Nightmare in the stable :(

[beki x-x]

my pony is as good as gold to catch , load , ride and with the farrier
but if i put her in the stable and try too feed her she runs around the edge.
if i tie her up she just gets stressed especially if i leave her.
when i put her saddle on she spins around like a loon.
i dont know what im doing wrong, anyone know anything i can try. ?

 

[WooHoo2]

Just be firm and consistent. Fix her with your eye, and tell her to STAND!!
Don't take any nonsense off her, as what she's doing is potentially dangerous for you both.

Tie her up short, so she's got less to spin round with.
Do little and often for the lengths of time she's tied up, and praise her for her good behaviour. But if she is being naughty, don't untie her! Leave her til she's stopped, then untie her, and she'll realise she gets untied for good behaviour.

 

[beki x-x]

i am trying to be firm but she takes no notice


she is worse to put her saddle on , but i dont think it hurts cos she is fine if i get on her then tighten it.

ive tried leaving her tied up until she calms down, but she got in such a state i thought she was going to pull the bailing twine off.

im just guna keep trying and hope she gets better

 

[angelfben]

She sounds like she panics when she feels claustrophobic or "shut in" anywhere. You need to work on building her confidence in these situations. When you put her in her stable or tie her up is she taken away from her field mates as well? I'd keep her friends nearby in view to keep her calm and give her some confidence.

I'd start in very short, low-pressure situations, try and keep the stress of the situation to a minimum. I'd teach her like a baby learning to tie up for the first time and go right back to basics.

 

[beki x-x]

she is only 4 so its understandable,
ive tried tyeing her best frind outside the stable and she still does it.
ive tried just bringing her in feeding her praising her and then turning her out again , everyday for 2 weeks now, but when she finishes she runs again.. im hoping shell settle in a little more as she has been here for 2 and a half weeks now. i was thinking it could be nerves because she poos every where.

 

[*millie*]

Has she ever been stabled before?

 

[bevy]

As Millie asked " Has she been stabled before"? You say she has only been there 2 1/2 weeks so I assume she has been moved from somewhere else? 2 1/2 weeks isn't a long time for a youngster or any horse for that matter to settle. Has she been much handled and how long has she been broken? It may be that the move, a new owner, different routine etc have all confused and stressed her. You may need to take things a bit slowly for a while and be patient with her. It will be worth it in the end.

 

[angelfben]

My boy was very similar when I first got him, he actually cracked my ribs at one point when he crushed me against a wall in his panic to get out a stable It's sheer panic and anxiety though so you need to be very calm and reassure her. Avoid the temptation to tell her off when she starts messing about as you're just making a stressful situation even more frightening for her.

With my boy I just ignored him when he was being silly, made sure I kept myself safe, and dealt with him very calmy and consistantly. Can you get her in a routine of coming in her stable when the others do? Even now my boy doesn't like being in his stable when it's out of his normal routine, but is happy to come in with all the others in an evening. Being able to see them all stabled and happy about it really calmed him down as he realised there was nothing to worry about.

If possible I'd get in a routine whereby you bring her in with the others at the same time every day, give her a feed. Let her settle for a while and then pop her back out again. In a way very short sessions don't work so well with stabling as she needs to "get over" the initial worry and take the time to realise that nothing horrible will happen to her and she isn't going to be abandoned in that stable on her own.. which is more often than not their main worry when stabled as they feel trapped and not able to follow the herd. I'd leave her in, under supervision and with others stabled around her, for half an hour to an hour at a time at first. I wouldn't try and do anything with her in her stable at the moment as she sounds like she needs some time to figure things out without adding any more stress to the situation.

 

[beki x-x]

i dont stable her over night , but the previous owner said she had done.

im just going to try and keep her calm and reasured for short periods of time , im hoping she will settle in , will keep trying and let you know how we get on.

 

[ginny!]

Ginny was like that. so i tied her up outside till she had settled in more. after a few months passed we did it again and she was fine. i think it just needs time tbh. there again Ginny doesn't like been stabled for long amounts of time(couple of hours) unless she is in a yard with other people/ horses walking round.

 

[beki x-x]

i swaped stables with my friend. the new stable she is in looks out over the field with her friends in. she is WAY happier and is fine to stand looking over the door now shes still a bit wierd with her saddle on, but i keep just putting her head back over the door and telling her to stand, she seems to be getting the message

 

[montys helper]

i swaped stables with my friend. the new stable she is in looks out over the field with her friends in. she is WAY happier and is fine to stand looking over the door now shes still a bit wierd with her saddle on, but i keep just putting her head back over the door and telling her to stand, she seems to be getting the message

good. i have a po who is on box rest and if we are around he goes mad in stable so i sometimes stick him in a stable with a veiw so he can see the paddocks and his friends and he is fine then.