Out of character

[Cerismum]

Hi Everyone

This is my first post but I've been lurking here and learning from you guys for months.

I won't go into my woes of horse ownership but let's just say I've lost my confidence.

I bought a Welsh D mare last December as a confidence giver - didn't know much about her as I bought her from a dealer. But she seemed an honest, steady neddy type and I felt safe riding her.

Fast forward to April and she went lame. Scans showed an old stifle injury - we suspect she was medicated just before she was passed to the dealer and after 6 months it wore off.

We medicated her stifle joint again and miraculously she came sound. Then after 2 months off we started to bring her back into work.

Then I fell down stairs and broke my foot so I'm in a boot for another 4 weeks. I'm at a yard where all the staff and liveries are lovely people and everyone had fallen in love with my mare, so offered to exercise her for me.

She's been hacked out 2-3 times per week by various decent riders and everyone told me she is an absolute poppet.

So last night I asked if, when they got back from the hack (only walk and trot out so far) that they took her into the school and gave her her first canter.

There was another pony in the school - the one she'd just been out with. First time round she napped to the other pony - cantering across the school to him and putting a couple of bucks in on the way. We were all surprised as this was behaviour none of us had seen - or expected.

The girl who was riding said this was rude so she persevered and took her round again, riding her with a much shorter contact and getting after her.

She took off from one corner of the school - fly bucking and at full pelt and heading straight for the fence. It looked like her only intention was to get the rider off - she wouldn't stop - set her jaw and her head forwards and right in the opposite corner she dropped her shoulder and bucked. The girl riding had stayed on until this point but now came off - luckily not into the fence. She was OK but fairly shaken up.

The YO saw all this and said that she meant to get the rider off - and in her opinion was therefore not the horse for me.

I'm at an all time low this morning - add to all that after her hissy fit she's now lame on that leg again.

my choices:

1. Retire her and sell her as a companion
2. Investigate everything to see if there was a reason - but even if there was her behavioiur was extreme
3. I don't have a 3 - I was hoping you guys might give me some suggestions.

I would add that she had her teeth done 2 weeks ago so I don't think it's that.

Sorry this turned out to be longer than I thought - cookies if you got this far.


Thank you for any and all advice.

 

[Miss L Toe]

One incident is not enough to write her off behaviour wise, saddle / vet check for pain.

 

[Surreydeb]

Sounds like leg might have been paining her when asked to step it up a gear especially if lame afterwards.

 

[PandorasJar]

Sounds like pain. I'd get vet out before writing her off, I certainly wouldn't be jumping straight to her being rude after your initial description of her.

I certainly wouldn't call that extreme behaviour if it is pain either, if she's hurting badly someone hitting her back/mouth etc repeatedly would be enough to try everything to get them off and let you know it hurts.

Pan

 

[YasandCrystal]

Sounds like leg might have been paining her when asked to step it up a gear especially if lame afterwards.

^^^ This. It all points to pain in the leg, especially if she has gone lame after the incident. School work is much harder than hacking on a horse's joints. I wouldn't be giving up on her. I would get her on a really good supplement to help her mobility and be looking at solutions to improve that stifle..

 

[Ella19]

Ditto everyone else, that seems pain related, espcially if the sore leg was the outside when asking for canter. I would get the vet out to have another look. Have they cantered her out hacking?

 

[Cerismum]

Hi Ella

No this was the first time since coming back into work that she had cantered under saddle.

The more I think about it the more what you're all saying makes sense - this is so not like her that I need to get everything checked out.

thanks for the replies.