Aggressive yearling

[Meg_99]

Somewhere along the line my yearling (cob)has learned that she is a lot stronger than us and that she can get what she wants by pushing us around. She has recently started spinning and kicking out and has hurt people numerous times. I tell her off and give her a good smack and she gets mad and fights back, lashing out either by biting or pushing/kicking. She’s not scared of us at all and knows her strength. She knows how to throw a royal temper tantrum and we’ve stopped feeding her all together as she’s worst at feeding/treat times.
I’m not sure what to do without getting booted but this behaviour has to stop. Nothing seems to phase her and it doesn’t hurt her when she gets a smack she’s just not bothered at all. I don’t want to have to get rid of her but she’s genuinely dangerous and I need to nip it in the bud before she gets any bigger.
Help ??

 

[Lois Lame]

This sounds like one heck of a dangerous situation. Really, you need someone decent to help you with this. There will be people on here who know of someone near you who is good, probably.

Good luck. Please don't do anything with this horse yourself because there is going to be a mess.

BTW, smacking will achieve nothing good, plus it puts you in the firing line. It's not the answer.

 

[Meg_99]

BTW, smacking will achieve nothing good, plus it puts you in the firing line. It's not the answer.

I didn’t think harsh words would quite deter her either though

 

[Lois Lame]

Harsh words, shouting and smacking are the behaviours of those who are not in control. This yearling needs a leader - a kind leader. Think of your favourite person and what his or her behaviour is like. He or she is probably someone who you respect.

Someone will say all this much better than I will. I think you are really out of your depth and do not understand what is needed. This yearling could severely damage you or someone else and she herself is already somewhat damaged (having no respect for you).

 

[TPO]

I didn’t think harsh words would quite deter her either though

?

She needs correct training and consistent handling.

The fact that it has been allowed to escalate to this stage is very worrying. You need to get a professional in now to teach you how to handle youngsters and train the poor yearling.

Take a step back and think about your actions. In what way do you think that smacking her is helping the situation or teaching her? It makes things worse yet you continue to do it.

Sell her to an experienced home before someone, including the filly, is seriously hurt.

 

[AmyMay]

How is she kept? Other horses/youngsters, turnout situation etc.

 

[cauda equina]

The right field companions will do half the work for you

 

[SEL]

I took on a 4yo who had been the filly you describe and no one had trained. She was going to be shot for dangerous behaviour.

It took calm, consistent management over months. I had a dually for leading in and I went out of my way to avoid putting anyone in a position where they were at risk of getting hurt (I was the only person that went in a field with her for ages and there was a ban on treats).

If yours is in a field then start by bringing her in before feed times. That's a very exciting time for all horses and youngsters can easily boil over. Make her stable the place where she is fed and stop giving treats. I'm not saying I never shouted at mine, but I can say it didn't help!

 

[piffapie]

The right field companions will do half the work for you

Agree with this. I got an aggressive yearling once from someone who had home bred her. The result was an over handled filly with no respect for people. I turned her out and basically forgot about her except for feet trims and vaccinations - which were never a problem as her behaviour manifested itself when she was loose in field. She was turned out in a small herd and her behaviour improved dramatically when a dominant mare joined the field who taught her that her place was below the salt!

 

[shortstuff99]

This sounds to me like a very scared and very defensive little filly. As she is only a yearling I would find a young horse livery somewhere and chuck her in the field with them and leave her for a year +. Then come back to training calmly and consistently.

 

[ihatework]

Get in a youngstock herd pronto, pref one with one or two adult nannies in.
Then pay a pro to come in and do some handling once she has settled.

 

[stangs]

a) What’s her management - is she out 24/7 with other horses? If she isn’t, I would be moving yards asap.

b)

it doesn’t hurt her when she gets a smack she’s just not bothered at all

It definitely does cause her pain. If she’s “fighting back”, then she’s clearly bothered - and the motivation for the behaviour is much stronger than the fear of being hurt which is what your use of positive punishment is trying to achieve.

c) I generally don’t advise for yearlings to be on hard feed, and I can see why you stopped feeding her, but that will have just exasperated the resource guarding when she next gets fed.

d)

she can get what she wants by pushing us around

What does she want then, beyond (unsurprisingly) having nothing to do with you? First step to dealing with any behaviour is establishing the causes.

e) Please contact a behaviourist or trainer with a lot of knowledge on equine behaviour. Your current method of discipline is ineffective at best, and will result in learned helplessness or serious injuries to you at worst.

 

[ycbm]

What is her history? How long have you owned her?

From your previous post it sounds like you own her mum and bred her?
.

 

[Meg_99]

She is out 24/7 apart from in really bad weather. We have owned her since birth and her only companion is an old mare with not so great legs who can’t tell her what to do. We have no more room for any more horses and trust me she is most definitely not scared. I’m not horrible to her like ya’ll seem to think I don’t just go round smacking her willy nilly I always ask her nicely to either move out of my way or to stop nudging me with her nose to get in my pockets but it produces the same response when it’s not going in her favour and she wants everything to do with us, she never leaves us alone which is why I’m always asking her for boundaries. If I could leave her alone I would but I need to visit the other horse every day as she needs regular medication

 

[AmyMay]

She is out 24/7 apart from in really bad weather. We have owned her since birth and her only companion is an old mare with not so great legs who can’t tell her what to do. We have no more room for any more horses and trust me she is most definitely not scared. I’m not horrible to her like ya’ll seem to think I always ask her nicely to either move out of my way or to stop nudging me with her nose to get in my pockets but it produces the same response when it’s not going in her favour and she wants everything to do with us, she never leaves us alone which is why I’m always asking her for boundaries which she gets upset about

Time to look for some young stock livery in that case. Chuck her out in a mixed herd of youngsters.

 

[Meg_99]

Time to look for some young stock livery in that case. Chuck her out in a mixed herd of youngsters.

Unfortunately there is no ‘young stock livery’ near us. We also have private land and I’m not so desperate as to pay somebody else to keep a horse there when it’s free here. That would also leave my other mare on her own which she does not cope well with

 

[AmyMay]

Ah right. Well good luck.

 

[Parrotperson]

sounds ( and I'm honestly not trying to be nasty to you!) that you've over handled her from birth. She wouldn't know to search your pockets unless she knew you had things to eat in there.

I'd try and find a herd you can turn her put with for a long while. Ask around the horsey people around you.

 

[View]

Youngstock livery is the best answer here. It doesn’t need to be near you, you don’t need to be handling her twice a day. She needs to be left in a herd with other youngsters and a couple of older nannies who will teach them how to be horses, how to socialise with other horses and her place in the world. Checks and farrier visits can be dealt with by the yard.

A companion for the older mare can be found by contacting any of the reputable charities or rescues.

Please do try to find the right livery for the yearling - before someone is badly hurt.

 

[sport horse]

Unfortunately there is no ‘young stock livery’ near us. We also have private land and I’m not so desperate as to pay somebody else to keep a horse there when it’s free here. That would also leave my other mare on her own which she does not cope well with

If you are not prepared to pay for the help you obviously need then you will have to live with the consequences.

I had a yearling that was obnoxious so I turned him out with two older horses and amixed herd of youngstock. He stood for two weekssolid on the outside of the group and only when his behaviour improved did they slowly let him into the herd. I have bred horses for many years, as have others who have advised you, and believe me this is the only way to sort out the problem.

 

[Equi]

There are two solutions given here that will work but if you are not open to them they wont. So you are going to have a problem for a long time.

 

[Meg_99]

She has been turned out with a herd of older broodmares for a week last spring whilst my other horse was away. She doesn’t exhibit this behaviour towards horses ever, she knows her place with them entirely and she is very polite when meeting new ones. it is solely with humans she does this with as she’s figured out we aren’t strong like horses. I simply wanted to know if any training advice that I could use as it’s a very human oriented problem. I work a minimum wage job and I can’t afford to have her on livery for a year or more, especially if I have to send her far away where she will be on full livery. I’m not degrading the option at all but it is simply not an option for me as there are no youngstock liveries near me where I could do DIY. I know of professionals that I could ask for help as a last resort I just wanted to know what I was doing wrong and if I can change my behaviour to help the situation

 

[Sandstone1]

She is out 24/7 apart from in really bad weather. We have owned her since birth and her only companion is an old mare with not so great legs who can’t tell her what to do. We have no more room for any more horses and trust me she is most definitely not scared. I’m not horrible to her like ya’ll seem to think I don’t just go round smacking her willy nilly I always ask her nicely to either move out of my way or to stop nudging me with her nose to get in my pockets but it produces the same response when it’s not going in her favour and she wants everything to do with us, she never leaves us alone which is why I’m always asking her for boundaries. If I could leave her alone I would but I need to visit the other horse every day as she needs regular medication

Smacking is not helping is it? Sounds like shes been given treats if shes nudging your pockets. Needs turning out with other youngsters. No treats or over handling. Needs to be a young horse.
You need help before someone gets hurt. Hitting her is not going to help. It sounds like she has been over handled.

 

[View]

Tricky then. Please do get a trainer in now to help, to show you how to be the reassuring figure in charge that is needed.

have a search on the forum for other threads dealing with this - there are some good books available, but timing of pressure and release is so vital, and best learnt from a trainer with you.

Not a cheap option, but cheaper and much better than you ending up badly hurt.

 

[Meg_99]

thankyou for your advice. First actual piece of help I’ve been given so far instead of people just having a go at me because I’m doing it wrong. I’m open to criticism but my situation is limited unfortunately and I was really looking for training tips

 

[Shilasdair]

She has been turned out with a herd of older broodmares for a week last spring whilst my other horse was away. She doesn’t exhibit this behaviour towards horses ever, she knows her place with them entirely and she is very polite when meeting new ones. it is solely with humans she does this with as she’s figured out we aren’t strong like horses. I simply wanted to know if any training advice that I could use as it’s a very human oriented problem. I work a minimum wage job and I can’t afford to have her on livery for a year or more, especially if I have to send her far away where she will be on full livery. I’m not degrading the option at all but it is simply not an option for me as there are no youngstock liveries near me where I could do DIY. I know of professionals that I could ask for help as a last resort I just wanted to know what I was doing wrong and if I can change my behaviour to help the situation

You are pretty much doing everything wrong.
Firstly, you need to put her in a herd with older mares or geldings who will teach her some manners.
Secondly, you need to pay a professional (BHS qualified) person to give you lessons in horse handling as you have managed to train her to beat the living daylights out of you. As you don't have any understanding of how you got to this position, I doubt if you can reverse it without professional help.
Thirdly, do consider selling her to a knowledgeable home before she injures someone/herself.

 

[Meg_99]

You are pretty much doing everything wrong.
Firstly, you need to put her in a herd with older mares or geldings who will teach her some manners.
Secondly, you need to pay a professional (BHS qualified) person to give you lessons in horse handling as you have managed to train her to beat the living daylights out of you. As you don't have any understanding of how you got to this position, I doubt if you can reverse it without professional help.
Thirdly, do consider selling her to a knowledgeable home before she injures someone/herself.

I am aware that we have spoiled her yes. I didn’t buy her as I admit I don’t have any experience handling babies. We bought her mum from a friend and nobody knew she was pregnant. As we only have facilities for 2 it was one or the other and mum was being really horrible to my old girl whom I would never get rid of so we had to sell mum. My mum would never sell her. She’s a lovely little girl really and is part of the family. I didn’t come on here asking for help thinking I’d get slated by a load of complete strangers but hey ho it is what it is

 

[Sandstone1]

thankyou for your advice. First actual piece of help I’ve been given so far instead of people just having a go at me because I’m doing it wrong. I’m open to criticism but my situation is limited unfortunately and I was really looking for training tips

Stop hitting her, stop giving treats, get someone who knows what they are doing to help you before someone gets hurt. If possible get another young horse to turn her out with. Shes only a baby and needs to learn from other horses. If you cant give her what she needs sell her to someone who knows what they are doing with youngsters.

 

[Sandstone1]

I am aware that we have spoiled her yes. I didn’t buy her as I admit I don’t have any experience handling babies. We bought her mum from a friend and nobody knew she was pregnant. As we only have facilities for 2 it was one or the other and mum was being really horrible to my old girl whom I would never get rid of so we had to sell mum. My mum would never sell her. She’s a lovely little girl really and is part of the family. I didn’t come on here asking for help thinking I’d get slated by a load of complete strangers but hey ho it is what it is

So get some help before its too late, things will only get worse if you continue like this. You have asked for advice and been given it. Maybe if you say what area you are someone may be able to give you advice on someone who can help.

 

[View]

thankyou for your advice. First actual piece of help I’ve been given so far instead of people just having a go at me because I’m doing it wrong. I’m open to criticism but my situation is limited unfortunately and I was really looking for training tips

Actually not the first piece of help you have been given.

Go back and re-read posts 2, 5, 8, 11 and 12.

All of these posts said get experienced help from someone to show you.

I’m sorry you feel that you’re being slated, but sadly many of us have had to deal with the fallout when this type of situation goes badly wrong. I’ve been picked up by my back and thrown across the yard by a big horse biting me when I dropped my guard (my fault) with a horse whose owner didn’t enforce boundaries because “it was a rescue”. That hurt, gave me one heck of a bruise and cost me a new bra. Had it been somebody slighter built, it would have been a chunk torn out of their back.

I’ve seen people left with life changing injuries because they don’t know how to handle youngsters and teach them how to be good citizens.

Please learn from the mistakes of others and don’t let it happen to your or your family.