Xavier: New Beginnings

KP nut

KP nut

I'd rather be riding.
Dec 22, 2008
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So meet Xavier: a pony who wouldn't be caught and therefore ended up just left untouched in a field for 4 years. I felt sorry for him and made them an offer. Lucky for us they accepted and Xavier came into my herd.

YO said he was a nice ridden pony but has not been ridden for at least 5 years. He's 12 now.

He has been with me just under 3 weeks but my work really started a week before that in gaining his trust in the field. Within a day he was walking over to me and has never been a problem to catch since then. Ive handled him every day and most days introduced something new to him, each 'lesson' being repeated 2-3 times and only taking 10-15 minutes at a time. Apart from the grooming which he adores and which the girls do for HOURS!!

I have treated him like a youngster and introduced new experiences one at a time. But I have also been very matter of fact with him. I've noticed that he tenses any time I do anything new with him, but he also very quickly relaxes when nothing bad happens. Within a short space of time he becomes happy and relaxed.

So over the past 4 weeks we have:
* Handled in the field
* Led a few steps in the field
* Led out of the field
* Led out and groomed
* Had feet handled
* Had farrier attend to feet
* Lunged in head collar
* Bitted
* Bridled
* Yielding to pressure from the ground: hind/fore quarter yields and backing up
* Lunged in bridle
* Long reined in bridle in walk
* Long reined including walk/trot/poles and backing up
* Saddled
* Long reined in full tack in w/t/poles and backing.
* Ponied off Zak
* Walked in hand
* Weighted stirrups
* Leant over

And today........

BACKING (Or re-backing I should say!)

His worried face:

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His 'I'm okay' face

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Really not sure about this....

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Nope, still worried
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Actually this is okay.....


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I get by with a little help from my friends....

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Bless him, he's very trusting and willing to cope with a bit of worry without ditching me. I think he's great :)
 
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He has such a sweet little face!

That's a Rockin' S bit, isn't it? How do you find it?\\

*and if you say "I just open the tack room door and there it is" I will bite! ;)
 
I love it and used it with Thyme, Cally and Zak too. Zak was much much better in the rockin s than a normal snaffle.
 
ETA by better I mean less fussy in his mouth and less braced in transitions
 
Another month on and I have tried to ride him fairly regularly. He is very unsure about ridden work and finds it all a bit stressful. We have had 2 further days when he has not wanted to be caught, but he has allowed me to approach in the end both times and the rest of the time he has been fine.

The last 2 times he has been ridden have been markedly better in terms of how worried he gets, so now walking round the arena, including over poles, and walking out on hacks with a buddy are both fine. Hacking alone still worries him as does trotting, but he is quicker to relax now once I introduce new things to him.
Today he allowed me to approach him when he was lying down and he did not get up. In the past he has scrambled to his feet whenever I am still quite a long way away. But he allowed me to sit down next to him and have a cuddle. Such a great feeling!

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The summer holidays has meant the yard is much busier and Xav has struggle to cope. He's bolted once and spooked a few other times. We have 'worried face' quite a lot!
In training him it's become clearer that he struggles to keep thinking when he has become worried. He either freezes or runs. Mostly freezing thankfully but the potential for taking off is there too. So the key task is to help him keep his brain online. I've started him in mag ox which might help.
He also needs more repetitions of 'scary' things than other horses I've trained. The arena is fine if totally empty but put in a cone, some poles etc and suddenly it all worries him again.
In ridden work he is still just walking and trotting over poles. He's not ready for canter yet. Outdoors we have stayed close to home and walked only. He is jumpy out and about but stays with the other horses. We have done very limited solo hacking: just from the arena to the field.

So small steps but definite improvements in particular in his attitude on the ground. He just loves being groomed and stroked so we are doing a lot of chilling together.
 
Slowly, slowly Xavier is inching his way to trust. I went away for 2 weeks and the yard staff had a nightmare catching him. But when I came come he just walked straight over to me. That was lovely. But today something happened that nearly made me cry: I went into his field to open a gate for some riders who were riding through. He was stood nearby so I just casually wandered over and stroked him while I was waiting for everyone to get through the gate. Then I started walking across the field and I was distracted so was paying no attention to Xav. I hadn't realised he was behind me, following me until I felt his breath on my neck! He was reaching out towards my hair/neck and was blowing out gently. I stopped and turned and we just had such a lovely moment together, enjoying a connection.
 
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Bless him. Little worried soul. I am sure he is happier now he has a connection with some people - imagine how stressful for a pony on a livery yard who is anxious about people.
 
I do enjoy your updates with xav as it takes me back to womble a couple of years ago. I had my own land for 2 years which was great for him as it was quiet and he was a panic bolter, change of routine upsets him etc and then I moved him to livery and it blew his brain.
Alot of what you write hits home to us (we also can't school with a cone in the school. Obviously it's going to jump at him and eat his feetys!)
Keep plodding along. Little steps. It does get better!!
I'll be restarting at step 1 with the nervy cob as he's been turned away since Feb when I found out I was pregnant until probably February next year when I have lost baby weight. We will be exactly where you are again and plan to go with small steps while I hold his hand and tell him he's a brave boy ;)
 
That sounds like a magical moment, bless him. I can quite see why you nearly cried, I would have been the same. He sounds like a very special pony, annd he looks gorgeous. I love following how you and your lovely ponies are getting on, and seeing all the pics of them. You are doing so well with this little chap, and I really hope he becomes a safe ride in time. It must be very rewarding to see him making progress, and having trust in you.
 
Well an eventful month! After my holiday I picked up where we left off and noticed he was great in walk in the arena but still tense and braced in trot. We could do schooling session in which he would leg yield, back softly, work in an outline, move off little more than thoughts, then as soon as I asked for trot we had resistance.

I assumed it was stress as EVERYTHING used to stress him out but an emotional explanation no longer made sense so I asked a physio to see him. She felt he was sore in his feet. Farrier confirmed his front feet were sore and felt it was LGL. So we had week's box rest on deep litter with soaked hay till he was fully sound and pulses were back to normal and no heat then he was turned out muzzled and I began lungeing him again. He was so much better so after a week I started riding him again. He was calm and willing even in trot. Then today I asked the YO to ride him. She said she was amazed at how well he went: basically a normal pony! She cantered him with no bother. She said his whole mind set seems to have shifted away from the spooky little pony he used to be. This evening I also rode him and we cantered on both reins and he was fine. A bit motorbikey round corners but willing and calm. So, so pleased with him.
 
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Sunday afternoon at the yard after lessons end is always when the kids mess about in the school on their ponies. I decided taking Xav into the mayhem would be a good test for him! There were 2 kids doing synchronised jumps side by side down the length of the arena and another who had been inspired by the the mounted games at Hoys and was cantering in and out of bending poles. And lots of other kids on foot putting fences up and generally making noise.
Well Xav was completely unfazed by any of it. Not even when a kid dropped a pole behind him. He was fine. So much so that I decided to join in with the bending - though in trot not canter. And we even did a few jumps! And he was so calm I let twin 2 hop on too and do some bending poles and jumps. I really think something has just shifted in his brain for him. He's not being brave like he was a few weeks ago when he was reacting but not running. It seems a bigger change than that - he just isn't afraid anymore. He's a star.
 
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