Advice re. horse with TERRIBLE stable manners...

[pekover]

So I started taking riding lessons last year after almost twenty years out of the saddle. It's great to get back to it, and I've really been enjoying myself, and I'm looking to get more involved than my one-or-two lessons a week.

So, maybe I'll just try to part board a horse, but...

Comments

[acoustic11]

When she goes to bite you, make her think the world is going to end. With most horses, it's as simple as that. Give her a five second explosion (while backing her) and then go back to being her best friend and give her another chance. Try grooming her with just a lead rope attached and no cross ties. When she disrespects you in any way, back her up. She only moves her feet when you tell her to. Cut out the hand-fed treats entirely

[quietann]

(It's funny, I actually taught him to swing his head away from me for treat time, so that he's not in my face, and if I go into his stall empty handed now he swings his head away repeatedly and then looks at me like "I did it.... i did it... I did it again! Hey! Treat time!")

I'm laughing, because Feronia does exactly the same thing... I trained her to look away from me before she'd get a treat, and now she "offers" that behavior all the time. And if she could talk, she'd say exactly what your horse does :)

[acoustic11]

He has a whole routine. His first priority is to sniff my pockets to see if I have treats. If I don't offer him any, he beings to look away from me and then look back at me, and repeats that. If that doesn't work, he'll offer me his hoof (he also knows shake). If his stall door is open, he'll close it (another trick), and if THAT doesn't work, he'll just shove his nose in my face and blow on me like "Fiiiiine, if you don't have treats, then your friendship is enough I guess."

Your horse doesn't talk? Strange horse you have there...

[pekover]

re. her being a mare - it's odd, but the only time that she's at all tractable is when she's in heat - pretty much the opposite of other mares I've worked with.

I have been doing the 'end of the world' thing with her, but I think because I'm only working with her once a week, and there are at least a couple other people riding her in between, there's not a lot of consistency, and it hasn't been too effective so far...I like the backing her up idea.

And, yeah, as always, saddle fit. I think sometimes they get it in their heads that saddles hurt, and then even when they get a well-fitted saddle, they still have the saddle-hatred trained into them. Sad.

[arglikeapirate]

There was a mare who was very like that at the collegiate barn I rode at last year. She pushed everyone around to the point where it was a little dangerous, and in my opinion it was partly that she wasn't really cut out for the lesson program, where she was allowed to take control, and also that she had ulcers, so she was actually in some pain. I might look at the ulcers, and take into consideration the idea that she's been allowed to be really pushy, so she thinks it's acceptable. I think that if she were forced to be respectful, that would go a long way towards creating a positive working relationship. Another mare I've worked with was abused when she was young and then neglected, so was entirely self sufficient until she was 12. The current owner rescued her and then put a LOT of work in, and she's now 25 and ridden almost entirely by young students

[pekover]

I'm not sure how extensive the abuse was in her previous home - I'm not sure if I wish that horses could talk, or if I'm glad that they can't, so that I'm able to sleep without nightmares.

The ulcers is an interesting idea - I'll talk to the owners and see if they've had that checked.

[arglikeapirate]

I agree-- on the one hand, it's kind of helpful to know what you're dealing with, but on the other hand, it's too late to change anything, and it's better just not to know! Regardless of abuse, though, I don't think it's acceptable for her to be this pushy. ;)

Always something to check! Honestly I'm not one to immediately jump to conclusions about pain, and whether or not she's in pain it sounds like she's got some pretty nasty habits, but it's never bad to double check.

Good luck!

[penella22]

Mmm, my first thought would be to wonder about hormones; it may be as simple as putting her on raspberry leaves to have a whole different horse.

But if it's not, if this is just her normal M.O. yes, I do think training could change her behavior. But it would take a lot of time, and it would take a lot of patience. If that's not what you're looking for then don't buy her. Horses cost way too much in terms of money, time, and emotions for us to expend all that on a horse we don't really enjoy.

[pekover]

Do you have a recommendation for somewhere that I could learn more about the hormone issue? Honestly, she just does seem like she's chronically PMSing, and the only time she's NOT a total bitch is when she's in heat, so hormones seem...like an interesting option!

[penella22]

That's pretty common. It's certainly something vets know how to diagnose and treat, and some mares go on synthetic hormones. But a gentler more natural treatment is the raspberry leaves, and I've heard a lot of great success stories with that--real night and day kind of differences in some mares. Mares can have cramps and sensitive abdomens just like we can--put a saddle and girth on when they feel like that and yeah, not such happy campers. :/

Here's a related discussion thread;

Mare Magic

I'm sure some searching over there or some google fu might help too.

[horseflyr]

Really, ground manners are huge for me - but also just think about if you ever had to give her up. One of my friends had a horse that was just fantastic under saddle, seriously the most fun horse ever, great on trails and at shows but just not a national level horse. But you had to take a crop in with you into his stall to get him out, couldn't do anything with him in his stall, and then the whole time grooming he'd stomp or kick, sneak around to bite, pin his ears back. His owner had a horrible time trying to sell him when he didn't work out as a show horse, because no one wanted to deal with his manners - that were better than when she got him, but she could never completely make him 'polite

[_kollision]

I've seen school horses that were nasty and dangerous turned totally normal when they have one person to work with/bond with. The hormone issue is a good idea to look into, too. Good luck. =) Got any pictures of her?