Help!! I don't know what to do with my Filly?? Bad times!

[PnO]

I have an approx 15hh Selle Francis x Anglo arab 2 yr old mare, and i don't know what to do with her. I'm only 18 and we bred her at home and i'd never had a youngster before, but her mother is reasonably well behaved and her father Alvescot Picasso is also very well behaved. Her problems are probably mostly to do with the lack of effort i've put into her, straight from word go she's been a pain, it took me ages to catch her when she was a baby and eventually she learned and now i can leave her out without a head collar and shes fine to be caught. She has also been awful with her back legs, she has always been fine to pick out her front feet but has been dreadful with her back legs, kicking ect...now at 2 yrs old i can eventually pick all four feet out without a problem so i'am getting some results but it's taking me ages and she can sometimes be dangerous.

At the moment she is just living out in a big big field with two friends and not doing much, i tried keeping her at the same yard as my gelding but the YO wants mares and geldings separate, so she was in a big field with her mum (she had been weaned and away from her mum for over four months before going back in with her) and the 2 boys in another field next to them. However after about a month of being there she decided to jump the 3'6ft fence with barbed wire (which i don't like) and cleared it with only minor cuts to her back legs and seemed very happy with the boys, however YO would of had a fit and was took out as soon as i got there. So i had to send her back down the field.

A few weeks ago i went and got her and walked her through the village to my yard and she had her feet done by the farrier and was the best she's ever been, i then throught i'd ride and lead her back to the field with my gelding, they were both very good and thought this was something i could do more often. So a few days later i went to get her and she wouldn't leave the field, she just kept rearing and whenever i got her a few steps forward she'd rear and run back to the gate.

I went to see her today and she was at the top of the field so though'ti'd walk down and say hello, all was well until i started to walk back and she wouldn't let me, she kept pawing the ground and snorting at me and rearing. I had to get my dad (who is non horsey) to distract her at the gate so i could get out!! She's also looking like she wants to bite me, which she's never done before. She's a right little madam! And yes i accept that it's proably my fault because i don't spend enough time with her but i don't really want to becuase shes so bad!

I don't have many people around me who are horsey or have the time to help me and i don't have the money to send her away and i don't want to do this. At the moment i can't even get her out the field. I was thinking of taking her back to my yard and shutting her in a box for however long it takes until she settles down and accepts me and learns some respect in the stable before she goes out and prances around the field like she owns it. My friend did this with her new forest colt when she first got him from the sales as he was so nervous and it only took her two days and he started to accept her and by the end of it her 3 yr old kid was feeding him. I know this isn't ideal and probably completly the wrong way to go about this but i don't know what else to do, shes going to get bigger and flings herself around like i'm another horse to play with and one day someones going to get hurt! Any ideas? Please don't put me down, i feel bad enough as it is

 

[nuffield]

(((HUGS))) I think you are very brave,actualy,to come and ask for help and its EXACTLY the right thing to have done.Well Done.
So to the problems your having. your filly sounds really lovely, my sort of horse breeding wise, i bet she looks lovely. But none of this helps with your issues wth her. Best advise I can give is not to panic but look aroundfor a very experienced and importantly, kind and patient horse person to help out. Your will probably have to pay but it will be worth every penny. Ask everyone you know locally, the person could be a BHSAI or similar or just a very knowlegable horsey person. Dont go for quick fixes as they rarely work and look to the long term.
And spend as much time with your filly as you can, just grooming,talking,leading. contact like this will go a long way.
Best Wishes.
J

 

[PnO]

Thanks, i thought everyone would say get rid of her, but i don't want to give up on her, i hope to event her one day and yes shes is v pretty, shes coloured and got a very pretty face. But as you say that dosen't help lol! I have a instructor that helps me with my TB gelding and she is very good and helped alot with my horse, as he can also be a handful to ride, but is a darling on the ground. She's evented to 1* level and her current horse she produced herself and he's lovely and at 17.2hh he has impecable manors, he's like a gentle giant. Shes coming over to give me a lesson on tues, so i'll speak to her, i don't know why i havn't asked her before, but i don't know what she can do as i can't even get her out the field! I was thinking about sending her over to hers mabey but i don't have a car yet and would want to go over atleast everyother day to see her and be involved so she could teach me how to handle her myself, but shes about 30 mins away and can't afford to have her come over everyday. I've never loaded her so i don't even know if i could get her over there?? I would trust her though which i think is important but i want to be involved as much as possible, it's sooo hard!!

 

[YorksG]

Can you put her in a small enclosure, on her own? This is goinIg to take a lot of your time. You need her to associate you with attention and good stuff, but also with doing as she is told. Like children young horses need boundaries putting on their behaviour. Adult mares take no nonsenese from youngsters and you have to be the adult mare to her. If she crowds you make her back off, either by waving your arms, or a lunge line (or similar) and drive her away, only let her come back when she is not threatening. If you go down the keeping her in route, spend lots of time with her, graze her in hand, and put her forage in yourself, She will smell you on the hay (and will smell others if they do it) that way you are the provider of the necessityies of life. Always wear a hat for your own safety. I am sure others on here will also be able to offer you good advice. Hope it works out for you.

 

[Natch]

Please don't keep her in 24/7, she sounds confused enough as it is and I think you would be putting yourself in a dangerous position by doing that. I'm unclear as to if she has any company in her field at the moment? In an ideal world it would be good for her to have youngsters who will play with her as well as older horses who will teach her manners.

I hope it works out getting your instructor to help you, that sounds like a good idea.

 

[PnO]

Yorks G - Thanks for the advice aswell. I think i'm going to speak to the yard owner tomorrow and ask if i can bring her back up and give it a go. We have a sort of covered yard/barn that she could go it but she can see the other horses and when they go i don't want her to keep everyone on the farm awake as people live there and the yard owners husband wasn't very impressed when she kept them awake all night even when she was in next to my horse. I think if i bring her up first thing in the morning then hopefully by night time she will have quietened down! We only have two stables though and mine and my friends horse come in during the day, and go out at night as they have a big championships next weekend and then it will be winter and they will be in, they could both go in the covered yard though out of her way for a day or two until she has settled down. She also gets very bad separation anxiety and will be living out with her mum and then in winter will have to come into the covered yard with her mum and i don't want her attaching herself to anyone else, i think she has attached herself very much so to the mares down the field with her, hence why she won't leave. I certainly have a few ideas now so will try and work something out with YO and friend tomorrow. Thanks

 

[PnO]

Naturally - she has two older mares for company, at first one of them was very bossy with her but they all seem to be fine now. I agree that she probably is confused as to what her place in life is as at the minute all she does is graze and annoy the older horses, therefore whenever a human comes to see her she thinks it play time!

 

[nuffield]

it might be a good idea to send her to your instructors' yard for a couple of months or so. Also maybe not visiting her for about 4 weeks at first so she can settle in and hopefully learn a little of whats wanted of her may be a good thing. Talk it over with your instructor and see what she thinks. There are no quick fixes and this may or may not be a good idea for you and your horse, talk it through with instructor and keep us posted about how you are doing. the main thingis to be patient,calm and consistant with regular handling.

 

[christine48]

if you can afford it could you send her away for some handling? Richard Maxwell is supposed to be good and he will also help you with handling her. It sounds as if she is pushing the bounderies a bit and can sense you are quite understandably a bit nervous of her.
I'd definately send her away for some handling and maybe long reining etc.

 

[PnO]

Memo - thanks for commenting, i've been on the Richard Maxwell website this morning as remembered an article i'd seen in a magazine, although he's good and probably the right direction to go in i'm only 18 and have limited funds and by the looks of things Richard Maxwell is extremly expensive and he's quite far away from where i'am, thanks for the suggestion though. I'm defo going to speak to my instructor on tues and see what she suggests!

 

[Rocky01]

Where abouts are you based? I may know someone who is reasonably priced (not anyway close to Richard Maxwell who IMHO overpriced sometimes). PM me for the details. The guy I'm thinking of has sorted out my boy who I was also having very similar problems to you.

Good luck

 

[Biscuit]

If it is not possible to send her away perhaps it may help to have a trainer come out and work with her once a week?

If you don't know anyone suitable perhaps you can find someone through listings (but check their references).
It seems this could cost in the region of £30/hr plus travel costs.
http://www.intelligenthorsemanship.co.uk/content/view/47/97/

Best of luck and hopefully things work out.