Highly Aggressive Horses - Long but NEED advice!

Her previous situation was that she was kept at the owners home ever since she was born. Has never been formally weaned. Doesn't suckle milk obviously but has never been away from her mother.

Yes she will keep her weight on without hard feed.

I think so too - the battle will definitely be lost if she goes beyond my herd leader....and then there will be hell to pay for sure!
 
I do think she can be re-educated, if this is some sort of weird issue she has....trouble is I cannot for the life of me figure it out.

The owner says that she was never like this before she was moved all those miles....but I am honestly not sure whether this is the truth, as when the horse came here she said absolutely nothing about what she was like. It was only after I was almost squooshed to mush that she said the horse attacks her too...
 
I was just thinking of something. I wonder how agressive she will get when foal is at side ?
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Hmm this is an interesting one.
This is what I would do :

Separate her.
Work/handle her every day - taking all reasonable precautions of course.
Explain to the owner that unless she agrees to a vet check the filly has to go.
Email anyone who might have experienced behaviour like this before (Monty, Richard Maxwell, Michael Peace) for advice.

If none of the above show any improvement, have it PTS.

Good luck whatever you decide, and be careful. Sounds like a challenge.
 
I think she does need to be on her own for awhile and get used to more human contact , she may well have some hormonal problem like GT said but if the owners arent willing to spend money on a vet , well then not alot you can do .


We have a mare at our yard that was exactly like this filly, attacked viciously be it human or horse , she was put on her own and after awhile eventually came around , she still lunges at other horses occasionally but a heck of alot better .
She had alot of problems though, including loosing a foal and then having to have a full hysterectomy done , So like I said could well be hormonal
 
Seriously I would try zapping her...see my earlier long post. Try to do it before she goes beyond the herd leader. If she thinks the herd leader is the inflicting the pain in response to her aggression she wont take her on.
 
She sounds like her hormones are up the shoot.
I would try her on Agnus Cactus for a month to see if there is improvement,( which there may well be) then I would get the gun .
 
I would have to run this by the owner but this really is a desperate situation now and I am fairly sure the owner would allow this. I don't have a zap collar though.
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I know just how unorthodox this is - no she would never run off and injure herself. She has a very high self-preservation....but she is also incredibly intelligent and can figure things out. She is cunning and very devious. Would never have credited a horse with so many brain cells if I hadn't been dealing with this monster for the past month or so.

I am more and more coming around to the idea of a cattle prod. Again, would have to run this by the owner to make sure she is okay with this sort of defense being used.
 
No sorry, the filly came from the mare (her mother) and it was the owner who bred the mare. The filly has not been bred.
 
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Her previous situation was that she was kept at the owners home ever since she was born. Has never been formally weaned. Doesn't suckle milk obviously but has never been away from her mother.



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Poor filly. She has spent two years of her life being top dog - Mum has let her do what she wants and she's never been socialised or taught what IS acceptable behaviour.

I have a mare who is SO nice that ANY 3 week old foal can push her off her food! The first year we had her, she was the only mare with a foal and they were kept alone - the filly grew up to be a total tit and we are only JUST getting on top of her behaviour. Since then, Portia and her foal have always been in with the bossiest mares I own - and all foals since then have been fine.

Trying to find another horse to put her in her place now will be difficult - and potentially dangerous for both of them but she DOES need to be seperated from her mother - whether it's to a field on her own, or a yard, or a stable. She then needs to be put in her place very firmly by a human who has to teach her that she is DOWN the pecking order. Then, and only then, should she be introduced to a very bossy horse (just one) and both of them should be wearing protective boots for the first few days.

Don't blame her for her behaviour - she's learned it. And owner must be told in NO uncertain terms that EITHER she pays the necessary costs to sort this filly out - or she gets rid of it. She is responsible for the filly's behaviour. If she continues to rule the roost, someone will get seriously hurt.
 
Surely the owner has to take responsibility for her own horse? She can't expect you to put your own safety and that of other liveries below her inability to take control of the situation. Put her on the spot with various options, including sedation to move it safely and have a vet check it over.
 
What is it in North America about people not weaning horses properly - if they were mine, they would be miles apart at 6 months. I would say that was the first very big mistake, if you have dealth with yearlings who have not been weaned, they are the begining of a nightmare.

I personally would use a cattle prod or pepper spray (if the cattle prod puts you in too much danger)!
 
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No sorry, the filly came from the mare (her mother) and it was the owner who bred the mare. The filly has not been bred.

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Ah..I misunderstood you. I thought you meant she (filly) had been bred


I am sort of <font color="red"> d </font> <font color="white"> i</font> <font color="blue"> m </font>
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She has spent two years of her life being top dog - Mum has let her do what she wants and she's never been socialised or taught what IS acceptable behaviour.


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You have hit the nail on the head! THIS is the problem which is why I know she must leave that field. It's just getting her to the other field which is going to be the biggest challenge. I do have some ACP and the thought has sort of crossed my mind to give her a little just to get her up the driveway.

Honestly, I'm not a wimp in the slightest with my horses here, nor with any boarders horses....I don't take sh1t from any of them....but this one is so unique and no I would never be in the same field as her without some form of deterent....and I don't care how wimpish it may sound lol!
 
Either that or she wasn't weaned properly, possibly weaned too early so hasn't been educated in the field and dealing with herd department.

Having read what Tia's put and saying how they've not mentioned too much about her past, could it be possible that it's actually her first time within a herd situation?

Just a thought and may well be barking up wrong tree; possible hormone issue too?
 
You see this is why I won't work with this horse. I have over 40 horses here whom I am totally responsible for and there is absolutely no way I can be out of action...particularly as my husband is leaving for England for a couple of months in a few days time. I CANNOT have an accident. All these horses are here and most rarely see their owners for long periods of time. The owner of these 2 has only been to visit them once since arriving.
 
No she has never ever belonged to a herd before. For the whole of her life she has purely lived with her mother and she was never weaned.
 
It sounds as if the owner has allowed this behaviour to develop to this dangerous situation and virtually walked away - you say she leaves it up to you, and that the filly has not seen a farrier yet - does that mean never in two years?

These things needed sorting before the horse got too big - sounds like she has a real Alpha mare temperament, and as no-one has as yet challenged her and won, she now has 100% belief in her self. Very difficult to sort - if she was yours, then worth putting the advice about working etc into practice, but if not yours, and you are not being paid, then I wouldn't want to attempt it.

Did I read it right - she is fine away from the herd and field situation, so is she ok in a stable, and to handle away from the field? If so, there must be some hope, but I agree with the person who suggested someone like Monty Roberts or Richard Maxwell - sounds like a case for some serious relearning from someone who is used to dealing with this situation. Get help!
 
Thank you everyone who has responded - I am in your debt. Lots of good ideas; first one will be to split her and see how it goes. Just not looking forward to the journey taking her to her new field and hoping she doesn't go crazy in there on her own. If she were to jump out (fences are 4ft high) and become free on the farm it would be dreadful.
 
Ohh got you now, must have mis-read, no wonder the poor thing is trying to be top dog,
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Tough one to be in as if you seperate her, although it'll make your life easier and safer plus for the liveries as well; she's not going to learn.

If it were me I'd go for the seperation route as I value my life, other people's and other horses over the sake of just one problem. Plus as you're in the care of other people's horses, it's just not worth the risk
 

Definitely recommend a spell alone for her, she has got far too self-important by the sounds of it
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. Maybe spent too much time with mum alone?

I agree with what others have said though, the owner needs to get more involved.

Be careful.
 
Cattle prod, zap it, if it still wont behave, shoot it yourself if needs be.

This horse isnt worth your life Tia, and you are taking your life into your hands whenever you go near it.



And its not fair on your other liveries to be scared of entering a field to bring their horses in. I cant see them being happy if this filly seriously injures one of their horses too.
 
Our farrier has dealt with her twice since she arrived, but before that she has never had a farrier do her feet. Actually she doesn't know how to pick her feet up so doubtful anyone has done anything with her.

No she has never been away from her mother, however I have taken her into our main corral a number of times and out of the field and she is actually pretty mellow in there....generally......except for the second to last time when she wanted to pulverise me.
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And its not fair on your other liveries to be scared of entering a field to bring their horses in.

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No that is totally out of order....I am just thankful I have very tolerant boarders, but we have all discussed it and she definitely needs to be out of this field.
 
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Thank you everyone who has responded - I am in your debt. Lots of good ideas; first one will be to split her and see how it goes. Just not looking forward to the journey taking her to her new field and hoping she doesn't go crazy in there on her own. If she were to jump out (fences are 4ft high) and become free on the farm it would be dreadful.

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The go with jades idea for the first couple days - round pen and hobble.
 
She won't though. She is a very gentle person; softly spoken and kindly. She is absolutely petrified of the filly now.

I think I'll leave her in the sub-corral for a few days and see how she deals with this as even if she were to jump out, she can't get anywhere. My worst fear is that somehow she gets free on the farm....
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