the barn, manure and all. If any of you have any ideas how to get him
through
this fear or shyness, I would love to hear from you. Otherwise, if I can't
get him over this, he would probably be the horse
