Redders
Well-Known Member
So my mare is usually a sweetie, not nasty in anyway and has good manners. She is 5 and I am bringing her in slowly with the help of a wonderful instructor and things are going really well. She really is a happy sweet mare who will follow me like a puppy when I poo pick her field. farrier, dentist etc all been done recently and regularly, no pain issues or anything like that and she also gets physio (my instructor is also a physio and my mare really enjoys it) she lunges absolutely fine, textbook really but will have the odd buck in canter which we put down to being young excited and unbalanced. Nothing major. I have been riding and owned/worked with horses for about 20 years, with some non horsey periods. I decided to lunge her today, in ménage off her head collar ( is this my mistake? although we have done t like this before no issue) initially she was fine, but was watching out for whatever was making the noise over the hill ( found out later it was a huge digger scraping hardcore)
Then as she went around the side with the noise, she spooked, bucked and cantered off (I had to ditch the lunge line- I know vvv bad of me but I couldn't hold her and didn't want to be dragged, and it wasn't attached to her mouth). Went to get her, walked her around close to me then sent her on a larger circle (not using a whip) and it happened again in the same place, only this time she appeared to chase me?! I KNOW that this was the wrong reaction, but it did kind of freak me out and I couldn't figure out what was causing it making it all v unpredictable for me, so I ran and darted out from the school! Benny Hill moment really. She turned and trotted to the gate and I went and got her and just walked her in hand around the Arena for a bit as didn't want to risk reinforcing the behaviour and we called it a day, she was sweet as anything and we spent sometime grooming etc in the stable.
My question is- did she act up like this because she was scared of something she couldn't see (this is what I think) and not a permanent change in her behaviour
Did she appear to chase me because she was being aggressive and wanted to hurt me (I really hope not) or because I am her leader and she was looking for reassurance (and I ran like a pansy) her ears weren't back, they were alert
What should I do in this situation again ?( I know I should have made myself big and stood my ground, as I have done with others but it just really took me by surprise!)
I am going to get my instructor to lunge with me next time as back up but just wondered what people would offer on here?
Then as she went around the side with the noise, she spooked, bucked and cantered off (I had to ditch the lunge line- I know vvv bad of me but I couldn't hold her and didn't want to be dragged, and it wasn't attached to her mouth). Went to get her, walked her around close to me then sent her on a larger circle (not using a whip) and it happened again in the same place, only this time she appeared to chase me?! I KNOW that this was the wrong reaction, but it did kind of freak me out and I couldn't figure out what was causing it making it all v unpredictable for me, so I ran and darted out from the school! Benny Hill moment really. She turned and trotted to the gate and I went and got her and just walked her in hand around the Arena for a bit as didn't want to risk reinforcing the behaviour and we called it a day, she was sweet as anything and we spent sometime grooming etc in the stable.
My question is- did she act up like this because she was scared of something she couldn't see (this is what I think) and not a permanent change in her behaviour
Did she appear to chase me because she was being aggressive and wanted to hurt me (I really hope not) or because I am her leader and she was looking for reassurance (and I ran like a pansy) her ears weren't back, they were alert
What should I do in this situation again ?( I know I should have made myself big and stood my ground, as I have done with others but it just really took me by surprise!)
I am going to get my instructor to lunge with me next time as back up but just wondered what people would offer on here?