Help! Stubborn Mare Dragging me around the yard!

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Daisy_RoseEquestrian

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I have a 16hh 9 year old Irish sport horse mare who I have only had for 2 months and she is a dream to ride and perfect stable manners, and good loading into a trailer or box but her one vice is when I lead her around the yard she can be very stubborn. She mostly plays up when I take her to the hosing station, she doesn't mind the hose or the water once she is in there as she will stand nicely, its just getting her in there that she will turn around and drag me in the other direction and since she is so big she can be very strong it can be hard to get her to do what you want to do when she has other ideas! Also she usually gets turned out in a paddock for the morning around 7:00 then turned in around 1:00 back to her stable, but if I have to come and ride in the morning she is smart and knows she hasn't gone to the field yet so when I lead her out of her stable in her headcollar to tie her up somewhere else she will drag me to the gate that leads to the paddocks! (though if I ride her in the morning she will get turned out in the afternoon after I have ridden) But she only drags me too the field when she knows she hasn't been in it yet. It also seems the more frustrated I get with her when she does this, the more stubborn she becomes.
I would really like to lead her into the hosing station and just around the yard in general without her dragging me around to where she wants to go and me always having to fight with her. People have suggested leading in bridle and also using treats (but even treats are not effective sometimes and also I don't want to be rewarding her for dragging me around or have to rely on treats). Any other ideas on how to help with this stubborn behavior ?
 
Training!

Do you lunge her at all? If not, start. Do some free schooling as well. Here's how: http://intheequinemind.blogspot.co.uk/2015_08_01_archive.html Teach her that a) she should take her cues from you and b) to yield to pressure and run in a circle

Once you've 'perfected' that, whenever she tries to drag you, make her lunge around you a couple of times in trot (use a schooling whip to make her take you seriously but smack the ground, not her). Then give her another chance to go the way you want her to. If she refuses, around and around she goes... If she accepts, let her take a few steps and do then reward her with treats. She'll get the idea really quick once she snaps out of the dragging thing.
 
Part of your problem is your routine, she is not stubborn, just wanting to do what she has always done, go to the field, I also have a strong minded 16 2hh WB mare, built like a tank, if we have a difference of opinion, 9 times out of 10 she sees things my way, unless it's muddy, with my mare, putting the leadrope round her nose gives me better control, she no longer needs a dually, but you need to believe you are in charge.
Horses that are in a set routine, can stress if something upsets said routine, eg; trashing gateways waiting to come in at a set time, due to my shifts, my lot come in when I call, during winter nights, I would wind the car window down and whistle as I drove down the drive, they would be waiting for me in the barn, each one in a stable waiting for supper, close stable doors and hey presto, job done
 
Bloomin computer, until your mare twiggs she won't always go to the field, carry a couple of treats, show her treat, walk towards the field then turn back, treat after a few steps away from the field, keep her guessing as to where she is going, have her stand in the stable doorway and treat, once you have her listening to you, reduce the treats or swap for praising her. There is a saying, you ask a mare, tell a gelding and discuss with a stallion, so very true, good luck
 
flirtygerty said:
Part of your problem is your routine, she is not stubborn, just wanting to do what she has always done, go to the field, I also have a strong minded 16 2hh WB mare, built like a tank, if we have a difference of opinion, 9 times out of 10 she sees things my way, unless it's muddy, with my mare, putting the leadrope round her nose gives me better control, she no longer needs a dually, but you need to believe you are in charge.
Horses that are in a set routine, can stress if something upsets said routine, eg; trashing gateways waiting to come in at a set time, due to my shifts, my lot come in when I call, during winter nights, I would wind the car window down and whistle as I drove down the drive, they would be waiting for me in the barn, each one in a stable waiting for supper, close stable doors and hey presto, job done
Click to expand...

Yes it is partly routine thank you for that advice but she also can be stubborn dragging me places that aren't the field, like later in the day ages after she has been in the field she will drag me to a random place.
 
flirtygerty said:
Bloomin computer, until your mare twiggs she won't always go to the field, carry a couple of treats, show her treat, walk towards the field then turn back, treat after a few steps away from the field, keep her guessing as to where she is going, have her stand in the stable doorway and treat, once you have her listening to you, reduce the treats or swap for praising her. There is a saying, you ask a mare, tell a gelding and discuss with a stallion, so very true, good luck
Click to expand...

Thanks I will give it a go but the problem is sometimes she doesn't respond to treats and also the dragging to the field isn't the only problem, she will try to drag me to other places too.
 
Last edited:
Barnacle said:
Training!

Do you lunge her at all? If not, start. Do some free schooling as well. Here's how: http://intheequinemind.blogspot.co.uk/2015_08_01_archive.html Teach her that a) she should take her cues from you and b) to yield to pressure and run in a circle

Once you've 'perfected' that, whenever she tries to drag you, make her lunge around you a couple of times in trot (use a schooling whip to make her take you seriously but smack the ground, not her). Then give her another chance to go the way you want her to. If she refuses, around and around she goes... If she accepts, let her take a few steps and do then reward her with treats. She'll get the idea really quick once she snaps out of the dragging thing.
Click to expand...

Thanks this seems like the best advice for us! I will definitely try this.
 
You don't reward behaviour you don't want, even a stand nicely you could reward, I make my mare back up, move over, circle, then I growl at her to stand, when she has stopped being a prat, I walk her on a few steps, than stand her and treat, these days her treat is a rub on her cheek, as she knows the rules, she should, she is 25+ and can still be opinionated
 
flirtygerty said:
You don't reward behaviour you don't want, even a stand nicely you could reward, I make my mare back up, move over, circle, then I growl at her to stand, when she has stopped being a prat, I walk her on a few steps, than stand her and treat, these days her treat is a rub on her cheek, as she knows the rules, she should, she is 25+ and can still be opinionated
Click to expand...

Definitely, thank you
 
I can recommend the Dually. I also lunge and ride in mine every now and then. Worth every penny, but they still need consistent training with it, but in the right hands it can be a very useful tool.

Could you try a chiffney? My last horse had wobblers, was extremley strong through the neck and had to be led everywhere in one.
 
Don't get into a hauling match with any horse, you will never win. A longer rope that isn't taut, if the horse tries to go another way, a sharp tug and release to get her attention. I don't lead rude horses off a normal headcollar as they are too wide to give a reprimand, I use a rope halter.
 
Stallion chain. Under the chin (it brings the head up and stops them ploughing off with their head on the ground) I have yet to find a control halter that works as well, or releases as instantly as a chain. (I use dollar store dog choke chains)


I had a bloody minded haffy gelding that KNEW the rules but would take advantage of his massive strength against weedy me, or worse a child, and just walk off with his nose on the ground. A couple of "Oi! Mind your manners Mate!" jerks and he remembered. After the first episode he would think about it but I only had to jiggle the chain and he was a saint, no chain and he reverted to a stubborn ass.

It is all very well saying schooling, but mostly they DO know what they are expected to do, they just choose not to :)
 
Rope halter (doesn't need to be fancy, £5 from local farm store will suffice)and a schooling whip. ead from her shoulder and use your body language to make her understand that YOU are in charge. A tug on the halter to remind her of her manners and hold the schooling whip in front of her, tap her chest with it if she gets too fast/in front of you. Wherever you are going stop every now and again and reward her for doing as you ask. If you have regular routes where she gets strong, establish regular points where you stop and reward. This will keep her concentrating on you and listening to you.
 
Using a control head collar (we use rope halters routinely) requires some knowledge, so just getting one and using it won't help you. The key to using this type of head collar is teaching the horse than non-compliance is uncomfortable (note: I said uncomfortable, not painful!) but they are in control and have the means to instantly and simply turn off the discomfort at any time.

As these posts are read by others, some novices, I will explain.

With a rope head collar, to encourage your horse to move forward, you 'train' by applying a gentle but sustained forward force on the head collar which puts pressure on the poll. This is uncomfortable and the horse will usually shift it's weight in an attempt to become more comfortable. If you are heavy handed, the escape reaction can be violent leading to rearing so this is definely a situation where 'less equals more'. YOU MAINTAIN THE PRESSURE until the horse shifts it's weight in the direction of the pull. Your response is to INSTANTLY slacked the pressure. Note that I did not say the horse had to move it's feet. All it has to do initially is to move it's body weight in the direction of the pull. Now wait 15 - 20 seconds and repeat.

Very soon (sometimes very quickly indeed) the horse will get the message that it is in control and can remove the discomfort by moving in the direction of the pull. That pull is a steady sustained pull, not jerky but unrelenting. As I said, we use rope halters from an early age and they can be as soft or harsh as the users requires. All our ponies lead with a slack rope, even foals. It surprises me how many don't know how to lead or how 'pressure-and-release' works, yet it is such a powerful tool and they key to much further training.

Edited to say, we make our own rope halters here! Buy one? I'm shocked!!! :) They are the best thing ever. Quicker and easier to put on and one size (almost) fits all.
 
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