Anyone elses pony turned into a complete physco?

Parkranger

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 May 2006
Messages
10,546
Visit site
So I suppose alot of our horses/ponies have been on limited work up until the last few weeks due to snow/frost/hurricaines......but for some reason my mare has turned into a complete lunatic!

I've had her since Oct (brought her back into work) and over the last 2 weeks she has gone nuts.....bucking and napping is the new game and it's even more exciting if we can spin into a car on the road
frown.gif
confused.gif
mad.gif
She was even naughty in the school the other day (if I could get her to piaffe like that on command we'd be onto a winner)

Luckily she doesn't phase me (it's a height thing) but i'm wondering what I can do to chill her out. She'll be going on a good old hoon at the weekend (she's got so much energy) and I think she needs a trip to the local XC course.....we jumped some logs today and she clocked them miles away and got so excited
grin.gif
and did actually settle a bit once she'd jumped something.

I wonder how much of it is her telling me she's bored and wants to jump (she's bascially jumped all her life).

She's still in at the moment and on hay and two hifi only meals - I've taken out the pony nuts as she really doesn't need any energy at the moment.

I'm also wondering whether spring grass is coming through?
 
My spring grass is coming throught at the moment and with mine being on ad-lib haylage, i have a whole trible of complete loonies, gonna try and take them all out for a blast today.
Hoping i survive
 
Mine is a total nut job at the moment too. I think the grass must be growing (can't see any evidence of it though). I'm just trying to give her regular work and keep hoping for the best! (Quite good fun though, IMO
grin.gif
)
 
Mine's been really full of beans even though I've been lucky enough to be able to keep him in relatively full work over winter - we only had 2 weeks where we couldn't but I did get him out both days of the middle weekend in that period and he was fine. He's been back in full work for the last 2 months (at least 45 minutes hard schooling a day, or a long hack, or a gallop - lots of variety).

So, although it seems to be invisible to the naked eye, I'm thinking the grass is getting some of it's goodness back (to look at you'd think he'd be struggling to find something to eat and he's not much of an eater anyway, but I he must be finding something.) It's only the last week that he's gone a bit loopy. Still rideable and feels AMAZING when I can contain it, just very excitable!
 

I tend to think that there is a reason that the mare was in a field not being ridden. Good ponies, who are genuine and have no issues, don’t sit in fields doing nothing. Whatever they have said when you bought her hon, the issues are probably long standing and have come to light as she has got fitter.

If I were you, I would keep her on the hi-fi, add some oestress or moody mare (I used that on my hormonal fizzy Welsh mare and it worked) and up her workload, which I know is a pain when you are working f/t etc. Also, when she is piaffing etc, send her forward, even if it means you are cantering for ages. Make here sweat a bit!!! Can she have 24/7 turn out in a paddock with not great grass?

Spring grass aside, they are all a bit fizzy at this time of year, but that is no excuse for the behaviour as you are discribing.

Good luck!
 
She was ridden and hunted by a 10 year old and has always been known to the yard so I don't think I've been sold a dud :-)

Oh well, Ostress is ordered so fingers crossed!
 
Top