not wanting to go in her stable

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sallypops

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abby has been refusing to go into her stable! the other night it took 40mins to get her in and 30 mins last night. she's not being dangerous just lifting her head right up and walking backwards, she seems very cautious. i really hope she's not gonna make a habit of it. she's only been here since friday so she's still settling in, went into her stable fine the first night tho.

the door into our row of stables is quite low, like a normal house door an i think this is putting her off. i have just been letting her take her time and letting her smell everythin and tempting her with carrots, has anyone else ever had a problem like this??? or have any tips??
 
Could u tempt her with her favourite treat?? My boy will do anything for his lick-it
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Sounds like you cant give her a smack on her bum incase she lifts her head up and knocks herself on the roof (last thing you want
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) A friend resorted to giving her boy a smack on the bum, not hard, but he was taking the mick and it worked.

Can she see any other horses when shes in her stable?
 
yes but it when i bring her in a night she's sometimes on her own for a wee while. i can bring in the other two but i don't have time at night to do all 3 horses. we tempt her with carrots which she loves. her owner said just to give her a smack but i don't even kno her that well yet to kno how she would react
 
we tryed that and she backed up even more, we are still very wary because although she is a lovely horse don't know her well enough yet to feel confident giving her a smack.

when it took us 40 mins we had her little friend in her stable to try to encourage her didn't make much difference
 
I would leave her dinner in the stable and wait until greed overcomes nervousness! Don't pressure her to go into the stable, just stand next to her and have the food visible at the other end of the stable.
 
Youngsters i have known in the past who have hated stables have been put in them for a few days and given lots of little feeds and plenty of hay in them with a friend that they can see from their stable in one opposite so they are not alone, they seemed to quite like going back in there once they learned that a stable meant food, is there no way you can leave her in for a few days?
 
her feed is in her stable, i put it right at the door so she can see it. i just stand beside her reassuring her, i think it might just take patience but its very frustrating
 
i couldn't leave her in she'd go nuts, it getting her into the row of stables, cause it like our hay shed, then the wee door into the stables, her stable is right infront of her so she can literally just walk right in doesn't even need to go up the passage. its gettin her through the door
 
I knew a mare that used to do this - she would stop at the door , throw her head up and whack her head off the top of the door and then go backwards and refuse to approach it again! we tried all the obvious solutions but couldn't stop her and in the end had to put on a tight standing martingale and chase her in. This worked but she never got any better and had to have a standingmartingale on to go in or out of her stable. sometimes horses just don't make alot of sense !!!!
 
she comes in in the dark usually, but after riding her today i tryed to take her in to untack her and she did the same., should i try bringing her in earlier tonight??
 
If it is about the height of the door, then food again could be your answer. When I was trying to teach my horse to go under low branches for TREC, I couldn't get him to put him head down - his first reaction with something worrying is to put his head up. Eventually we fed him his dinner under the low branches, so his head was down. I moved the feed bucket further under the branches until he had moved himself forward several steps.
 
My girl was like that with her stable, I think she found it quite claustrophobic. It had traditional stable door but was enclosed inside and she could only see the other horses over the stable door. Sometimes she just didn't want to go in but thankfully i never had to wait 40 mins on her. I eventually moved her to a more 'open' stable with lower walls at the sides and she just loves it. Is there not another one you could try as maybe she is finding that one not to her liking. I wouldn't smack her as you don't want it to become another reason for her not liking it if she associates going in with a smack.
 
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i couldn't leave her in she'd go nuts, it getting her into the row of stables, cause it like our hay shed, then the wee door into the stables, her stable is right infront of her so she can literally just walk right in doesn't even need to go up the passage. its gettin her through the door

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Has she ever banged her sides getting in the stable?
 
My mare was like this when i got her and still has a thing about it sometimes. She was really funny about her ears- is your mare o.k with her ears being touched? I think it may be the low roof thats the problem or that she's banged her head on it? Have a good feel around her head and ears and see how she responds
With my mare I found that the best way was to walk her in -you keep facing forward do not turn round and look at her, keep the rope loose so she doesnt feel restricted. If she stops dont try and pull her she will just back up, let her stand talk to her and encourage her you dont want to build this into a

big deal, if someone can stand behind her (and she wont kick) then they could perhaps give her a tap forward. Just be patient. When she does walk forward or go in lots of praise.
Sometimes my mare would follow me in if I just put the rope round her neck - just be sure she wont bolt! lol
If all that doesnt work and you think she is just at it I'd growl at her and give her a smack under the belly and try again or move stables
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also you could try pressure halter
 
we only have three stables and she's already in the largest

no she's not banged her sides but i think she might be scared about banging her head
 
is there any chance you could move her to a stable with a higher doorway? that's the perfect solution.
i had a mare like this, i had her for about 12 years and she never really improved. i had to have a stable made with a special 8' wide double doorway for her eventually, and overnight stabling was impossible.
staying totally calm and trying to tempt her in a step at a time with her head low in her bucket might work, but be aware that if she panics and chucks her head up at the wrong moment, she'll make herself 100x worse, and possibly poleaxe herself.
change stables with someone if at all possible, or be prepared to be extremely patient!
 
I had a mare like this and spent months using a 'softly,softly' approach with food/treats/reassurance but with no success.

Then I had to take her to the vets, which at the time was based at the yard of a locally well known instructor, and on arrival I was as usual unable to get her in the stable.

The instructor told me to hold tight to the rope and gave her a few prods up the backside with a stiff yard broom. My mare gave a half rear and then shot in. I was a little worried that it would scare her more but on return to the yard when she stopped at the stable door, my friend just moved behind her and she went straight in.

However, this may not be the best way to proceed with your mare bearing in mind your low door and the fact you don't know her yet. My mare was definitely not scared of going in - she was just trying me out.

Hope you find a solution soon.
 
My youngster used to do this all the time, she is a little bit claustrophobic and dislikes being indoors. However, she lives in at night now and i've no problems getting her in I did several things-
-put her feed in there, get her in when shes hungry and she was more willing.
-Invested in a stable mirror(miricle worker!!).
-Good groundwork, I've got a dually halter that is wonderful, admittetly I didn't use it to try and get her into the stable (because she threw she head up and hit it lots!!) but the groundwork was good as she must come forward when asked.
-Put clip of leadrope onto the side of the headcololar instead of underneath chin, think its in the kelly marks book something about how horses react quite badly to lots of pressure under chin causing them to throw up head and go against the pressure (ie not move!!).
Hope this helps, keep it up you will get there in the end! I also found working on my own was good as other people would get in patient and give her a wallop on the backside-not helping at all!!
 
Ooh, also if you dont want her to hurt her head whilst shes in there (until she learns how high the door frame it-she will!) stick a poll guard on.
 
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