Help me! Leading horse...

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lauzbeefy

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I hope I can keep this short and make sense!
To get to the school at my yard you have to walk up a long track with horse fields on either side. One side has a big hedge so you can't see the horses in the field. My mare has always been a little skittish up this track, gradually getting worse. While I was pregnant, my sharer took her up to the school for lunging and she reared up on the way back and he let go. She galloped home and unfortunately there was a car in her way which she jumped! She managed to write off the car but escaped with cuts and bruises. We have just started leading her up the track and on the way back she constantly rears and goes a bit crazy. Tonight I think it was because a horse came up to her, but then further along the track there are no horses and she still kicked off there.

She is also having problems with her saddle and is reacting badly to that. I have had her back and teeth and saddle refitted and feet have been sorted by a new farrier who is better. I think that the reaction to the saddle is because the sharer was using a humane girth which was trapping her skin.

My way of working through this is repetition, I keep putting her saddle on so she knows it doesnt hurt, I keep walking her in the saddle and have only got on for 5 minutes at the most (still recovering from caeserean). I feel that tonight she didnt react as badly but my partner isnt convinced. He thinks that we are reinforcing her bad behaviour by taking her up there and wants to get her a dually halter. I currently lead her in a bridle and lunge line so when she rears I have something to hold on to. I am aware that she is going to be very shaken from the car incident and that gradually she has got used to being able to walk all over her handler. I couldnt bring her in from the field a first wiothout her reating but *touch wood* I have resolved this one. She is a 17 year old mare who has gone through life scaring her owners and them giving up on her. The last 4 years she has been with me she has been happy and healthy, has been to lots of showjumping competitions, will load into anything and although a typical spooky thoroughbred she take the show atmosphere in her stride. I just dont know if I am doing the right thing? I dont know who I could get to help me. Any ideas where I go from here?

Sorry its so long!
 
I think using a duallys a good idea and so is the lunge line. Have you thought about getting help i.e. getting an RA out? I know they're not cheap but it sounds like you need some professional help with him.
 
I think repetition is a great way to go!

The car jumping must have been terrifying for everyone (including the poor horse!).

Do you have to go the whole way past the scary bit every time? Or would it be possible to try a version of the advance and retreat thing where you
- go as far as she is happy
- treat/reward/praise
- repeat going just a tiny bit further but not so far she freaks out?

Personally I wouldn't be that bothered about getting a control headcollar as it could just freak her out more and if a horse /really/ wants to go you'd have trouble holding her anyway. But I've never had a /really/ bad rearer, just little ones (by the time I was handling them).

Is there anywhere else you could ride for the time being? (E.g. hacking/box up and go to another arena)

Actually even if not, given that you need to recover anyway, I'd probably just work on getting her happy. But not doing too much of the scary path each day... see about other random ground work things that you can do to reinforce the idea that you asks reasonable things, she obeys and everything is fine.
 
What do you do when the horse reacts?

It sounds to me like a total lack of respect for the person on the ground. Everything she does you have a reason for her misbehaving instead of making excuses for her jolly well give her something to respect.

Personally I much prefer the 'Be Nice' haters to the Dually. However whatever you get or using a bridle, use a long line with her and wear a hat.

When she starts to mess around take the line in both hands and give her a darn good hard jerk with it and use your voice and the end of the rope (when she is on the ground) to make her realise that you are not going to tolerate her messing around and darn bad manners.

I doubt she is frightened, just a habit she has got herself into and the more she does it and gets away with it the more she will.

She has to be made to respect you and if you make her realise that you are a darn sight more dangerous than anything on or beside the track then she will start to behave and be more respectful and trusting because of it.
 
Foxhunter this is the way I have dealt with her in the past with sucess, she has learnt over the last year that she can walk over people (my sharer and a more cautious me). I also thought it could be ;ack of respect but have been treading carefully due to the car jumping trauma. BUT she was a git in the first place which caused that to happen.
 
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