At 12:25:01 on 24.02.10, Cailinn wrote:
hi. i have a highland pony and i find it extremely hard to get him to walk on. from the ground or on his back. but it is harder to on horseback. he just plants his feet and does not move. which is quite a problem when you are 1/2 a mile away from home on a hack. i was wondering if you could shed some light on if there could be a reason him doing this other than him being lazy (which he is). and maybe help me solve the problem of getting my pony to move. thanks for any advice you can give me.

At 20:33:43 on 03.03.10, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
Start with join up. A strong partnership means he won't question what you say. Also you should maybe try bitless, he might not like the bit. Try the NHE way (i ride my ex racehorse this way) or a bitless bridle if you are a bit skeptical. The NHE way is cheaper however as certain horses respond to certain bitless bridles and this can cost a fortune with trial and error where as any horse can be ridden the NHE way. Hope this helps.

At 12:53:24 on 04.03.10, plodalong wrote:
have you checked that your pony isnt having any pain somewhere, the fact that he naps half a mile away from home could be telling you something, Have you ever had a small stone in your shoe and it wasnt that painfull so you left it but after you walked some where the stone began to hurt and annoy you so you sat down to remove it? Your horse may have a small pain so he will go out but after a while it hurts him more so he just stops till he feels a bit better, worth getting the usual checks done first to rule out any discomfort.Hope you get sorted.

At 18:55:15 on 07.03.10, Cailinn wrote:
thanks for the advice =D

At 07:49:28 on 08.03.10, Em28 wrote:
Is it in a certain place he stops on his way home? I used to ride a horse who would do this whenever we hacked out and returned on a route past a pig farm. He would root and then snort! But with encouragement he did walk on. He would also be much better when another horse was with him. Perhaps your horse is sensing some perceived danger if he roots in a particular place.