Karenchol
Well-Known Member
Hi,
Has anyone else ever experienced this and if so can you tell me what you did that helped or cured it.
My home bred mare started under saddle very confident but had a bit of head shaming. For a long time we put it down to her age and strength. As time has gone on she has got increasingly anxious and badly behaved in certain situations. She is the loveliest girl and has been vet checked so many times, x rays, chiros, physios etc etc, nothing to report. She hates schooling and has never had the best balance, but loves to jump. Hacking is fine until she see or hears another horse in the distance. Then she loses the plot. She is also beside herself in locations with other horse when there is a lot going on. She won’t settle, has a pounding heart and then throws herself around. When jumping or moving forward she is much better. I’ve had her on Regumate, which I think made her a bit more level at home, she refrained from going around the field on red alert. She also is very concerned about an area where I know 2 fields away there are other horses, although she can’t see them, and can perhaps smell or hear them. I often wonder if living with 1 gelding is an issue, could she be taking on the stress of lead mate, so lives on her nerves?! She clearly sees danger in distant horses?
When she was younger she was not so reactive and I could ride past horses when out without an issue. I do wonder if there was a pain issue and now this behaviour has just become engrained. I just can’t find a reason for this manic behaviour, so I have more or less stopped riding her. It’s such a shame she is a very capable horse and really a sweet natured mare. Could she be worse because her half brother is back at home? Could living with a gelding be causing her stress? However, she has also behaved badly with horses in the distance when he has been with her too. It’s such a shame. Has anyone ever experienced similar, because I wish I could help her with this issue. Would she be better, more confident with other mares? I worry about her going anywhere because of theses issues. She is an incredibly forward, high energy horse, does she need a competition home, would it help relax her brain by doing more??? Any suggestions greatly received. I’ve been looking for an answer for a very long time, she’s now 12!
She is not afraid of anything else and has had lots of ground work and desensitisation.
Has anyone else ever experienced this and if so can you tell me what you did that helped or cured it.
My home bred mare started under saddle very confident but had a bit of head shaming. For a long time we put it down to her age and strength. As time has gone on she has got increasingly anxious and badly behaved in certain situations. She is the loveliest girl and has been vet checked so many times, x rays, chiros, physios etc etc, nothing to report. She hates schooling and has never had the best balance, but loves to jump. Hacking is fine until she see or hears another horse in the distance. Then she loses the plot. She is also beside herself in locations with other horse when there is a lot going on. She won’t settle, has a pounding heart and then throws herself around. When jumping or moving forward she is much better. I’ve had her on Regumate, which I think made her a bit more level at home, she refrained from going around the field on red alert. She also is very concerned about an area where I know 2 fields away there are other horses, although she can’t see them, and can perhaps smell or hear them. I often wonder if living with 1 gelding is an issue, could she be taking on the stress of lead mate, so lives on her nerves?! She clearly sees danger in distant horses?
When she was younger she was not so reactive and I could ride past horses when out without an issue. I do wonder if there was a pain issue and now this behaviour has just become engrained. I just can’t find a reason for this manic behaviour, so I have more or less stopped riding her. It’s such a shame she is a very capable horse and really a sweet natured mare. Could she be worse because her half brother is back at home? Could living with a gelding be causing her stress? However, she has also behaved badly with horses in the distance when he has been with her too. It’s such a shame. Has anyone ever experienced similar, because I wish I could help her with this issue. Would she be better, more confident with other mares? I worry about her going anywhere because of theses issues. She is an incredibly forward, high energy horse, does she need a competition home, would it help relax her brain by doing more??? Any suggestions greatly received. I’ve been looking for an answer for a very long time, she’s now 12!
She is not afraid of anything else and has had lots of ground work and desensitisation.
