Advice needed- issues with loan horse!

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Trixie88

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Hi

I recently got a horse on loan and have now had her for 3 weeks. She is a 16hh2, 12 year old hanovarian x TB mare. She was pretty much left in a field and ridden twice a week, mainly hacking. Riding she is fine, a bit spooky and has her issues, mainly playing around with her head now and again in the trot.

On the ground is a different story!She lived out before with a gelding, when she came to the yard she was stabled for a week for 'quarantine' and she was ok. Now she is out in the field with another mare and they love eachother! Too much, when i bring her in to ride and groom her she becomes dangerous and one day she will be fine and perfectly happy, the next if her fieldmate whinnies, or another horse comes past she gets really on edge and will just act like im not there and ignore me! I don't back down and therefore we have an argument for about 10 mins eventually she will settle and stand still. Has any one got any ideas on how i can sort out her 'seperation anxiety'. The thing is it isn't all of the time, just every couple of days or when i put her in her stable to groom her when it is raining. I do ground work with, lungeing etc an dtry and reasurre her and let her know when she is good. SHould i just perservere with what I am doing? Also any advice on the playing around with her head in trot, i have put a full fly mask on and that doesn't seem to help much.

Thanks
 
It sounds to me like you are doing the right thing with your new horse. I guess it may take her a while to feel confident on her own in her new surroundings. My two horses don't like being separated but that's because they always do everything together and are hardly ever on their own.
Not sure about the head thing, has she had her teeth, back and saddle checked lately?
 
Thanks, i guess she is 12 but because of the lack of experiences she has had is more like a 6 year old!

She had a huge job done on her teeth in march, and back and saddle are ok, its not a huge thing, its quite mild really, i might try and change the bit have also put a flash on her too, and maybe will try with a martingale. I think its more an evasion technique than anything else. Once she settles down, gets fitter and we get to know each other im going to start have a few lessons on her, but its just nice to know what im doing at the moment is the right thing! :) I don't like telling her off, but how else will she learn?!
 
i had a similar problem with my two. Though in my case, the horse i was bringing in was fine, and the one i was leaving out would just go insane, to the point of being very dangerous for himself. So my answer, was just to keep doing it. Get them used to it. Now theyre fine. Hell still wait at the gate for her to come back, but he doesnt do anything silly anymore!!

Or is there a third horse that could be put out with them??

And as for the head shaking, check teeth, check bit. Try a nose net. Headshaking in a lot of horse is something you cant always solve :(
 
Are you able to split the mares up? and have different companions? I had to do that with my old mare because she very very quickly decided she loved a particular gray mare and became truly hysterical if the mare went out of sight. Not helped by the fact that they were also in the barn together. We ended up moving the gray mare away in the stables, and split them up in the fields as well. My old mare settled happily after that and later, when we tried to reintroduce them again, decided she now detested said mare. She is now on her own, but next to other horses and is happy with that.
 
I think the main thing you have to bear in mind is that you have only had the horse for 3 weeks so she is going to feel vulnerable and clingy at time as she will be forming strong bonds with her new equine friends which is to be expected.

Stick with it, get her into a routine, the fact that you said sometimes she’s like it and sometimes she’s ok means you’re getting there, once she knows what is expected of her on daily routine she should hopefully settle down more when you split them up and vice versa with her field mate.

Try to make coming in something that she looks forward to, perhaps if you don’t already, bob a hay net up so she has something to much on or look forward to when she comes in when you groom her, don’t just bring her in for riding but perhaps get her into a routine of coming in to have her daily feed (even if she doesn’t really need one, you can just bob a handful of hi fi light or something that won’t really effect her diet just so she thinks it’s a ‘routine thing’) also if she’s in or near a season, there will be times when she will threat more than usual…that’s just a mare thing I’m afraid, but if it’s getting out of hand when she is in season you could try a supplement to help with her hormones and settle her a bit more.

Just give it more time, you’ll get there.
 
I think speaking to the owner and finding out if this is normal for the horse should be your starting point.
 
I really wouldn't worry at all. It is perfectly normal. You have to be patient. Some horses take months to fully trust you and the bonds with other horses they make when they first change yards are typically very strong.
 
Thanks everyone. I have worked with horses before for a long time, so i do know what im doing which is good! Her owner is overseas and quite a novice, so think she was left to get away with it. I will just keep doing what i'm doing and hopefully we will get there. She does learn in the end, which is the main thing and can have her moments! I'm sure we will work it out, just lots of time and patience :D
 
I have the same problem with mine. She's been allowed to get away with murder on the ground by the looks of things. Repetition, showing who's boss, consistency and time are the key.
 
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