Moved yards and my mare is liek a different horse. Not in a good way.

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Hi!

This is long.

I've had my mare almost 5 months now. This week we moved to our third and hopefully final yard.

When I first got her she was very green in the school. It took me a few months to even be confident cantering her in the school, or hacking out alone. We were at the first yard for a month and then moved to our second yard. This yard had a great routine, and she settled on the ground very quickly. They were all out during the day and in at night. Individual turnout. SHe is a joy to handle. Very very easy indeed. she tok longer to settle riding her, but we came on leaps and bounds and are jumping and everything. I was so pleased, but had to move yards. Money problems.

So this weekend we moved to a new yard.

They're all out 24/7 over the summer. She is in her own paddock at the moment until she gets used to teh other horses (there are only 5 others, all mares). On Sunday she barged through the electric fence into the field with the other horses. It was really windy, and she hates the wind, but this is really unilke her. She's used to individual turnout, and has never done anything like this before.

Last night I had some real problems. I brought her in, and she just wouldn't stand still when I tied her up. She was prancing around and normally she's such a sweetie on the ground, just dozes off while I'm tacking her up and stuff. I could hardly pick out her feet. I lunged her to let her see the school and try and stick to the routine I'm going to have, and she was a prat.

Then one of the other liveries brought her two horses in for dinner and a brush and she settled right down. Lunged lovely. Then as soon as they went out again she was all unsettled again.

I rugged her up and put her out and normally she stands lovely to take the headcollar off, but she was pulling and cantered off as soon as I let her go.

This morning she was in the wrong field again, she was back in her old one. The gate between the two had been left open though. Caught her and brought her up to teh gate, and tied her up there so she could still see the other horses and took her rug off and looked her over. And she was fine. So I thought I'd take her up to the yard and tie her up and just make a fuss of her for a bit, so tied her up outside her stable and gave her a scratch for about 30 secs and she stood nicely so I untied her and put her back out.

This is just so unlike her. I'm worred about riding her. This is her third yard since I've had her and this is the worst she's been yet. Just feel like I've taken about a million steps backwards with her and it;s going to be a battle for another 5 months until she settles again.

Maybe I'm overreacting and worrying too much, but right now this feels like the wrong decision.

I guess I'm hoping some other people have had a horse that this has happened to, and has turned out fine. I'm just worried cos this is the worst reaction I've seen from her, and I really wish I hadn't done this.

ANyone got any words of reassurance or wisdom?

Cookies if you got this far!
 
I would say that the fact you have only owned her for 5 months and moved 3 x to different yards, might be your issue! Going to a new owner would be enough without always moving home as well, she probably hasnt built up the trust with yourself yet, so maybe doesnt feel able to rely on you about her insecurities regarding her new surroundings! I would recommend that you stick to a routine as much as you can and try to find a home that suits both of you and allow her time to connect, trust and rely on you making the right decisions for her! Hope she settles soon and you both thrive with your new relashionship
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A friend has a stressy warmblood mare and whenever she has a change in routine she is a PITA! Give her a couple of weeks and she will imrove, I'm sure. I think she feels insecure so wants to be with the herd, which is completely natural if not so good for us.Keep doing what you did today so she sees you aren't taking her from the herd except to do nice things - maybe into the yard, a small feed and straight back out. Gradually make it longer. Don't ride her if you don't want to until she has settled.
You'll both be fine.
 
It can take them a while to settle in to a new yard, is this one busier than your old yard as that can put them up a notch too? You may also find that she wants to be with the herd as they are herd horses and so once she's in there and settles down she will be a lot happier. A friend of mine always said not to ride a horse for 2 weeks after moving yards to give them time to settle- I've not always done this, just played it by ear really....

When I got my old mare last year she was a donkey when I tried her, moved her to a new yard and she turned into a nutter. She was in quarantine for 10 days with another new mare and get terrible separation anxiety when they were apart, so much so I was scared to bring her in sometimes. They were then put in separate fields and my mare went nuts and did a tendon so was on box rest for 3 months. In that time she did settle down, it did take a few weeks, although to be honest she never went back to being the mare that I tried before I bought her. I lost my confidence with her as after 3 months in the box she did get a bit nutty again, so she went to live with a friend on a very small quiet yard and actually turned back to the donkey she was when I tried her.

Give her time, I'm sure she'll settle down
 
"Caught her and brought her up to teh gate, and tied her up there so she could still see the other horses and took her rug off and looked her over. And she was fine. So I thought I'd take her up to the yard and tie her up and just make a fuss of her for a bit, so tied her up outside her stable and gave her a scratch for about 30 secs and she stood nicely so I untied her and put her back out."

It sounds like she's starting to settle already. I wouldn't worry too much just give her a bit of time. If she's had individual turnout with proper fencing before and now it was just electric fencing maybe she just realised it was easy to get to the other horses. Maybe hack her out with one of the other horses the first few times you ride her?
 
It is probably all the changes she is reacting to. Three yards in just a few months is a lot. Hopefully she will be back to her old self in a week or two.
 
hi i think it is with moving yards 3x that dos not help with you ony haviong her 5 months she will have only just got to trust you!also i found with my horse when there ot 24/7 this really does not help because they all get attached to each other and never want to be seperated! so what i found to do which worked was 12 hours in the stable and 12 hours out in the field this way she is interacting with you and away from the horses and she is also getting time to relax and spend times with her buddies in the field! they do say at least 6 weeks for a horse to settle onto a new yard! hope things get better for you soon asi do know what this problem is like!
 
Is the new yard quieter or busier than your old yard? I can't keep my boy on a small yard; he's used to big yards and just won't settle unless he's somewhere busy. He likes the current yard as more than half of the horses are racehorses, so there is always at least a few horses in whenever he's in. He was like yours on a smaller yard, just panics, so I have to keep him on a big yard.

I'm sorry to say that I don't agree re. giving her time to settle in. IMHO she will either settle or she won't - mine didn't like our old yard so he never settled but when we moved, he settled in straight away (by the second day it was like he'd been there all of his life). It probably doesn't help that you've moved her so many times since you've had her, she probably feels quite unsettled anyway. I agree with whoever it was who said she doesn't fully trust you - try doing some groundwork with her, establish the boundaries and show her that you're the boss so she knows you are in charge. If you are nervy around her when she behaves like this, she'll pick up on it and it will most likely make things worse. She needs consistent messages and boundaries (I went through this with my old horse when we moved yards years ago - I let him get away with murder "because he needs time to settle" and it causes no end of problems).
 
Gosh you must give her some time. She is just unsettled and into a different routine. Just be consistent I am sure she will settle down, you are only just getting to know her yourself.

I firmly believe that it can take up to a year or even more to know a horse really well. Five months is not a long time, relax! I know it is upsetting and worrying, I have been there too.

Incidentally is the electricity actually on?
 
Many thanks for all the replies. I'll try to answer some of your questions!

ribena73, this yard is quieter than my other yard. Less horses too, and all mares - she used to be a nightmare around the boys when she was in season!

chestnut cob, I'm not letting her get away with anything! I've got her stright into the routine that she will have till they all come in this winter, and am not putting up with anything silly at all.

pinkweasel, the electricity was on.

I realise that I've moved her too much, but the first move was out of my control - yard closed due to owner pregnancy. This move has been financial primarily, but also think it's better that she lives out during the summer, and the hacking is much better at this new yard. Also have loads of horsey friends close by.

I'm feeling stressed by all this, so can imagine how my horsey is feeling. Just hoping she doesn't become one of those horses that can't leave the others. Can't be dealing with that.
 
I don't think you should worry too much. My horse was Miss Goody-Two-Shoes at her last yard, then I bought her and she turned into hooligan horse for a while, jumping fences and gates to get to wherever she fancied, messing about and screaming when being brought in etc. After a few weeks she calmed right down and is now back to her old goody-two-shoes self again.

I disagree with whoever said horses either settle or they dont - I do think horses need time to settle; they love routine, and routine keeps them settled. Upset the routine (and the surroundings) and you have to expect them to be unsettled for a while. Doesn't mean you have to accept naughtiness, just helps to know that there's an underlying reason for any uncharacteristic behaviour. Hope she settles soon!
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