Mare playing up in the school!?

Equidarby

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My mare has never been much of a schooler, but she never used to play up!
to hack she is 100% - enjoys it the whole way round, listens to what I ask and genuinely couldn’t be a better horse. We hack for up to 5 hours sometimes.

in the school is another story, before I had her she was never really ‘schooled’ and was just a hacker -
but never used to be difficult. We have been at our yard for a year and a half now.

shes always been very lazy in the school but she did go round. the last couple months we have had snatching, throwing her head down pulling me out my seat, holding her head to the floor and resisting every time I ask for anything apart from walk. Walk is no problem ?‍♀️

I wandered if it was her back, teeth, saddle but all has been done recently and is up together apart from her saddle which was last checked just under a year ago.

out hacking we have absolutely no issues, walk, trot, canter, gallop all totally good as gold and I use the exact same tack.

she can sometimes get distracted by her friends as they can be seen up the hill from the school, is it her just playing up to go back to the field? Has anybody else had this? Anything else I should look into!?

shes and older girl so I dont do anything strenuous in the school but I like to do light work in there when we don’t hack.

thanks in advance!!
 

Oldernewbie

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I posted on here a while ago about my mare who had tried ‘every trick in the book’ In the school, but was great out hacking, unfortunately in the process of working her up for an injury the vet found severe hock arthritis which no doubt would have been making the school work hard for her. Incidentally she never looked lame but was sometimes stiff coming out of stable.
 

fredflop

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Get the saddle checked to start with.

What do you do when schooling? Endless circles? If so look up schooling exercises for her
 

Pearlsacarolsinger

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Thank you all - I am going to look into all options.
if it means she’s just happy hacking then that’s what we’ll do! ?


It might be worth asking the vet to prescribe some bute for the mare, as if she is struggling in the school, she might well start to feel sore in other places too. I am guessing that she is developing low grade age-related arthritis, which the anti-inflammatory will help.
 
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