Hi Dave. Welcome to the Uni. I've been giving your miniature fella some thought. It's not quite clear but are you saying he only holds back cooperation in Join up in the round pen? If that is the case then it seems likely he associates that environment with a past experience. I suggest you continue to work with him in the pasture. Trust takes time & patience. Study the lessons on working with wild horses. You can then create your own safe environment in which to work. I'm guessing when you say you had him 'fixed' you mean gelded. If you cannot put a lead rope on him I suppose his operation was carried out without much cooperation - an experience that will not have improved his opinion of humans. His hormones will take at least a couple of months to level out so, in the meantime, continue your work. Let him learn that he has no reason to fear you; you will work expand his comfort zone not force him to endure living with the human in his life. DO NOT grab the halter. Run your hand progressively further over him, moving slowly so he learns your touch carries no pain or restraint. You will forge a bond with him over time. Keep posting with how things go. We will happily support you both. Remember to have fun & how important it is that he has fun too. Good luck. Cheers, Jo.

Jo

Thanks for responding. I accidently made some good progress. I worked him in the round pen and nothing was going right. So I said the hell with it and I took one of our pool chairs out in the round pen with two beers and sat down to relax. The chair is real low one like 2" of the grass. In about 5 min he came over and long story short we are now good buddies. So when I join up with him in the pasture I just sit down and show him the lead rope and I can hook him up with no trouble. So my 6 foot stature I guess was terrifying him. I imagine at some point in the future I will be able to put the lead rope on standing, but I am in no rush.

Hi Dave. Good work buddy! See, accidental progress is good. Who knows what's happened to this little guy. You just need to filter your way through all his nightmares until you come to full trust. You're are a foot taller than me & male. Most of my experience is within my homeborns but I have also success with their parents, so not too limited. They are all approaching 14 hands & are 400 kilos+ so at nearly 65 years old I have to watch it a bit. I have no fear of my guys. They are kind, they are gentle & they are considerate of me, although they love their mints & Kirk gets pushy! Keep working, there will be bumps in the road but bear in mind he wishes you no harm if you've done none to him. When you come to a problem, be innovative! Do something totally out of character, but violence free. You'll cause him to rethink his approach. Kirk ( homebred ) is the kindest soul you'll ever meet. Starting to carry rider, never showed any negativity, not even ears back. He's a real star. Half ton sack put round his bum, no reaction. He's not unflappable but he's so wonderful to have in my life. Cheers, Jo.

Jo 

I am 66 and my goal is to get this little guy to take my granddaughter as a rider. She is 5 and about 45 lbs. I did throw a saddle pad on him, it was way too big for him, but it did not seem to bother him. So, I thought I might get a 40 lbs bag of potting soil and try putting it on his back. We see how that goes.

Dave, I guess your granddaughter is very precious to you so take your time. Build trust with your pony. Let him know nothing you bring into his life offers him pain or need to flee. I am very lucky. My homebreds trust me almost implicitly- as does Humphrey, their sire. Given that you seem to know little of his past, beware. Max, my 11.2 Welsh 'A ' would have been put down 12 years ago, at the age of 7, had I not taken him. A lead rein pony, never asked by the rider for canter, ridden by an adult whose feet were level with his knees ( I've saw the photos ) bucked off his rider because, I believe but not confirmed, they whipped him for not going into canter when told. He did this at least twice & I rescued him. I weigh 75 kilos & he happily carried me on a felt pad until he developed cushings. He's now retired but the thing is this - his previous owners labelled him as dangerous for NO GOOD REASON. He's gentle, kind & easily managed. Not a bad bone in his body but human error caused him to come near to untimely demise because they wrongly labelled him. Give your guy a chance. Prepare him properly, so your granddaughter can really enjoy him. Find a lightweight youngster who knows how to ride, but has adopted Monty's ways, to teach him how to be ridden. Only when he's fully aware of his responsibilities let your young granddaughter up on his back. You may well live to see your great grandchildren enjoying this pony too. Cheers, Jo.

Jo

Rocket is the little guy's name. Its an appropriate name he can really move when he wants. I did the forty-pound potting soil test on his back. I showed the product to him first and let him play with. He put a couple of holes in the bag which I fixed with duck tape. I put it on him twice. The load did not seem to bother him a bit, although the bag keeps sliding off. So the test was not very long, non the less no bucking or any signs of discontent. I sure am having fun with this little fellow. I ordered a bare bake pad with stirrups from ebay. We see how that works.

Hi Dave. You haven't posted on how things are going. Let's keep in touch. Hope Rocket is making happy, enjoyable progress. Cheers, Jo.