' if you don't want her pts' WWYD?

[springtime13]

Well it might be worth a try if you've got the point where you're thinking about getting rid. I've got my sharp and fairly stressful mare on simple systems total eclipse, a few lucie pellets and hifi light. It's working for her, although I'm aware that total eclipse is expensive and has to be delivered.

 

[rowan666]

If youve made the decision you cant cope but want to honour previous owner(and I can undestand that) cant you put her out on loan?

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

Yes - until now she would have still been growing/maturing so all the 'hype' in the feed you are using was probably taken up with her body still needing it for her physical changes from a foal to full grown. Now she is probably finished growing so won't need it.

I wouldn't feed her anything for a few weeks...just as much hay as she wants and see if that makes a difference to her.

 

[mynutmeg]

Even if she's always been on that feed it doens't mean it's right for her and alfalfa is rocket fuel as is most mixs - try something with no alfalfa and low starch/sugar to begin with then if that doesn't help, she belongs to you, you've given the owner the option of having her back and he doesn't want to know so go ahead and sell to a suitable home - she may be exctly what someone else is looking for.

 

[Klix]

To those who have mentioned I wouldn't dream of pts!!! She means the world to me, this isn't just a spur of the moment kind of thing.. Thanks for all of the advice I will look into feed ect but I know for a fact there is nothing physically wrong

 

[Pearlsasinger]

The first thing I would do is take her off the alfalfa, the 2nd, take her off the pasture mix. Many mares react badly to alfalfa and others to the cereals which must be in your pasture mix, which I presume has molasses in as well. Give her ad-lib hay.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

I would like to point out in addition to the poster above re: growth needing energy, that though the horse may have been on this feed her entire life, the old owner presumably couldn't cope with her behaviour either, hence getting rid OP just because you never saw it, doesn't mean it didn't happen.

As a youngster the horse may also have been living out 24/7 unrugged, both things that could increase energy requirements, whilst the turnout allowed excess energy to be burnt off blasting round the field on a regular basis.

 

[HeresHoping]

In answer to your question - she's yours. Your exchange of a nominal sum represents a change of ownership.

I agree with everyone who says take her off the alfalfa. In addition, swap to something high fibre, low cereal, low sugar based. And then try a calmer such as Equifeast's Cool, Calm and Collected Loader, which is Mg free but has L-Tryptophan in it. It's quite expensive to load, but after that costs £18 for 6 weeks' supply. Give it a chance to work, though, and remember that some calmers can make them worse before they get better.

I also agree with revisiting the hormone angle. Does the naughtiness kick in every three weeks or so? My mare was very much bothered and I found Oestress did nothing for her, but another, very similar product worked wonders. Have a chat with your vet about alternatives.

Also, if you are feel the bronco sessions are nothing to do with pain, lunge her, fully tacked up, for 15 minutes before you get on. You'll be able to watch her behaviour on the ground and look out for quirks that might be causing the fight. If she's aggressive - for want of a better word - towards you (falling in, or making you get in front of her), or looks unhappy or unenthusiastic, you will understand that she's not feeling quite herself. On the other hand, she might just be feeling fresh - our b-awful weather has made us all shrug off spring but there will have been a sugar spurt in our grass as soon as the daylight hours increased sufficiently for the photosynthesis to kick in. The lunge will give her time to settle and something to think about.

I feel for you, I really do, but if she's sound and not hurting, there are alternative options.

 

[Rosiejazzandpia]

Please dont put her to sleep.
There are plenty of people out there that can and do cope with this type of horse.
If you no longer want her please consider loaning her out or selling her.
I am currently looking for something young and exciting, where are you based OP?
Having been in a situation like this before with a horse I cut all feed and gave 24/7 turnout. She could have hay when she wanted and paired with daily lunging and hacking she calmed down a lot.
Good luck

 

[LucyPriory]

I agree re alfalfa and pasture mix - stop feeding these.

A good quality mineral mix eg Pro Hoof or Forage Plus and just enough unmolassed beet to put it in with ad lib hay.

My own mare was due to be PTS after years of veterinary intervention etc for behavioural problems - she was declared 'evil' and a 'witch'. The only real issue she had was being fed the wrong sort of food for her. On the correct diet she is fine.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

My own mare was due to be PTS after years of veterinary intervention etc for behavioural problems - she was declared 'evil' and a 'witch'. The only real issue she had was being fed the wrong sort of food for her. On the correct diet she is fine.

I've had one of those - she was like a different horse when we stopped feeding her the things she couldn't tolerate. Interestingly, the only thing available at the time, that we could feed her was alfalfa cobs. Although when she settled to the new regime, we realised that she didn't need any supplementary feed and held her weight well on ad-lib hay.

 

[Toast]

I agree re alfalfa and pasture mix - stop feeding these.

A good quality mineral mix eg Pro Hoof or Forage Plus and just enough unmolassed beet to put it in with ad lib hay.

My own mare was due to be PTS after years of veterinary intervention etc for behavioural problems - she was declared 'evil' and a 'witch'. The only real issue she had was being fed the wrong sort of food for her. On the correct diet she is fine.

I don't mean this to be a personal dig LucyPriory bit I'm amazed you got that far before you thought to assess her diet. It's a huge pet hate of mine when people don't do a bit of research into what they're putting into their horses. Just last week I heard of a 6 yo pony mare on my old yard who is crippled with laminitis in all four feet because the owners deem it necessary to feed her competition mix twice a day when the only competition she was doing was a local ridden show once every blue moon.
It baffles me that people are content feeding heavily molassed mixes etc without knowing how it's affecting their horse and how their body is utilising it.
Sorry to hijack and have a rant, I don't mean it personally Lucy!!

 

[Slightly Foxed]

Aargh, the feed companies have persuaded us that our horses all need hard feed; most of them don't. Starch can have an extremely bad effect on a horse's behaviour. As others have said, allow the mare access to good quality forage and may be add some vitamins and minerals to her diet in the form of a forage balancer.

Most of us grossly ove r estimate the level of work our horses are doing and over feed accordingly.

 

[Klix]

She is not malice in any way, I just thought I'd point out as everyone is now drifting she is not dangerous in anyway, she is bred to do a job which she is not doing and I feel she needs to be doing.

She IS NOT BEING PTS under ANY circumstances! As I say it's more me than her.

I am 99% certain of her treatment as a yearling to the present day, education wise and veterinary as she was a one of my allocated horses I have been the one that has broken her and educated from a 3yo.

She is not usually Marish or particularly difficult at a specific time of each month, part of her is being over opinionated I think!!

But my conclusion is that I will change her feed ASAP and perserver for another month/two and see how we get on. If things haven't started to improve I will consider a sale.

Thanks,

 

[LucyPriory]

I don't mean this to be a personal dig LucyPriory bit I'm amazed you got that far before you thought to assess her diet. It's a huge pet hate of mine when people don't do a bit of research into what they're putting into their horses. Just last week I heard of a 6 yo pony mare on my old yard who is crippled with laminitis in all four feet because the owners deem it necessary to feed her competition mix twice a day when the only competition she was doing was a local ridden show once every blue moon.
It baffles me that people are content feeding heavily molassed mixes etc without knowing how it's affecting their horse and how their body is utilising it.
Sorry to hijack and have a rant, I don't mean it personally Lucy!!

ROFL - Don't worry I don't take it personally. I acquired her on the way to the burger lorry. The whole feeding saga was nothing to do with me. Prior to me she had been owned by equine 'professionals' who maybe should have known better?

My vet phoned her old vets (he's a gem) and got the whole story about evil and witch etc. He told me 'You won't fix this one.' But it wasn't long after he changed his tune. And recently when we were dressing a kick injury he admitted to being wrong about her and was impressed with how well behaved she was.

I changed her feed because to me it was b. obvious and I wanted her barefoot.

I had a shed load of work to do with her because she had been badly handled at some point but that's another story.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Just to make it clear Toast, althought I didn't take offence either, it is almost 30 yrs since I bought that mare, aged 4. She was 12 when we finally realised what the problem was and at that time, it was impossible to find unmolassed feeds or any kind of feed aimed at food intolerant horses. There is much more information available now and a greater variety of feeds. I now try to spread the message whenever I can.

 

[SCMSL]

OP, could you possibly lunge her before you ride? If helps establish manners and helps them get some of than extra humpf out before we get on. My mare is finally getting to a point where she feeling good and healthy (we've dabbled with ulcers for over a year) and as a consequence has become quite the difficult horse to deal with. We are changing her feed, but in the meanwhile lunging has been a life-saver.

 

[Toast]

I appreciate that pearlisasinger, perhaps it's because, as I am only 22, I have never had to deal with horses fed heavily molassed feeds and feeds that are unsuitable for intolerant horses and there being no alternative as for me there's always has been an alternative. But the point I was trying to make was that there are now feeds for every eventuality and now the information is there, there's no excuse for ignorance. I didn't mean to sound like I was pointing the finger. Sorry!!

 

[EstherYoung]

I think it's only fair to tell the old owner if you do sell her, even if legally there's nothing they can do about it.

A couple of thoughts though - I've had a skeggy through your old posts and she came off box rest in January and she'd started chewing wood on box rest? Was she as stressy before the box rest? I'm not normally one to leap on the 'ulcers' bandwagon but maybe that is something you should consider. Also, the weather is foul at the moment when everything in our horses' bodies is telling them that it should be spring. Ours are a bit narky at the moment - although he's being very good about it, Spud feels like an unexploded bomb. I certainly wouldn't make any final judgements about behaviour for a few weeks, at least until it has warmed up a bit and they are able to stay out a bit and chill.

 

[Klix]

Thankyou estheryoung, although iv considered it she has shown no signs of stress in the stable field or hen being tacked up, it's as soon as my bum hits the saddle it's as if iv electrocuted her!! I will say again all of her saddle teeth ect have been checked so there is nothing physically wrong, as people have said it is probably something as simple as her diet now she is doing a bit more work. SCMSL, lunging her winds her up more and in trying to keep everything as simple and not five her a reason to act up - thanks for the thought though!!

 

[Regandal]

Thankyou estheryoung, although iv considered it she has shown no signs of stress in the stable field or hen being tacked up, it's as soon as my bum hits the saddle it's as if iv electrocuted her!! I will say again all of her saddle teeth ect have been checked so there is nothing physically wrong, as people have said it is probably something as simple as her diet now she is doing a bit more work. SCMSL, lunging her winds her up more and in trying to keep everything as simple and not five her a reason to act up - thanks for the thought though!!

What's she like when you go to mount? I'd be inclined to get a different saddle fitter out, or her back thoroughly checked. There's always a reason for broncing! M

 

[Honey08]

Alfalfa and pasture mix. There's your problem.

Get her on something less heating, those are both rocket fuel!!!

I'm going to be the one that goes against the crowd. I took my two off the above because they were fat, and put them on a low cal balancer and dengie lite instead. It didn't make a jot of difference to the temprement of either my hot mare or laid back gelding..

I think the mare is
(a) Over fit. Doing as much work as my mare was when eventing.. Perhaps bring the work load down and see if she relaxes?
(b) Five. My gelding went through a bolshy, bouncy, cocky stage then, and returned to his usual laid back self at seven!

But, if you're not feeling that your connection is great, there is nothing wrong with selling her. I would perhaps email the old owner, saying you are not getting on with her, the mare has been sound and well so you couldn't possibly put her down, but you will find a wonderful home for her, and of course give her (the old owner) first option if she wants to buy her back.

 

[Klix]

Absolutely fine to get on. She has always liked to bronc... Even in the field!! I think it's her way of releasing energy. As other have pointed I'm steered in the way of diet with this one..

 

[indie999]

As long as she isnt a loon ie pts I would sell her rather than kill her just cos the owner said that. Perhaps they didnt want her falling into the wrong hands which is fair enough.But if she is sound sell her. You own her do whats in her best interest. Just cos you dont want her doesnt mean PTS.Crazy havent read all the thread just OP post.

 

[putasocinit]

Simple systems lucie nuts, horses will become sharp when getting fit then they will peak off to a normal fitness she could be going through this period, change feed, if you really dont want her sell her, but it would be nice if you could be happy again and enjoy her, life is short.

 

[Klix]

Indie, i have already said she would not be pts. It is what the prev owner said to me, not what I want or intent to do

 

[Jools2345]

your horse your choice

personally i would cut out the mix and the alfalfa and not give her any 'bucket feed for a month and see if things change-it cant do any harm. all horses react differently to different feed stuff so for me cutting out what you are feeding and replacing it with something else may mean you just feed her something that affects her in a different way but giving her nothing prevents that

 

[Klix]

Thank you putasocinit I will ofcourse give her a bit more time, I wanted opinions more on what the prev owner had told me !

 

[Flame_]

If I agreed to take on a horse on the condition that if I didn't want it then I had it PTS, if I didn't want it I'd have it pts, unless it was, like, after at least a couple of years and the horse then had a lot going for it, then I'd use my own judgement.

 

[Baileybones]

Agree with others re alfalfa - turns one of my girls into a total space cadet!

I did find myself in a similar situation with my girl (my post dangerous mare is on here somewhere) and I also found myself not wanting to ride. .
I know my situation was different as my mare was a danger so selling wasn't an option but long story short once I had a plan I decided to ride everyday for 1 month and if at the end we still didn't like each other then I'd call it a day. First week was horrid and I felt sick all day at the thought of riding her,second week was a little easier. Third week I was on her one day before I realised I'd got on without the feeling of dread. Last week of the month we had a breakthrough and I was having a horrid day at work and found myself actually looking forward to riding her that night!
If you do read my thread you'll see that my girl is now my horse of a lifetime but it did take us a few years to get there. People are right that this should be fun but if I hadn't have persevered I'd have missed out on my greatest friend. Good luck with whatever you decide x