Spoiled?

Question
Hi,
We just bought a 6 year old gelding Mini,Pony - 36 inches. I want him to be safe for my grand daughter. Looks like he needs some time. He was living in a pasture for 2 years.  Before that he was a baby sitter for a Dressage horse.   We are now changing his life totally by putting him in a stall, eating twice a day, then turning him out (in a large paddock) and some discipline (boundaries). I just body clipped him and he was good. (He came from up north and we are down south) I gave him a bath and he stood like a charm but ran out of patience with me when it came to his legs and his face. When I did his face (with a rag) he started to rear. I still made him stand for a couple of minutes and put the rag on his face but ended it quickly just wanted to let him know it was OK and to end up on a good note. I then put him in his paddock and saw a totally worse side to him. Boy was he upset with me! He was running around, pinning his ears, shook his head while I was standing there (on the outside of the paddock) ran to me as to charge me but I did not move. (We do have a old mare that did tell him that she is the boss.)  Great to watch the pecking order. It took him about a hour to get over this.  I stood in the same place until he changed his attitude.  I can see I have my work planned out for me to make sure he will be safe for my family.  (Not a problem)  My daughter later on in the evening, picked up his feet to check them before we put him in the stall and he had a attitude then too. He is a little nippy and also uses his nose/head to butt you. I used a little wire brush on my wrist so when he went to nip me he hit the brush on his own. Boy he got upset with that too. (Understandably)
I wanted to start lunging him with a surcingle thinking that could be fun for him with some discipline attached but I am not sure where to start with this little guy.

Answer
Hi Susan!

You do have a handful of a Mini, don't you now?  LOL!!
If he is not gelded, do so immediately.

He is not spoiled, he is untrained to humans and you are not correctly communicating with him.  And he is very immature mentally.  These tiny horses mature very slowly, heck ~ they aren't even good till they're almost 20!

So, what to do, where to start.  You have the basic idea of establishing your dominance but, you are not doing it in a language he understands.  The first thing I suggest is to Google Monty Roberts "Join-Up" method.  This is a wonderful way to learn to communicate with him and involves the round pen which will smoothly transition him into proper longeing.

He really needs good, solid training in ground manners so he will be safe for your granddaughter to be around.  He is not a lapdog, he is not a plush toy, he is a horse....through and through.  You must begin a new program where he learns you are the Boss Mare at all times.  You must dominate him completely.  You will have to be a little harder, and more vigilant for a few months but, once he gets the idea and the training sticks, you can relax a little.  Now, dominating does not mean beating or cruelty....it means you are the leader of the herd and not to be challenged, ever.  And if he does, the punishment must be swift and what he will understand.  What you did was a very "human" thing....you stood your ground and stared at him.  This was actually incorrect and made him angrier.  You must think like a "horse".  

If he was to act out in a herd, the dominant horse would start with pinned ears and a threatening shake of the head or a nip to set things straight.  Further infractions on his part would result in a solid kick and a scream.  This tells him he is subordinate and must stay clear and behave.

Buy a longeline with a stud chain.  Everytime you walk him, put that chain over his nose and if he acts out, shank that chain, pin your ears, whirl on him and say "NO!" harshly.  Put him back where you want him and continue as if nothing happened.  Everytime you touch him for anything it is training time.  He must be attuned to your every move and you must constantly be guiding him.  Always have a plan and a small, achievable goal for every training time.  If you have no idea where you are going, then he has no idea and starts to get some ideas....very bad.

Lastly, I would consider talking to your vet, farrier or tack shop about a local trainer who specializes in Mini's/Ponies.  Have them out to evaluate your situation and discuss your goals for him.  They can give you some solid advice on how to correctly handle him and get him ready for riding.  I would put the surcingle aside for awhile and concentrate on getting a solid training relationship between the two of you before starting something as complicated as breaking to ride.  You don't want to "Put the cart before the horse", now do you?  :-)

I am sure there are plenty of websites and organizations on the Internet that deal with Mini's and their special issues. I would visit some and see what you can glean from them to help yourself control him.

Be firm, be patient and be consistent in your training.  If you take the time and money to do this correctly, I would bet the farm that that little guy will be around for your granddaughters' babies to ride!

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

Solange