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minicrazy22393

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Since I know you guys are great horsewoman and everything I thought I could ask you for help with something. There is a little Shetland Pony that I love to death that I get to see about once a week. I want to start working with him because his owners don't. His owner is pregnant and her daughter is just plain lazy and has no horse sense. Please don't say to get the daughter out there because I don't want her working with these horses because she could get hurt or blow up about some tiny issue. I love this horse and I know he loves me. He is afraid of fly spray. I would love to get to know him better and build a great trust level with him. He also is going to get groomed a lot by me. I wanted to trim off some of his winter fat (yes, he STILL has it). They have a lunge whip and I needed to know where I can buy a cheap lunge line. So here are the problems I need help with:

1.) He is afraid of fly spray.

2.) Building the trust level

3.) Need to buy a cheap lunge line (where at and a link?)

4.) Need a workout schedule to trim off his winter fat.

Please keep in mind I will have my dad with me at all times and that I can't spend a lot of money. I don't want the daughter out there and I only see him once a week.

Love you all and thanks for taking the time to read this!
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Good luck, trust will come with daily handling and perhaps slow movements around him. I would use "wipe" then for him for flies, a liquid that comes in a bottle and wipe him with a rag.

Can you use close line line? It is pretty cheap. Attach a swival snap to it? Try a dollar store, you can get enough to use plus some for a 1.00!

Spoeak softly to him except when discipline is needed. Try 10 mins on the lunge line each day. 5 mins in one direction, and 5 mins in the other one. I would not cut his feed just yet until you see how he shapes up. Cut or add feed as needed.

Why don't you see if you can buy this little fella? Perhaps weekly, monthly payments until he is paid in full. He does belong to someone else and you simply cannot expect the owner to not be involved with him somehow. Sure as you get spiffed up, looking good, trusting they won't want you there anymore. Your heart will be broken.

Beth
 
First of all you MUST have the owners permission and you have given no indication that she wants your help.

As for the daughter, you cannot tell her to stay away as the horse is not yours.

You sound very well intentioned. Just remember to keep things in the right order.

By the way, we are not all horseWOMEN.
 
I copied this off of another site I asked advice from and they are all girls, that's why...sorry. I do have her permission and she said that she appreciates it so much. The daughter I won't have to tell to not work with him because she doesn't even groom him or work with him. Thanks for the help everyone!
 
I think you are very nice and very generous to want to work with this little horse.

You do sound like a very horse crazy girl, the way many of us started out.

I would love to have a energetic kid around just like you to work with my horses too.

As far as building a trust level, I think most animals know when someone really isn't going to hurt them.

Need a workout schedule to trim off his winter fat.

This one isn't going to work at all if you can only see him once a week, so I would not worry about it.

But something here is bothering me.

I am afraid that by your post, that you may get yourself hurt by working with this horse. I want you to be very careful. You don't sound like you really know how to do some basic things and I am concerend for your safety, and also I surely wouldn't want you to accidently get the little horse hurt either. Accidents happen every day to even the most experienced horsepeople.

I know you have the lady's permission, but Freeland is right: you are not going to be able to tell the daughter to stay in the house or be calling her lazy, so becareful about that too.

And if you only have one day a week to see this little horse, maybe it would be better for you to just do some basic grooming with him instead of trying to put any real training on him such as lunging etc.

I think that maybe this little horse would just love for you to keep on being his very speical friend and would be looking forward to your brushing him and just talking to him and spending some time just hanging with him. That way, you don't have to worry so much about having to teach him things that may cause an accident to occur.

I don't mean to bring you down, or sound like a know it all, but if you were my daughter I would be a little worried about you getting yourself in over your head.

I want to wish you good luck and do enjoy your special friend.
 
I think you're showing exactly how much you DO know by asking good questions of the right people here on the forum.
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You obviously care about this little horse and that is all to your credit.

I know you have the lady's permission, but Freeland is right: you are not going to be able to tell the daughter to stay in the house or be calling her lazy, so becareful about that too.
Freeland and Marty both missed the fact that all you were saying was that you were not inclined to invite her out to participate, not that you were planning on ordering her away from her own horse.
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I'm with you- if this girl has no interest, it isn't going to do anyone any good to try and force her to do something. The mom is happy you are working with the pony and that's all that counts.

I also respectfully disagree that once a week is not enough to be worth bothering with as far as training goes. No, you aren't going to be able to really condition him in that time. But any exercise is better than none and many students around the country learn plenty in weekly horseback lessons. It has been proven that horses need far less repetition then previously thought to learn something; that is part of the prey mentality. Learn it the first time or you're someone's lunch!

So on your actual issues, here is what I'd recommend:

1.) He is afraid of fly spray.

2.) Building the trust level

3.) Need to buy a cheap lunge line (where at and a link?)

4.) Need a workout schedule to trim off his winter fat.

The clothes line idea sounds fine provided you have some heavy gloves to wear to cushion your hands. That stuff will give you rope burn like crazy! Heavier nylon rope could probably be purchased at your local hardware store and a swivel snap attached to it too. On the other hand, for all I know lunge lines can be bought for $5.
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Both of mine my mother had before I was born so I've never needed to buy one.

Workout schedule- not gonna happen I'm afraid. Lunge him for a few minutes each way at a walk and trot until you see what his current fitness level is, then take it from there. Don't stress him, just work on voice commands and getting him out there enjoying himself.

Build the trust level BEFORE tackling the fly spray issue. Use wipes in the meantime. Just spending lots of time grooming this horse will start that process. Hang around with him, give him treats, feed him his dinner if the owners will let you. The way to a horse's heart is ever through his stomach.
biggrin.gif
Having you DO things with him when no one else is will help. And every time you praise him for doing something right he will come to trust you a little bit more.

When you have him looking to you for leadership and enjoying your company, work on the fly spray. I'd start with a small squirt bottle full of water and do whatever seems appropriate at the time. Spray him with the cool water on a hot day, spray yourself while standing near him, spray the air around him until he quits flinching at the sound. The first time you go to spray HIM, stand close by his shoulder with a hand on his neck or withers. Start squirting the air near him and then nonchalantly move the bottle towards him if he is calm. The minute he stands quietly (no matter how nervous!) and lets the mist settle on his skin, tell him he's a good boy and stroke him firmly! It seems to counteract the tickle.
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Don't press for more, just stop and love all over him. Do something else like groom him for a minute, then try it on the other side. He may get it quickly from that point or you may have to stop there and repeat the next day before moving to more sensitive areas. Let the horse tell you.

I have also been known once they are okay with the spraying sound to bend down and spray something on ground near their feet (like a particular pebble), paying no attention to the horse. It's the same way you get near stray cats- they won't let you within a mile if they know you're coming for THEM, but I can walk within a foot of that same cat if I ignore them and make it clear they're merely a piece of scenery on my planned route. The horse probably isn't so much worried about the actual fly spray as he is the fact that you are pointing it at him and then squeezing the trigger. Plus the mist feels funny, of course. Make it "part of his scenery" and he'll soon quit worrying about it so much.

Hope this helps!

Leia
 
Trust is the most important thing. Work on that now. Forget the rest. ONce he trust you, he will do anything for you.
 
I agree, trying to get him used to a spray is pointless, it will destroy any trust you are attaining. Same with the lunging if you are going to use the whip, although taking him for walks (IN the field!!!) will be helpful. There is nothing that a once a week routine will do for his waistline and you could do a lot of harm by accidentally overdoing it if he turns out to lunge well, SO....... Use the fly wipe method, unless he lunges well already, forget it, it is harder than it looks and will harm trust issues at first and you have limited time, do lots of grooming- this way you are using "horse speak" that he already understands, horses are social animals and groom one another lots. Be careful of titbit's- one when you greet him and one when you leave!!! You do not say if there are other horses in this field- if so, how are they going to react to your messing around with him?? Is there somewhere you can take him, if there are others, that he will be alone with you?? I think it is great you are doing this, and even greater that your Father is going with you, so remember to thank him EVERY time!! A
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goes a long way with Dads!!!
 
Rabbitsfizz - I don't know if there is somewhere I can take him. I don't think there is. The other two horses probably wouldn't mind me around him because they both really trust me.

Thanks for all the advice and I might go out there today and if I do I will tell you how it goes!
 
You would not be able to lunge him in the field with two other horses in there, anyway, so I would scrap that idea
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I want to commend you for being such a caring remarkable human being.
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To care so much about the horse in wanting to help it is going to go a long way. Lei and Beth both gave you some good ideas of what to do and I have confidence in you to gain his trust because you sound very level headed. Good luck and have fun giving this horse the attention he must need. Mary

minicrazy22393 said:
Since I know you guys are great horsewoman and everything I thought I could ask you for help with something. There is a little Shetland Pony that I love to death that I get to see about once a week. I want to start working with him because his owners don't. His owner is pregnant and her daughter is just plain lazy and has no horse sense. Please don't say to get the daughter out there because I don't want her working with these horses because she could get hurt or blow up about some tiny issue. I love this horse and I know he loves me. He is afraid of fly spray. I would love to get to know him better and build a great trust level with him. He also is going to get groomed a lot by me. I wanted to trim off some of his winter fat (yes, he STILL has it). They have a lunge whip and I needed to know where I can buy a cheap lunge line. So here are the problems I need help with:1.) He is afraid of fly spray.

2.) Building the trust level

3.) Need to buy a cheap lunge line (where at and a link?)

4.) Need a workout schedule to trim off his winter fat.

Please keep in mind I will have my dad with me at all times and that I can't spend a lot of money. I don't want the daughter out there and I only see him once a week.

Love you all and thanks for taking the time to read this! 
wub.gif


420679[/snapback]

 
My advice might seem like it's from left field, but I remember when I was a horse crazy kid...

My advice is to not let all of your emotions get involved and not to get too attached to someone else's horse. It can just be a heart ache waiting to happen when they could sell him or the daughter could decide she doesn't want another girl messing with her horse (even though she currently has no interest, your interest in him may inspire her -- you know how girls can be by now).
 

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