'Hes a horrible horse' said my farrier this morning.

MrA

Well-Known Member
Feb 8, 2012
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So ale broke a fence this morning trying to kick another horse. Its just one thing after another atm and he is being a complete brat about everything. My farrier is also the yard owners husband and I had to speak to him as he will be the one fixing the fence.

He told me 'ive never met a nice haflinger, they are always bolshy and rude. But yours in particular he is quite something, don't take this the wrong way but he's horrible example of a horrible breed'

:( :( everyone is against me at the moment, he's dangerous, wild, uncontrollable and rude. Ahhhh :( :(

I don't want to give in on him but I'm not enjoying him one bit at the moment
 
Thinking of finding somewhere to turn him away for a year and getting a pony to share/loan
 
Well I was advised to shoot Suze at one point as she was do dangerous and look at her now - breaking fences, kicking, horses do that.

if he is bolshy and rude, then yes you have to train him out of it as a bolshy rude uneducated horse is a pleasure to no one.

I have a 2 year old with tendencies like that, so we are working very hard to ensure that she doesn't get out of control and become horrible - she is very good in general, but she can be dominant and questioning, so it's hard work.

It's hard when everyone is down on your horse. When I had Molly, and stopped riding her, everyone thought I was chicken, too soft on her, that she just needed a good boot up the bum, but I knew she was wrong, something physically wrong with her. I was proved right when we got Rose and put them both into light work, Molly crumbled after a month, same as before, Rose who was grossly over weight and unfit, plodded on, got fit, no issues. While I proved my point, it was a pity I had bought a new saddle in the process.
 
He was doing amazingly well last year! But this injury has just set him back so far :(
 
I don't know anything about Haffies so I can't comment but Ale has been through an awful lot these last few months and has a lot of energy to burn. Once he is back up and running he will calm down again. :hug
 
he's bound to be cranky and fed up, when Fleurette got injured she was awful to deal with, particularly as the wound had to be cleaned and dressed, it was a battle every day, but she did eventually let me do it ok.

Rose is very cranky when she is ill, just wants to be left alone.
 
I just don't know what to do, everyone on the yard is fed up of him and I don't want to get to the point where we are asked to leave. Also will be paying £200 rent a month for just a field ornament :/
 
What D&T and OBC said really - things will get better and he is bound to be feeling rather grumpy atm. It must be frustrating for them but given time he will come back to being the nice horse you knew and loved. Don't take it to heart what other people tell you either. Sometimes they don't realise what off the cuff comments can do to somebody who is already upset, so just carry on and try and not let the comments worry you too much.
 
What D&T and OBC said really - things will get better and he is bound to be feeling rather grumpy atm. It must be frustrating for them but given time he will come back to being the nice horse you knew and loved. Don't take it to heart what other people tell you either. Sometimes they don't realise what off the cuff comments can do to somebody who is already upset, so just carry on and try and not let the comments worry you too much.


Wise words from everyone here, box rest is really hard on the horse AND the owner.
 
He will get better hun. Whats his TO sitch?? Is he out on his own? Maybe he would be better in a heard. Maybe hes been in a while and forgot how to interact nicely. Hes been on box rest a long time, id expect him to be bratty. If it was possible id turn him away 100% of the time but I know its not always possible with yard rules etc.

He's been through alot so far. Try and ignore those awful comment's. I had millions with womble and im ready for the next lot when I take him to the new yard and they try to turn a riggy ex breeding stallion out with geldings :frown:
 
Are you unhappy with him, or unhappy because of what other people think of him? If it's the latter, try and rise above it (difficult I know.) So long as YOU enjoy your horse, that's what matters (although obviously that doesn't mean letting him get away with being a brat, I am sure you're not though.) If not, then do what you need to do to make yourself happier, and if you think that's putting him out on loan for a while or whatever, that is your call.
 
Thanks eveyone. On the whole he is fine with me, I can lead him out with a bowl of feed and get him in with a haynet. He is out 7 till 7 on his own but with other horses around. I don't think putting him with the herd just yet is a good idea due to the nature of his injury. Likewise I can't loan him or anything. Just stuck with a pony that everyone hates and no one will go near.
 
I have been in your shoes Ale, so can thoroughly empathise!!

Haffies are an intelligent breed, so being mainly on box rest can be really quite demanding on them. This can cause quite a lot of stress which in turn manifests itself in "naughtiness", it's not actually him being naughty at all, but this is always how it's perceived. Particularly in pony type breeds, it's very common for stressy behaviour to come across as naughty. He also doesn't know why he's on box rest/out of work, so this will just be adding to the frustration.

You say that he can be turned out, how long is he out for? Is he allowed to do gentle walking now? If he is, it could be worth doing some groundwork exercises in-hand and only in walk, just a little bit every evening to keep his brain a little more occupied. If he has a haynet, can you double net it so he has to think a little more about getting to his food? Also, you say no-one will go near him, does anyone actually have to go near him/handle him?

My young mare is a welsh type and when she gets stressed, puts in big displays of what looks like naughty behaviour, but is in fact just her way of telling me that it's all just getting too much. Over the years (and it has taken me a few years to properly cotton on!) I've learnt to read the more subtle signals and diffuse the situation before she feels the need to really go into one, sometimes this is a firm hand and sometimes it's sympathy, it really does depend on the situation and the trigger.

It can be very stressful as an owner to see your pony behaving like that and also to then hear that everyone else thinks very little of them because of it, but you have to try and block that out and just work on trying to find whatever solution you feel will work to put him at ease.....once you've done this, the rest will just fall into place as people's opinions will quickly change once they see him improving.
 
if the YO said that to me, I would be finding somewhere else to board. Very uncalled for, very uneducated and very bloody rude !
 
Ah ale thats awful, how bloody rude and as gimp says uneducated!!
All horses no matter the breed etc are exactly that,horses and they arent designed to be kept in 24/7 and it really does test the patience of even the quietest horse. A good yard should be helping you not saying things like that!! I know it seems hopless at the moment but things will get better and ale will once again become more relaxed once the new routine takes hold. I remember crying my eyes out trying to bandage mystiques legs when she had her injury and she nearly killed me in the stable and 3 people outside on the yard never offered to help but all gave me their words of bloody wisdom when they had no clue. Please try not to take it to heart things will get better. If you feel finding somewhere else to turn him away would be better for you both i would go that route as life is to short to be unhappy. Not sure what yards are like rpund you but a nice yard with 24/7 turnout and a few horses out all the time i think would make a huge difference to you and him. Hugs x
 
Everything is on top of me at the moment and I'm trying so hard not to let it get me down. But ale is my main concern so I will give him another week to settle at our current yard and see how it goes. Just all so stressful, going to go for another walk tonight as went for a half hour walk round a park last night and felt much better after it :)
 
Haflingers eh? i've grown up in Germany, tons of them over there. some love them, some hate them. they're no different from any other cob/native - they're intelligent and strong (but look WAY more AWESOME than your average cob/native!!!!!). don't listen to people, he's YOUR horse :)

I would suggest working on manners though, if others have to handle him. once he cottons on that he's allowed out again, he should calm down. needing haynets and feed to get him around safely is not a long term solution. if he's fine and well-mannered on the yard, is it only because he has his way/he is not asked something he doesn't fancy?
 
Don't be put off by horrible remarks, Ale - just ask him how many haffies he's met! Haffies are one of these breeds that lots of people have opinions about (like Arabs, thoroughbreds, Welsh cobs ..); often negative, and based on no experience. Best to take no notice, or ask a couple of questions and you'll find his attitude is probably based on a bad experience someone he knew had years ago with a strong-minded Haffy who didn't suffer fools gladly ... Gimp's right, though - it's bloody rude and unprofessional for a farrier to say something like that. It's a pity you seem to be stuck with him.

Poor old Ale doesn't understand what's going on, he doesn't understand why he's shut up in his box. But your walks sound good - keep on with the walks, and hold on to your faith that he will get better.

What's his situation exactly? Are there any other horses around that he can talk to? When my Irish cob was on box rest after an operation, he shivered and sweated - and he's a really steady heavyweight type - until we put an old pony in the field where he could talk to her, and he calmed down instantly.
 
I would get a new farrier if he talked about my horse like that. It's so rude and unnecessary.

Does he have a point though? Is he dangerous to handle? It doesn't sound good if you are having to bribe him with food to and from the field. What are you going to do to improve this? He needs to have respect for you.
 
Poor you, how awful to have people say horrible things about your pony.

I agree with everyone that Haffies are clever and opinionated and energetic, designed to work and be kept busy. I wonder, have you tried clicker training with Ale? When Ziggy was on box rest it was really good both for him and for our relationship. You can clicker train for all sorts of things, like not mugging for treats, standing still, holding up his feet, you name it; and it offers a use for that pony brain...

Apologies if you've already tried it or don't fancy it :unsure:
 
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