How long do you think?

[OzzyBuffy]

As some of you know I have a rescue mare who turned 7 in may, was sold as unbroken, only to find out she has been broken and has been worked under saddle in walk, trot and canter, and was being taught how to work in an outline etc etc. She has spent 2 years as a field mate, with no feed, no farrier, no worming.

She has now been wormed and farrier has done her front 2, and half her back before she got bored and started to kick!

I want to know what you would do if she was yours with regards to starting work, she is being groomed and lead out in hand around the yard but no further as shes very nervous and jumps at gates, troughs, branches that look odd to her! I often sit in her field for vast amounts of time just being an object so she can get used to me and she now spends 90% of the time just licking my forehead if im sat on my wheelbarrow in her field! She follows me everywhere and she definately feels safe around me, she would shutdown on me alot before but now I know where all her favourite scratch spots are.

Just to clarify, I DON'T want to start working her now, I am asking how long you guys would leave it before you started, and what would be your first steps? Lunging etc...?

I am thinking, as I have had her nearly a month, I will probably let her be a field potato for another 4 months, as she has picked up her condition very quickly, and I think by 4 months, with regular leading out to be tied up (Its quite a walk from field to yard), she will have enough muscle and stamina to cope with being lead around in the school (headcollar & l/rope), then by 6 months I will progress onto walking and some very small 2 minute trots on lunge etc etc. Before I start lunging I will be de-sensitizing her to things as much as possible. I won't start any ridden work of any form for at least a year and thats only if everything goes to plan!

Sorry for the long post, I just want to be sure everyone understands what I mean and that I am not planning on working her in the next few weeks!

 

[touchstone]

Sorry I haven't seen your previous posts, but I take it that this mare was in poor condition when you got her?

To be honest I think a year is a bit excessive to wait before starting ridden work, especially if she was already working well before being turned away.

If her condition has picked up a lot I'd be starting to take her out for walks now to let her see some sights and build up your relationship and probably start some long reining too. She is nervous because she hasn't seen enough of the world imo, and the best way to remedy that is to get out and do, as long as you don't overface and preferably have a schoolmaster companion that can give a lead if needed she should be okay.

Once she's happy and responsive to voice aids then I'd reback and start gently riding out.

If her condition is okay I can't see any reason to wait a year before riding, it sounds as if she's already been a paddock potato, albeit a neglected one, for quite some time and will probably enjoy the mental and physical aspects of being out and about.

 

[Tickles]

This is the anglo-arab (?) mare posted about a little while ago?

If so she was in a pretty bad state in the first pictures. If you have another horse to ride and aren't looking to sell her on soon I think your softly-softly approach is lovely.

I know you were concerned about the way she was standing (leaning back away from toes). Did you find out what that was as obviously you want the return to work to be a nice positive experience.

Oh, and this is really a <bump> because there will be others on here with much better ideas than me abt rehab. The anglo-arabs I know are all v smart so I agree with the touchstone about getting her mind active again.

 

[OzzyBuffy]

Sorry I haven't seen your previous posts, but I take it that this mare was in poor condition when you got her?

To be honest I think a year is a bit excessive to wait before starting ridden work, especially if she was already working well before being turned away.

If her condition has picked up a lot I'd be starting to take her out for walks now to let her see some sights and build up your relationship and probably start some long reining too. She is nervous because she hasn't seen enough of the world imo, and the best way to remedy that is to get out and do, as long as you don't overface and preferably have a schoolmaster companion that can give a lead if needed she should be okay.

Once she's happy and responsive to voice aids then I'd reback and start gently riding out.

If her condition is okay I can't see any reason to wait a year before riding, it sounds as if she's already been a paddock potato, albeit a neglected one, for quite some time and will probably enjoy the mental and physical aspects of being out and about.

Thanks, I do understand the problem is, shes such a nervous wreck that I want to make sure 100% that no matter what she is READY for ridden work, because the reason she was sold in the first place was because she was deemed unrideable during her season, and I am yet to find out what she will be like now when being ridden during a season. She is a beautiful mare, stunning to look at, so giving, and so genuine, she is still young, but not young enough to make mistakes, I do not want to rush rebacking, mess her up altogether and end up with a 7-8 year old that noone will buy, so ends up being retired, I would rather take forever about rebacking her and have a beautifully well schooled 8-9 year old.
(I am not planning on selling her but if it all messed up and everything went wrong, I'd have no choice, unless I kept her as a field companion, which I feel she would be wasted when she has so much talent)
Although I do totally understand she needs to be out doing things, I am not keen on long reining her at the moment, shes so nervous that anything touching her other than her headcollar freaks her out, so Ill stick to in hand walks for 5-10 minutes everyday.

Thanks for advice, its constructive and its helped me realise I can still do stuff with her without breaking her!

This is the anglo-arab (?) mare posted about a little while ago?

If so she was in a pretty bad state in the first pictures. If you have another horse to ride and aren't looking to sell her on soon I think your softly-softly approach is lovely.

I know you were concerned about the way she was standing (leaning back away from toes). Did you find out what that was as obviously you want the return to work to be a nice positive experience.

Oh, and this is really a <bump> because there will be others on here with much better ideas than me abt rehab. The anglo-arabs I know are all v smart so I agree with the touchstone about getting her mind active again.

Thank you, vet has said that currently there is no cause for concern, as without spending 100's on xrays etc, we won't know what it is for a while, he said it's more than likely where her feet have grown so long causing her to put pressure on her ergot without choice, so fingers crossed this is all it is because she is not in any way lame and trots up beautifully.

 

[Luci07]

Why not think about long reining rather than lunging - less stress on her joints and you could start by long reining her in the field where she is comfortable with you and then gradually building up to working her outside it.