a highly strung mare

[suemac]

hello,

i have just recently take a 7 year old 16.1hh sports horse on loan.

she is very highly strung and jumpy.

she is fine in the stable, once you get her tack on and out either into the school or on a hack she changes.

she flares her nostrils, very jumpy and just generally does not listen. everything is scary.

can anyone give me any suggestions on how to calm her down or ways to help relax her?

 

[Horses24-7]

Do you know if she's always been like that?

The reason I ask is my boy had a massive change in behaviour quite similar to yours and he was suffering From separation anxiety from the mares in his field (it was his first summer in a mixed field) I split him up from them and he's now in a field with another gelding and he's a differeent horse!

Just might be worth considering any changes etc that might be affecting her? As I jumped to the conclusion he wasn't getting enough work etc and had even wrote my advert to sell him ass thought we weren't compatible anymore. Thank god I didn't as he's now a saint

 

[suemac]

hello.
shes always been like that. she is kept in a field with 3 other mares that are owned by the same person.

 

[Dutch1horse]

My mares the same. I just try an keep her mind busy, lots of tight turns, circles and pole work. At the start I use to do 15 mins in hand work before I got on until she realised she had to relax in the arena and this worked well. Hope this helps.