Post by ravensmo on Jan 9, 2010 19:29:06 GMT 1
Hi, I just wondered if anyone has had a problem with a young horse like mine?
She is 18 months old and very confident. I spent quite a time last summer doing some ground work with her, and had her following me through small gaps, over tarpaulins, up and down steps etc. She's very easy to catch and good to lead in general (just the usual nosiness of babies and has to be reminded what she's doing). She can take the mickey like young horses will do, and being a filly she's tried to be lead mare and is happy to fight me for the top role. I think I'm just about on top, but I have to be several steps ahead of her.
My problem is that as she gets bigger - she's about 15.2 in front and bigger behind and she stands very upright so her head is always high - I find it harder to control her. She has naturally high head carriage so if she turns her head it goes over my head and twists me round, I lose my footing and slightly lose control and have to get it back. This is only for a couple of seconds, but I don't want her to find out she can get control. She knows what 'walk' and 'no' mean and if she starts to trot comes back when I ask. I haven't had problems with her rushing through gateways or anything but today she barged out of her stable twice. She was worked up because she's been in her stable for a week due to the snow. Other horses were let out for an hour and she wanted to go too so I took my life in my hands and took her out for a walk on a lunge line. She was really good, i'd expected an explosion and I knew I couldn't stand up on the ice if she did that. But she was great, walked a bit faster than she should and broke into a jog once but not too bad. She waited for me to go through the door back into the barn and stood when I asked her to. THEN she exploded! Rearing up, arguing with me and wanting to get her own way. She was pushing me round with her chest so I made her circle me since that's what she was doing anyway. Once she realised she was doing it because I told her to and not because she wanted to, she tried kicking sideways at me. I got her tied up (not on the lunge line!) and went to get her stable ready, ignoring her. When she'd been standing nicely for a while I gave her some attention, groomed her and rugged her for the night. She walked calmly into her stable. But when I took her haynet in, she barged straight through the gate and through me. Someone caught her and put her headcollar on and wrapped the rope round her nose since she was not listening to him. As soon as he put her in the stable she barged straight back out, knocking him into a wall. He got her back in but unfortunately the horse next to her was then taken out of the barn! She started rearing and bucking but I tried to ignore her. She can't have been panicking because when she realised I was mixing her food she stopped. She ate her food calmly even though the other horse was calling her.
I know what I need to do - first of all I have been feeding her too much. If she was an older horse and had to stay in the first thing I would do would be to cut down the hard feed - she has Top Spec Stud, grass nuts and sugar beet. I've carried on with the food since she's growing and I was concerned about her getting enough nutrients. I now think I should decrease or drop the sugar beet and possibly the grass nuts and give a little HiFi with the Top Spec. No point giving her energy she can't release.
Does anyone think trying a Dually would help? Or has anyone found that with a horse that fights like she does it makes things worse? I have noticed that she's started getting bigger across the chest and she used that size today against me and I don't want it getting worse. I don't want to give up, I know she's a really good horse but if I don't get the upper hand now I've got no chance when she gets bigger. BTW I have owned her since she was 7 months old and every stage has had ups and downs but we've got through it. She's happy to follow me through small spaces, and up and down steps etc and I think maybe she just needs some mental stimulus. Does anyone have any ideas of things I can do with her from the ground to keep her interested in learning? Any input would be greatly appreciated, thank you
She is 18 months old and very confident. I spent quite a time last summer doing some ground work with her, and had her following me through small gaps, over tarpaulins, up and down steps etc. She's very easy to catch and good to lead in general (just the usual nosiness of babies and has to be reminded what she's doing). She can take the mickey like young horses will do, and being a filly she's tried to be lead mare and is happy to fight me for the top role. I think I'm just about on top, but I have to be several steps ahead of her.
My problem is that as she gets bigger - she's about 15.2 in front and bigger behind and she stands very upright so her head is always high - I find it harder to control her. She has naturally high head carriage so if she turns her head it goes over my head and twists me round, I lose my footing and slightly lose control and have to get it back. This is only for a couple of seconds, but I don't want her to find out she can get control. She knows what 'walk' and 'no' mean and if she starts to trot comes back when I ask. I haven't had problems with her rushing through gateways or anything but today she barged out of her stable twice. She was worked up because she's been in her stable for a week due to the snow. Other horses were let out for an hour and she wanted to go too so I took my life in my hands and took her out for a walk on a lunge line. She was really good, i'd expected an explosion and I knew I couldn't stand up on the ice if she did that. But she was great, walked a bit faster than she should and broke into a jog once but not too bad. She waited for me to go through the door back into the barn and stood when I asked her to. THEN she exploded! Rearing up, arguing with me and wanting to get her own way. She was pushing me round with her chest so I made her circle me since that's what she was doing anyway. Once she realised she was doing it because I told her to and not because she wanted to, she tried kicking sideways at me. I got her tied up (not on the lunge line!) and went to get her stable ready, ignoring her. When she'd been standing nicely for a while I gave her some attention, groomed her and rugged her for the night. She walked calmly into her stable. But when I took her haynet in, she barged straight through the gate and through me. Someone caught her and put her headcollar on and wrapped the rope round her nose since she was not listening to him. As soon as he put her in the stable she barged straight back out, knocking him into a wall. He got her back in but unfortunately the horse next to her was then taken out of the barn! She started rearing and bucking but I tried to ignore her. She can't have been panicking because when she realised I was mixing her food she stopped. She ate her food calmly even though the other horse was calling her.
I know what I need to do - first of all I have been feeding her too much. If she was an older horse and had to stay in the first thing I would do would be to cut down the hard feed - she has Top Spec Stud, grass nuts and sugar beet. I've carried on with the food since she's growing and I was concerned about her getting enough nutrients. I now think I should decrease or drop the sugar beet and possibly the grass nuts and give a little HiFi with the Top Spec. No point giving her energy she can't release.
Does anyone think trying a Dually would help? Or has anyone found that with a horse that fights like she does it makes things worse? I have noticed that she's started getting bigger across the chest and she used that size today against me and I don't want it getting worse. I don't want to give up, I know she's a really good horse but if I don't get the upper hand now I've got no chance when she gets bigger. BTW I have owned her since she was 7 months old and every stage has had ups and downs but we've got through it. She's happy to follow me through small spaces, and up and down steps etc and I think maybe she just needs some mental stimulus. Does anyone have any ideas of things I can do with her from the ground to keep her interested in learning? Any input would be greatly appreciated, thank you
