FionaM12
Well-Known Member
I was going to put this on the other veteran thread but then thought I might be hi-jacking it!
I bought Mollie last summer, she was 17. She's not an aggressive mare, but definitely a "character". She was very nervous and I've worked hard to bring her round, she's more chilled now but for a mature lady she doesn't seem to know much and has some bad habits.
She's plain bad mannered. I suspect she's not been taught the basics very well, or perhaps was once but has forgotten. I've now found out she wasn't handled much in her last few homes.
When I first got her, I couldn't even get her in from the field without her tanking off back to her new mates. Once or twice I had to let go of her for safety reasons then traipse back up the field to catch her to retrieve the head collar and rope.
Grim determination, a growing trust in and respect for me and a Dually head collar solved that problem. She's a joy to catch now, but it took some time to overcome the issues in full.
So we've made great progress, but I'm struggling to sort out her manners. A lovely member here sent me a book which has been a tremendous help. However, Mollie seems to be a very slow learner, and unwilling to change her habits. These include barging past me in the stable if she hears something interesting outside (twice stepping on my foot to do so) and wiping her face on the nearest person when she's hot and itchy (which is often). Every time she does these things, she's firmly put in her place and appears to respond well. Until the next time.
So, my question is, do you think her age is a factor? Is it a lot harder to teach an old horse the basics? In the other veteran thread people are confessing to letting their veterans "get away with murder" as they're set in their ways now, but I really do want to persevere with my lovable but rather rude oldie!
I bought Mollie last summer, she was 17. She's not an aggressive mare, but definitely a "character". She was very nervous and I've worked hard to bring her round, she's more chilled now but for a mature lady she doesn't seem to know much and has some bad habits.
She's plain bad mannered. I suspect she's not been taught the basics very well, or perhaps was once but has forgotten. I've now found out she wasn't handled much in her last few homes.
When I first got her, I couldn't even get her in from the field without her tanking off back to her new mates. Once or twice I had to let go of her for safety reasons then traipse back up the field to catch her to retrieve the head collar and rope.
Grim determination, a growing trust in and respect for me and a Dually head collar solved that problem. She's a joy to catch now, but it took some time to overcome the issues in full.
So we've made great progress, but I'm struggling to sort out her manners. A lovely member here sent me a book which has been a tremendous help. However, Mollie seems to be a very slow learner, and unwilling to change her habits. These include barging past me in the stable if she hears something interesting outside (twice stepping on my foot to do so) and wiping her face on the nearest person when she's hot and itchy (which is often). Every time she does these things, she's firmly put in her place and appears to respond well. Until the next time.
So, my question is, do you think her age is a factor? Is it a lot harder to teach an old horse the basics? In the other veteran thread people are confessing to letting their veterans "get away with murder" as they're set in their ways now, but I really do want to persevere with my lovable but rather rude oldie!
I don't think you should stop correcting your mare, but maybe start out with low expectations and you'll be happily impressed if she does improve.
