So I'm starting to work with my pony/cob (whatever you call a 13'2hh horse) on liberty and natural horsemanship stuff! He had a really rough upbringing being abused by a bunch of cowboy esc people who ran him through barbed wire and panels and just yehawed him around. Bama started to become a bronk and nobody could ride him, our friend who owned him (he didn't participate in the abuse but he let his friends do it so nobody but bama is innocent) gave him too us because we didn't have ranch horses to use. My step dad worked a bit too fast with him but he got the buck and bronk out and I took over his training. I got him to soften up and just relax in the bridle and he was going all good until we let his owner take him for the chuck wagon races and he got into a wreck on the tie line. After that bama started to set back when saddled, it took two people to saddle him up one holding him and the other slowly approaching him with the saddle and just being super calm and careful. It took a year to get him out of the habit and now I'm back to get him comfortable. I let my best friend show him in walk trot last Halloween and he was a bit racey in the pen but they won some money. Now that he isn't being used to ranch on much and I've been eventing on him I want to get a stronger bond with him. I already trust this pony with my life but I want him to trust me with his so I've been bareback and bridle-less for the last week and he's doing fantastic! I'll be keeping everyone updated on him but in the meantime any tips pointers or your own natural horsemanship stories are welcome! Thanks for reading ❤️

I got him out of his pasture today and had to get on him with another horse in the arena, neither of us where familiar with the horse so I warmed him up and got the spicy out of him with a halter on. When the horse left the arena I took his halter off and he was a saint with the neckrope! I even started to desensitize him to my long bow, I hope to be able to do some traditional mounted archery with him! I do have a bruise on my leg because he tripped and bumped into the fence but that wasn't anyones fault ^^

Ghost, thats such a warm story to tell ^^

Also, hope your leg is ok <3

Thanks win!

I forgot to update this but last night we saddled him an older lady wanted to ride for a little bit so we gave her a walk trot (mostly walk) lesson on him. After she was done my 9 almost 10 year old brother who can't ride really well and doesn't really care to learn got on him and I tack up my mom's ex hunter under saddle gelding who is 21 and almost 17 hands tall to go help gather (I almost died) bama was the goodest boy the whole night. Later I swapped horses with Caden because cabbee was running sideways and Caden couldn't get bama to go anywhere XD after I got on bama my roommate put her kid Cole on the saddle with me and we trotted and walked around the arena every where and bama was just the best pony the whole time!

Yhat's the sweetest looking pony in the world!

Aww, he looks so honest and sweet!

*sigh* I haven't updated this in a while but today.. TODAY Bama was a straight up ASS HOLE. Bolted in the pasture with my 9 year old beginner brother. Then wouldn't move at all in the arena. Mind you this pony is Completely sound! He literally just got vetted to make sure he was sound enough for me to go to Florida with him. Bama was then pissed after he scared my poor brother so much that he got off and I put the big boy bridle on him (some sort of high port correction with a roller in the middle and a shit ton of leverage) he tried to bronk across the arena with me and rammed himself into the wall. After twenty minutes of me using him to move cattle at a high rate of speed he gave up on being a pony. Bama is now pouting in time out on the tie line with my angry red gelding. He will be getting up at 5:30 tomorrow to go team chasing so I'll update on how that ends up for his and my sanity:P

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Moral of the story, when your one of my horses we live by FAAFO ( fuck around and find out)

I forgot about this >.<

Bama is being used to drag sleds today XD my brother's and nephews built a few jumps out of snowmen that I went over bareback and bridle less! He bounced over them like they where just poles! He's not happy about his snow boots though (soft rides so he doesn't get thrush form the muddy ground)