Just brought a new one...advice!

[vieshot]

Having promised myself I wouldnt buy another horse.......ive just brought (well exchange money wednesday) a 14.2hh, 7yo welsh section D mare. Now in so many ways shes fantastic, perfect in every way on the ground clip, shoe, box, catch etc. Take her in a school, in a field, to a show etc and shes great having jumped decent size (3'3-3'6) courses at shows and jumped around 5ft at home (single jump- not the same thing I know) and I dont doubt that she has some real potential.

Now her issue. Hacking. Ive known her since she was a youngster and when she was hacked as a baby she was good as gold, a real quiet mare but as we were teenagers we did a fair bit of galloping about! Now she is very strong, can rear and I think is generally just wanting to go ALL the time, quite uptight and stroppy. (as far as I can gather, i dont know having not really seen her out hacking properly for a few years) I saw her current owner ride her past my yard a few months ago and she was playing up a bit then doing mini rears and just being a bit of a prat. Now non of this behaviour bothers me, im not worried by it but obviously all the same, I want to fix it and be able to get her to the point where she will relax out hacking. I think shes been being ridden in a pelham with roundings or was atleast last time I saw her ridden (am buying her untried, her owner is very honest about her issues).

My first thought was go back to basics, just walk anywhere and everywhere, dont make anything exciting and try and get it through to her that hacking doesnt always mean going fast!

What would be your approach?

 

[Chestnutmare]

Are you having the mare vetted?
I would suggest checking the obvious 1st to eliminate any pain involved then take things really slowly with her sounds like she needs to unwind herself a bit
Assess her feed, do you know what she is fed? is what she's getting needed? or cut down on etc?.
Just pointing out the real obvious 1st steps...get tack checked, does she need the pelham what about a softer bit? etc

Hack her out with a real total plod to possibly calm her down?
small steps I think to chill her out or she could quite possibly be one of those horses that are always up in the air anyway? as you said she used to gallop about alot....maybe she's adapted to this way of things?.

 

[Brandy]

Hmm good luck! She sounds very welsh to me!

While I understand the idea of hacking with a total plod, this only wound my welsh up more, as we were constantly having to stop and wait for the other horse to catch up, or it trotted up behind us which also didn't help.

I would agree that walking a lot will help, some school to see what you can do about the pelham - if she needs it or could change to something milder. One thing I found worked was going in the school and walking on a circle in the middle, moving with the horse and using alternate legs to encourage him to walk out, and letting the reinout til he was on the buckle (and gritting my teeth) I would do this for 10 minutes or so, changing direction, and it completely chilled him out. I can oftengo into the same 'mode' while out hacking by doing the same thing.

 

[vieshot]

No I wont be getting her vetted and I dont assume it to be as a result of poorly fitting tack- I dont doubt the current owner has gone down all these avenues but its because shes so perfect in any other situation, jumping a corse etc, its just the hacking.
She will be fed what everything else on the yard is fed. Chaff, soaked grass nuts and sugar beet. I try to avoid 'mix' wherever possible and she will get good quality haylage.

I honestly think she just needs to chill out and I can see it taking a fair while to get her to that point!

 

[Jackobean]

Sounds very much like my Welshie - my fault for tanking about on her so much when she was in the early stages of her education.

I think you have the right idea about slowing her down - I had to totally slow my mare down as I decided I wanted to show her & tearing around the ring at 100 miles mph wasn't a good look! I managed to do this by walking everywhere, making her ride somewhat boring, no bridlepaths, etc. I live next to a beach so I would take her there & only there for a blast about once a week & she soon learned that the beach was her fun place, the road was where she had to be calm (or calmer as she's scatty anyway!) I found my mare became more wound up if she wasn't allowed the odd blast - working along the lines of 'give & take' suited us.

I also did a lot of road work so she became bored of it I think. It soon took the sparkle & excitement out of being out & about when she was doing it every day!

Hacking out in company isn't great for us (although we do do it at times) as she either tries to race or gets fed up with something too slow, she is also a lot more spooky for some reason.

I hunt her every winter which makes her very fizzy in the school, out hacking, etc. I have resigned myself to the fact that this is how she is in Winter, as soon as the season ends I spend about a month 'chilling out' and she's back to normal - until the autumn of course!

Also - when he is having a 'mental' day, I find totally ignoring her behaviour & riding her on a really loose rein helps. If I hold on to her & tell her off, talk to her , etc she gets more tense & wound up, if I'm relaxed & riding relaxed, she does respond to that.

Hope this helps? Good luck