New Mare, settling time, spooky

[spamiad]

Hi all,

I had our new mare arrive on Saturday afternoon, after losing my last one a few weeks ago, tried her over a week ago is some very strong winds, and purchased her of someone i know or a BSJA coach, She was very quiet to ride and handle which is what i wanted , was 5 stage vetted the following week and passed with flying colours, she a 6 year old IDXTB bred one foal, mainly been used for hacking until this year where she has taken trips to Somerford park, eland lodge XC and local arenas for show jumping.

Now i might be been very hard on my self and her, i had a massive confidence knock a few years ago with a previous horse, and Grace my last mare clawed that back for me massively, even though she was also young. unfortunately due to wobbles and kissing spines we had to have her out to sleep. i know she only arrive Saturday afternoon, and she seems very settled on the stable, and is craving her daily turnout, ( she hadn't been turned out for 4 weeks prior to me having her and any turnout she has had over the year has been on dirt paddocks with hay) we do have good grass even for this time of year, but she seems far more spooky than when i went to try her, she had a fit walking into the school the other night to lunge (not been able to ride yet sue to saddle needing adjustment), and the last night she walked into the school OK, but got away from me when my mum and dad appeared at the gate, adding to the fact that my yard owner will not turn her out due to the fact she found her too lively.

My question is should i be leaving her longer to settle in before i start criticizing her, im more of the should just knuckle down and crack on as soon as they land relay, hence the lunging as i cant ride until Saturday

sam

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Mmmmm...... you raise a lot of issues here TBH!!

OK so the first thing that's immediately occurred to me is that this is very early days! IME mares take longer to settle into a strange yard than geldings do, and this is all new and very different for her, plus the weather hasn't exactly been helpful i.e. storms and gales which would spook any horse let alone a highly-strung mare.

Secondly: "routine". You say this mare hasn't had a great deal of turnout, certainly less than she'd have normally. And the YO is saying the mare is "too lively" for her to turn out, yes?? Presumably you are paying for bring-in and turn-out?? yes?? Having said this, a lot of yards right now, particularly due to the recent wet weather, will not be able to offer turn-out, or certainly it will be restricted, but I do feel that perhaps the regime at this particular yard may not be suitable for your mare, long-term, and you may, just may, have to consider moving her to somewhere else where there is for instance, a horse-walker, or at the very least someone experienced who might be able to lunge her for you.

You are wise in not trying to ride her until your saddle is sorted; that is good!

It is early days, yes your mare may well be very much more "spooky" than when you went to try her! This happens! Forgive me for asking, but how old are you? And how much experience have you had with horses who are not straightforward?? When you say that she "got away from you" when your parents appeared at the gate, this was a bit of a clue that you perhaps are younger and/or lack the experience that perhaps others on here have, with dealing with horses and settling a difference of opinion!! Please note, I am NOT trying to be condescending or derogatory here, just responding to the information contained in your post. The reason I ask this is because it might just be that you will need some professional help with your mare, at least during the initial period when you are both getting used to each other. If the YO won't deal with her even on the ground, you must repeat MUST consider your own safety............ when I read this I did become worried. Please keep yourself safe, and make sure you are always wearing suitable attire at the very least hat, body protector, and steel-capped boots whenever leading or handling her.

The way I see it, there are TWO things you may have to look at, namely "the mare's Routine" and alongside this, "Getting Professional Help". It may be you will need to move the mare to a yard which CAN offer you professional and ongoing help with the future management of this mare.

 

[Wheels]

A few days is not long at all, some need a few months at least. Just keep going with your new routine, make sure she isn't getting too much hard feed, see her often, spend time getting used to each other and she will soon calm down

 

[be positive]

I am usually keen to crack on but some do take a while to settle and if you cannot work them in a similar routine to where they came from it may go a bit pear shaped, she is possibly best turned out as much as possible, I am a YO and no horse is going to be left in because I cannot cope I find a way round it somehow even if it means a change of paddock and chifney.

If she is silly lunging maybe loose school instead as long as it is constructive, then put her back on the lunge and work her once she is settled, if she had been in a lot I would guess they were riding her daily and keeping on top of any silliness, while you cannot ride cut back, or out, any hard feed and try to put her behaviour to the back of your mind as she is likely to improve once she is ridden daily, she is very young and may just be too fit for doing nothing for even a few days.

 

[spamiad]

Mmmmm...... you raise a lot of issues here TBH!!

OK so the first thing that's immediately occurred to me is that this is very early days! IME mares take longer to settle into a strange yard than geldings do, and this is all new and very different for her, plus the weather hasn't exactly been helpful i.e. storms and gales which would spook any horse let alone a highly-strung mare.

Secondly: "routine". You say this mare hasn't had a great deal of turnout, certainly less than she'd have normally. And the YO is saying the mare is "too lively" for her to turn out, yes?? Presumably you are paying for bring-in and turn-out?? yes?? Having said this, a lot of yards right now, particularly due to the recent wet weather, will not be able to offer turn-out, or certainly it will be restricted, but I do feel that perhaps the regime at this particular yard may not be suitable for your mare, long-term, and you may, just may, have to consider moving her to somewhere else where there is for instance, a horse-walker, or at the very least someone experienced who might be able to lunge her for you.

You are wise in not trying to ride her until your saddle is sorted; that is good!

It is early days, yes your mare may well be very much more "spooky" than when you went to try her! This happens! Forgive me for asking, but how old are you? And how much experience have you had with horses who are not straightforward?? When you say that she "got away from you" when your parents appeared at the gate, this was a bit of a clue that you perhaps are younger and/or lack the experience that perhaps others on here have, with dealing with horses and settling a difference of opinion!! Please note, I am NOT trying to be condescending or derogatory here, just responding to the information contained in your post. The reason I ask this is because it might just be that you will need some professional help with your mare, at least during the initial period when you are both getting used to each other. If the YO won't deal with her even on the ground, you must repeat MUST consider your own safety............ when I read this I did become worried. Please keep yourself safe, and make sure you are always wearing suitable attire at the very least hat, body protector, and steel-capped boots whenever leading or handling her.

The way I see it, there are TWO things you may have to look at, namely "the mare's Routine" and alongside this, "Getting Professional Help". It may be you will need to move the mare to a yard which CAN offer you professional and ongoing help with the future management of this mare.

Hi thank you for your reply, I'm 32 lol, mum and dad help out that's all I've had all sorts of horses from x racers to Welsh tb, that was the one who knocked my confidence, I'm turning her out my self she has access to daily turnout, I've been turning her out around 7am an bringing in around 4pm which does mean I've been lunging under lights, it's been such a long time since I've bought a new horse and had to move it to my yard, the last few I have bought I have kept then where they were kept already. Maybe I'm just a little rusty, yard owner won't turn her out because she walks too fast, no I can't get my head round it either

 

[spamiad]

I am usually keen to crack on but some do take a while to settle and if you cannot work them in a similar routine to where they came from it may go a bit pear shaped, she is possibly best turned out as much as possible, I am a YO and no horse is going to be left in because I cannot cope I find a way round it somehow even if it means a change of paddock and chifney.

If she is silly lunging maybe loose school instead as long as it is constructive, then put her back on the lunge and work her once she is settled, if she had been in a lot I would guess they were riding her daily and keeping on top of any silliness, while you cannot ride cut back, or out, any hard feed and try to put her behaviour to the back of your mind as she is likely to improve once she is ridden daily, she is very young and may just be too fit for doing nothing for even a few days.

Thank you for your reply, I have her on little hard feed at all, hand full of Alfa and a couple of carrots, she's not eating her hay so I'm guessing she is stuffing her self with grass, I'm turning her out my self before work at the moment which is killing me but i want her to be out as much as possible, she won't be staying in at all

 

[Cortez]

She's very young, hasn't done or seen much by the sounds of it, and doesn't know you from Adam. I'd just take it slow and steady, give her time to readjust to new surroundings, new people, new routines and ways of doing things. I would absolutely try to get her as much TO as possible, and as much basic work and lunging too. It takes at least a year to really start to know a horse (and they you), but that doesn't mean you should back off on the training front. I'd keep her off all hard feed until you really know what she's like (or starts to lose weight). Good luck, and get a good instructor to help you. Your YO sounds weird.

 

[Pinkvboots]

It's really not been that long it sounds like she is just a bit freaked out by the new yard, I would carry on with the routine your doing with as much turnout as you can, and for now I would just lunge every night and make her work properly get her listening to you, what is with the yard owner just because a horse walks too fast it can't be turned out? Then hopefully by the time a saddle is sorted she will be calmer, for the first time riding her I would have your instructor with you or someone that can offer some help and support.

 

[Ellzbellz97]

I've had my mare 3 months and when she first came she would stress, rear up etc and barge me everywhere. Even still to this day she can be stress etc but she has calmed down but she's still not 100% settled. Give her time to settle in and maybe get your instructor to offer some support etc that's what I did and my instructor gave me ridden exercises to do to calm her down as she got quite highly sprung in new arenas etc

 

[Pearlsasinger]

It can take mares a good while to settle into a new home. Yours is possibly reacting to the fresh grass that she isn't used to, or to the alfalfa that you are giving her, some mares, especially find the phyto-oestrogens in alfalfa too much to cope with. She might even have come into season as a reaction to the move.
As above, take her off all hard feed, except perhaps a very small handful of grassnuts to encourage her to enjoy coming in. If she behaved calmly in her previous home and you don't think she was sedated in any way, she will get back to her normal self in time, with plenty of TO and a good routine, so that she knows what is expected of her.

 

[twiggy2]

If she is getting as much turn out as that then I would be doing in hand work twice a day as well as or instead of lunging.
Even 5 minutes twice per day will put her into a different headspace and get her thinking rather than reacting.
Slow things down rather than speed things up, you want to reduce the adrenalin that's pumping through her rather than increasing it.
If working close to her is difficult then look at getting some poles out once she has settled on the lunge and get her walking over then with you 5-10 foot away. Raise various sides of the poles and scatter them randomly when she is calm so she has to think a lot more about how to tackle them.
It's very early days but try to encourage her to engage her brain and gain trust in you.
Another one who says stop all hard feed until she has settle and you get to know her.

 

[oldie48]

Lots of good advice here already, just to add my new mare is a lot older than yours and has seen a lot more of the world. The first time I hacked her out she was very much on her toes and very looky, the first time I schooled her it took me 25 minutes to get on her as she wouldn't stand and she was very uptight to ride once I'd got on. she was also quite sticky to load. Goodness, I thought, she's not quite what I thought she was., brave pants on, Oldie, and make sure she knows her boundaries. Within a week, with a consistent routine and some firm but kind handling she settled and is everything I thought she would be. Give your mare a bit of time tbh i would remove all hard feed and just give her ad lib forage and try to spend as much time with her as you can grooming and just messing around with her getting to know her really but be firm. I think we under estimate how it must feel for them to change homes and she will need to know that she is safe with you as her leader. I think it does help if you can get on and ride, so hopefully once you have sorted your saddle things will start to improve. good luck I'm sure she will be fine.

 

[Yarra Valley Fleur]

I found myself in a similar situation in July. My new WB mare, who I had tried and had found to be calm and relaxed and who had been fully vetted, arrived in terrible weather, midwinter here and she endured a terrible 12 hour ferry crossing before getting here. She was a bundle of nerves, tried to climb out of the stable, would let me get on, wouldn't load, wouldn't stand , succumbed to an upper respiratory infection that required vet visits and 10 days of antibiotics, wouldn't eat the antibiotic powder in her feed no matter how it was disguised so had to have it mixed in apple paste and squirted into her mouth, wouldn't lead, tried to kick etc etc. Nightmare. I wondered what on earth I had done! She is young and had never travelled so far from home before. I rapidly realised that though I have been riding for ever I needed help and got a recommendation. The person who helped me saved both of us! We treated her for ulcers, re wormed her, cut her feed down to hay and pellets . We spent 3 weeks doing ground work, no ridden, we used a rope halter and a 12ft lead. We turned her out with the old pony and my other mare and spent hours just reinforcing boundaries. Baby steps. We definitely were 2 steps forwards and 3 back for a while. Now she is amazing. Still a bit impatient and stressed at times but every day we do a bit of ground work as well as ridden. I take her all over the place , for rides on a friend's farm, adult riding club, lessons, working equitation classes, dressage feeler days and finally I feel that we will be ready to get out and compete after Christmas at the end of our summer season. BUT it has taken months to get to this point , the hard work is worth it though because she will be amazing. But get help with your mare as soon as possible. It is not a failure to accept that you need outside help. I would not be where I am now without it. Accept it will take time and reset your goals. It is meant to be fun.And good luck.

 

[spamiad]

Hi all

Thank you for all your reply's and advice, didn't manage to get an awful lot done with her over Xmas, managed to get on her boxing day, had a couple of little spooks but was generally quite calm, and rode again Sunday just gone, shes not been a problem for me to turnout at all, just killing me getting up at 05:00 in the morning, so think a yard move after the winter might be on the cards.

realized its just a big learning curve for me to trust her!! after losing grace i could do anything on her and she could be quite a bucking nappy pain, but i knew where i stood with her, oh what it would be like to be 18 again!!

 

[oldie48]

Hi all

Thank you for all your reply's and advice, didn't manage to get an awful lot done with her over Xmas, managed to get on her boxing day, had a couple of little spooks but was generally quite calm, and rode again Sunday just gone, shes not been a problem for me to turnout at all, just killing me getting up at 05:00 in the morning, so think a yard move after the winter might be on the cards.

realized its just a big learning curve for me to trust her!! after losing grace i could do anything on her and she could be quite a bucking nappy pain, but i knew where i stood with her, oh what it would be like to be 18 again!!

Great news, so pleased it is working out for you. Perhaps now she's getting turned out regularly and she's calm about it, your YO might be able to do it so you don't have such an early start!