I've spent more time fencing than riding this week

[dalesnfellfan]

in an attempt to keep Connie where she is meant to be. Every day she gets out at least twice and has taken to getting in with the other 2 every night, I'd like them all in together eventually but at the moment it's not working having 2 mares and a gelding in together, Em and Silver are settled together and get on well, a second mare seems to upset things and I'm a bit nervous when hooves are flying after Ems fractured splint bone last year.

I've got a schooling area fenced off in Connies' field and wanted to keep a bit of length on the grass so it didn't get too bare and slippery, but she kept getting in so I changed the 3ft posts, which she was jumping, for 4ft posts and 3 strands of tape. Still she was getting in, I didn't think she could get underneath so thought she must be jumping it, she was also getting in with other 2 overnight which meant going under or over 3 strands of tape on 4ft posts.

Yesterday I watched her do it twice, she's not jumping, she's going underneath, she gets her head on the ground, pushes her head under then lifts it up sharpish and pushes her way through buckling her knees as she goes,  the posts are not very close together and the tape had got a bit of give in it, but still I couldn't quite believe she could do it.

A couple of days ago I gave up trying to keep her out of the schooling area and opened up the gateway, and today I spent all morning redoing the fence between her and the other 2.  It now has 4ft posts with 5 strands of new tape with half the gap between the posts it had before so hopefully she can't lift the tape with her neck, I have also put another energiser on so the run isn't so long and charged both batteries. 

I now have every post I possess in use with no spares in case of breakages so have ordered some extra 5ft posts and more tape, it would be quite nice to ride tomorrow instead of fencing. 

[tinkerdorisalison]

very determined these girls - Tinker is just the same, if she's going, she's going, nothing will stop her!

[harveydales]

Oh dear, it's all just too tempting for a hungry pony. ;)I had the same problem with little Lily when she first came. The solution was to put fence posts extremely close together and that did the trick. Didn't do much for my bank balance though as I had to buy lots of new stakes.

[cadeby]

Oh no. A determined escapologist is a real pain

I had the same problem with one of my New Forest fillies. She would even stretch and push under permanent electro-rope fencing if the distance between the posts was too great, and had zero respect for anything temporary.

I ended up spending hundreds of pounds reinforcing every paddock she uses, then she discovered that she could jump 4ft, so I had to buy yet more insulators and run a strand along the top of all the posts as well

So far, I have the upper hand........

[dalesnfellfan]

I'm hoping she's still where I left her when I go down this morning, at the moment I'm waiting the my mechanic to come and pick up my horse box to prepare it for it's plaiting tomorrow.

It's a lovely day today, I really would like to ride!!!

[dalesnfellfan]

Well she stayed put last night so last round of reinforcement seems to have worked for the moment at least, my new fence posts and tape arrived this morning so at least I've got some spare to play with.

So I got to ride this morning and what a lovely one it was, we went further than we've been before on bridle paths that are new to her and had a lovely canter up a long grassy hill. We were out for about 2 hours, well it should have been about an hour and a halves ride but I discovered how determined a Dales can be when she says "no I don't want to go that way" at the green lane where we met the muntjac she didn't like last time. She didn't appear frightened, just didn't want to go and planted, I thought I would out stubborn her but after 30min I got off and led her, then got back on as soon as I found a suitable bank to stand on. At least we went the way I wanted and not the way she wanted.

Back on the lane I had to dismount again when she saw a silver gym ball just the other side of the hedge in a paddock, she was frightened this time and thought it was going to kill her, she was even unsure about following me past on foot, it was just by my friends house so I popped into her yard and used her mounting block to get back on.

Out on the main road the water board were digging the road up in 4 different places with road signs, diggers and men down holes, she took absolutely no notice of all this but was convinced a gym ball would kill her.

[Debbie]

Connie's just letting you know she's never dealt with a silver gym ball before those might be pony eaters. Is your fencing holding up to her?