Help, why does my old mare not like being tacked up?

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amylou1978

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Hi, wondered if anyone could advise me why my 24yr 'young' mare doesnt like being tacked up or dislikes her rug to?
She isnt nasty, but will put her ears and back and sometimes goes to bite things?
She opens her mouth to put the bit in so bridle not bad, but when it comes to the saddle or rug her ears go back and she doesnt seem happy?
Her saddle fits ok and once shes tacked up she rides perfectly?
Is it just a 'mare' thing age related or something more serious?
Any ideas would be gratefully received.
Thankyou:confused:
 
It is hard to say.
How long have you had your mare? Has it been a sudden change?
Some mares are quite mareish but if it is a sudden thing I would want it checked out.
Someone I know has a mare that pulls faces at everything, you only have to walk past her! :D
 
maybe someone has in the past pulled girth up too tight / too fast ..... your gal too polite to bite you so she is just warning you just in case. ;)

When I got my rescue mare many years ago she feared / hated saddles with a vengance :mad: :mad: :mad: ....... never actual;y bit me but did the saddle :o

Even now, despite me never having girthed her suddenly or hard, she will occasionally when coming into season and she is tender will just "look round" ;)



if its new .......... I "new" dislike of being saddled and huuuuuuge swelling found on her ovary !!!!!!!!
 
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I see it more of a mareish thing, we have had her about 4 months now and b4 us i dont think she had anything done with her. She did go to 1 show and the girth had rubbed her side and made it quite sore, would this make her not want anything under her tummy?
Like i say once all tacked up or rugged up shes fine?!
She is mareish where other horses are concerned and bullied my youngster when we got her and even now tells him shes boss. But not nasty with people. :o
 
Mares can be more sensitive especially when in season and it can become a habit. My mare is awful having her girth done up bites the wall or her rope or herself, knows she mustn't bite me! She has never had her girth done up too suddenly as she was unbroken when I got her but it has just become a habit unfortunately. She is a particularly hormonal marish mare so pulls lots of faces but is fine once i'm on. She has physio and regular back checks as well as saddler so I know there is nothing wrong just the way she is.
 
Just to add, as tazzle said, they can learn to react, even if it is not uncomfortable.
My late mare was always fine to tack up. I loaned her out to a riding school while i relocated and got a job in bristol, got her back a year later and she reacted to be saddled up, she had never done this previously.
I had her back checked and there was nothing. If I were to give her feed whilst saddling up she would not care, or if there was something grabbing her attention she would not pay attention.
I think the riding school had just been a bit rough with her, they certainly did not care for her as they should have done so it would not have surprised me....


It would be worth getting her back checked just to be sure as she is a more mature lady after all
 
ooops didnt notice llast part of my post had "disappeared" .... I must have pressed sammat

it was meant to say that when my mare started to have a "new" dislike of being saddled we eventutally found out that she had a huge swelling on her ovary. She had however displayed other symptoms as time progressed ;). Worth bearing in mind if your mare starts to show signs of unhappiness being ridden ..... always worth a check and the cost of a scan. Luckily my vet trusted me that there was something wrong, she was not just being "mareish".
 
amylou1978 said:
I see it more of a mareish thing, we have had her about 4 months now and b4 us i dont think she had anything done with her. She did go to 1 show and the girth had rubbed her side and made it quite sore, would this make her not want anything under her tummy?
Like i say once all tacked up or rugged up shes fine?!
She is mareish where other horses are concerned and bullied my youngster when we got her and even now tells him shes boss. But not nasty with people. :o
Click to expand...


I don't suppose you've broken her in aged 24, so somebody must have done something with her previously. Who took her to the show, was it a previous owner or was it you? Either way, compare it to you wearing a shoe which makes your foot sore, would you want to wear that shoe again? Well she's telling you that she doesn't want to wear a saddle again, in case it hurts.
My mare used to work in a RS, although I didn't buy her from there. She threatened to bite when I was first tacking her up, so I stripped down the saddle and put the saddle cloth, the saddle and the girth on separately. I have found in the past that ex- RS horses have often been handled quite roughly, often because novices have been allowed to tack-up etc. Now, about 8 months later, I can put the whole lot on together in the normal way, with very little reaction from her.
I also started to give my mare Aloe Vera liquid, in her feed, as biting can be a sign of ulcers.
It just takes patience and consistency, my mare now knows that I am not going to anything which will hurt her. I do give treats when she is doing the right thing and that certainly has encouraged her to nip, in fact, exactly the opposite.
 
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