Need some advice on loan pony

tillsmum

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Hi I have a loan pony that has some issues and I am at a loss what to do to help her.
The things I know about her are that before her owner brought her she waear the bottom of the pecking order so was thin when they got her. While they had her there daughter mainly rode around the farm, she had lessons on her and used to hack her down the road to a woodland to ride with her friend. Apparently her and her cousin used to spend lots of time playing with the ponies and she went to a couple of local shows.
When I went to see her she was stuck in the back a dark shed with a tb next to her. She seemed very depressed and had bad gravel and was been eaten alive by midges and had rubbed her mane neck and tail but not broken the skin at all. Her whole body was covered in scurf and she just stood there with her head against my chest. oh and she was a bit thin.
So we decided she seemed like she had a nice temperment and was worth ago so we collected her a couple of days later. While leading her to the trailer she did lots of snorting but didn't shy or act silly in any other way.
Since we have had her home we have spent month getting her sound again, her coat is glowing and she has happily been ridden by both adults and my daughters who she is for. But she has terrible issues and I am at a loss on how to help her. She can't be stabled near other horses cause she constantly charges the walls between them, kicks out and stresses. So we built her another stable and although she can see the others if she wants she isn't next to anyone. She is very stressy about food and will be protective of it but if she is stressing about anything she won't eat as she feels the need to charge at anyone and anything that pass her or look at her. She is very snorty wherever she goes even walking to and from the field but still doesn't really do anything. In the last month or so when she has had more turnout so in therory she should be better she has started shying at things when being ridden. Yesterday she jumped into the main road with my 8 yr old on her because a dog was looking at her. (My horse had already past and not reacted at all). We tried to walk over a low horse gate which my horse, the 11.2hh managed but she **** herself and jumped it (she has been over it before). And she has also instead of threatening but being respectful if you enter her stable she has been more serious about it. Even kicking out at me as I closed her door the other day when she was eating.

Sorry this is very long but does anyone have any ideas where to go. She has only ever not put her ears back at us maybe 3 times in 6 months but at her owners house there was no evidence of this. She obviously is insecure about something but I have run out of ideas on how to make her life better. My daughter adores her but I am starting to worry about her saftey but on the other hand really don't want to send her back to be neglected. HELP any advice wecolmed.
 

maree t

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Hi, we took in a mare that had been underfed quite substantialy. She is very protective of food but that has calmed down now. The other main thing is she is a MARE !!. She usually has a horrid first season of the year and then it all settles back down. I found it has taken a long while for her to settle and relax with us. her mane and tail had been eaten by the other two that were also underweight. We try and just avoid situations that cause her stress , she is never fed with other equines about , she has taken a while to truly trust us. Mine are also being a bit stupid at the moment which usually starts with the change of coats. Perhaps this is the trouble ? Has she come into season or due to ?
 

Littlelegs

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She could just be very protective over food because of her history. But combined with the spooking & snorting it might be worth getting a vet to check her eyesight. Also what are you feeding her? I'd cut any hard feed out for a few weeks & see if its perhaps too high in energy.
 

tillsmum

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This is going to sound stupid but I thought she had a couple of weeks ago because she was being ridiculous and flying of the handle at everything and seriously threatening anyone who walked in the shed to the extent she was bucking in the stable which she hasn't done since she moved to the new one but she hasn't chilled out again. I am just getting very concerned about her hurting one of the kids cause her child doesn't read body language at all and will carry on being nice and trying to pick her feet out when the pony is trying to pin her in the corner also she is not a good rider and all this shying the pony has started doing is going to get her off eventually. I just keep thinking what would have happened if something was flying past us on Saturday when the pony shot into the road????? Gosh being a parent is stressful.
 

tillsmum

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She has hifi molasses free and half a scoop of baileys no. 4 oh and a scopp of stroppy mare which makes no difference but has been on it all winter cause she can't keep her weight on cause of the stressing. I am very suspicious it could be her ovaries as my old mare got cystic ovaries and the symptoms are very similar. But how do I open that can of worms with a loan horse.
 

Grumpy Jewel

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My mare is similar in a sense. She was very agitated around feeding times. She would charge the door, air bite, kick the wall or out in general and squeal. She isn't as bad now, but she is a moody cow generally, but I made sure things where done to keep her stressing to a minimum. Not much help though, sorry.
 

kellybee

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Personally I'd say with her history she's bound to be protective of her feed. In terms of behaviour wonder if 1) she has eyesight problems and 2) whether she's lacking in something mineral wise. My shetland mare was pure evil last spring until we started supplementing her with mag ox. She's also on oestroban which seems to work much better than stroppy mare.

Not suggesting that's what she's lacking, but mineral deficiencies can cause flightiness and behavioural changes.
 

Adopter

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She has hifi molasses free and half a scoop of baileys no. 4 oh and a scopp of stroppy mare which makes no difference but has been on it all winter cause she can't keep her weight on cause of the stressing. I am very suspicious it could be her ovaries as my old mare got cystic ovaries and the symptoms are very similar. But how do I open that can of worms with a loan horse.

I would get vet to check her, it might be something that can be solved. At least you could rule out your suspicions, but you might be right. Seems strange for pony to change so much, unless it is food and her starting to feel better.

When I have both loaned out and as now am the loaner, I would expect the person keeping pony to call vet and sort problems, but keep owner informed if it is serious. Have you insured pony for vet.
 

tillsmum

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Thank you for all the suggestions i have emailed the owner about getting the vet out as i have raised concerns about het behaviour on a few occasions and never really had a straight answer on weather its normal or not. So will wait for her to reply and then get the vet to come and check her over and run some bloods.
 

Aarrghimpossiblepony

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As posters have said get the vet out to check her.

But there's the possibility that this is how she was and the reason for the neglect is because the owners couldn't cope or couldn't be bothered to cope. And what you saw in her was not her nature but the result of being underfed and neglected to the point she didn't have the energy to resist.

I wouldn't let the children deal with her at all on their own until you get to the bottom of why she is behaving like this and some kind of program to change the behaviour.

But IMO you owe her the chance to become a trusting pony. There's only one way she is heading if you give up on her.
But it may mean you have to go right back to basics and I would think some kind of behavoural professional.
 

tillsmum

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Well i was right. She has a thickened uterus so vet suspects shes constantly cycling and wants to either put a cedar/prid in for 14days or start her on regumate to get her cycling again. Lets hope she will now be able to relax a bit and chill out so she can be a happy pony and enjoy the attention the girls lavish on her.
 

tillsmum

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Wouldn't that be nice but doubt it since they never noticed anything was wrong when they had her and were quite happy to watch her hobbling with gravel in three feet. Just glad my hubby is an understanding man
 

maree t

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Hi hope this works, we tried regumate and it did settle her into a normal cycle which is fine now. we only needed one course and now she is fine . Hope it works
 

Pearlsasinger

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She has hifi molasses free and half a scoop of baileys no. 4 oh and a scopp of stroppy mare which makes no difference but has been on it all winter cause she can't keep her weight on cause of the stressing. I am very suspicious it could be her ovaries as my old mare got cystic ovaries and the symptoms are very similar. But how do I open that can of worms with a loan horse.
Take her off all the feedstuff and just give her ad-lib hay for 3 weeks. I think that you will see a gret deal of difference in her behaviour. If you feel then that she needs more feed add in grassnuts and dried grass chaff. If she stilll needs something extra give her Speedibeet. I used to have mare which couldn't have sugar or cereals andwe have one now which can't tolerate alfalfa. Both caused behaviour problems. The sugar/cereals one had been under-fed and then fed up too quickly, which had affected her digestive system quite severely. She was very proud of her food, even hay for about 2 yrs before she setteld down with us. Many mares can't tolerate alfalfa.
Good luck, you need to be very careful as she is supposed to be a child's pony.

ETA - read on to update. Glad you've found a cause for the probelm but I would still chnge the diet. Alfala contains phyto-oestrogens which can affect mares very badly and I should think would have some influence on the lining of the uterus.
 
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Pigeon

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Could you stop giving her feeds? And let her have ad lib hay (or haylage if she's thin on hay, but it can make them go loopy) and see if this helps?
 

tillsmum

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She has had long periods of time where she has been on no feed and just haylage. I have been very careful with the feeding thing because of her being a kids pony and it honestly makes no difference. The only difference being she gets more stressed out at feeding time so i have to make sure feeds are mixed and ready by the time she comes in. But she is coming of feed now apart from when she has the regumate which she will have in a handful of hifi mollasses free
 

Adopter

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Well i was right. She has a thickened uterus so vet suspects shes constantly cycling and wants to either put a cedar/prid in for 14days or start her on regumate to get her cycling again. Lets hope she will now be able to relax a bit and chill out so she can be a happy pony and enjoy the attention the girls lavish on her.

Well done! At least you now have a handle on what you are dealing with and can plan accordingly. Hope the meds sort it out and as you say she and the children can be happy together.
 

Twinkley Lights

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Well done she is lucky to be with you:) I have a rescue mare who was really food protective and grumpy for quite a while she was also head shy. After a year or so we turned the corner and she is a lovely mare at times now ... but still a mare and has her stroppy days:rolleyes:
 

smellsofhorse

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I think you need to treat her like an unhandled youngster.
starts totally from scratch.
handling and rebacking her.
let her have peace when she eats.
keep in the same routine so she knows the drill.

Also have you had the vet check her over?
plus if she is really spooky for no reason get her eyes checked.
 
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