Help, my mares behaviour has changed

[trickishrose]

So my mare was a very sweet girl, she would throw the faces with the ears back at you but never ever try and bite etc and around feed time or sometimes whilst doing the girth up she would kick the wall which was just her she would never try and kick you, if you walked behind her she would instantly stop so not to cause any harm, but lately she has become very rude head butting me, swinging her behind round and kicking out and she has become very strong walking her to and fro the field, a friend helped me this morning lead her as she was being naughty and strong, with the two of us she was still strong but we managed to get her to walk at a reasonable pace but as we neared the field she spun round kicked my friend into another field, reared and try to bolt! I still had hold of my lead rope and stopped her. We have a lady at our yard that deals with this and I am going to see her but I was just wondering if anyone has a similar experience and what the outcome was? TIA

 

[NicoleandRosy]

My mare went from harmless to super b**ch in weeks. We moved to a new yard with her attacking both horses and other liveries. Even riding she was bucking, spinning and threatening to rear. Her behaviour was pain related.

I had her back checked yesterday as part of the back, tack and teeth routine. Her right hip had dropped and her pelvis had rotated as a result (possibly pinching nerves and causing her to buck). Her muscles were completely over tightened and her atlas vertebrae was out of place as were the ligaments. She refused to trot without forcing her. After an hour of back massages, flexes, and exercises.. she went straight into trot and is now balanced, straight and completely sane! No more biting etc.

Worth checking? I had to let her go before opening her field gate as she'd buck, rear and bolt with me!

 

[baymareb]

How long have you had her?

To me, it sounds like an escalating problem. Kicking the wall may be "just her" but it's unacceptable and should not be tolerated. Same with the throwing faces. Unfortunately, you have allowed her to do these things so now she is seeing how far she can go.

Having some help to deal with it is good but it's not so much a matter of her being retrained as it is you. You don't have to beat a horse to make it behave but you do need to be firm and consistent. Whenever there are people near, a horse needs to behave. They are too large and strong to have them kicking out and swinging around.

Also, first thing, I would have teeth and saddle fit checked, eliminate pain of any kind as the source of the problem. Always do up the girth slowly and in stages. But whenever she fusses or raises a leg, she needs to get a sharp "Aaack". Lots of ground work with a professional to learn how to gain her respect and instill manners. And always wear a hat and if you have one, a vest when working with her. It is VERY easy to get hurt in a situation like this because this horse does not respect you at all.

 

[Wagtail]

Something is bothering her. She has tried to tell you nicely and now she has to shout! I would expect it is something pain related rather than behavioural. Personally, I would start by getting the vet out. I would not try to address it as behavioural until she has been fully checked out. Common conditions which cause the type of behaviour you describe are gastric ulcers and back or pelvis problems. It is not normal for a horse to kick out when having the girth tightened. It is obviously causing her some pain, either from it being poorly fitted or because of one of the conditions I have mentioned.