Bargy unsettled new horse

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Cazwhit

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I got a Welsh D mare on loan on Saturday. She was nervous but ok on the ride over to the new yard, and lovely to ride out with another mare the next day.
My problem is that now she is really attached to that mare who she is now grazed with (along with 3 others). She gets really upset when it is brought in, but the main problem is she is really bargy with me. When I bring her in, she tries to barge me straight out of the stable. I've been bringing her in for a while every day, even just for a brush, but have to tie her up or she will barge straight through me! I rode her in the school for 20 mins yesterday, an she did settle a bit, but when I took her up the hill about 100yrds to the boundary she was really panicking! I just made her stand and patted her, but when we turned back she tried to bolt down the banking!
I'm getting the better of her, just, but it's worrying me quite how badly unsettled she is!
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Any advice?
 
Take it easy and relax.

She has not had time to settle in yet and so is feeling a bit panicked probably when she is away from her field companion. She needs time to trust you and that when she is with you, nothing bad is going to happen.

I rode my new pony on the Tuesday after she had arrived on the Friday and it was a total nightmare. She napped, half reared and whinied the whole time I had her out. I also got angry and uptight with her but then realised it was all my fault. I had took her out on her own in unfamiliar surroundings far too early.

It is only now, 2 months later, that we are starting to hack out on our own and even then I'm only taking her on little tiny hacks not far from the yard. They need to trust their rider and you need to keep calm so they can learn that nothing bad is going to happen. If you get uptight, it transfers straight to them.

Baby steps are needed and a whole lot of patience but it will come right eventually. Just give yourself loads of time.

Good luck!!!!
 
i'm going to say dont take it easy on her...she needs to know, kindly but firmly, what the new rules are.

if you don't lay down the ground rules now, she'll be a nigtmare in a very short time.
 
[ QUOTE ]
i'm going to say dont take it easy on her...she needs to know, kindly but firmly, what the new rules are.

if you don't lay down the ground rules now, she'll be a nigtmare in a very short time.

[/ QUOTE ]
Sooo very true,they soon learn to disrespect you :understandable she will be a bit upset but that is no excuse for her to be rude,ground rules from day 1
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she will respect you more and look to you more if you refuse to take any nonsense
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,carry on being firm as you are and she will settle in no time...working her away from mare she is attatched too is good,she will learn she will see her again
 
when i moved my horse to a new yard he became unsettled, very bargy and a pain in the neck. After two weeks once he settled he was a gem. Give your new horse a chance to settle in. And either ride out with one of your new horses new friends and if not as soon as you get it in lunge it straight away to take the edge of it and then tie it up and groom it and then take it out for a ride. Keep at it once it has got used to its new home and kept to a new routine you will both be fine. Good luck!
 
Jennypenny. We too moved our horse to a new yard in May and she was a nightmare for about 6 weeks. Loved the horse she was in the field with. But a bag in the stable. Bolshy, grumpy, bad tempered, box walking, neighing all the time. I thought it was her being a mare. It go so bad she nearly went on Horsemart. I bought a calmer and havn't looked back. She is so pleasant now. Not sure if it is the calmer or she has just settled. Might take her off the calmer and see what happens. If back to how she was she will be straight back on it again.
 
Her barging and attatchment to the other horse is becasue she doesn't trust or respect you yet. As far as she's conserned, you've kidnapped her!

Which you need to establish first - trust or respect - depends on her personality. She needs both but a nervous or sensitive horse needs trust first, then respect, where as a bulsy, independant horse needs to learn to respect you first.

She sounds like she's stressed and nervous, so I'd go for trust first. Plnety of ground work , getting her to move her feet, and rubbing her all over really helps. Lay down ground rules (no biting, no kicking, no headbutting etc) but don't expect too much from her until she settles.

It just takes time.
 
She neeeds to learn trust AND respect. Handle her and make sure she knows her place, but don;t do too much and give her the time to get to know you and her surroundings.
 
Thanks for the advice, it made me feel much better about everything.
I've had a breakthrough today, as Sarah the yard owner came back after a few days away. She brought her in for me with a halter, and didn't stand any messing about. Sarah said she was just bolshy, and needed some discipline to stop the barging, and it worked! The mare didn't bat an eyelid to a tap with a loud slappy crop when she wasn't going back in the stable, so obviously wasn't scared. She was a different horse! I'm glad I now know what to do, as I was concerned I would make her worse by getting too tough straight away, but she must crave leadership. She even became sleepy in the stable and I was able to untie her.
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(I have a seperation anxious dog like this, so should have known.) I'm still going to wait a week or so before riding out on my own though.
 
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