HELP ME PLEASE???

[ellie19]

Hi all, in a quandry AGAIN. I have had Bonnie on loan for months now and we are getting on great but after a little fright a few weeks ago when she bolted on me, stayed on by the way, i have done some groundwork with her and still go out on hacks alone with her, anyway i still cant get the nerves under control and Bonnie is a bit nervy too i have too say, prob picking it up from me!!! i just dont know what to do, i exercise her 3-4 times a week for a hour at a time, novice here but is that enough, plus her owner takes her out occasionally, she seems very forward all the time when i am out with her and wondered if a supplement for calming her is safe and advisable or what i dont know, she only goes out for maybe 5/6 hrs daily to graze and only has haylage to eat at night, is this ok for her as i am not that clued up in that dept at all, please excuse my ignorance as i am reading lots of books on horsecare at the moment, monty, kelly, everything really but i just dont know, any advice would be appreciated. And sorry for the long thread too. Love Ellie and Bonnie x

[julz]

Hi Ellie..sorry to hear you've had a fright. My horse, Seamus, also gets ridden 3-4 days a week, sometimes for less than an hour each time...but it really depends on what the horse is like...eg, breed, temperament... etc....

It's probably enough for you, but in order to give her more work, you could try to lunge her on the days you don't ride, and also just before you ride... doing this before you ride will, get any freshness out of her, and get her listening to you. It may also help with your bond...

Does she need haylage? this is high in calories, and could make the horse "spirited" (for want of a better word..though not always)

As for your nerves, rememeber to breathe....you'd be surprised at how people forget to breate when they are nervous!! and if it doesn't sound silly...talk to Bonnie... have a conversation with her..tell her your plans for the rest of the day/week.....

Hope this helps a bit...perhaps you could tell us abit more about Bonnie, and what you feed her?

[amarche]

Hi Ellie - same as Julz above but if you wanted to go down the calmer supplement route then you're best to discuss with her owner and again that depends on your loan agreement as to who has responsibility for feeding.

The Magnesium supplement is great but its not a miracle cure although it may make you feel a little more confident knowing that you're doing something about it. You could also try rescue remedy for you and her, before your ride?

I would also suggest lots more groundwork not just in an exercise/work environment but in the stable, bonding time and having fun time - using grooming to get her to trust you to go all over her body and perhaps do some 'spook busting' with scary tarpaulins and things - this will build her confidence in you aswell.

Well done with staying on though, bolting is frightening but it is purely a flight mechanism dont take it personally ;D

[ellie19]

Hi all, Thanks for the good advice , Bonnie is a cob x sports horse 15.3hh she just gets haylage and whatever grazing she gets during the day as this is what her owner has said she has, the owner is pretty easy oasy with regards to Bonnie and myself though ,so i might say about the herbal side of it and so on. I do generally lunge Bonnie before i go out though not always i must admit, we do free schooling together as its fun for both of us i feel, she also sometimes gets used on a saturday for lessons and does very well with regards to behaviour( prob because she is in the school no doubt). I like to take her new routes if i can when we go out trailing the countryside, do you think that would make her so forward? I dont know i just feel she is beyond my capabilities sometimes when i am on her but in saying that she always does as i ask her to do, it just makes me feel a bit nervy sometimes when i am out on her and she just wants to go go go all the time so i end up not enjoying the hack so much as i am always on edge a bit. I groom Bonnie every single time i am with her as soon as i get her in from the field as i want her to feel she is coming in for something enjoyable and it will help her trust me , plus i have to admit it is very relaxing for me too, i can touch everywhere on Bonnie and she moves away as i move round her to groom if she is in my space, yeah she is spot on in that dept, she does not bite, kick, barge nothing at all like that, my baby of 1 and a half walks round her and she doesnt bat an eyelid so i just dont know. What other things could i suggest to the owner to feed Bon other than haylage? Does soaking the hay help before feeds do anything to lessen the sugars etc? God i am waffling SORRY. x love Ellie and Bonnie X

[cosmo]

Hi Ellie
Well done for staying on and working through this episode. My lads bolted with me a few times and its scary! I'd definately second the rescue remedy for you both. Its worked wonders with my boy and me. I just put a few drops on a carrott for him as I'm tacking up before we hack out.
Is there any chance you could increase her turnout time? It would help her burn off any excess energy.
With regards to soaking hay it does help lessen the sugars, but opinion differs on how long is sufficient. I've been told anything from 15 mins to overnight!
Are you hacking out alone all the time? I know my boy is much more on his toes when he's on his own and I'm the same - I'm constantly thinking what if all the time! It may help if someone walked out on foot / cycled with you, at least then you have someone to chat to which will help you relax.
It sounds as though you're doing really well with her.

[laura]

It is horrible to be bolted off with , and you are bound to be concerned she will do it again. Howevewr it also might not !

Well done for getting back on and working through the situation ;D ;D ;D



you seem to say ellie that she is lovely and calm and responsive the rest of the time and it is only on hacks alone that she is forward going.

some thoughts come to mind ...... yes horses are more alert and aware when they are on thier own - they have not other horse to rely on to alert re dangers ( in their eyes) so some dont relax very well on their own.

I too have a Bonnie and she is on loan to a novice lady who keeps her with us and we go out as I have been sharing my experiences with her 0 she want to learn about what its really like to own a horse before she gets one of her own !

. Jenny had been riding before but she was still very nervous on Bonney and always seemed to feel Bonney was going to run off with her ....... but over the months her awareness of her body position and language became better and she realised she was inadvertantly giving Bonney "go faster" cues and was not very relaxed. She was tensing her legs and leaning slightly forward and Bonney picked this up . As Bonney is an energetic walker and trotter anyay Jenny tended to feel out of control. Once I explained the connections she began to be more aware ....but it still took her a while to relax and "go with the flow ;D she is a lot more relaxed .... and so is Bonney

I dont know your experience etc but from what I have picked up on your post might your situation be a little similar.

As to you actually feeling nervous .......

echo the "breathing" thing ... I still sing when I feel a bit wibbly and it does make sure you dont hold your breath.

rescue remedy or a calming aromatic oil ...... linden blossom apparently good for past traumas .. we have it !



re her management . ... it is a pity in my 0pinion that she is only out for 5 - 6 hours a day ..... but that may or may not be actually impacting her behaviour on a hack ( unless you are taking her out straight from the stable in the morning )


sounds like she is a lovely horse though if the relationship is good in everything else......