Grumpy Mare

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melle

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I have had my mare about a year - and she has always been grumpy. She is a 5 year old chestnut mare. She is fine to ride although can be a little stuffy and lazy when in season however on thr ground she is very moody and even aggressive especially in her stable and when tacking or rugging up.

All the usual tack and teeth and back checks have been done. I do not think the behaviour gets any worse or better when in season - she is just generally like this. I have moved her recently from a yard with an hours turnout a day to all day turnout hoping this would make a difference but it hasn't.

I have tried telling her off everytime she bites or kicks through to just ignoring her but nothing seems to help.

I don't know what to do anymore. Someone recommended 'Stroppy mare' by Dodson and Horrell as it contains 'agnus castus'?

Can anyone help?
 
She sounds like what my mare started developing on the ground. She sounds dominant. When she bites/kicks out look her in the eye and say smack your coat to make noise? Don't use your voice because horses can pick up your angry/fustrated and can play on this (my mare did anyway) Do inhand exercises like making her walk beside you and stopping when you stop, whenever she doesn't stop, push her backwards out of your space, and the same with trotting. Make sure that when you handle her that she respects your space, like don't ler her just decide to walk into you in the stable, make her back out of your space. With the rugs, Walk towards her with the rug and touch her with the rug, when she settles and stops being silly about it take the rug away, the reward being the rug goes away. This is what has helped with my mare, it just knocks them down a couple of notches and them respect you more, to the point hopefully that they don't kick you or bite you because they have that respect. I am going to put my mare on the Stroppy Mare because I feel that the behaviour fluctuates when she is in season, and it might make your mare a little more docile, I also don't want my mare to have the excuse of "I'm hormonal and in season therefore I shall be a moody little cow!". Sorry this is a bit lenghty but I hope this helps.
 
Lol,... Sounds typical of a chestnut mare....
No sorry,im sure thats not actually a fact, some mares do naturally tend to be more hormonal than others though resulting in this type of behaviour. Theres loads of suppliments available although ive heard alot of storys where they just dont work, but worth a go for a start. It may be worth discussing her behaviour with your vet maybe they will be able to make a suggestion suitable for her.
 
Well I am sure it does have something to do with it as whiel she is not a stressy horse, she is ultra thin skinned etc and so I have to be really careful about rugs and boots rubbing her. She has a very low pain threshold and cannot stand to be uncomfortable at all. So I am sure this is part of it.
 
I've had my first mare about 5 months now and have been going through similar. She was fine but got more and more grumpy, really narky when tacking up, a pain to ride etc. Generally a real cowbag. JM07 suggested Oestress which has been brilliant. It took about 10 days to see an effect and she's totally different. Much easier to ride, the stroppiness has all but stopped and she's quite affectionate now.
 
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