Nervous older horse!- advice plz

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ladyribenaberet

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Hi there. I've recently taken on a project- a 23 year old dutch warmblood mare who hasn't been ridden for 2 years. She was initially retired and kept with a stable mate, but she got bored and jumped out of her field, severely gashing her hind pasterns in the process. She has made a miraculous and complete recovery- however she is now bored and fussing again and the owners need someone to ride her in case she decides to start jumping out!

Also, her stable mate had to be put to sleep about 5 months ago so she's been on her own since then.

I started by lunging her for a couple of weeks, then tacked her up last week (with a double numnah to counteract muscle wastage as she's really out of condition) and rode her around her field at walking pace a couple of times for 10 minutes a time. She was clearly surprised to have someone on her back and was a bit funny at first but relaxed a bit after a while. I did a few exercises- getting her to trot for a minute or two and then getting her to walk out and stretch etc.

However, yesterday afternoon I took her out of her field and rode her up the lane and she was very on edge. I spoke soothingly to her all the time but just the sight of a hedge alarmed her and she stopped dead! I rode her in a loop along a quiet road- not far as she's unshod at the moment- and she was spooking and jinking at everything like a young horse- not a veteran 23yr old who used to do cross country and endurance rides!

She's been through a lot and any advice you could give on how to get her back into work (and to relax) would be a huge help...

Oh, ideally I'd like to hack out in company as I think that would help- but no one in that area seems to have a horse- if any of you live near Danderhall just outside Edinburgh please let me know!!
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Thanks
 
Well she will be nervous etc if she hasn't done anything for 2 years. Id do more lunge work etc at the minute due to her muscle wastage, take her out for walks in hand etc, she will probably feel more confident with you walking with her instead of on her back too. Its all new again, try and do something everyday for her confidence and muscle.
 
I wouldn't recomment taking her out in hand, I did this with my old boy who suddenly turned into a lipizanna (sp) he'd been on a period of rest granted but I'll never do it again !

As you suggested yourself it would be better if you had company even if it was for the 1st few times. after mine was in with all the snow over xmas I had to make sure I went out with someone, he's 31 by the way and should know better but doesn't !

Also think about if she's having any hard feed, what she is having and how much etc, stick to fibre is my advice on that!

I'm lucky we a only a few hundred yards from off road riding, he is however good on the road, its the bushes that grow arms and legs are what you have to watch out for.

Hope it works out for you all the best
 
I most certainly would not lunge her as this will put a lot of strain on her joints.
I would continue gently taking her out for hacks in the hope that she will stop spooking. It may be that her eye sight has deteriorated over the last few years which may be partly responsible for the spooking and I would suggest getting your vet to check her out fully to see if theer are any health issues with her.
 
The loss of her companion wouldnt help either.

Just do regular, short sessions in hand. Stay in walk for at least a month before trotting. An aged horse that hasnt done anything for 2 years needs bringing back into work slowly to avoid injury. Make sure the saddle fits perfectly before riding her and keep rides short to start with. Double numnahs wont necessarily help if the saddle doesnt fit and they could make things worse. If the saddle isnt perfect then you will never get her to relax and behave calmly because she will be in pain. Also make sure her bit is suitable ad her teeth arent sharp.

I would say you may have rushed things a bit so far, especially going out on the road after just a couple of rides in a field. Until you know you have control and good communication i would not go on a road.

She will relax if you can stick to a routine and slowly build up what you are asking her to do, physically and mentally. If she feels overwhelmed she wont relax.
 
some really good advice above. I agree with not lungeing and trying to get a friend to go out with you. Also you are new to her and it is a new place so it will take time to bond with you and trust you and also to get used to her new environment. well done for taking on an older horse, i hope she settles in and you have many years of fun with her.
I am west lothian so not much good to you for hacking.
 
Hi

Just thought I would say hello as I am reasonably local (well, I'm in Edinburgh, horse is in W Lothian) and have had similar issues.

I've got my boy on loan - he's 19 and fairly spooky and nappy outside. Although he's never been out of work altogether, he wasn't hacked out for a good few years, as his owner simply didn't have the time.

Last summer, I tried to reintroduce it and had a bit of success. He's much better in company, but unfortunately I couldn't often convince anyone to come out with me. I found taking things slowly and lots of repetition really helped. I didn't do a huge amount inhand as I am coming round to the idea that it's safer to be onboard with a 16.3hh beast plunging around! But I did take him for ten minute walks around the yard and the immediate surroundings to get a bit of an idea of how he would react to things. With spooky objects I did/do my best to remain "neutral" - I just try to firmly he insist he goes past without lots of fuss. If all else fails, if he won't pass something going forwards 9 times out of 10 he will happily pass it backwards! Our shoulder-in/leg yield has also come on leaps and bounds.

Anyway, best of luck, feel for you as I'm repeating this process at the moment as we've not been out much for ages due to lameness/snow etc etc.
 
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Make sure the saddle fits perfectly before riding her and keep rides short to start with. Double numnahs wont necessarily help if the saddle doesnt fit and they could make things worse. If the saddle isnt perfect then you will never get her to relax and behave calmly because she will be in pain. Also make sure her bit is suitable ad her teeth arent sharp.

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I have had terrible problems with my usually calm mare as she changes shape a lot and when she is even slightly uncomfortable in her saddle she becomes very nervous and spooks at the slightest noise (including a lady scuffing her feet through autumn leaves on her way to church!). I would suggest getting a saddler to check her saddle before riding again.
 
Hi everyone- thanks so much for your replies.

Agree that I was rushing it slightly- but when I say I rode her down the lane, It's pretty much just a driveway! However, I now realise I need to develop a bond of trust with her before we leave her field again as she needs to trust me as a 'lead horse' so she does not feel on her own or alarmed.

I can't lunge her any more as she gets very het up and wants to canter and could injure herself or slip (field is slippy)

She's calm under saddle in her field and the saddle (new/synthetic) was fitted to her and sits clear of her spine. In fact it fits surprisingly well given her lack of condition. I think if it was hurting her she'd be acting up in her field too, when in fact she is a perfectly schooled, calm gentlewoman in her familiar environment (hence my slight overconfidence in taking her down the lane).

I tried leading her out in hand yesterday and she got VERY feisty and it was all rather stressful for both of us! She's 16.2 and full of beans. She's a lovely horse though and it could have gone much worse- I don't think it's in her nature to throw a complete wobbler, but she's an animal and if she is scared she'll follow her instincts at the end of the day! All I can do is continue to groom, build trust and do 10 min circuits of the field for now I think...

Once she has developed more of a bond with me. I can then try leading her out again and take it from there...
 
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