Mare playing up but only at home

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toffeesmarty

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We have a lovely 14hh 4 year old mare.
We have started her ourselves and are very experienced with young horses.
She is an angel to hack out, at shows, loading etc however when she is schooled at home she will not go out of walk without trying to rear or spin round. If she does go in to trot she wants to rush off and has galloped at full tilt. She is very sensitive around the area behind her elbow which makes it very difficult to put legs on and as with horses her age her teeth are still coming through.
We have tried everything to get her to move forward withiut her either going up or rushing away. The weird thing is she only behaves like this at home. We have tried hacking her first and she is better but at her age she tires easily and we need to take her education up a bit which is difficult if you cant school!
We are having an equine sports massager to her tomorrow as she does have some tightness around her 'sensitive' area. Her saddle fits well and she shows no discomfort under or around the saddle.
Has anyone experienced similar problems? My daughter is an excellent jockey but gets very upset when she can't take her out of walk incase she sees the world through her ears!
 
If she's fine hacking just do a bit of schooling on hacks for now. If she's tiring easily on hacks now, she won't be up to doing much in the school anyway. You can try again in the school once she's more confident. I take it she was 4 this spring/summer just gone? And when was she backed & when first ridden away?
 
Thanks for your replies. She was backed and turned away at the end of last year (when she was 3). Came back into work in April then had 1 mionth on 1 month over the summer. She has been to several shows both under saddle and in hand and was ridden Champion twice!
She is absolutely fine on long lining and the lunge. We are sure it is related to pressure from the leg against her sides but she only reacts at home regardless of on grass (our fields are very dry) or school surface.
 
We have tried hacking her first and she is better but at her age she tires easily and we need to take her education up a bit which is difficult if you cant school!
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She doesn't really need to be doing that much in the school really - and her lack of strength both physically and mentally at this stage will be your problem.

Hack her out - you can do so much with during a quiet hour's hack - without them even realising that you're doing it.
 
Thanks all.
Just had her checked by eguine massage therapist. As soon as she put any pressure on her neck she went up and displayed the same signs we see under saddle. Took lots of treatrment but eventually she became much softer and relaxed. Looks like it was pain related all the time.
Will see how we go on from now.
 
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