Advice please

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NickyPolly1

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Hi all, I'm a new member so hopefully this is in the right section, I'm sorry if it isn't.
I currently have a 14.2hh chestnut mare named Polly. She has just been on box rest for a month after a tissue injury to her fetlock. I've started to ride her again, walking in the school for 25 mins etc. The problem I'm having is she won't hack out, she just seems scared of everything and I'm really worried she's going to end up in the road (my stables are on a 60mph road). I took her out this morning and on the way there she had her head up in the air looking everywhere and jumping at literally everything and on the way back she put her head right down and jogged/cantered on the spot and refused to go forward in walk. I'm a very nervous rider and I'm not sure what to do next.
 
Don't ride a nervous horse on a road as busy as yours sounds. I had a mare that was not great in traffic, so sympathise.

Do you have some fields you can ride in??
 
Have you tried taking her out with company? Another horse would be ideal, but failing that, someone willing to walk with you a couple of times, to help you reassure her. Was she ok before the box rest?
 
I definitely agree with the points above about going out in company and avoiding the road if at all possible.

Might be worth considering long-reining her a bit before you get on so the big wide world is not so exciting.

Another alternative would be to ask someone who is a more confident rider to ride her out for a little while until she settles down.
 
Riding in heavy traffic was one of her best points before the box rest so I don't know what's happened really. She's just turned 20 so it's not like she's a young horse or anything.
 
Box rest can really affect their temperament as they are not really made to spend so long in a box (this is not a criticism! Box rest is required to help them recover, it's just that it drives a lot of them a bit loopy). Best to stay off the road for the time being as that sounds potentially very dangerous. Try giving her an oral sedative before you ride her (your vet should be able to advise on dosage) and this may well help. However you may find that she is not really herself until she can be turned out again.
 
She's been on turn out now for about 4 weeks, it's only now in the past 2 weeks that I've started to ride her. I've got some sedalin gel but I didn't realise you could ride a horse when they've taken it.
 
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