My pony and his fear

Tiggerman111

I've had my pony ten years and I have had several injuries over the years horse-riding. These injuries were not off my pony but never the less I have problems trusting them. I am trying to build back my confidence by grooming him, today though as i was doing it out in his paddock a man started to do some sort of heavy gardening work and after 5 mins my pony went for me twice with his ears down... he's only ever done that to me once years ago and that was when I was trying to seperate him from his herd which i understood.. this time though i dont understand, i thought we had a good relationship, i thguoht he knew i wouldnt hurt him, it was obvious i was not anything to do with man so im sad he went for me and not him.... this has made the small bit of confidence I had diminish in a matter of seconds... am i right to be scared? after it i asked the man to stop for a while and i groomed him for a few mins so that he we ended on a good note.. i know i will be scared tomorrow again though... has anyone advice as to what might have been going on in his head or what i can do to rebuild this trust?

andreac

When you say went for you, do you mean went to bite you or kick you?

I work with horses and have lots of experience with them and a lot of horses will try to nip you for no reason when you groom them or put a rug on them etc, its usually not a vicous bite but more an annoying nip coz they dont like getting groomed and stuff.

You need to be tough and firm and just give out to him if he tried to go for you, if you are nervous he will sense it and keep trying it on.

I wouldnt be scared of a horse/pony that tried to have a nip at me, as i said, ponies will do this just for the hell of it sometimes, so he needs to know you arent phased by it or he will just keep doing it but i wouldnt see any malice in it tbh.

Tiggerman111

He seems completely unrattled by my grooming, he never has had an issue with it before.... i had even stopped when he went for me.... he tried to run at me but i didnt get a chance to see what he would have done as i panicked and shouted...i think he would have tried to bite me as that is what he tried to do years ago... it seemed to be in reaction to what the man was doing becasue afterwards he went into his stable as if to hide....

but yea maybe your right, ive just so little confidence at this stage that i fear anything is something....

andreac

Animals will sense fear and he obv is reacting to it. Maybe the pony got a fright and just ran towards you. Did you not have him tied up when you were grooming him? Its much safer to groom a horse when hes tied up.

Do you ride this pony too? How is he when you ride him?
You really need to be less nervous around him as he will feed off this and just take the pi** out of you. Ponies are very clever so he will know how to mess you about.

Tiggerman111

he had his ears straight back when he ran so it seemed like he had some aggression aimed at me, yea he's great when he's ridden, a very same pony but when hes on the ground he a little scared. I dont know why I decided to groom him out side, lessoned learned! normally do it in his stable, will just take it slowly tomr when he's tied

convert

Has your pony always behaved like this or has he only started doing it recently? Or have you only noticed that he's done it recently because you've lost your confidence? And does he only do it to you or does he react the same way to other people?

There's lots of reasons why he could be doing this, but I'll try mention the most 'common' ones here.

First off, you don't mention whether the field is near a road or built up area/other houses. If your pony has only started this behaviour relatively recently, it could be as a result of people approaching him in the field and 'going at' him, such as riding him, chasing him, ill treating him and generally just frightening him. He therefore has adopted an 'attack' mode towards you as a means of defence. If he reacted that way when someone was making noise around you, it may suggest that someone has been 'at' him and if it is the case unfortunately he'll see all people as potential threats, regardless of how well he knows you.

Secondly, if it's only relatively recently that you've lost your confidence, it could be that your pony has picked up on this fact, has realised that he can get away with murder and has started threatening you so as to get what he wants. In this case, you need to show him that you're the boss by adopting a herd like approach with him. When you groom him, whether in the stable or out in the field, tie him to the hook in the stable or to the fence (though make sure you tie some thin baling twine/string to the hook/fence through which you can put the leadrope, so if the pony panicks/pulls away, he can't hurt himself). Then start grooming for his head towards his tail. If you're not comfortable with it, you don't have to go past his withers, but even just grooming his heck and shoulder on each side will give you confidence.

If he tries to nip you don't hit/slap him. Instead, give him a quick, firm pinch on his neck. This is more effective as the horse will recognise this more as a nip than a slap and will react more positively to it as it is what would happen in the herd if he misbehaved with another horse.

What type of brush were you using to groom the pony (i.e. dandy/body brush, curry comb)? Some horses can be sensitive and find curry combs and dandy brushes quite prickly. Maybe if you used a really soft body brush he mightn't react the same way? Or you could just try using a cloth to see if he's actually sensitive or just being bold? Also, did you check him out to see if he's any cuts/bruises/fly bites on him? It could be that you touched one that you didn't see which was a little sore and he went for you as a result of this?

Have you anyone who could help you with him: parents/siblings/friends/neighbours? If you had someone with you, you may feel more confident than if you're trying to deal with the situation on your own. Alternatively, how would you feel about going to a local riding school/centre and asking them if you could help them out by grooming their horses. The school horses/ponies are usually really quiet and may help to restore your confidence. The owners/managers may also have some tips as to how to improve your confidence with your own pony.

There's lots of other reasons which could have contributed to the scenario you outlined above. Obviously, you're in the best position to judge as to whether one of the above sounds plausible, or whether you think it's something else completely. Obviously only by testing different factors day by day can you come to a conclusion as to what may be causing the problem. However, if you feel it could just be down to your lack of confidence, I would definitely suggest gaining some experience in a local riding school with quiet horses/ponies as it would really help you regain your confidence. And don't worry if it takes a long time.