I Can't Bring My Horse In - ADVICE NEEDED!

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Chestnut Stella

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heya,
i am 13 years old and have recently bought a 16.2 7yr old chestnut TB mare. When i went to go and view her she was lovely, she walked up to the owner when being caught and was a plod to lead around the place. We were very surprised to here that she is an exRacer and was raced up to the age of 4.
She arrived at my yard on saturday and was moved around from stable to stable quite a bit because of other horses getting wound up in her presence, so in the end we decided to turn her out. The next day (sunday) i came down to hopefully bring her in, but i struggled quite a bit. She was an angel to catch but when i led her up to the gate she just kept whinnying to the horses in the fields around her, and jumping around threatening to rear. So i kept hold of her and made her stand still but i knew i wasn't going to get anywhere so i just let her go. I also went down on monday to see if i could get her in before it started to rain and so she could have a rug on. So i went down to the field and caught her fine, i was able to lead her out of the field and through the jumping paddock, but when i got to the main track that leads up to the yard she started to jump around and toss her head. So i thought "Well i got her a lot further than yesterday, i may as well let her go back to her comfort zone and try again tomorrow." So stella went back to the field to be reunited with the mares and geldings in the fields surrounding her. On the way back to the yard i bumped into the yard owner, and he told me that stella was too much for me and that i should just sell her on and get something that ISN'T a racehorse. I was a bit taken aback at the fact he didn't actually give stella any chance. Am i right in thinking that?!
I also went down to the field today to see if i could just tie her up in the jumping field and give her a groom and see if we could bond a little to help her get over the fear of leaving all the other horses. So i caught her fine (again) started leading her to the gate, and she just kept spinning in circles and bunny hopping around the place. I kept hold of her for about 10 minutes when it started to seem like she was actually being dangerous. So i let her go again. Due to the fact i had nothing going on for the day i thought i would just sit down in the field and just see if she took any interest in me and the treats in my pocket. She took absolutely NO interest in me, so i walked over to the field where the horse she is quite chummy with lived and gave him a bit of a pat and fed him some treats, stella then took interest in me. So i rubbed her head and gave her some treats. I thought i would see if she would follow me with the treats so i walked away slightly and she did. So i gave her a big pat and tried it again. So i walked a few steps like the last time and she just turned around and tried to kick me. Luckily i jumped out of the way just in time, but i really don't want stella to be a naughty horse and i would love to be able to lead her in without forcing her to do anything.
If it helps, i use a monty roberts dually halter with a 20ft line. Please give me any advice you know! Anything would be helpful!

Thankyou x
 
I think you need to look for a good understanding instructor who can help you on at least a weekly basis - my own instructor hasnt just helped me with riding but with behavioural issues too and has been invaluable
 
ps - are your parents horsey or are you tryng to do this by yourself?
Ive just reread you are 13 and your horse is quite big and probably very nervous.
You do sound like you need onsite expert advice x
 
The yard i am at doesn't allow any instructors coming there to help with our horses. And no my parents aren't i have been riding for 8 years and my friend who is at the same yard said she would help me out and she is very experienced but with different horses. xx
 
why on earth doesnt allow you to brign instructors up to help???? That is ridiculous!!!
What do your paretns say, you could be seriously hurt!
- for one i think you need to move yards - ridiculous rule!
 
They have an onsite instructor, but she has just given birth and i am a fan of natural horsemanship and some of there techniques are different to ones i approve of. I would move but this yard is only a 10 minute drive away and has perfect facilities.My parents are not sure what to do atm. xx
 
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I'm sorry and stand to be proven wrong but something doesn't add up and I don't think we are being given the enitre truth, having said that, if it is the case and you are not allowed to bring help onto the yard, Move asap to somewhere equiped to help you. I also don't really get why at 13 you have such a big horse unless you are very tall? what did you buy her for, ie dressage, jumping, hacking etc

Just seen that you are in Natural Horsemanship, I would think that your horse does not understand what you are asking her to do and suggest you give that rubbish up pronto, at 13 you really don't know enough to approve or unapprove any type of training
 
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so their onsite instructor cannot teach at the moment but they refuse to allow you, a 13 year old girl with a huge ex racer to bring any other help onto the yard - how very strange - would you pm me your yards name???
 
Chestnut stella - rather than worrying about the horse i think you and your mum should start by deciding how old you are -
you say 13, she says 14???? :D
 
The_Hooligan said:
I suspect this user and her 'mother' are the same person and trolling.
Click to expand...

Hmm....they can't seem to get their ages correct.
However, if you are not a troll...I do think its a BIG commitment getting a big ex-racer at the age you are. I am 21 and would only start to consider myself experienced enough to get a youngster now (not my plan btw) and I've been riding for 13 years!! (And even then, it wouldn't be a big youngster!)
When I was 13/14 (?) I had a 13.2hh share pony who was a little sod at times and my parents used to be horsey and he was enough horse for me!
Friends of ours have a similar problem and they won't handle the horse themselves; it is always other friends turning the horse out as he's very naughty and will rear and buck in hand, has no manners, won't stand still, won't come in and the owners have simply become scared of him. Not the way to be - a horse is to enjoy yourself surely?
I think you need help with her - if you can't get help on site, then I'd move yard or (sorry) but IMO, seriously consider getting something more suited to you. She sounds like she needs a very experienced home with a strict adult who has dealt with this sort of behaviour before.
K x
 
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No i'm not a fake. i am 13 now and 14 in a month. and i am 5ft 9 that is why i have gotten such a big horse. And frankly some of this stuff you are saying to me is quite upsetting. all i asked for was a bit of advice on my horse, i thought that the horse world would be slightly more friendly towards me. i was hoping to do eventing, which stella has already done.
 
i would suggest you involve an adult to help.

as a parent however competent my daughter was i would be keeping a close eye with a new horse finding its feet otherwise an accident is going to occur.

she is understandably anxious about leaving her friends and without realising it and letting her go when she plays up you are allowing her to behave badly.

i definatley think you need help.speak to your parents .
 
The_Hooligan said:
I'm sorry and stand to be proven wrong but something doesn't add up and I don't think we are being given the enitre truth, having said that, if it is the case and you are not allowed to bring help onto the yard, Move asap to somewhere equiped to help you. I also don't really get why at 13 you have such a big horse unless you are very tall? what did you buy her for, ie dressage, jumping, hacking etc

Just seen that you are in Natural Horsemanship, I would think that your horse does not understand what you are asking her to do and suggest you give that rubbish up pronto, at 13 you really don't know enough to approve or unapprove any type of training
Click to expand...

^^agree with this ^^
If your not a troll then i honestly think you have taken on way too much with this horse. I doubt very much that the horse will have been taught this natural horsemanship rubbish so won't understand what you want from her!!
My advice either admit defeat and sell her on and get something more suitable or if u choose to persevere then forget natural horsemanship and do things the proper way. Get another livery to help lead her the way she is more likely to know and go from there.
Failing that move to somewhere where there is help available!
 
Chestnut Stella said:
No i'm not a fake. i am 13 now and 14 in a month. and i am 5ft 9 that is why i have gotten such a big horse. And frankly some of this stuff you are saying to me is quite upsetting. all i asked for was a bit of advice on my horse, i thought that the horse world would be slightly more friendly towards me. i was hoping to do eventing, which stella has already done.
Click to expand...

I would suggest that you and your parents have a good hunt about for another yard, where you can get the support you need, then give yourself a time-frame in which it is hoped you and your horse will better understand each other. If it's still going pear-shaped, then it might be better to cut your losses and think about selling your horse, and finding one a bit more suited to you.

Good luck!
 
The_Hooligan said:
I'm sorry and stand to be proven wrong but something doesn't add up and I don't think we are being given the enitre truth, having said that, if it is the case and you are not allowed to bring help onto the yard, Move asap to somewhere equiped to help you. I also don't really get why at 13 you have such a big horse unless you are very tall? what did you buy her for, ie dressage, jumping, hacking etc

Just seen that you are in Natural Horsemanship, I would think that your horse does not understand what you are asking her to do and suggest you give that rubbish up pronto, at 13 you really don't know enough to approve or unapprove any type of training
Click to expand...

I think thats a bit harsh, telling he to give up natural horsmenship just because she lacks experience. And believe me, at 13, people are perfectly able to make informed choices, and if NH is more appealing, so be it.

As for advise, i would recommend finding someone who trains horses and riders in a way that you like, and getting yourself some lessons. it seems like this mare has some seperation anxieties about leaving her friends, so this is where you need to be lead mare in your herd of two. If you are able to find a good trainer in your area, they should be able to help you with this. Maybe join up would help her, but i also think that getting some help would be the best idea. Maybe try the intelligent horsemanship website, they might have someone near to you. Or richard maxwell, and im sure there are others if you know where to look. Best of luck with this horse, and believe me if i was any where near you, i would love to come and help. Only slight problem of the irish sea in the way lol.
 
I hear what you are saying and understand that you need help, but you are not capable of dealing with this horse on your own. I bought a 16.2 mare for my 15year old daughter four years ago and was told that she was too big for her to handle and that she was dangerous. My daughter was also 5ft 8.

The main difference is that I was able to help her during the settling in period and there were other adults on site with loads of experience if it was needed. Her instructor was allowed on site as was the previous owner to help her settle.

If you are unable to bring this horse in on your own you MUST ask for help from an adult - they don't necessarily have to be 'horsey'. My OH is definitely not 'horsey' but just having a strong man on the end of the rope seemed to help - the horse seemed to understand that he wasn't going to stand for any nonsense and walked in calmly.

I seriously hope that your situation is like ours was - our horse just needed time to settle - she is now a total softee (some people still consider her dangerous because she is so big - now 17.2) but she will try to take advantage if she can, you just have to be firm.

A silly question now - did you have this horse vetted and were bloods taken - just in case this horse was sedated when you went to view.
 
I'm afraid that I do think you have over horsed yourself to be honest! Your new girl needs to learn to trust you and so I would take things very slowly. Are you DIY? Is she out 24/7? If so, I would use feed times to your advantage. Take her up a small feed (mainly chaff) and get her out of the field and give it to her right outside. Groom her whilst she eats. Then put her back in. Each day, feed her a bit further from the field and do a bit more with her. Don't worry about riding at this stage. Let it take as long as it takes. You may need to replace the dually with a simple rope head collar as they are better for control. If that fails take a bridle, coupling chain and long lead rope. What ever you do, she must not be allowed to return to the others whilst she is behaving badly. A bridle will give you more control. Every time she gets her own way, her behaviour will get worse and more dangerous. You must nip it in the bud. Good luck. Remember , it may take six months or more until your mare trusts you.
 
I can understand why you wanted a bigger horse but not sure why you've gone for a young ex racer seeing that your parents aren't horsey and there isn't much help (by the sounds of it) at your yard. :confused: Is this your first horse? You DO sound as though you've way overhorsed yourself.
My apologies for the troll post - we have had so many lately and its difficult to tell apart. It does seem strange though you seem very, very young for such a horse and I'm sure a lot of us on here have seen experienced adults with horses such as yours who haven't been able to cope with them and the horses have been passed from pillar to post and ended up a hopeless case in the wrong home.
I would give it time its only her first week and see if she settles down. DEFINITELY get help on how to handle her, when she's being naughty - you have already taught her just how she needs to behave and what she needs to do if she wants to stay out! She's now learnt that she just needs to fart about a bit and give you a bit of trouble and you'll give her a treat and let her loose again.
If she doesn't settle, and this is her (and she will try and push your buttons at first) I really would consider your options - if moving to a yard where an instructor is ready and willing to help, isn't an option, there is many more experienced horses out there who are calmer, have had more work done with them and will be better suited for your needs and who you are able to handle.
K x
 
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First of all, dont give up! I was your age when i got my first horse. A 4yr old TB mare who was a total sweetheart when i tried her out and turned into the scariest monster id ever seen when she got to my yard! :eek: I remember being scared of her, i was used to a 14.1hh pony and my new mare Rhio was 16.1hh. I didnt get any help at the time and took things very slowly. Ask your friends to give you a hand bringing her in and try bringing in another horse with her so she doesnt feel she is leaving everyone. Dont even think about riding right now, you need to create a bond on the ground which means plenty of attention whilst staying firm when she steps out of line. It sounds like she doesnt respect you which means you need to set some boundries with her. Harsh discipline will create a negative response from her though as mares tend to be unforgiving. Start right at beginning such as putting the halti on her, reinforce with treats/praise/voice/scratching her favourite spot and discipline with a firm NO/pinch to the neck/ back turn etc.
I would def advise getting professional help if you can, its far easier when someone is there to help you.
 
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