horse training

Question
QUESTION: hi i have a 4 alomost 5 yr old ponie mare i just got almost 2 weeks ago and i have had the saddle and bridle on her also people on her while i walk her around !! and she great she still needs to learn how to move on commands and to walk with out me holding on to her i wanted to know how i should go about doing her ground work training and some more training on her .. and also she has this problem with putting her feet in water buckets and geting them caught i tryed to put them up higher but she still mangages to still get them caught !! do u have any ideas on what i should do she is in a box stall!!! also she has this thing in where she walks way behind me when iam walking her is there anything i can do fo that ??? thanks i hope u can help megan

ANSWER: Hi Megan!

I understand all your questions and concerns but, this is all too complicated to answer easily over the Internet.  It sounds to me that you are also very young and I do not like to give complicated training advice to anyone under the age of 18 yrs.  It is too much to ask someone so new to horses and so young to handle such big problems.

You are putting yourself and the other people in danger by playing around with by her riding like this.  She does not know you and sounds not fully broke to ride.  You are going about this wrong by just throwing on a saddle and a person when she has no idea what she should be doing.  Someone will get hurt and she may then be loose.
I would stop riding her right now and concentrate on solid ground work training that prepares her to be broke completely and safely.

You need to talk to your Mom or Dad and show them this answer.  I strongly feel you need a professional trainer to come out and see your pony and give you some hands-on help.  Your local Pony Club chapter would be an excellent place to start.  You can Google and contact them by e-mail to get things started.  Of course, joining them would also be of great help to you.

Lastly, I am very concerned about how you said your pony is "putting her feet in her water buckets and getting them caught..."  This is very dangerous for her and she could injure herself.  But, mainly I am concerned about HOW she is doing it.  Is she rearing in her stall?
Ponies should not do this for any reason.  Rearing is a terrible and almost impossible habit to break.  It makes her dangerous to handle too.  I advise raising her bucket to nose height so she can just get her mouth in.  Also, you can hang the water bucket on the outside of her door so she can reach over the gate or opening to drink.  This is common at racetracks.  If none of these are an option, you could get a tall, soft rubber feed bucket, place it on the ground in the corner of her stall and bolt it to the wall.  She may spill allot but, at least she will be safe.

Your safety and the pony's safety and proper training are the most important things here.  You must put aside all your wants and desires and focus only on getting her trained correctly (not by you) by a professional.  You can watch and learn though and make yourself a better and more educated girl.

You have taken on a great responsibility and it is now up to you and your parents to go about this carefully and correctly.  Then, you will be rewarded with a safe and happy pony to ride for the next 20 years :-)

Good luck and remember to always wear an ASTM/SEI approved helmet!

Solange

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: iam 20 yrs  old and i have  been in this  for a  long  time  i  just  never  trained  my own horse!!! i alwas  get them broke  but this  time i  dicide to  go  with one not  trained !!! and  i already put them high as  her  nose lenght no she  doesnt  rear she  streaches  her  leg  up and  puts it in !! i alredy bought her a  rubber  bucket and  i  put t he  water  bucket on the  floor!! and second iam  not new  to horses iam going to  be  21 in june and  have been in the  horse  world   since i was  4 yrs old

Answer
Hi Megan!

Since you asked questions that even the most basic horseperson should have really known the answers to and your grammar was less than perfect, I assumed you were very young and inexperienced.

However, I stand behind all my recommendations nonetheless.  Your safety, the safety of others and your pony's education and well being are still the important factors here that must be addressed.

Solange