Problem mare - long, sorry!

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indiat

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Hi all, we bought a mare from a riding school we were liveried at, just before we moved to our own place. She was a sweetie at the school, my kids rode her from time to time, good to handle etc, but very fast and sharp. So they put her up for sale and we bought her two weeks before we moved. Once we moved, the trouble started, mainly, tanking off in hand or under the saddle. Even on the road. :( She was mounting the other ponies and the vet diagnosed a false pregnancy. We cleared that up and put her on Oestress and decided to turn her away and just let her settle. We also separated her from another mare, as they were getting separation anxiety. Her behaviour gradually got better, to the point where my 11 year old was confident handling her and we were able to do in-hand work with her without her tanking off on us. We stopped the Oestress over the winter and she seemed fine. Today, she is back to her old tricks, just taking off at gallop when she feels like. I can feel my new-won confidence with her trickling away. I wonder if it us, but we have four other ponies and they are as good as gold, and one of them is a rather opinionated welsh mare! I also have a Highland that I raised from a weanling and he is as good as gold We have tried to bond with her, not push her too hard and give her time to settle. I wonder if it is hormonal and we should try her on Regumate and keep her on it or if we are just the wrong home for her? Perhaps she needs to be worked hard every day? I am at my wits end with her so any advice will be gratefully received! Thanks for reading this.

ETS: She really did seem to improve, the vet, farrier and riding instructor all commented on what a little sweetie she was turning into. Someone suggested today that we let her have a foal but I don't want to breed for the sake of it!
 
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Given that she's had a false pregnancy previously I'd be asking your vet to scan her and see if there is something going on.

She could have cysts which are causing issues as she is starting to cycle - there could be possible problems with her cycle. She may just be the type who is an idiot at certain times during her cycle - a scan would be a good starting point and it may be easily managed.
 
She was scanned during the false pregnancy and there were no cysts - could they have developed in the meantime, madlady?
 
It does sound hormonal, especially at this time of year mares are starting to come into season, my last mare was awful during her first and last seasons of the year. February and October she turned into the mare from hell!

Could you discuss with your vet about putting her on a trial course of Regumate to see if her mood improves?

I'm presuming you have had her teeth back and saddle checked?
 
Teeth, back and saddle where checked last year, we decided not to do ridden work when she was tanking on the road as it was destroying our confidence. Vet did suggest if the behaviour re-occurred, to put her on Regumate so I have just phoned the surgery to get a trial course. I have to admit to not being a confident rider but I am fine onthe ground. My eldest daughter is confident in and out of the saddle but getting tanked all the time chips away at your confidence. She was getting so good as well, I am PRAYING this is hormones, and not us.
 
Mine are being nutters at the moment too, the first couple of seasons always seem to be the worst for creating bad behavior. It sounds hormonal and I've seen regumate really make a difference. The hard work she was in as a riding school pony may have meant this was not apparent before.

Also your pony is likely to have changed shape as her workload changed and a check of her saddle will help as a preventative for any future behavior.
 
Hi. I sympathise with your issue. There could be a few reasons for this behaviour. Firstly, it could be the separation from the others. Maybe when leaving home and taking her on a hack, she just wants to be back where she knows there are others. It could be hunger and she doesn't want to leave where she knows there is food. She may appreciate riding with some company so she doesn't feel like she's on her own and the only one away from home. You could try her in a flash to make her a bit more controlable if there are any issues. It may be a good idea to ride her in a more confined space like a school where she knows she can't escape. Also, there won't be open space ahead of her so she may be less likely to race off. Sorry if you have already tried these.
I hope your issue is resolved soon!
 
Waves from across the fields!!!

Sorry she's being a baggage again but it does sound either a bit hormonal or that she needs a lot more work than you are giving her - or a bit of both!

What feed is she on; what is she ridden in too as it could just be she's learned to pit her strength against you just because she can because she's in something too mild for her?
 
Hi vera.e, We tried hacking her in company before the winter and had the same problem, but not if she was with the mare she was crushing on. We haven't tried riding her for a while so haven't experimented with tack yet. Tbh, if I can't get respect on the ground, I'm not risking myself or the kids. *Waves to Pat* She's only getting a token hard feed, a handful of Alfalfa and pony nuts just to get seaweed into her and Oestress. She was being so good. :(
 
After seeing the other thread about Alfalfa, I am going to try cutting it out of her feed. The riding school didn't feed it to her.
 
Alfa is the feed of the devil especially for ponies! Something like Hi-Fi or soaked grass nuts would be far better. You could try some brewers yeast too, that might help her, a great digestion aid; have some if you want to try it for a month, x
 
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