Please Help mare becoming more fiesty

horses99

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I have had my mare 6 months and until recently she has been fine to ride but now on occasion she can flip out as such by being impatient and ignoring me. The first time this happened she bucked not hugely I say to it and that was that and then the next time I rode in canter didn't buck but I could feel she wasn't far from it. A week or so later I rode her today and on the way home from a hack she got impatient wanting to go home and kept trying to canter when trotting. I ignored it and sat quietly then when I went to cross a busy road (she is good on roads) I pushed her on to trot and when I got to the over side she tried to can't we I said no and then she catleaped with me. I sat to it and t was fine however now it has knocked my confidence slightly as I feel I don't know what she will do next when she gets impatient or doesn't get her own way. Her routine is the same as always the only changes are she's having more hay as it's winter and I don't want her to lose weight (half tb). When I first got her I put her on a calmer it did a little but not much for what I cost me so I took her off it (3 months ago) since then she's been on Alfa a oil and calm and condition which is molasses free so there's not really any sugar except grass and hay but it's winter... Ofher than that we're not jumping ATM due to wet weather but am going hacking, flatwork, polework so she may be bored? But I'm doing the best I can and riding her 4 days a week, she is also out 24/7 except in snow/ extreme cold. I am considerig feeding her once a day instead of twice or perhaps another calmer? Any advice would be really appreciated as I fear soon she may have another tantrum with much more serious consequences! I.e if I fell off today we would have both been in trouble on a busy road! TIA for all comments and advice please no nasty comments only want to keep us safe ☺️
 

crabbymare

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Alfalfa can have an energising effect on some horses so I would be inclined to take that out of her diet and use micrinised linseed if you want her to have more oil in her diet.
 

Shay

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The weather is odd (or at least it is here) which might account for some of it. But your feed solution is massively high in calories. You haven't given amounts but both your feed are 12.5MjKg which is very high energy. Particularly for a horse only ridden 4 times a week. Obviously these things are horse specific and some are better do-ers than others. But my hunters in hard work get less than that. In your position I would swap the chaff for something far lower in energy. If you want to keep alfalfa - I love it and it works well for my lot, but some horses do react to it - you might need to swap makes to get your MjKg down D&H do a good molasses free alfa chaff at about 8MjKg. Or at least swap to Alfa molasses free. And step your feed down to Cool & Collected from Calm & Condition. Pretty much the same feed but lower energy. If she starts to drop condition add linseed.
 

Pearlsasinger

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Would that be the case even if she's been on it for a while? She's been on it the last three/four months

It could be, it can take a while for the reaction to build up in some horses. I would remove the alfalfa for at least 3 weeks to see if there is an improvement in her behaviour. If not then as Shay says, cut the energy level (calories) down.
 

SallyBatty

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As recommended by others, I would take her off the Alfa. I would also stop using the Calm and Condition as that made by daughter's mare a bit unpredictable. She now has Baileys Low Cal balancer and, if I want to add something to improve her condition, then I have use micronised linseed. If you want to use a calmer then you could try Horse First Relax Me which worked well for her.
 

Orangehorse

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Agree with the others. I know you have to be careful with diet changes, but I would cut out everything apart from hay, or equivalent, a bit of chaff or equivalent and some vit/mins or very cheap pony nuts. Then see how much difference that makes and build up from there. Feed for very light work, and feed more if lacking in energy or loosing weight.
 

ILuvCowparsely

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Would that be the case even if she's been on it for a while? She's been on it the last three/four months

Yes it can be and also we have had some frosty mornings When Fructan Levels are High too ...which may effect her, remember you have not had your horse very long and as yet don't know how she is in the winter. Was she stabled last year with previous owner?? Is she clipped as that can make horses fresher too.

Some horses do have times when they are fresher for no reason, my mare nearly galloped up the bridle path behind another faster than I have been on her she was fresh on Sunday even would have carried on if the track was longer, no reason for her to be that fresh nothing changed


Have you tried schooling her before you hack out.

Echo others Calm and Condition is energy feed though slow released and can send some horses doo laly so I would remove this and look for something with little or no energy until she has calmed down.

I had my old mare on this and it did bump her energy levels up, not unmanageable but enough for her but could be too much for yours.
 
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Doublethyme

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I've heard bad reports on calm and condition in that it is anything but!

Not much advice to offer other than I feel for you as I have had some random behaviour like that from my mare at times and it does knock your confidence. For mine it's grass/metabolic as it upsets her hind gut and that makes her really unpredictable. I've had fab results with Blue Chip Ulsa Cool or their Calmer balancer. Both have given my my lovely mare back and had not one eek moment for months.
 

StableMum

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My thoroughbred went loopy on Calm and Condition, and my daughter, a vet, was called to a horse with a massive personality change. She prescribed ditching the Calm and Condition and he settled back to his normal quiet self.
 

horses99

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I cut her food down and changed from calm and condition about a week ago and she hadn’t bucked/ catleaped etc since despite having 3 days off and it being windy today thanks for advice ☺️
 
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