difficult to bring in

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helbe

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My mare is always waiting by the gate when I go to bring her in,the field is huge and all the other horses can be out of sight and she still waits by the gate alone.
If she is kept in she is calm and sensible and good to handle but bring her the 2 minute walk from field to the stable is getting dangerous! she charges around me rears,bucks and lashes out has managed to kick me twice.
Any thoughts on a solution to this.Should I just keep her in all the time ?
 
Strange behaviour..can only suggest either using a bridle or a control head collar of some type, eg the Monty Roberts Dually. Maybe she's just excited by the prospect of coming in for food. Wear your hat if she's kicking out and rearing for safetys sake. I would persevere with the turnout and maybe have someone with you if you can to help. Being stuck inside isn't really healthy for any horse long term.
 
I would do some groundwork with her in the school/field etc, a la Monty Roberts or Richard Maxwell, I'm sure you'd probably find some videos on youtube? Just 10/15 mins per day at first then when she gets what you are asking for, a couple of sessions a week just to cement it in her memory. I think she needs to learn some respect for you on the ground, so learning to walk on when you say, halt when you say, back up, and turns on the forehand etc in both directions would be a good starting point. Once she learns to respect you or at least give you her attention, leading her in should hopefully become easier?
 
helbe said:
Any thoughts on a solution to this.Should I just keep her in all the time ?
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No, definitely not! You need to teach her to lead in a mannerly way. Use either a bridle or a halter, take a schooling whip and hold it in front of her to stop her rushing.
But rather than struggling with this at bringing in time how about givng her a small feed just outside the gate? It seems to me that she is extremely hungry and desperate to get in for food. My guess is that when she is in she doesn't get so hungry.
I used to have a mare who was a bit like this - fine to lead out in the moring but slways desperate to get back to her feed at tea-time. Eventually we found that she had trouble digesting sugar/cereals and was addicted to them, she was rushing for her next 'fix'.
 
This sounds very similar to a horse I knew once that we thought had agrophobia.
It sounds ridiculous but there was another thread on here a few weeks ago where they thought they had an agrophobic horse.
My friends gelding was calm and mannerly in the stable but soon as he was led outside, he would start to become tense and breathing rate would get faster. Once he got through the gate he would stand either next to the gate until bringing in time or next to a wall all day, even if the rest of the herd wandered into the next field, he would still be stuck to the edge.
He ended up bolting one day when I took his lead rope off and crashed through two stone walls until he found some humans to cling to.
The owner found he was much better if he went out naked and even though he had a fairly fine coat, he had to winter out without a rug, but he was happier and eventually integrated back into the herd.
Hope this might help?
 
Thankyou for some really helpful replies,it has given me some ideas to try,she is already in a dually and leads perfectly when practicing in the school or around the yard its just the coming in issue.but sugar fix and the rug idea could be it! she doesnt really like rugs especially new crinkly noisy ones she is a sec d x so rugless could be worth a try.
 
A controller headcollar is probably what you need - Monty Roberts Dually are supposed to be fantastic. Then take just one small step at a time, praise, and then carry on.

At one stage, I had to use a chifney on Shy, as he was getting away from me and charging over crops :o It did the trick on the second use, and I then switched to a bridle, and then a controller headcollar.

You need to nip this in the bud straight away- keep us posted. :)
 
Only just dropped across this and it sounds just like my boy! Section D , he was the same bucking on the spot rearing, spinning etc, fine going out and fine in the stable, i am pointing at hunger with him as fab in summer when grass is around so i only turn him out for a couple of hours and he is fine, still runs to the gate at first glimpse of life and gets his knickers in a knot if its not him they are bringing in though...
 
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