how do you get a horse to settle on the yard alone?

StormyMoments

StormyMoments

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i dont mean like stabling i mean tied out side for grooming/ tacking up

i have a 2 year old and i have only had her for 3 months and she has been on the yard almost every day since i got her but she just wont settle on her own she tries to spin around constantly shouting for her field mates and she makes it impossible to have her on the yard on her own safely

also how do you get them to accept pressure on their face like when you try and worm them holding the top of their head or the front of their face as she just rears if you do

i was under the impression she was very well handled but in everything she was supposed to be good with she isnt

i did go and see her twice handling her both times but she was a bit of a handful to lead but that was about it i groomed her on the yard but there were other horses and her owner said she was good and pressure on her face isnt exactly the first thing you think of when seeing a horse

so now im a bit stuck and having to start all over again from scratch :o

any tips?

malteasers and tea for anyone who replies :)
 
These things take time and a lot of patience. She is only young and moving yards is a big deal to her probably. You must remember she was maybe doing all of these things at her previous home as she was settled and knew her owners/handlers. Build up a bond, keep perservering and if it helps get a calm horse to stand near her to relax her a bit for company to increase her confidence. Be firm but kind!
 
she will need time to settle its like moving from nursery to primary school - There are so many things to see and do and so many people to play kiss chase with!

seriously She is still a baby - work through it quietly and 2 good books are "from birth to backing" and "perfect manners".
 
Time and patience is your friend with youngsters.

For your safety and hers always handle and tie up in the stable - until she is more settled.

Worming is done several times a year, so you have time to work on her accepting you holding her face etc.

And leave the tacking up (although I'm not too sure why you feel the need to do this with her just yet), until your confident in handling her, and she is more settled in herself and with you.
 
amymay said:
Time and patience is your friend with youngsters.

For your safety and hers always handle and tie up in the stable - until she is more settled.

Worming is done several times a year, so you have time to work on her accepting you holding her face etc.

And leave the tacking up (although I'm not too sure why you feel the need to do this with her just yet), until your confident in handling her, and she is more settled in herself and with you.
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^^^^This. It applies to new older horses too!
 
i dont tack her up i just meant out side the stable the normal things you would do she has done nothing and i have just spent the last 3 months practicing things she knows so she gets to know me like picking her feet up etc :)

i think my only thing with her is how sharp she is shes happy to follow me around the field and have cuddles and scratches but when shes on the yard she seem oblivious to where i am :o

she still fidgits with taz on the yard shes still on edge and i think the only thing is she sets him off maybe go on the yard with another horse that doesnt react to her and just stands and chills would be more suited :)
 
StormyMoments said:
i dont tack her up i just meant out side the stable the normal things you would do she has done nothing and i have just spent the last 3 months practicing things she knows so she gets to know me like picking her feet up etc :)
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If this has been ongoing for 3 months it's now time you looked at getting yourself some help of someone who is either very knowledgeable with youngsters, or likewise a professional who has the same experience.

Sounds like a downard spiral that coul end in tears for you and the horse.
 
i do have help with the other lady on the yard and my parents both worked on breeding yards etc and she is generally settled just not on the yard but there are alot of things she hasnt seen before like tractors and motor bikes cows and sheep etc which do live closer to the yard so she has taken time to get used to this i just want her to trust me (she was owned by gypsies and then another lady who had her for about 8 months and she said she took a lot of time) im not in any rush i would rather she had time to be a baby but then i also want her to respect my space and just settle as i dont like to see her stressy
 
Honestly, I would either just keep working with her in her stable where she feels safe, or get an independent experienced professional to come and give you a view on how they would handle her. Sometimes it is all too easy to work yourself up about your own horse and youngsters, particularly mares, pick up on subconscious worry.

Youngsters just take a lot of time... good luck :)
 
she is handled everyday :) unless im in a rush then i just give them a scratch in the field. i will get my instructor to help me out as she knows more about youngsters then me. i have owned and broken in youngsters before but i ussually buy them at 3 and tend to settle quicker then she has i haent owned many mares before so i dont know if its that or her breed that has something to do with how sharp she is or its just the way she was brought up. i dont know im not that worried about it as she isnt nasty just weary and time will tell i suppose its difficult to explain as you dont know her :/
 
a) she's a baby; b) she's still in a new place; and c) she sounds a tad insecure . . . honestly, I'd let her be a baby a little longer. Yes, handle her - but do it in the field. If she's stressed out by coming up to the yard on her own then bring her up with a companion and keep the visit short - come up, have something to eat (in her stable) and then go back out again.

My boy isn't a baby (in fact dentist aged him two years older than we first thought today - so 11!) but he IS insecure - and if he isn't comfortable in his surroundings, no amount of asking him work through it alone gets through to him. He needs to feel safe before he can learn (hope that makes sense) and the only way for him to learn that it is safe on the yard, was for him to have company.

Lastly, if a year from now she is still wary about being on the yard on her own, then I'd get a behaviourist out. For now, I'd let her chill out/be a baby/gain confidence from the horses in her herd.

JMHO . . . please take with a grain of salt.

P
 
i completely understand where your coming from :) i handle her everyday but she gets worked up on the yard so she only comes up there once or twice a week for a groom with taz as taz goes up everyday to be ridden and shes quite happy in the field and doesnt take much notice shes quite happy in the field i hae done join up with her and i think she quite enjoyed it - got very excited, shes really sweet and i do feel sorry for her being so on edge and i think she was moved around alot so she must think shes gonna move again which she wont as she is going to be with me forever like taz who i also owned from 2 and now he is 9 :) i think i just have to take it as it comes and every horse is different and winter will help with her insecurities as she will be stabled with all the others so i was hoping she would settle before but i have until november before they come in so hopefully she will settle a bit :)
 
My 2 yr old was a bit like this when I got him a few months ago. Try bringing her to the yard for a short time every day. Give her a haynet to keep her occupied and a feed. Start with just 10 mins and then gradually increase. She will settle eventually dont worry she's still young and it will take a bit of time for her to feel completly relaxed.
 
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