dominant mare

[lauraandpoppy]

Hi I have a 17h ID/TB chestnut mare. She is 13 years old and I have had her a year. She is my first horse and was bought after a 20 year break from riding.

I bought her from a lady that had picked her up from the sales when she had gone to get a saddle. She was in very poor condition and a nervous wreck. We struggled to keep any weight on during last winter, but she is looking much better now.

The problems: she backs up on you in the field and goes to kick you if she doesnt want to be caught. She has run at me and tried to chase the vet and me out of the field. Going in the stable can be a difficult experience as sometimes she can lunge at you to bite you or back up on you. She tries to bite you when brushing her and we have to sedate her for the farrier as she is awful with her back legs.( We have been through a few now.) It took me months to be able to pick them all out safely!We have noved her once in July to out new house and it took from 9am to 9.30 pm at one stage she actualy reared up and over onto her back. It was a horrendous experience and not one that I would like to repeat, so we just dont go anywhere!!

PLease help!!! I am so sorry it is so long but I think the more info you have the better. I am at my wits end now and I really need some help

Laura

[wozzer]

Laura - have you seen the horse help pages on here? Maybe you need the help of an RA with her.

Good luck xx

[rosie]

I have what I would call a dominant mare. Dominant in the field, although she is fine with people. I'm no expert but after reading your message, it sounds like your mare is frightened ?? It must be hard when you don't know her history, but maybe she has been ill treated in the past. Changing homes is stressful anyway but maybe more so for your mare. Sounds like it could be a long process but I'd agree with above, get some expert help, maybe from an RA, even if they give you some basic tips, to start you on the right track. Good Luck.

[lauraandpoppy]

thanks for replying,both of you.

Julia Fischer is my closest RA and she isnt taking on any new clients until February, so I hope to get her out then.

I think she has been ill treated as she can also be headshy at the stable door. I suppose I thought she would trust me by now. But i guess these things take time.

[rosie]

Shame about the RA, but I'm sure someone on here will give you some good advice.

[emy]

I have a dominant gelding though not as tricky as your mare.Hes been known to turn his bum to me in the field in the summer and it can be intimidating.If he does it I bribe him with a polo and dont make an issue out of it.I know him very well as I bred him but he can be insecure and is a s*d to clip and load so I dont clip and im going to work on the loading with time and patience.
Get some pro help and dont attempt it yourself.This sounds like it could be dangerous.Stick with her and become her number one.As said above it may take time but it will be worth it and your not alone,good luck

[chitori]

Working with horses who are frightened or a bit desperate around people can be terrifying, Tom is only 14.2 and when we first got him he was terrifying, rearing and charging around, it takes a lot of time, a lot of patience and 9 times out of 10 a lot of Help from someone who has done this sort of thing several times before! If you are able try and handle her several times a day for very short periods of time, this is how we worked with Tom and without over-doing it, jsut little and often he became a lot more docile! Kelly's touching all over exercises etc are great starting points (well they were for me!!). Good luck x

[Stella]

RA Sandra Williams covers Herts too ;D

[lauraandpoppy]

thanks for everybodys help

its good to know there are other people around that have been through stuff like this and also great to know things can get better, with some help.

It sometimes makes you feel that your horse doesnt like you but you just cant work out what you are doing wrong.

Thanks for all your help again

[Teeni]

Lauraandpoppy

I had a 16.2 IDxTB (more ID build) mare on loan at the beginning of this year and she was like how you describe. After only having her a week i broke down into tears and she was horrid to do anything with.

If she was tied on the yard people would have to take an extra wide berth or she'd kick you, got to close to the front end and she would bite you.

In the field she would turn her backside on people and really threaten and some times follow through with her actions, but i never saw this in the field but believed it to be true.

Grooming her was a nightmare to start with and also tacking up and getting on her.

After my initial break down of tears and i can't do this someone gave me a good talking to, even though alot of people would not go near her.

I plucked up my courage and got to work with things. Started by having to be more alert and aware of exactly what this mare was doing. I tried out something that had been suggested by IH to nudge her as if by accident when she did something, but did it so she thought oh what was that, her reaction, come back twice as bad.

I tried to ignore most of this unwanted behaviour as safely as possible and things started to improve no end.

I spent alot more time handling her, especially her back legs as this was the worst. Infact one day i spent ages trying to wash her back legs, started off by sponging them and progressed to being able to stand hehind her without some much as a bat of an eye lid. Silly thing to do but i felt i trusted her enough and there was no need to worry and all was fine.

I have rambled here and not been much help, but wanted you to know that your not alone at all and i totally understand how hard it is. Infact i will try and see if i can find any of my old threads Keep safe

[janetgeorge]

She sounds like a bully - although it might be worth having her ovaries scanned to ensure she doesn't have a problem there.

Some horses learn to take advantage - particularly big ones. Comes of people faffing around them and letting them do what they want. Others have been mistreated, and learn to bite/kick first!

The treatment is the same: firm, fair and consistent handling. First priority - your safety! So until she starts to improve, always wear a hat and body protector when handling her. Decide on a sterm reprimand - always the same word (NO - will do) and use it when she makes an unwanted move - along with some BIG body language if she's trying to charge you or intimidate you.

If you don't see a fairly rapid improvement, get help! I can't tell from here if her behaviour is fear-based - or if she's just a bolshy cow who has learnt to get her own way. If it's fear-based, she should improve with firm, fair and consistent handling; if she's a really bolshy cow, she'll need putting in her place - but you need to be sure which it is!

[xxx]

'putting in her place' -hate that expression.
OP, I would suggest getting an experienced friend to help you?
What do you do with her?

[janetgeorge]

xxx said:

'putting in her place' -hate that expression.

Oh dear - what a shame!

[MirandaSophie]

My most FAVOURITE horse (outside my two) is jsut like the one you ahve described!

She moved to my yard and her behaviour was bad, but her owner told me that it had improved HUGELY from what it was when she first got her. This mare is only 5 though and never been abused...just a real stroppy cow!

It took a LOT of work to get her to the way she is now, and she can still be very dominent in her stable. I think the main thing with her is trust and issues she has with other people because she doens't trust them.

But that's still no excuse to kick/bite etc.

She kicked me once, before I got to work with her, and all I did was ask her to move over so that I could get out of my stable (she was tied up outside). No reason for it whatsoever really!

it took time to get her trust, but eventually, I felt quite happy standing directly behind her to brush her tail, was quite happy to crouch down to brush her legs and belly - when before she'd have had no second thoughts to kick me ... hard!

I'd often stand there and talk to her and stroke her. I also had the privilige to ride her and bring her on.

And my God! She was tough! She would REFUSE point blank to go forwards, or infact, in any way what-so-ever. Her owner had done really, really well on the ground with long-lining, and i'd free schooled her a couple of times (hehehe...she's suddenly come in and charge at me pmsl, I did a LOT of flapping lol)...

I just got fed up with her attitude...the cow kicking and pathetic walk I got form her when riding..there was nothign there...once, she even reared up with me when i asked her to walk on!

So, I took my reins into one hand and whip-whopped her either side of her withers (not hard, i do not beat horses)...and you know what, she went forward...she might try to stop again, so i did the same thing...in that case, she really did just need to be put in her place. it had to be made clear who was boss-that she could not and would not get her own way all the time!

That slap with the reins was the pivotal moment. From there, things jsut got SO much better and she was AMAZING. God i Love that mare!

i was able to lead her around and tie her up and pretty much do whatever with her. but all the time just needed to remember that she had that spark in her...for example, i'd qutie happily run over to my boys and throw myself on their bottoms and pat them and kiss them and wrap myself round them...I've even walked through their legs. I'd not necessarily trust this horse with those things, but we came on leaps and bounds.

I gave her some trust (brushing her tail and legs) and she'd give me some, let me a little bit closer.

However, she remained the same with other people. very defensive and threatening.

But get this...this is what you can have too....

On my last day, I wanted to say goodbye to the mare who I love dearly and taught me LOADS. She was lying down in the field and i jsut assumed she'd get up (she'd done this before). I took her a carrot, but she remained on the ground, so I sat down with her (still kinda wary of her front legs) and i stroked her head and she relaxed-so I did. I edged a bit closer, and offered her the treat, she took it, and sunk her teeth in a bit and then stopped and fell asleep in my hands-carrot still dangling from mouth lol.

so we sat like that for a while, I was jsut stroking her head (which was so heavy I had to gently put down). She woke herself up a few minutes later, finished her carrot and jsut enjoye dthew comapny I think.

Another horse staryted walking over to us. She watched him, but decided he was jsut one step too close, she leaptup and chased him away, i was going to turn away and go back to the yard, but she stopped, turned around and walked back to me, head down, licking and chewing. looking for more cuddles from me.

Stick with your mare.
xxxxx

[milo]

time and love is what you need, try rubbing around her eye and just rubbing her shoulder,little bit at a time,our mare was very dominant but never to humans she was very frightened and bargy when we got her she had been brought and sold 7 times until we brought her at the age of 6, she was highly mistrusting of humans and it took time and lots of patience for her to get used to us at least a year,until you can get some help, try placid its a calming herb you can add to food ,its by dodson and horrell and its very good, it worked wonders on our mare,she was like a different horse after a few weeks,and good luck.