Meeting other horses out hacking

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EJ87

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Ok so where I hack my mare its down a country lane but it used alot by an equestrian centre for hacking and alot of their horse graze the field on either side of the lane. My mare has her own paddock not shared by another horse but can see other horses all the time and rides regularily with other horses. When out hacking and she comes across another horse either walking towards her or in the field she starts to get a bit worked up will raise her head really high,nicker or on occassion squeal and if the other horses (in the field) start to run she gets very excited and very difficult to hold or walk past. What is my best way to deal with this exciting behaviour and do you think she would bronk off on me and she feels like she wants to expolde beneath me, when she sees other horses?
 
As an experiment, if she was mine I would be looking to get a field companion for her for 3 months and see if she still exhibits the same behaviour when out hacking on your own??
It would be worth eliminating this at least, then you can be fairly sure that she needs a bit of training or something to correct it if indeed it is behavioural/sillyness.

My lad lives on his own but can see other horses in the next field but has never been interested in other horses we meet out hacking or passing in the fields...when they whinney to him, he ignores them and does not even respond.
 
My boy will prance and whinney to other horses despite living out in a herd. He has never tanked off or attempted to go to the others he just liked making friends when we are out and about. Maybe if you are able to relax she will too.
 
Fat basil is a big believer of there is no such thing as strangers, only friends he has yet to meet...

however 2 years on and i know that as excited as he can be when he sees other horses out hacking its only noise and at worst a faster walk as he tries to catch up so i dont really mind anymore
 
My Big Ears doesn't realise she's a horse - she ignores all other horses she sees when we're out riding. However, I've come to the conclusion she must think she's a cow (she has lived with them in the past) because whenever she hears a cow bellow in the distance she suddenly wakes up and has to get to it asap! She just loves the cows!
 
I think maybe mares are worse, do you know when her seasons are? My gelding just neighs a bit and jogs slightly if loose horses are galloping along the fence etc. Can't blame him!

My old share mare used to get very excited at the sight of other horses out hacking, most of the time if I had the chance I would turn off the bridleway and get away from them as it was a real effort to stop her tanking right towards them and then I don't really know what would have happened... who knows maybe it would have been a little prance and she would have been satisfied but I didn't want to impose her behaviour on anyone else! She would settle down if I could hold her back until they were out of sight round the track etc.. She would be excitable cantering in company but otherwise very good, lived out with one gelding (her son in fact). She wasn't too bad going past fields of horses, a little bit looky and nappy/joggy but it depended if the other horses would run along the fence etc or just look over. Ah she was a lovely mare, I miss her!

Not a lot of help but just my experience, you will probably be OK if you can keep her back to let the other horses get away ahead, but might be a bit hairy if you meet less considerate riders out there :-\ She will prob get used to horses in fields but try to practise where there is less traffic I think :-)
 
my horse completely freaks out if he sees any other horses while he is hacking out! :confused:
He will do everything he can to get away from them and is so scared he will tremble!
usually I have to get off inbetween bounces and lead him past the area where he has spotted the other horses until he realises they have disapeared! then he is ok!
He is the same whether he is with others or alone :confused:
 
Ditto pottamus.

My horse was exactly the same, to the point we had him checked to see if he was a rig. He would rear, buck, strike out, start doing a giraffe's version of piaffe etc etc!

Once I had him put in with another horse, the behaviour almost completely stopped. Now I can hack him out with other horses and he acts like the other horse isn't even there.

As for the "unacceptable behaviour" bit - I really don't see anything unacceptable about what the horse is doing. She's simply getting excited and apart from beating two shades of daylight out of her (which will undoubtedly make the whole situation worse) there is really nothing you can do, bar repetition repetition repetition.
 
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