12 August 2009

Bucking strap vs Kicking strap

A friend of mine currently has her (British standard) Shetland in our stables while she works through a buck-and-kick issue in our quiet location. The kicking strap is mandatory for her. However, despite the strap being tight when standing, Shets being Shets, and little, there was an occasion when the pony kicked and got a leg over the trace. Driving for half a mile like that, uncomfortably, to a safe place to stop seems to have been more convincing than the strap itself, as the Shet hasn't done it again - so far. It stopped her getting that leg over the shaft though, or launching her heels over/through the dashboard. The strap is held in place by the breeching straps in this case.

12 August 2009 To clarify (dang emails) - the kicking strap IS round the shafts. The breeching straps stop it moving back and forward on the shafts.

The pony is not mine - it belongs to an old friend who's the most determined and bloodyminded woman I know (she's a retired doctor and a carriage driver since she was kneehigh to a grasshopper). Dentist and vet will be called even when she can't afford food for herself. So if there IS anything physically wrong with the pony it will get put right.

We haven't had a kick from the Shet in over a week; not since the pony realised that kicking hurt her. She's an alpha mare, that's her main problem. If you're not a convincing leader, she won't trust you, she will take over. My friend has only had geldings before, despite her long experience.

You bet I am being careful, Lee - many thanks for your thoughtful remarks. I have had, and got rid of, kickers and rearers, on my own account. I haven't persuaded this owner to give up on the pony (who has actually been reasonably good this week and only misbehaved a little - backing - through fright at a very close and large truck on a narrow road.) I have however talked the owner into buying and wearing a helmet, though she said at first that she didn't care if she got killed, until I pointed out that it was me who'd have to drag her home and bury her!

16 August 2009

Looks like my friend has finally made up her mind that this pony doesn't respect her. Though the pony has behaved itself for the last 2 weeks, she doesn't feel she is sufficiently in command to take it home and drive without my support, and she's finally admitted the mental strain is more than she can take.

I have sent her on to a neighbour who has a nice 5 year old pony, unbroken but firmly and kindly handled, just ready to go into work. A clean slate. I've told her to forget about doing the groundwork herself and get one of our friends, who trains ponies on a regular basis, to do it for her. At pushing 80 years old, walking her dogs is enough of an effort, let alone long reining a pony to traffic proof it

16 August 2009 >What will happen to the Shetland?

Well, there are a few options. Esta's a pedigreed mare with show ring successes so she could go back into being shown in-hand, or for breeding - she is a proven brood mare. She could go back to her original owner for those purposes.

I would not recommend her as a driving pony for a novice, nor as a child's pony because she is clever and pushy and can nip if she thinks you've got food.

Once you've got her respect she has a terrific work ethic so if someone came along who was capable of getting that respect AND had enough driving skill to take her down the road and use her kindly but firmly every day, she'd be a really useful, smart, tough little work horse. But people like that don't come over the horizon too often and if they do, they probably aren't in the market for a spoiled pony.