Horse pulls face and puts ears flat when asked to canted (and sometimes trot!)

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deoni

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Theres always something with my horse! She has done this since i have got her, but now having everything checked (back/teeth/saddle all in last couple of months) I am wondering what else it might be.

When asked to canter she usually makes a horrible face looking back at you, ears flat back (like what girthy horses do.) However, she is very forward and starts cantering whenever she fancies fine and doesn't do a face if its her own choice. So I'm unsure if she is just being a moody mare or she has something up. I noticed in trot she likes you to use your voice to ask, but if u use even a small bit of leg she gets moody, was thinking it might be uncomfortable?
 
kerrieberry2 said:
I would have thought that was down to some sort of pain, very odd! does she do it on the lunge as well? what about when she's having fun in the field?
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No, only when asked! If she decides she cantering by herself, shes fine. I have never cantered her on the lunge, but she got moody when in the round pen when I asked her to change direction in trot, she put her ears abck then too. So might just be her being moody - she is quite a grump.
 
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Could be reproductive tract problems. Might be worth having the vet scan for uterine cysts and similar problems.
 
Spyda said:
Could be reproductive tract problems. Might be worth having the vet scan for uterine cysts and similar problems.
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I have googled the cysts and it is definitely something worth checking thanks! She has just come into season and I am noticing it more, so could be season related.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
Could you ask someone to watch you ride? It could be that your aids are alittle too firm for her.
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I would but as she is so forward i only give a tiny squeeze and she responds - have never needed to use any strong aids! she does it with my instructor too so not just me. :) Thank you though.
 
I wouldn't have believed this til I got my new mare but she could just be moody. By all means investigate it all, I'm not saying don't. But my new mare is bizarrely moody, like you can brush her very hard in the girth area and she does not mind at all, when I first got her if I put my arm lightly on her back and touched her girth area she would stamp bite and kick. My first thought was pain but I did some little tests and decided she is just rather expressive. It wasn't pain it was more something she hadn't experienced before and she did not like it. She is fine with it now.
 
FfionWinnie said:
I wouldn't have believed this til I got my new mare but she could just be moody. By all means investigate it all, I'm not saying don't. But my new mare is bizarrely moody, like you can brush her very hard in the girth area and she does not mind at all, when I first got her if I put my arm lightly on her back and touched her girth area she would stamp bite and kick. My first thought was pain but I did some little tests and decided she is just rather expressive. It wasn't pain it was more something she hadn't experienced before and she did not like it. She is fine with it now.
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I have been thinking its just her being moody, but she is very friendly on the ground. Though I just remembered when she got moody when i asked her to change direction in the round pen and she did the same..so could be anything at the min! Definitely my last mare ;)

Actually she used to be moody to rug and do her feet at first, but she is fine now. Maybe we just have very moody mares :p
 
Mine is also very friendly and kind, more a split personality I suppose. I have her all on video at her stamping biting finest and I am going to collate it all, once she is nice :o

Mine initially bit and kicked at me for spraying her mud fever but she has almost stopped that now and mostly stands still. Early days so I am hoping I can convince her life is better with her ears forward and her teeth sheathed!
 
My mare was exactly the same ears back, head flung up, nostrils tightened (if u get wot I mean!) whenever any leg was put on- except in huge open spaces like beach field etc & also totally disappeared at shows?!
Investigated the usual suspects but eventually put it down 2 just being her- being in/out season made no diff
She was v v difficult on ground biting when groomed, biting & head swinging when rugging couldn't b touched literally at all without her getting upset
She had been neglected for 1st 5yrs of her life left in field with her mother & brother with no real human contact so just put it all down 2 not being properly 'socialised' & in the 5yrs I owned her she only improved a tiny amount I just learnt 2 live with it & never give her a cuddle!!!
Apparently her mother was even worse so could have been learned behaviour 2- y she was bred from is another topic altogether!
 
Can I bump this :o

I haven't ridden her much recently but she no longer pulls a face at you when you ask to canter but she still has her ears flat back. I lunged her and she seemed ok on one rein but on the other rein she seemed to leap into canter and was reluctant (ears back etc), went back to the other and she was fine again. Saying that she is worse on one rein when ridden (swapping legs etc) though she no longer does this and seems to be more balanced, could it just be balance as things are getting a bit better? Also I took her out on a hack specifically to canter to see her reaction, she cantered fine and i really had to pull her up, but when i asked on the next one she put her ears back for a few seconds then was fine. So really is just in the school (mainly hack which is why havent noticed any probs recently), does anyone know what it might be?
 
deoni said:
Can I bump this :o

I haven't ridden her much recently but she no longer pulls a face at you when you ask to canter but she still has her ears flat back. I lunged her and she seemed ok on one rein but on the other rein she seemed to leap into canter and was reluctant (ears back etc), went back to the other and she was fine again. Saying that she is worse on one rein when ridden (swapping legs etc) though she no longer does this and seems to be more balanced, could it just be balance as things are getting a bit better? Also I took her out on a hack specifically to canter to see her reaction, she cantered fine and i really had to pull her up, but when i asked on the next one she put her ears back for a few seconds then was fine. So really is just in the school (mainly hack which is why havent noticed any probs recently), does anyone know what it might be?
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She is finding it hard to canter smaller circles - because clearly it is harder work, and maybe she would prefer not too? - straight lines on a hack is much more fun (and to her more natural) I pull faces if I have to do any sort of exercise as I am desparately unfit - but if I got back into it (exercise) then by a couple of weeks I would feel it was much easier, and might enjoy it more.......
I would suggest get her fitter by doing loads of hacks, maybe hunting, doing stuff that she enjoys, and leave the arena alone for a while while she sweetens up a bit. Does she enjoy jumping? Sometimes a small jump placed in the corner of the school, will rev her up to perform the correct canter lead a bit more enthusiastically, and keep the canter going?
 
dressedkez said:
She is finding it hard to canter smaller circles - because clearly it is harder work, and maybe she would prefer not too? - straight lines on a hack is much more fun (and to her more natural) I pull faces if I have to do any sort of exercise as I am desparately unfit - but if I got back into it (exercise) then by a couple of weeks I would feel it was much easier, and might enjoy it more.......
I would suggest get her fitter by doing loads of hacks, maybe hunting, doing stuff that she enjoys, and leave the arena alone for a while while she sweetens up a bit. Does she enjoy jumping? Sometimes a small jump placed in the corner of the school, will rev her up to perform the correct canter lead a bit more enthusiastically, and keep the canter going?
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Thanks, I haven't ridden her in the school recently except once the other day. This was all when she was super fit hacking most days etc and she is only 5 and hasnt been schooled much! Also, she is forward going in canter in the school too which is the other strange thing (after the initial asking for canter) She does seem to like jumping and definitely have no problems with canter when jumping!
 
One of my geldings does this but he does it for various reasons:

He is a grumpy sod upon occassion!
He did a complete rupture of his SDFT on his off fore and he much prefers cantering on this lead leg and takes a lot of asking to go on the other leg
Which then leads to him not liking exagerated aids
And he can generally be a bit stubborn.

Blooming tb's! Who'd 'ave 'em?!?
 
I see you've had a lot of the usual speculation about backs, teeth etc. You're obviously happy that there is no physical reason for her to be pulling faces because of pain.

Lots of horses, mares and geldings pull faces and flatten their ears, for no other reason than it's in their nature. With mares seasons do make a difference, but stroppyness doesn't always mean problems unless coupled with prolonged irregular seasons.

Lightening the aids will be nothing but benefit to you both. I don't even have to give the slightest squeeze to my mare, think about a canter or gallop and off we go. She can still have her face on inside out if things don't suit.
 
my gelding used to do this exactly! You say your mare has done it less recently, not been in the school so much?

My gelding was totally over schooled (in the wrong way) all his muscles were sore (particularly those behind his ears, couldn't even get the bridle on easily) and his neck.

I stopped taking him the school, had his neck done by a physio and rode him everywhere on a long rein for about three months then I started taking him the school to play, so a bit of free schooling and join up etc only for really short sessions though (20 minutes max) and then started riding him sometimes popping in there for 10 minutes before a hack so on and so forth. He now happily goes in there for about 40 minutes.

perhaps your mare is just done with schooling for a bit? :)
 
Some horses are just like this, so long as pain has been ruled out. Perhaps in her past she has had pain and she anticipates it? Could you try her bareback and see her reaction?
 
My mare is similar to yours. She has gone so moody lately even over the stable to other people which she has never done, always to other horses but never people which worries me.

Ridden wise Hacking she is fine can canter etc no problem. In the school she can be perfectly fine for a while then next time I school and try to ask for canter (worse on right rein) she will buck and do some nasty ones too then come to a stop and often not move at all then. I did trick her once asked for canter she bucked came back to trot she wouldnt move much so changed rein, picked up trot and then put her back on the rein and picked up canter fine!

She often kicks out aswell when i pick her back feet up, especially her (looking towards her bum) left hind.

She has also had everything checked and does have a bit of tightness in her back.
 
TuscanBunnyGirl said:
is it just when you put your leg on? if so, perhaps scan for ulcers?...just a thought. :) Really hope you get to the bottom of it! :)
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I thought it was that, but now I think when she is anticipating me asking canter she starts doing it. If i'm asking for her to speed up in walk and trot she's fine, but if i say 'canter' even with no leg she's like "no thanks!" but does go up into canter! so I think i misjudged it at first.
 
Wagtail said:
She resents the leg. I would suspect gastric ulcers.
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I did think this at firs,t as it was the first obvious cause! However she did it on the lunge (on one rein) and doesnt do it hacking! She was broken in young and i believe she did a lot of jumping at first but not much schooling. Since i have had her (a yearish and had a month off when we got her to settle in etc) She hasn't been in the school much, only recently once a week for a lesson, the rest was hacking so is very much unschooled! She has always done this though. I'm starting to think she is unbalanced as on one rein she stays on correct lead etc and doesnt object, on the other rein she has her ears back even on the lunge, but last time i rode her in the school I cantered once and she was ok on the correct lead on both reins (ears back still). Giving her a month or 2 off now anyway so see if that helps! Will get her back done again after just in case and worth checking for ulcers just in case thank you. - just checked symptons she doesnt have any other ones except being a bit moody if i mess with her rug sometimes?!
 
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