Major Socialising Problem

[n i c c i]

I own a three year old shetland colt [ Buddy ] with a major problem with it comes to socialising. It's gotten to the stage where we cannot keep him in a paddock with other animals and it's really very dangerous to even be around him. He's just outwardly becoming agressive and i'm not sure if it's all got to do with raging hormones.

Because i really need help i'm going to try and help out by giving you guys a bit of his past.

He use to be paddocked with his dam and aunty until when he was about 5 months he was weaned and they sold his dam and aunty. He was paddocked alone for about 6 months with very little human contact.

He was then placed with a 15 hand gelding [ Monty] . Buddy would always bite him [ On the Girth, inside of thigh on back legs and rear up to bite his muzzle ] but he wouldn't kick. Monty would only react when he was really annoyed and would usually kick or bite him, often giving him some massive blows and he would go straight back to tormenting him.

My friend [ who owned him ] would grab his legs and flip him onto the group to pose for photos and make him jump obstacles. My friend moved and i bought him and found him a new home at some of our friends. He was paddocked with 2 sheep and 5 bore goats. He just continously chased them, often until the sheep were laying on the ground and even after they submitted he gave them a beating. He also did the same to the goats, even the massive billy goat was scared out of his skin of Buddy.

We adventually moved Buddy into his own paddock and now he's alone. I don't know how to work on socialising him when he attacks everything. When he was weaned from his dam my friend tried placing a lamb and a calf into his paddock to keep him company and he almost killed both of them.

Now he kicks, bites, rears and bucks and it literally un touchable. I do not live on the same property as him and Buddy is the first horse/pony i have ever owned.

HELP ME PLEASE! i love my little monster very much.

Mind you... before he got this temper he was the quietest, most bomb proof little boy in the world. It was only when my friend tried 'training' him [involved smacking with hand and crop] that he turned sour.

I really want to help him out and change him back to the pony i use to know.

 

[tapeworm]

Besth thing you can do is get over him...hes probaly a lost cause. I can tell you what id do if he was mine...id knock him in the head so fast hed never hear it crack. I hate to be the one to tell it liek it is and hurt your feelings but thats just the way it is. If hes not cut you sure need to do that if theres any cahnce at all...but shetlands are born with a atttitude problem..PEOPLE just make it worse by kidspoilin em. He may be cute but hes stil big enough to hurt you. Cut him...nuts or throat or both
and while Im giving out bad news your friend that treated him like thatwas an asshole to..and I dont use that word ver much in mixed company...wouldnt take much for me to feed somebody like that to the dogs to...I know for a fact id sure cut HIM
Good luck to you..please dont let hinm hurt you

 

[ctlbaron]

I gotta agree with you Tape. Once they get like that very few can be brought back. I had one when I was a kid that would try anything to kill you. If he couldn't buck you off he'd lay down and roll you off. We tried everything to straighten him out but no luck.

 

[Alan]

Hi Nicci,

I agree with some of what Tapeworm had to say but I wouldn't call it a lost cause yet. First make sure your horse is gelded. If you remove his rear brains you will completly change the attitude of your horse in most cases. As Tapeworm stated, Shetlands have a reputation for being mean, biting and kicking, but I believe any horse can be taught some manners.

If the picture you posted is recent I would suggest joining a 4H group or finding someone experienced in horses to train the horse on ground manners and teach you about how to handle and maintain horses. Alot of people make the mistake of treating a horse like and dog, they aren't even close to a dog. Horse have been around for thousands of years as a prey animal, where a dog has been around about the same amount as a predator.

Your horse is chasing and biting and kicking everything in sight because it wants to be the head of the herd. Every animal you put in with it is in it's herd, including you. You have to become the herd leader, but be careful, you are in a very dangerous situation. Get some help and buy a book on ground manners.

Finally get and longe whip and always carry it with you when your working with him, don't be afraid to smack him hard, He weighs 600 or 700 pounds, you can't hurt him, just get his respect.

Remember get him gelded if he is not, educate yourself on horses, and he is not a dog. Be careful things are dangerous right now with your horse.

Good luck
Alan

 

[J]

I aggree with Alan, or maybe its just that I am stubborn and like a challenge. Get some help with the training, this will be a good time for the both of you to learn. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Wilson_Cattle_Company]

I believe all shetland males should be cut all of them. Most Shetlends are agressive anyway moreso when they find out they have the ability to reproduce lol. Its a little late to cut him now. I would work with him all the time. Keep him away from other animals.

 

[msscamp]

Tapeworm is correct. Shetland's are nasty little animals. I wouldn't hold my breath about being able to train this out of him. If this horse has not been castrated, even if you castrate him now he will still retain a lot of his stud behaviour. I personally would not have a Shetland on the place, and I sure would not allow my kids to be around him/her.

 

[Alan]

I'm not far away from agreeing with you guys on this. This pony has two major stikes against it. First it sound like it is still a stud and also it was trained to do dangerous thing like put it's front feet on the pile of whatever. But I don't think it is too late to geld him as a three year old. It will sure stop the raging hormones. But being trained for manners and being a shetland may be too much for the beginner horse person.

 

[J]

I believe all shetland males should be cut all of them. Most Shetlends are agressive anyway moreso when they find out they have the ability to reproduce lol. Its a little late to cut him now. I would work with him all the time. Keep him away from other animals.

Wouldn't this end the shetlend breed?

Or was that what you were intending?

 

[tapeworm]

I believe all shetland males should be cut all of them. Most Shetlends are agressive anyway moreso when they find out they have the ability to reproduce lol. Its a little late to cut him now. I would work with him all the time. Keep him away from other animals.

Wilson I dont follow youa bout it being to late to cut him now. I know alan will probaly get all uptight over me saying this because he might think Im recomending what he calls *cowboy ways* but we use to not even want a using horse if he was cut befor 2...we just figured they never made areal horse if we cut em as colts. Sure we had a alot of swelling and even lost a few....but we had plenty of em anyhow. One thing is for sure ALMOST guaranteeed...you will sure change his attitude..and if you lose him????



Now...please dont be angry with me alan..pretty please. LOL I dont want you to get mad and paw the ground and throw a flippflopp

 

[Alan]

I believe all shetland males should be cut all of them. Most Shetlends are agressive anyway moreso when they find out they have the ability to reproduce lol. Its a little late to cut him now. I would work with him all the time. Keep him away from other animals.

Wilson I dont follow youa bout it being to late to cut him now. I know alan will probaly get all uptight over me saying this because he might think Im recomending what he calls *cowboy ways* but we use to not even want a using horse if he was cut befor 2...we just figured they never made areal horse if we cut em as colts. Sure we had a alot of swelling and even lost a few....but we had plenty of em anyhow. One thing is for sure ALMOST guaranteeed...you will sure change his attitude..and if you lose him????



Now...please dont be angry with me alan..pretty please. LOL I dont want you to get mad and paw the ground and throw a flippflopp

Tapeworm I read this and got so mad I threw my flip flops at the dog!. LOL

No really I agree with you 100% I also like to wait until the colt is about 2 yrs old to geld them I think it makes them a better horse, not so mushy brained. I also didn't understand it being too late to cut him at three. I don't know that it would ever be to late to cut a horse, granted the older they are the more study they well be as a gelding. But A freind of mine a few years back had a 5yr old QH stud that was a total jerk, he cut him and in a few weeks he was a great horse. Older horses will need a little more TLC, but I see no reason not to cut them anytime before 10 yrs or so.

Better go put some ice on your head, this post is real...LOL

Take care,
Alan

 

[tapeworm]

Alan : " Better go put some ice on your head, this post is real...L"


Alan...are you loosing your mind?? You jsut agreed with me. LOL Howd you know it would make my head swell up all over?? LOL I guess that dont happen ver regular does it?? I think its J that agrees with me here sometime and Canada annie use to some but I never see her here anymore
Not many ever agree with me on the cattle pages either or else they just dont like to say if they do...thats okay tho...thats why the GoodLord gives us differnt color horses...cuz we dont all like the same things

Thank you for not being ashamed to say that alan..you know how to make an old mans day. take care alan