Harvey has reverted into.....

[harveydales]

an unschooled, spooky, nappy so and so! Just because I haven't been able to ride him much to keep him in order.

Went for a little hack today and he spooked at absolutely everything - lamp posts, road signs, leaves, flowers, the road itself..... After only 200 yards he decided he was scared of a parked van and refused to go past. The firm approach just caused him to go backwards endlessly so I took the "I have all the time in the world, we will wait and you WILL go past". A neighbour even came out of her house to ask if she could help lead us past but I wanted him to do it without help which he did in the end. Harvey will be 14 this year and he is acting like a 2 year old! He is never going to change, is he?

I ended up reminding him of his schooling by doing some shoulder in and half pass and he eventually began to concentrate and got into the swing of it - I think I've got a lot of hard work ahead of me!

[knight]

Really Harvey, you knew Pam would see through all that! Isn't it hard to believe how silly they can act sometimes, when you know that they know better but they seem to just not be able to resist some days. At least I know I'm not alone as Knight definitely has those days too. He even spooks at things in his own field that he's seen how many times! And you know they are just amusing themselves & not really frightened as they never do anything too dangerous, just silly. Maybe it's another Dales thing, that like Peter Pan they never really grow up.

[tinkerdorisalison]

Oh dear Harvey - will you never learn.....

he must have thought " i'd better just check that mum is ready to start riding me again and she hasn't forgotten everything!"

At least he started listening in the end...

[Debbie]

LOL...I think you've got to be part mule yourself to sit through their antics sometimes. Heaven's knows I've had to take the same tact with Blossom....the "I've got all the time in the world'' approach seems to work. Bit exasperating when you know they really know better though.

;D At least you know you've got good company

[PonyGirl]

I think all of us have moments like this. Ponies checking to see if we remember and we checking to see if they remember.

[felldale]

Naughty boy! I expect I am in for the same when I start riding Storm again, she has had sooooo much time off while I have had my head/neck injury.

[taffydales]

I took Merls out for the first time since new year yesterday Pam, and he was very spooky and very forward going!!!!!!, they can be silly can,t they, I hate this time of year we are all so limited in time to ride and they just get full of it, roll on spring.

[greydales]

LOL Pam, I was just about to put up a thread about riding Dancer for the first time in months! He was snorting at everything, pigs and sheep, and really on his toes. He reverted back to kicking out when saddled like he did when I first got him, and went around at 100mph with his head in the air. Exploded into canter then was like Tigger on speed LOL! By the end of the session though we did have some semblance of 'proper' work .

They do seem to revert so easily back to 'unschooled', but it doesn't really take long to get them back again once regular work starts.

[Debbie]

Tigga on speed!

I think all of us have moments like this. Ponies checking to see if we remember and we checking to see if they remember.

Too true, too true Anne

[harveydales]

Well it sounds like Harvey is perfectly normal then! LOL Gill - I had that sort of canter with Harvs today. I hope you're right and he soon remembers how to behave like a 14 year old well schooled horse! I used to find this sort of thing fun when I was younger but not any more.

Nancy - once again another family trait! Harvey also spooks at things he sees every day in his field. He has to walk past a metal gate on the way into his stable every morning, and every morning he acts like he's never seen it before. On a couple of ocasions he's been so busy looking at it and not where he is going that he walked head first into a wall!

[greydales]

Saturn is the same . He will spook at small things beside the arena that he has passed hundreds of times - it's going to be interesting, as Dave is cultivating some land next to the arena to grow veg LOL

[harveydales]

Gill, if Saturn is anything like Harvey, you'll be OK for a year or so. It's only when he's seen the veg patch several 100 times that he'll start spooking at it..........

[mickey]

I used to have to take that approach with Mickey- he went out as babysitter and would need babysitting himself on occasion.
Yeti is a different kettle of fish- tactic is as soon as he looks he gets made to go- kick or smack, whatever. As soon as he stops Ive lost any chance. May sound a little harsh but it works. Whereas Mickey would stand and look Yeti reverses and spins (usually into the other horse so I cant smack him!)

[dalesponyrider]

LOL @ walking straight into a wall!

D used to be like this but I found 5 or 10 mins lunging before riding made a lot of difference.

The weather has been very windy and D is quite frisky even in the field. Won't be long till summer and then they will all be falling asleep!

[harleydales]

Harley is the same.
And he goes where he is looking rather than looks where he is going.

Must be a Dales thing...