Darkstar11
Member
Hi, I need some advice. Strap in I think this will be a long one. I bought my horse 11 months ago due to her beautiful temperament. (8year old, thoroughbred mare, my first horse). She was calm, affectionate, friendly, always wants to please and I always felt super safe on her. Yes I was well aware of what thoroughbreds can be like. However I had never seen this from her. Despite being around her for the previous 3 months before purchase.
I bought her from a riding school where she was fairly new as a school horse, but had been on the same yard for 2 years on loan. She was always good to shoe, catch, good with dentist, happy in her mixed herd, good on the walker, but I knew could be reactive to sounds and new things- I was aware of this as had see it first hand and fairly comfortable that I could handle it. She never displayed dangerous behaviour just silliness, but with a gentle voice, exposure and confidence I could always get her through it.
The previous yard I was on was huge. 100 plus horses, no winter turn out (which again I was always surprised at how chill she was in and out of her stable). I moved to a new yard closer to home about 8 months ago and she is on full livery. She is turned out in all weathers for a solid 8hrs a day, which she LOVES. Weather does not bother her, she’s always happy milling around the field with her mates. They have a massive field and 4 other horses in the field with her. She has a lovely big stable and the yard despite there being 40 horses on it is very quiet. She’s fed topspec lite chaff and topspec cool condition balancer.
After a couple of months of being at this yard though I have noticed a massive change in her behaviour. She has gone from a cool, calm and respectful mare, to a handful. Shes also super reactive. She’s not currently in work and hasn’t been for 4months due to problems in getting a saddle/saddle fitter, but we do lunging/ground work, poles and still go out hacking in hand all of which she’s no bother at (but alert/regular dragon breathing). Usually do about 3 times a week. The change in her behaviour however appears to be exacerbated when she’s either removed from the field and everyone else is out and or/ she’s kept in her box and they are all being turned out. She starts going mad. It’s clear she has separation anxiety and is actually a very insecure girl. She box walks, calls to the herd and won’t stand still. Our farrier could only do this morning at the time all of the horses were being led out and it was a disaster. She wouldn’t stand still, she reared (never does this) we got her feet done but it was a real struggle. Every time a horse walked past her she was tense, would try to follow it, call to it, or rear. I tried everything I could to distract her but none of it worked. I’m so shocked by this as it was so extreme.
I had noticed the anxiety previously and have been working on it with her by removing her from the field for short periods of time, making it a pleasant experience and then when she was calmer returning her to the field, but it looks like I’m going to have to work on this much more intensively as that is not behaviour that can be accepted (despite me internally sympathising with her).
Do any of you have any exercises you have found particularly useful for helping her become more secure on her own and with me even (our bond is still developing)?
Any exercises/literature etc you would recommend for managing the anxiety and reactiveness? She’s very intelligent so I’m fairly sure it’s something we can improve on. She’s also very food orientated which has proven to be handy…
Is it me? Do I need to more with her? Does she need more stimulation? Less hard feed?
She’s my first horse and many of the people on the yard have just laughed and said she’s “just a needy mare” or “mares eh”, “give her time, she will get used to it”, “just tie her up and leave her to sort herself out” but I don’t buy this. She knows how to behave. I appreciate mares have different personalities to geldings but personally don’t agree that it’s an excuse for bad behaviour. All horses personalities are different.
Ps I am also going to seek professional help but am also very egar to begin tackling this problem right now.
Ps she also doesn’t show any signs of being in pain, vet checked, teeth checked, physio checks, farrier checks, instructor checked (on lunge) All agree behavioural - separation anxiety
I am going to change her chaff just in case the alfalfa is contributing to the drama. I’m also going to reduce her feed to a lite balancer or powder. She doesn’t need the conditioning element as holds her condition well.
Any advice, experiences, sympathy (haha) welcome!
I bought her from a riding school where she was fairly new as a school horse, but had been on the same yard for 2 years on loan. She was always good to shoe, catch, good with dentist, happy in her mixed herd, good on the walker, but I knew could be reactive to sounds and new things- I was aware of this as had see it first hand and fairly comfortable that I could handle it. She never displayed dangerous behaviour just silliness, but with a gentle voice, exposure and confidence I could always get her through it.
The previous yard I was on was huge. 100 plus horses, no winter turn out (which again I was always surprised at how chill she was in and out of her stable). I moved to a new yard closer to home about 8 months ago and she is on full livery. She is turned out in all weathers for a solid 8hrs a day, which she LOVES. Weather does not bother her, she’s always happy milling around the field with her mates. They have a massive field and 4 other horses in the field with her. She has a lovely big stable and the yard despite there being 40 horses on it is very quiet. She’s fed topspec lite chaff and topspec cool condition balancer.
After a couple of months of being at this yard though I have noticed a massive change in her behaviour. She has gone from a cool, calm and respectful mare, to a handful. Shes also super reactive. She’s not currently in work and hasn’t been for 4months due to problems in getting a saddle/saddle fitter, but we do lunging/ground work, poles and still go out hacking in hand all of which she’s no bother at (but alert/regular dragon breathing). Usually do about 3 times a week. The change in her behaviour however appears to be exacerbated when she’s either removed from the field and everyone else is out and or/ she’s kept in her box and they are all being turned out. She starts going mad. It’s clear she has separation anxiety and is actually a very insecure girl. She box walks, calls to the herd and won’t stand still. Our farrier could only do this morning at the time all of the horses were being led out and it was a disaster. She wouldn’t stand still, she reared (never does this) we got her feet done but it was a real struggle. Every time a horse walked past her she was tense, would try to follow it, call to it, or rear. I tried everything I could to distract her but none of it worked. I’m so shocked by this as it was so extreme.
I had noticed the anxiety previously and have been working on it with her by removing her from the field for short periods of time, making it a pleasant experience and then when she was calmer returning her to the field, but it looks like I’m going to have to work on this much more intensively as that is not behaviour that can be accepted (despite me internally sympathising with her).
Do any of you have any exercises you have found particularly useful for helping her become more secure on her own and with me even (our bond is still developing)?
Any exercises/literature etc you would recommend for managing the anxiety and reactiveness? She’s very intelligent so I’m fairly sure it’s something we can improve on. She’s also very food orientated which has proven to be handy…
Is it me? Do I need to more with her? Does she need more stimulation? Less hard feed?
She’s my first horse and many of the people on the yard have just laughed and said she’s “just a needy mare” or “mares eh”, “give her time, she will get used to it”, “just tie her up and leave her to sort herself out” but I don’t buy this. She knows how to behave. I appreciate mares have different personalities to geldings but personally don’t agree that it’s an excuse for bad behaviour. All horses personalities are different.
Ps I am also going to seek professional help but am also very egar to begin tackling this problem right now.
Ps she also doesn’t show any signs of being in pain, vet checked, teeth checked, physio checks, farrier checks, instructor checked (on lunge) All agree behavioural - separation anxiety
I am going to change her chaff just in case the alfalfa is contributing to the drama. I’m also going to reduce her feed to a lite balancer or powder. She doesn’t need the conditioning element as holds her condition well.
Any advice, experiences, sympathy (haha) welcome!
