reluctant horse!

[molz]

heyy!
my horse Candy is reallyyyy reluctant to do any work! she'll do anything to get out of it! she wont let me put the bridle on and she then she plants her feet so as not to go out on a hack of go into the menage and she always has her ears back when im riding she will plod around the school fine for a few minutes and do some turns but then she decides shes done enough and plants her feet again, then if i kick her to go forwards she does minni cow kicks because i told her off! i feel like shes in charge all the time instead of me but if i try to tell her off she will tell ME off!
what can i do to make her more keen to work and less stubbon? il be very gratefull of any replies! xx

[julz]

have you had her back/teeth checked? she may be in pain.

My old horse used to plant (in feild) and this was usually due to his feet giving him pain.

[2 bays & a grey:D]

Do some ground work with her to improve your relationship

[Suz]

Sounds like she is trying to tell you that she does not want to work, it is your task to figure out why. How long has she been doing this for?Does she do it if other people ride her? I would start with the standard checks- teeth back saddle and take it from there.

[laurac]

Yes I 2nd getting her physically checked, if she doesnt want to go forward it could be pain related, feet, back etc or a badly fitting saddle

good luck

[jaxnbreeze]

IMO there 's something wrong there molz and she's trying to tell you what it is. How long has she been like this? If it were me I think I would ask the vet to check her over.

[Zoe RA]

Is this the same horse you were asking about a couple of months ago Molz?

I seem to remember you had her checked over physically then, but if you have had second, and third opinions (defo sounds pain related) and you are absolutely positive she is comfortable physically, then have one of the Intelligent Horsemanship Recommended Associates out to see the pair of you could be exactly what you need!

www.intelligenthorsemanship.co.uk/content/view/47/97/

[molz]

she has been fully checked over by the vet and shes had her teeth done a few weeks ago, her saddle was also fitted to her only a few monthes ago. and shes been doing it since i bought her about 4 monthes ago thank you for your replies xx

[cassiejane]

4 months is not a long time to own horse molz, she is still settling in really. Put it this way, my horse would not go off the yard for 3 months after I bought him, he was simply scared, and did not know me well enough to trust me to look after him. It takes time and patience.

As long as you are sure she is not in pain then I think you need some good help, so get an RA out to help you and see how you get on, be patient with your pony I am sure she will improve.

[laurac]

Hi Molz

You say " her saddle was also fitted to her only a few months ago. and shes been doing it since i bought her about 4 months ago "

All the reputable saddlers I know want to check the new saddles at around 3 months after fitting, has your saddle fitter checked the saddle since fitting a few months ago?

Also my vets kept telling me my horses problems were all behavioural and i kept sending him there for checks and after getting a 2nd opinion from a new vet I find he does have a lot of pain issues (back, stifle, pelvis) so please dont write off pain issues just because your vets havent found anything first look

[Chestnutmare]

I had same problem with my mare, shes fine now but she was all tight down her right hand side. There might be some tips on here?

ihdg.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=help&action=display&thread=109573

[cassiejane]

Good point Laurac, a large percentage of the horses I work with have badly fitting saddles, as an example I went to a RC camp once, spent the day assessing horses, saw 12 horses and 10 of them had saddles which should never been put on their backs, these were horses which had spent the whole weekend working, jumping, on the farm ride etc. So worth looking into that for sure.

[molz]

shes had her saddle checked twice since it was first fitted
iv rode her tonight andshe was an absolute superstar!! i tryed riding her with a whip instead not to whack her with but just to remind her whos in charge! i used feed to get the bit in so she had that fine and then i got on and straight away she planted her feet so i gave her a sharp tap behind my leg with the whip and she cow kicked, the i tapped her again and she kickied out again so i smacked her again and she went forwards fine! she did even try to stop for the rest of the half hour and i even canter her for the first time in 2 monthes! shes was perfect! she only had one little mess about at the end where she kept taking me into the middle of the school to finnish! im not strong enough to pull her back and even though i was using my legs to steer as well as my reins, she still kept yanking the bit and taking me into the middle :L any ideas on stopping her from doing this? apart from that she was an angel! so proud of her xx

[tomrabbit]

Hi Molz,
Great that you're feeling more positive about Candy today, and feeling more in charge!

Like Zoe, I recall reading your previous posts - were they about this mare too? I seem to remember that as with this occasion, you posted because you had some major issues with your horse, then one day you got on her and they were suddenly gone! I really admire your persistence - I think you said this was your first horse, and that you didn't have knowledgeable horsey people at home? Did I remember that right? Many people would have lost their nerve with the problems you have experienced, and their fear would have been transferred to the horse, so well done for sticking with it!

But your story reminds me very much of another poster from a year or so back, who went on for months and months with her difficult horse, trying her very best to do the right thing. She had endless patience, and kept getting little breakthroughs, but never actually got to the bottom of the complex problems. Many, many people suggested that she call an RA out, but she never did, and in the end the horse was retired as unrideable because she (the horse) never became consistent.

Now I'm not suggesting that your horse has such severe problems! You can find on this forum that whenever a horse has a problem, the world and his wife say 'get an RA out', and although I don't think there's ever a bad reason to get an RA, cos you will always learn something, I also don't think that is always the only solution, and sometimes a good instructor is all that is needed. But Molz, would really give it some thought? It's not a big deal. It's just someone who can stand back and look at the whole picture, and then work with you to sort behavioural problems, help you with your confidence, or recommend a specialist to examine your horse if it seems to be a physical/medical problem. If there is an RA near you, the cost is similar to a private instructor coming out. You shouldn't need to have amazing strength to stop your horse from carting you into the middle of the school when she wants to, and you shouldn't need to offer her treats to get the bit in. I'm sure both these issues could be solved with a little expert advice!

Horses behave they way they do for a reason - keep searching for an answer as you are doing Molz, and I'm sure you will get there in the end.

[molz]

thank you for that! i never know whether i am doing the right thing, with her being my first hore as well she has started begaving fine ever sice iv been riding with a whip and shes easier to get the bit in too. iv had a few instructers too and they say she is just testing me so i just have to keep riding it through and it will get better, so i have been and she is getting better! i think half the problem is that shes hungrey with it being winter, the feild shes on has no grass on it and im not really sure how much hay i should be feeding her? because when i left her eating for ages and then rode her she was sooooo much better, anyone know how much hay i should be giving a 14.3 Fell X mare? thank youu again! x