New horse problems - please dont shoot me down in flames!

[Jemma7967]

Morning All, I bought a new horse last weekend a 16.1hh 13 year old bay mare who has supposedly done it all and was an ideal confidence giver who has been to many shows, pony camp ect.

When I tried her I tacked her up, she was lovely in the stable, great to ride in the school jumped everything she was asked to including fillers, then took her to the xcountry field as I was keen to ride her on grass as we don't have a school at home for the moment and she was honestly foot perfect jumped everything came back to trot, was totally cool, calm and collected. I rode her down the road and untacked her again. She was perfect and I went back again and done everything a few days later and she was the same.

We bought her and got her home and she is like a different horse she turns her bum to us in the stable, threatens to kick, goes to nip at us, is horrible to the other horses, paces up and down at the gate. And when ive rode shes been fine in trot but towing me about in canter. Also last night I put a literally tiny xpole up in the field and when she seen it I couldn't get her to go in he gate of the field, she was spinning about and spooking eventually got her to walk in. I put the poles flat and after about fifteen mins got her to walk over the flat poles. I know it takes time to settle but im feeling a bit gutted to be honest ps she has the same feeding and tack also was a private sale.

Any advice would be great thanks x

 

[AandK]

When you say last weekend, do you mean the one just gone so you have only had this horse 4/5 days? This is no time at all, and while some horses settle almost instantly, not all do and you need to give her a lot more time and patience, it sounds like she is struggling with the new surroundings, but keep up with the routine and she will settle.

 

[Damnation]

Ok, I have to say this isn't highly unusual for a horse in a new place to get upset.

Firstly, get everything checked and give her a full MOT - back, saddle, teeth.

Secondly, I would get an instructor out to help you ASAP. A good experienced horseperson should be able to help you with the ground issues aswell as the ridden issues. The ground problems sound like she just hasn't settled in and you don't trust eachother yet. You need to lay down the line and from NOW make sure that things like swinging her bum and nipping aren't acceptable. A good instructor should be able to help you with all of this.

Good luck!

 

[FfionWinnie]

Have you asked the seller for advice? How experienced are you?

Little story for you. I've got a mare I've owned for 4 years. I've done everything with her and so have many others of all abilities and ages. She's never put a foot wrong. My daughter has ridden her a couple of times over the 4 years but only in a low powered way as she's only 7 now.

Put daughter on her who is now very competent and she did nothing whatsoever wrong yet the pony took off down the field bronking and she came off.

No one was more surprised than me (except maybe my daughter!).

Had I just bought her I would have been sure I had been done but as I said, 4 years I've had her! Anyway we've sorted it out by putting her on the lunge and making sure she behaves with daughter on board but it really showed me that anything can happen with even the most apparently well behaved horse.

With yours I would not panic. I would ask advice from the owner. I would make sure I was handling it strictly and consistently and I would get an instructor in right away to either ride it for you or help you ride it.

Did you give her time off to settle in when she arrived?

 

[Pocketr@cket]

How long had she been with her previous home. I would try some In hand work with her and general getting to know her stuff. I would do a little mot with teeth and a good Physio. Does her tack fit her that came with her.

Did you have bloods taken and you feel she might have been drugged then have them tested.

When I moved my horse it turned slightly nuts and had I of bought her I'd be worried but as I knew her it was a lot easier. I put her on feed mark steady up advance and it took the edge off for a few months and have now stopped feeding it. If the horse doesn't need the feed I would cut it out and is it in the same amount of work as previous home.

 

[glamourpuss]

I'm not going to shoot you down, but I do think you are being totally unrealistic if you think the poor horse can act perfectly when it's onviously feeling unsettled.
Give it some more time to adjust, I'd also be speaking to your instructor to get some more help when it's ridden.

 

[Wagtail]

Many horses can act out of character when moved. My old mare took at least 6 months to settle. She was a total nut case. But she became my horse of a lifetime. Do you keep her at home? Does she have company? How long was she at her previous home, and are there any differences in her routine now?

 

[Jemma7967]

Long story short a woman bred her and owned her all of her life but she has been out on loan several times so has been on different yards and they said she was really laid back and has been to pony camp so assumed she would settle fairly quickly. The woman put her to another yard to be sold as they has better trial facilities. I contacted the seller for some advice the night she arrived as the horse was distraught in the stable. She said she took a couple of days to settle in, which is fine but I just couldn't believe the difference in her.

They told me just to get on her the next day as she would be fine. And not to let her away with anything in the stable.

I'm not a novice rider or handler and she is a our own yard with a few of our other horses. My biggest worry to be honest is that I'm going to take her out to a show or something and she's going to be a maniac.

And by no means to I expect her to be perfect in a new environment but just when they said she was used to going places I didn't expect her to react so badly.

Just feeling a bit worried and looking for some friendly advice.

Thanks again for your help.

 

[ihatework]

Are her old owners anywhere nearby?
I'd ask if they would be willing to come over and see you handling her in her new environment and see if they can help the settling in process

 

[Charlie007]

She sounds lovely and just needs time to settle. I would forget riding. Take her in the field in hand, over poles etc. Make sure she is listening to you. Keep it all easy. Lots of praise. Spend time grooming, getting to know each other but again keep her manners in check. Good luck x

 

[luckyoldme]

I really do think we underestimate the trauma a horse goes through when they are sold.
One minute they are in a home where they know the routine, the people and horses around them and the next day their whole world is turned upside down, strange surroundings, new people and new horses.
You can t tell a horse they are safe and will be treat with respect , you have to show them with consistant fair treatment.
A week as others have said is no time and horses vary greatly in the time it takes to settle.
Don t be too disheartened, in a few weeks time as she settles im sure she will calm down.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Op, don't panic! I'm sure as everyone has said she just needs time to settle. It's such an upheaval for them.
I'm getting my next horse in a month and I know he's great, I've known him for years and am looking after him this weekend for his owners but I still fully expect problems when I bring him home.
My retired horse was the same, I was his groom before owning him and if I hadnt known him before I'd have been wondering what I'd done!
Your horse sounds lovely and I'm sure once she gets to know you and her new home things will be fine x

 

[windand rain]

She may well have been fine at shows/camps etc but she was there with someone she knew and trusted. Mare are wonderful once they know you but can take a little time to bond completely as they are very ssensitive to change. Not only has her surroundings changed but the person she is used to. I would have expected this to happen to be honest so I would do as others have suggested and get a good bond on the floor and in the stable and then you will find her absolutely fine even when you go elsewhere.

 

[Bernster]

Agreed to testing bloods if you took them. Was she vetted? Not sure if I read that in your post.

Try and keep everything about her life similar to her previous routine, inc feed, turnout etc. Get some prof help as it may be something about how she's being handled. She may also be in season and she wasn't when you saw her last.

Check tack, teeth and back. Spend time with her not riding, try to get to know her and build her trust. Try in hand, ground work and lunging. Check she's sound and not in pain.

It seems quite extreme but it could be that she's unsettled. Ask for sellers assistance and even get them to come down.

In case it's not, and she's been mis sold, keep copies of all paperwork and info., see if seller is prepared to take her back. But these things are not easy, so you may be better trying to work through and give her time and space to settle. Horses can be v different in different situations with different handlers.

 

[honetpot]

I bought a pony from a friend, I had known this pony for four years, loaded him, gone to PC with him, seen him the stable, in the field in other words knew just about as well as my own.
I have other ponies so they are kept together, the first time we took him out we discovered he had really bad separation anxiety, you could not walk more than 5 feet away from him without him going nuts. When we moved yards we could not get him in a stable for three months, well I could but he jumped out. You could not tie him up an leave him to go and get something even on the yard unless there was another horse there. My friend had never realised this and we had not seen this before he moved.
Is she out? I would forget the stable for a while. Catch her bring her in with a friend, groom, token feed and turn out, get in to a routine. Everything is new to her, so another horse could give her reassurance, so just go for a walk round a field with someone and build up.
Do not start an argument with her unless you are going to win, mares are very smart and if they see weakness they will take full advantage, so I would avoid conflict and if needs be get some expert help.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

About 30 yrs ago, sis and I bought our 2nd shared horse. She was exactly like yours when tried, foot perfect,(although I have wondered since if she had been kept short of water before the viewing). She was de!ivered by the dealer to the livery yard where we had arranged to keep her, they were over an hour late, we found out why later!.
She didn't fancy going into the stable overnight, although we got her in and everything went downhill from there. She was bargy and as awkward as possible.on the ground, ridden she was nappy and could easily walk off with the rider. Her good points were that she came go call, or met us at the gate.and she was determined that noone would fall off her -even if sometimes we would have given anything to get off!

We moved yards after 6 weeks and she was like a different horse! We kept her for well over 20 yrs until she was in her 30s, although she was always more challenging than she appeared to be at the viewing.

We had worked out that she was mildly claustrophobic and didn't like low ceilings, hence not loading willingly into a trailer, that she hated walking on the red shale that was the yard surface and that she had fallen in love with the foal in the next field, so she wanted to rush back to it. In the first 6 weeks we walked miles with her trying to build mutual trust and to break the idea that she could just hurry back to the foal.

Since then we have always had mares and have found that it takes an average of 12 months for therm to settle. In fact currently we have 2 mares sharing a field, who have been toether for 5 1/2 yrs, who have just last week been spotted sharing a hay pile for the first time.

I would give this mare some time to chill and settle into her new surroundings, introduce her gradually to your other horses, get her into your routine, so that she learns what to expect and help her to build her confidence in you, without putting her under undue pressure.

 

[Jemma7967]

Thank you for your replies. My main problem is that she was bought as a confidence giver because although I am a fairly experienced rider, but I don't want her to knacker my confidence and they assured me that she would be no problem. The mare always has company in the stable and in the field and when I go out to ride I'm taking it easy and not expecting her to preform perfectly. I have spent time with her in the stable the last few nights grooming and getting to know her although she doesn't like us being there.

I think i'm just a bit disappointed after her reaction to the wee xpole in the field she literally spun around like 4 times. then when I got her close to it she ran past it. Im just worried that's going to be her reaction to things out on a hack or away from home.

I am trying to handle her and ride her as confidently as possible and doing everything we can to help her settle in.


Thanks Again,
Jemma

 

[AandK]

She may well have been fine at shows/camps etc but she was there with someone she knew and trusted. Mare are wonderful once they know you but can take a little time to bond completely as they are very ssensitive to change. Not only has her surroundings changed but the person she is used to. I would have expected this to happen to be honest so I would do as others have suggested and get a good bond on the floor and in the stable and then you will find her absolutely fine even when you go elsewhere.

Agree with this 100%. My mare (who I've owned for 19.5yrs now) was foot perfect when I tried her, she wasn't when I got her home! I took her to a v small private yard and she took ages to settle. She has always been better on bigger yards generally (when stabled), but once I had owned her a while she was so much better. I think a big part of this is forming a bond, which then gives them trust in you.

 

[FfionWinnie]

I would get her into a routine and I agree with the seller to keep her in work. Make sure she is behaving herself in all situations. Don't give her an inch.

 

[Christmas Crumpet]

I have just had a horse on trial which I took back last night. I took him back simply because I didn't find him comfortable enough to ride. However, he was awful in the stable and being tied up, out exercising he was an idiot and he spent the last night galloping round his tiny paddock. His owner says he's pretty much perfectly well behaved and I believe them. He was just unsettled at our house and if I'd kept him, I would have given him the benefit of the doubt as he was feeling out of sorts.

 

[Wella]

Our mare took a month to settle she was a nightmare. She hated us for the first two weeks wouldn't tie up barged out of the stable and napped on rides. We took it very slowly with her. She bonded with my daughter before me as I was insisting on manners all the time. She's grown to love us and she's wonderful. I do worry if we ever have to re home her. Also though I'd worked with plenty of mares we'd never owned one. Also with the mares at work they were roughed off in the summer so never really experienced the hormones!!! I read a very good article about mares which basically explained they are entire. I had never really thought of them that way and it explains a lot.

 

[Jemma7967]

I have just had a horse on trial which I took back last night. I took him back simply because I didn't find him comfortable enough to ride. However, he was awful in the stable and being tied up, out exercising he was an idiot and he spent the last night galloping round his tiny paddock. His owner says he's pretty much perfectly well behaved and I believe them. He was just unsettled at our house and if I'd kept him, I would have given him the benefit of the doubt as he was feeling out of sorts.

Thanks Caroline, I appreciate your post, Im so unsure of what to do, I don't have a trial period with her so if I think she's not going to settle in I don't want to leave it too long before speaking to the owner again. Its hard to know how long to give them and she really was acting ridiculous last night because of the tiny jump at the other side of the field and im a bit worried that I loose my confidence on her. I think just because they said that they have had her stay over at pony camp and different events and everything that she would've been pretty used to new environments and different people.

Thanks Again,
J

 

[stormox]

Jemma, are you sure it was the tiny jump she was reacting at, and not horses in nearby fields or something? How confident are you? 16.3hh is a BIG horse, and to handle one that size confidently is going to take a fair bit of experience. I thought Id bought a total nutter when I bought my horse a year or so ago, he whirled around in his stable, wouldnt eat or drink, peed/poohd constantly for 3 days. Then all of a sudden he became totally quiet, and has been ever since. And he'd been out and about a lot.
So, if you are really a confident rider/handler I wouldnt worry too much, just give her time to settle in, maybe lunge her in different parts of the field etc before you hop on.

 

[Flora]

Anytime I have bought a new horse I usually dont ride for a week. I just let them chill and get used to the routine of going into the field each day and if its summer and they are out 24/7, I bring them out the field for a groom and a feed. It takes time for them to get to know their new surroundings and new owner. Im sure you will get there in the end and wont take too long

 

[WelshD]

I bought a new mare recently (about 6 weeks ago ish) she was an angel for a few days, I think she was so stumped at the move she was too taken aback to misbehave

After that she became increasingly difficult, at first I was annoyed that her behaviour seemed to be deteriorating then calmed down and saw it from her point of view - she had been taken away from everything she knew and dumped in a strange place. From then on I spent a lot of time just standing with her in the field, catching her and giving her a groom and just gradually getting her to chill out with me and get to know each other

Things have improved a lot, she still has a quick panic if she doesn't feel comfortable but apart from that she is almost back to being an angel

 

[Hipo]

We recently bought an exmoor mare. When we first brought her home she was horrible! She didn't know us, like us or trust us. We spent the first few weeks establishing a routine and doing lots of groundwork. She was rude and bargey and didn't respect us, so did lots of leading and moving her feet around. We have had her just less than 2 months now, and she has come on fantastically. Also in this time she has had a yard move and stayed away at a 5 day show and behaved excellently.

 

[Bertie_Boo]

Take heart, my 'new' mare has been with me for just over a year and she still isn't totally her old self. I am a nervous novice and wanted another steady eddie and she was fine both times I tried her. She'd been with her old owner for 13 years and when she arrived here, she seemed to have a complete breakdown. She was terrified of everything and even leading her out in hand was a complete nightmare.

It was months before I felt happy to ride her and even now she can't cope with tractors so I have to get off and lead her, ( I rode her past tractors just fine in her old home). As you are a confident person, I would say don't panic just yet, give her time to come around. I hope it all works out for you.

 

[MDB]

One of my mares spent the first 3 days running away in panic in the field. Couldn't get near her. Very different cirumstances in aquiring her mind you. Because of her circumstances and her crazy behaviour we spent a long time just being around her, building trust and familiarity. Maybe you should step back a little and just spend a few days getting to know her. Even sat outside the stable reading a book for a while. Not asking anything of her.

 

[NiceNeverNaughty]

The woman put her to another yard to be sold as they has better trial facilities. .

hmmmmmm. i might buck the trend a little here.... i totally agree they can take time to settle in. My black mare took a couple of months to go back to the sweet pony I tried. When we got her home she was rude, bargy and stressy and yes she was a bit on her toes under saddle however she was still ‘rideable’. Also, an experienced horse that is used to travelling away to rallies and comps , I would expect to be able to take home, tack up and ride. In fact Ive done exactly that with a new horse before and got on fine. Im not saying it wouldn’t be unsettled once turned out, settling in etc but the work stays consistent and Ive found they take confidence from that.

Reading your post a couple of things jump out to me; why was she out on loan so many times? was she really sent away to be sold because of better facilities?? Ive heard this one a million times before - often it’s more because the horse is a bit quirky and will perform better in a professional environment on a big yard with lots of work and a strict routine It may well have been to camp but who was it at camp with? I’ve personally found horses ridden by semi-pro’s and produced are a lot more horse to deal with away from such input and kept ‘at home’ by an average rider. Id do a bit more digging if I were you, speak to PC trainers etc if you can and find out if this horse really has always been a straight forward confidence giver. That will inform you better as to whether just to give her more time or no. Good luck! It’s such a horrible feeling x

 

[supagran]

OP, did you get her vetted? It is too easy to lose your confidence and from your posts you are already wavering. I know it can take a while for a new horse to settle, but if you are already having doubts you need to be contacting the seller for either help or to return.