Is this the final straw.......?

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Monty

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Nov 16, 2001
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Some of you will have heard of Anni (my 2 year old welsh filly) and her antics. She started out liking to tease you with a gesture of a kick, then it became double barrelling in the stable, and now we've learnt a new trick and I think this might just be the final straw.

We have a young lad who works on our farm sometimes. He came to the house to get me, asking me, 'Is Anni meant to be out of her stable??
I went into the yard, and there was Anni. I obviously hadn't bolted properly after mucking out. Strutting her stuff. Tail up, snorting, and flred nostrils. If only she'd do that in the showring!!

I told the lad what we were going to do, and as I uttered my last word, she charged at him, head down, ears flat back, He scarpered, but I stood my ground, and normally I only have to brandish a crutch or a schooling whip when she misbehaves, and she suddenly checks herself. I waited until she was quite close and brandished one of my crutches at her. And the little cow ran past me....very close, and double barrelled sideways. I felt the breeze as her hooves came within an inch of my nose. I walloped her with my crutch, and then caught her easily(she was standing still....realised what she'd done) and marched her (well.....hobbled her) back to her stable. I've never lost my temper with a horse before, but I completely lost it this time. She's quite subdued now. And before you ask......I'm not sorry!

It's not for lack of discipline, she's had professional schooling, such as can be given to a barely two year old. What am I going to do with her???
This is no fun any more.....maybe a nice little 8 year old Section C would be more in order?? But I LIKE Anni!!


Aaaaaaaargh!:(
 
Monty don't feel bad! Sounds like your little monster is getting a bit big for her boots and needs taking down a peg or two.... the short sharp shock treatment sounds like it worked this time as she was subdued. Sometimes they need reminding where they are in the pecking order.... I was going to say you need to be cruel to be kind, to nip this in the bud, but I think the term "firm but fair" is perhaps a better choice of words....

Chin up... you have not had a good time of it lately so it's understandable if you are running a little short in the patience department...

Those crutches have their uses eh? My mum uses her walking stick as a finger extension for pointing and for ringing doorbells... :D
 
Oh dear Monty, she is going through her toddler stage - she is doing the equine equivalent of throwing herself down on the floor in the supermarket.

No joke though, I can see why you smacked her one, there are times when a short sharp shock is absolutely in order.
 
I think you have the patience of a saint monty!!! I would have done the same, and whacked her as well!!! She is just seeing how much she can get away with, you will be fine with her, she just needs to realise you won't take any messing from her!
 
I agree with the Toddler stage. Mines going through Teenager at the moment :rolleyes:

And I too agree that she needed a wallop to sort her out ! Naughty Girl. It's hard when they do thing's like this and I can't offer advice, patience maybe as she is only two, but what your doing is very correct she's just very naughty and hopefully will grow out of it.:confused: :confused:
 
I think she is also going through the terrible twos as well. a shart sharp shock like the one you gave her often nips it in the bud. Stan has done a similar thing to me and he got a schooling whip to his side (only thing i had on me). Rian did it to my brother once and he has taken to smacking him on the rug with a leadrope stops rian short every time.
 
I've never lost my temper with a horse before, but I completely lost it this time. She's quite subdued now. And before you ask......I'm not sorry!
Click to expand...

Maybe you try it more often ;)


She sounds like she's behaving like a spoilt little brat (although I know you've never spoilt her)..

Couple of things come to mind - does she get turn-out with older mares? They will teach her manners! How much turn-out does she get?

If you can't offer her it, could she go away for a couple of months to live with older mares?
 
Moss tried to double barrell me in his stable. I happened to have the shovel in my hand. Nuff said. He has NEVER tried it again!!!!
 
I've had 2 Exmoors from foals. They tend to get to this 'toddler' stage and do like to try it on. They're only seeing how much you'll take off them before you put them in their place. Trying to see if you are a suitable leader. The beautiful little Exmoor filly I had (Opal) from 5 months old, when she reached yearling stage, she just charged flat out at me across the field swung her pert little bottom round and tried to kick me (playfully) like she would another of her herd. When her bum came towards she got a sharp slap with the head collar rope. She never did it again but did try other things and she got the same result. They have to try these sort of things because they need to suss out if you're a suitable leader and likely to be able to be someone they can trust and respect and will keep them safe.
 
Unfortunately Anni's toddler stage has so far lasted from being a few hours old right through to this morning. :( I know Anni very well. She spent a week with me learning to pick feet up, to lead nicely in company, and to behave around buckets of food. She is not nasty; never has been.

But she is very dominant, very dramatic, and very challenging.

I'm not entirely convinced that this is wholly age-related.

She's a talented pony; and she has the temperament to go with it. I don't think you have anything to be sorry for, Monty.
 
Chev's right. I've seen six foals now, through to weaning +. Anni is the only one I ever saw, when we snuck our first little strokes at a few hours old, round or over mum's back (Like you do!!), who put her ears flat back, and swished her tail angrily at us. I have NEVER witnessed that in a foal that age before. I expected resistance, shyness, running behind mum and you expect some pretty strong resistance when you play with the legs and take her away from mum first, but never in my born days have I seen anything like this.

And people I've spoken to either agree...or quite simply don't believe me! But that's not a word of exaggeration.

I frightened myself, giving her such a whack. Just been to see her, and she immediately turned her back on me!:rolleyes: Not to kick this time....but to sulk!

Mind you...this is the filly whom at weaning, threw herself on the stable floor, and waved her legs in the air...really like the supermarket thing, ambatt!! She tried to throw herself out of the stable window, which thankfully was unglazed, but we had to get someone to come and help OH lift her back in again, she was too heavy, and already half way out. She also threw herself against the stable walls. A drama queen if ever I saw one.

She deserves an oscar........but not today!
 
I think a smack on the a*se and learning that humans do loose their tempers with behaviour like that and she might not want to do it again sounds like exactly the right thing for the little madam. I'm all for the gentle approach but sometimes a sore bottom is far better for everyone than pony being allowed to carry on with that kind of behaviour.
 
It's a shame(although totally understandable I must add:eek: ) that the lad with you ran!!!now she knows she can intimidate some people but not you!!!!!! And you were on crutches!!!!;) Who knew crutches could be such a valuable training aid:D We have a two year old giving us a run for our money at the moment, she is just waaaay too full of herself.Sounds like you handled the situation the only way you could. !!!! She left you no choice!
 
Crumbs, sounds like the last straw to me (but then I'm a numpty around young horses and wouldn't know what to do with a youngster) I'm sure you're much more experienced than me and will come up with a solution - just wanted to send some good vibes - hope you get sorted and Anni starts to behave.......ps, don't blame the lad for pegging off either, I prob would have!
 
Code:
......ps, don't blame the lad for pegging off either, I prob would have![/QUOTE]

L.O.L. L.O.L. L.O.L.:p
 
Sounds to me like the right thing, and I would've done the same. The bottom line is, would you rather give her a stern warning or risk being seriously injured (to say the least) if she happens to try it again.

Good that you're okay, couldn't have been a nice experience at all.
 
I dont know anything about foals but I dont blame you - if the horse is actually becoming a danger to you then you have to defend yourself. I dont hit my horse (luckily I dont need to). He's only kicked once, and that was when someone accidentally shoved some clippers into an open wound - so I didnt allow them to tell him off for it.
He hates his tummy grooming and once when I was doing it he lunged round and bit me on the back. He got such a slap for it, and now when I groom his tummy he just stands and pouts.
I think there is a certain time at which horses just need telling off; looks like you reached that time!

xxx
 
Daddy is, ambatt.

Mum is sec B, old-fashioned breeding, not really modern riding pony type. Not really child's pony type either, although she's sweet to handle on the ground, under saddle is a bit different.

But Daddy is purebred section D, hence Anni being registered as a C.

Lovely horses but I've met, known and worked with enough of them to know that pushing their luck and throwing their weight around is not neccessarily a teenage thing... ;)
 
Please don't think, anybody, that I'm given to going around slapping horses. I think Chev can vouch for me there. Would you believe it, Anni learnt to load into a trailer, and to walk alongside my scooter using join-up!! :eek: But I do believe that cobs, especially, need an extra little something to keep them on their toes.My experience of them is that unless corrected very early on, they become bargey little monkies, and even them some of them remain chronic bargers!!:( But the funniest thing is...Anni's not bargey in the stable. She's a bit 'in your face' for attention, but not bargey. I can stand in the open doorway, and if she wanted to barge, I'd be a sitting duck for her, but she doesn't even try to. If I want to walk her out of the stable door. I put a long line on her headcollar and I go out first if she looks like she's even thinking about coming out on top of me I just say WAIT! very firmly to hem and she stops, or sometimes even steps back.

Well, there have been more developments since her little episode earlier. They were turned out. Grace rolled and put her head down to graze, Anni rolled and galloped madly around the field. We let her settle down, and then after a while, put a few sheep back in. (We had problems last year). History repeated itself immediately. She singles one out and stalks it, and stalks it, and stalks it. Last year it was a ram, adn it died, she chased it for so long. We didn't know until a neighbouring farmer told us.

This time we got the sheep out in time. It was collapsed with exhaustion, but it'll live. But it took me on my scooter :D and OH on the ATV, and daughter running, to get Anni far enough away from her to get the sheep into the ATV trailer. While OH and daughter were doing it, I had to chase Anni on my scooter, brandishing a schooling whip. Y' gotta laugh at the picture (not the exhausted sheep you understand)! I would have, had OH not been so furious with her.

When OH allowed me to keep horses when we first married, the agreement was that the business,i.e the livestock came first. So for example in spring once grass is growing, cattle get turned out first...horses when there's enough grass. I fear the decicion about what to do with Anni, may now have been taken out of my hands. He's been superb since I've been in this condition, and kept me going all the way. I can't repay him by keeping a predator on his land, can I??
 
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