New horse owner really needs help and advice....

[rose bud]

Please can anyone suggest what is best for me to do.... I bought a mare just over 3 weeks ago and at the moment i am feeling like it has all gone wrong!
When i bought her she was a lovely quiet tb x cob (11yr old) and since bringing her home she is stressy, spooky and nappy. I am quickly loosing my confidence to ride her and when i lunge her she bucks when i ask her for canter, which is also doing nothing for my confidence to get on her!
I just need some advice please as what is best to do?
I am going to move her from her current home as there is no other horse company, to a livery which she may be happier at but i really could do with some help! I am on shropshire / powys border. Any advice gratefully received!

 

[ladyt25]

3 weeks is NO time at all and I think she's bound to be unhappy and stressed if she has no other horse company, especially if she came from somewhere where she did have some!

Move her to the other yard and then give her some time to settle in to her surroundings. Horses are not machines after all, they do react to different environments and people.

as for the bucking whilst on the lunge, I really wouldn't worry about it - I don't think I know many horses who don't like to have a bit of a hooley on the lunge! Doesn't mean they'll do it whilst you're on board.

 

[Bobby Boy]

First up, don't panic If you've only had her 3 weeks she will still be settling in.
Did you buy her from a private home or a dealer, had the old owner had her long and was she kept in company?

Also food, what is she having to eat, could that be having an effect?

 

[jrp204]

Have you got an instructor who can come and give you some support? It is still early days, we reckon the first 10 days/2 wks are the honeymoon period, then they seem to try it on for a little while. It will get better.

 

[paddi22]

as the other poster said, move her to a yard and give her time to settle. The move to your stable obviously unsettled here and some horses go loopy without company. Get her to a yard and get someone experienced to help you and advise you. You'll have her right as rain in no time.

 

[Magnetic Sparrow]

Is this your first horse? The reason I ask is that when a horse moves yards and/or has a new owner it will often go through a difficult phase. This is quite normal, but can be a nasty shock if the horse was well-behaved before. The trouble is the more you get stressed or nervous, the more the horse will misbehave, assuming from your reaction that there is something wrong. Horses never seem to guess that it them rather than the environment that is upsetting us. If your horse has no equine company that will make things worse.

I would recommend moving somewhere where there is company for your horse and (especially if you are a novice horse owner) some other people around to give you practical and moral support. Take it slowly, spend plenty of time getting to know your horse, don't try and do too much too quickly. Try and get a routine established to allow the horse a bit more security.

Don't worry too much about bucking during canter transitions on the lunge. Might be worth avoiding canter transitions on a 20m circle for the time being.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I think that you should move her to a yard with company ASAP. Don't try to ride her until she has settled in the new yard. I would also stop lunging her as it is causing you to lose confidence and confidence is very precious.

Hopefully there will be lots of understanding and helpful liveries at your new yard who will be willing to help you and escort you on hacks etc... with their horses (it's always nice to hace company when you are a new horse/rider combination).

 

[rose bud]

First up, don't panic If you've only had her 3 weeks she will still be settling in.
Did you buy her from a private home or a dealer, had the old owner had her long and was she kept in company?

Also food, what is she having to eat, could that be having an effect?

hi, thankyou for your reply, im finding it hard not to panic at the moment!
I bought her from a private home but the owners had a livery yard, they only owned her for 8 months though.
She was fed on sugar beet and chaff in her old home but only after excercise whereas i was reccomended to feed her hi fi lite and a vit and min supplement everyday (just a small feed) she's become stubborn about the stupidest things though, like going into the stable etc...

 

[rose bud]

I think that you should move her to a yard with company ASAP. Don't try to ride her until she has settled in the new yard. I would also stop lunging her as it is causing you to lose confidence and confidence is very precious.

Hopefully there will be lots of understanding and helpful liveries at your new yard who will be willing to help you and escort you on hacks etc... with their horses (it's always nice to hace company when you are a new horse/rider combination).

thankyou! My confidence is at rock bottom now and i'm worrying that everything i am doing is wrong so will stop lunging her. I'm just hoping that we can re build a relationship at a new yard as the last 3 wks have been so stressful!

 

[Bobby Boy]

hi, thankyou for your reply, im finding it hard not to panic at the moment!
I bought her from a private home but the owners had a livery yard, they only owned her for 8 months though.
She was fed on sugar beet and chaff in her old home but only after excercise whereas i was reccomended to feed her hi fi lite and a vit and min supplement everyday (just a small feed) she's become stubborn about the stupidest things though, like going into the stable etc...

It just sounds like she's trying her luck, they all like to push the boundries and see what they can get away with, a bit like kids !!

 

[rose bud]

Is this your first horse? The reason I ask is that when a horse moves yards and/or has a new owner it will often go through a difficult phase. This is quite normal, but can be a nasty shock if the horse was well-behaved before. The trouble is the more you get stressed or nervous, the more the horse will misbehave, assuming from your reaction that there is something wrong. Horses never seem to guess that it them rather than the environment that is upsetting us. If your horse has no equine company that will make things worse.

I would recommend moving somewhere where there is company for your horse and (especially if you are a novice horse owner) some other people around to give you practical and moral support. Take it slowly, spend plenty of time getting to know your horse, don't try and do too much too quickly. Try and get a routine established to allow the horse a bit more security.

Don't worry too much about bucking during canter transitions on the lunge. Might be worth avoiding canter transitions on a 20m circle for the time being.

thankyou! I have owned a horse before but it is about 10 years ago, so its like having a first horse! I wish i had taken her to livery straight away as we may not be having these problems but hopefully we can sort them out! Thankyou for the reassurance!

 

[Cyberchick]

As above, just give her time to settle and company will help but don't be afraid to be firm with her, she still needs to know her place and what is acceptable and what isn't. Even if you are feeling out of your depth, deep breath and tell her NO. They all test new owners to see what they can and can't do and getting her to know that won't take the messing on the ground will help you no end in the riding.
Having said that, don't worry about the bucking on the lunge, an awful lot will have a good yahoo on the lunge and it doesn't mean she will do it when ridden, my horse always has a buck and a squeal but he has never bucked in his life with me on him.