Serious food issues...

[noodle_]

regulars...remember naughty pony who kicked me as i (stupidly...) went into the field with a feed bucket? vowed never to do that again.

Pony was sent away for 2 months as i lost my other mare and didnt want to know ponies (ive had her 6 months now) well sh'es back

Shes LOVELY when there is no food around - in 2 weeks we have sorted out the picking up feet issue on the front (working ont he back and i will explain why...) she will wear an dbe lead in a saddle/bridle etc - she never questions anything i do/ask of her....i can hae bags/scary things around her - shes dosent bother about anything.

I went to give her her feed tonight and as always ask her to back up, i accidentally touched her ear when gesturing with my hand to move back - she struck out with her front leg and threatened to go up....she then whipped round and double barreled me.

SO definately feed issues(!).... she was poor when i first got her (i will post pics on request), so im assuming its boiling down to this - or the fact she truly hates me. I can stand with a bucket and feed her from it but asking her to step AWAY from feed - well....do it at your own risk

Do not tell me to paste her....i have i admit when she was first nasty 6 months ago - it does nothing except rile her up more - she WILL come back ready to fight...she will not back down.

Shes two - if she was three i would be breaking her in quite honestly to break the attitude out of her - but until then - how to handle this now?? im in cheshire so if anyone can reccomend me a GOOD trainer (mabey along the lines of NH) rather than parelli as im not honestly a fan BUT i think with her issues she needs a sensitive trainer as harsh handling will most definately make the matters worse......

 

[ozpoz]

I would feed her from a over door manger - the recycled all rubber kind as I don't like the metal hook ones for safety reasons.
If the rest of her training is going well, I 'd be very tempted to ignore her issues with food, and make her feeding time as low key as possible.

 

[noodle_]

i know but if i let her get away with it - what happens in the field?

shes currently in (shes more than happy about that) as she has horrendous mud fever so im keeping her in until its better - think 4 whites!!.....

shes not even bothered about anything - i can leave her stable door open and walk off and she wont dare to go out - shes VERY polite (so if she was bothered about being in she could run off/barge and she dosent)...

so im worried this turns into field issues too bringing in/turning her bum etc

 

[*hic*]

I would feed her from a over door manger - the recycled all rubber kind as I don't like the metal hook ones for safety reasons.
If the rest of her training is going well, I 'd be very tempted to ignore her issues with food, and make her feeding time as low key as possible.

#


^^^ This

Let her get settled back in. There is no point in making this an issue. I am lucky that I could do anything with all of mine whilst they are eating but some of them are unhappy about it so we just leave them to it. There are few times when one cannot organise one's routine so that one is not hassling a horse whilst it is eating.

 

[Thorthepony]

Noodle, I cannot offer any real help or advice I am afraid but I can offer a bit of moral support as a friend of mine who has her horse on the same yard as me who has the same problems with her 2 1/2 year old. She has had him from a yearling and he is lovely in every other respect but can be a real monster when food is involved. As I said, no real help I am afraid other than maybe a bit of moral support and the knowledge that you are not alone with the issue.

Good luck and if you do find ways round it please do post as I will tell my friend incase it helps her too.

 

[*hic*]

i know but if i let her get away with it - what happens in the field?

shes currently in (shes more than happy about that) as she has horrendous mud fever so im keeping her in until its better - think 4 whites!!.....

shes not even bothered about anything - i can leave her stable door open and walk off and she wont dare to go out - shes VERY polite (so if she was bothered about being in she could run off/barge and she dosent)...

so im worried this turns into field issues too bringing in/turning her bum etc

You're not "letting her get away with it" you are avoiding flashpoints She is learning that food happens, no-one hassles you, it's not an issue. As she is happier with the new arrangement - you stay on the other side of the door you could start putting a little pressure on her by working near her whilst she's eating.

 

[noodle_]

she already gets feed lobbed over the door (7 mornings a week and 4 nights) by someone else who said she is fine with this... thank god.



i will do that and try it - no problem...... but it seems that she thinks shes the boss over me?!

if i ask her to go back with food/its met with a "eer no..." one of the girls who knows her agrees with me that she has a high opinion of herself (talking about pony), and pony is above me (so she thinks.......)

 

[*hic*]

I'm not certain she thinks she's the boss over you if she's not showing any signs of it in all the other work you're doing with her!

However if it is the case she thinks she's dominant over you with food then really don't make it an argument. If there is no argument she can't be boss.

OUt of interest, I assume you make her back away from the door every time you go in, not just when you have food?

 

[zaminda]

My OH's old mare always had serious issues with food. These stemmed from her days at a trekking centre being taunted by kids feeding her then taking it away again.
I would feed from an over the door manger, and work on it at a later date. Our mare is now fine with food, but to start with it was a case of ignore it.
A friend did well with clicker training, think she just got a book and got on with it, and has never looked back!
Isit just hard feed or hay as well?

 

[noodle_]

thanks


yes i always say "back" when i go in her stable and praise by saying "good girl" and a pat on her neck - she does sometimes push against me - but i do stand firm and ask her to push back which she does.

 

[Foxhunter49]

Do not tell me to paste her....i have i admit when she was first nasty 6 months ago - it does nothing except rile her up more - she WILL come back ready to fight...she will not back down.

The fact that she is only two and that she will not back down says that you are not being anywhere near firm enough with her.

You do not need a whip to get her to back down - the feed bucket will be enough!

When she comes at you then I would give her the feed still in the bucket wrapped straight across her nose. Before she could turn her backside I would be in that stable chasing her backwards around the stable with arms waving in her face and me being in attack mode, kicking the bucket whenever possible so it goes between her legs. I would keep it going until she was sitting in the manger chewing her toenails in submission.
I would then walk out the stable and leave her to eat her feed from wherever it had gone on the floor.

You might not like the idea of 'harsh' handling but, once done hard and fast will stop the nonsense in a couple of minutes.

 

[*hic*]

The fact that she is only two and that she will not back down says that you are not being anywhere near firm enough with her.

You do not need a whip to get her to back down - the feed bucket will be enough!

When she comes at you then I would give her the feed still in the bucket wrapped straight across her nose. Before she could turn her backside I would be in that stable chasing her backwards around the stable with arms waving in her face and me being in attack mode, kicking the bucket whenever possible so it goes between her legs. I would keep it going until she was sitting in the manger chewing her toenails in submission.
I would then walk out the stable and leave her to eat her feed from wherever it had gone on the floor.

You might not like the idea of 'harsh' handling but, once done hard and fast will stop the nonsense in a couple of minutes.

I have a nasty suspicion that that is similar to the treatment that was meted out to my big boy. It has taken me over eighteen months to try to undo it to the point where I am happy when he is confident enough to pretend to bite me and NOT to flip out if I flinch. Previously if I flinched and pulled my hand up / away he'd think he was in for a beating and attack. Not a lot of fun being in a 12' square stable with 17hh+ of very agile and powerful horse coming at you with teeth and feet. Even worse when it's in a field.

Teaching him that the situation does not arise where he has to "defend" himself has been a long slow process and one I've never had to do with any of the other previously abused horses I've owned. I've always taken them on and will not tolerate aggression towards me. Not the same with this lad. He quite clearly thinks that it's him or me, and he's getting his retaliation in first.

OP your horse, your call, but if "normal" levels of dominance shown by you are being met with an abnormally aggressive reaction I'd be very careful - but I guess you know that or you'd not have posted in the first place. Good luck.

 

[noodle_]

The fact that she is only two and that she will not back down says that you are not being anywhere near firm enough with her.

You do not need a whip to get her to back down - the feed bucket will be enough!

When she comes at you then I would give her the feed still in the bucket wrapped straight across her nose. Before she could turn her backside I would be in that stable chasing her backwards around the stable with arms waving in her face and me being in attack mode, kicking the bucket whenever possible so it goes between her legs. I would keep it going until she was sitting in the manger chewing her toenails in submission.
I would then walk out the stable and leave her to eat her feed from wherever it had gone on the floor.

You might not like the idea of 'harsh' handling but, once done hard and fast will stop the nonsense in a couple of minutes.

thnk you for the advice



but theres no way in hell id be doing that


she would happily kick the **** out of me if i did...........!!


i have launched the feed bucket at her - she literally is made of steel - if she wants to kick.....she will.............



tonight was nasty - really nasty - theres no way anyone else will be handling her around feed except me (shes fine with haynets btw....) but she does need a hard feed.

I have a nasty suspicion that that is similar to the treatment that was meted out to my big boy. It has taken me over eighteen months to try to undo it to the point where I am happy when he is confident enough to pretend to bite me and NOT to flip out if I flinch. Previously if I flinched and pulled my hand up / away he'd think he was in for a beating and attack. Not a lot of fun being in a 12' square stable with 17hh+ of very agile and powerful horse coming at you with teeth and feet. Even worse when it's in a field.

Teaching him that the situation does not arise where he has to "defend" himself has been a long slow process and one I've never had to do with any of the other previously abused horses I've owned. I've always taken them on and will not tolerate aggression towards me. Not the same with this lad. He quite clearly thinks that it's him or me, and he's getting his retaliation in first.

OP your horse, your call, but if "normal" levels of dominance shown by you are being met with an abnormally aggressive reaction I'd be very careful - but I guess you know that or you'd not have posted in the first place. Good luck.

as above ^ theres no way id be kicking a bucket at her.... its asking her to be more defensive imo and tbh thats the last thing i need!!!!

 

[Pinkvboots]

I would think as your horse was quite poor when you got her she has had to fight for her food hence the agression, I would try and ignore it she needs to learn that you are not a threat, hitting her will not help she has to trust you, I would never feed her in a field, an over door manger may help and you could try standing near her while she eats even if the door is shut then try and progress to leaving the door open, I always go in with my horses now and then and get them used to me while they eat, I can change rugs pick feet out most things and there fine, you may never get to this stage but once she realises you wont take it away she may get better, be carefull though dont put yourself at risk.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I would think as your horse was quite poor when you got her she has had to fight for her food hence the agression, I would try and ignore it she needs to learn that you are not a threat, hitting her will not help she has to trust you, I would never feed her in a field, an over door manger may help and you could try standing near her while she eats even if the door is shut then try and progress to leaving the door open, I always go in with my horses now and then and get them used to me while they eat, I can change rugs pick feet out most things and there fine, you may never get to this stage but once she realises you wont take it away she may get better, be carefull though dont put yourself at risk.

This.

I bought a rising 4 yr old who had been, at best, neglected and had been kept very short of food. We got her in March and kept her in overnight until the better weather, she did not want any-one in the stable with her if there was food of any kind about, including hay. Fortunately the stables were built with a walkway at the back and a grille into the box with the manger under the grille forming part of the wall. We put the hay and bucket feed into the stable before the mare went in and then stood behind the grille in complete safety while she ate. She just had to put up with it. Over the summer we fed her in a bucket over the wall, so again in complete safety.
We kept this mare for 20 yrs and although we later found out that she had food intolerances, she soon got over the food issues when she learned that she would always have enough food with us. The first night in each winter she would bring some of her hay to show me (don't know who she thought put it there!). We could groom/rug her etc while she ate after a while, even though she moved into a box with no walkway.
I certainly wouldn't recommend throwing things at her - you've already found that she meets aggression with aggression. What she needs is calm consistency.

 

[noodle_]

thanks ^^^


im trying to avoid aggression at all costs...im always quiet with her - always talk to her and praise her when shes good and ignore and stupid baby behaviour (like eating my gloves and assulting my jacket lol!) i just calmly remove from mouth and carry on - no shouting - whats the point??


i will feed her over the door and slowly edge my way into the stable feeding her from the bucket....and hope she learns eventually?!?

 

[Bobbly]

How about you put a tie ring at the back of the stable and one at the manger, high enough that she can't make a grab at you but could feed. Tie her up at the back, put her feed in but then do your jobs around her, feet, rugs etc. maybe give her a handful as praise for being good while you work then move her to the manger, tie up again and let her feed while you watch or twiddle your thumbs for a bit? We did this for a very foal proud mare, it worked for us that she would tolerate us being in the stable while she fed. Be consistent.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

thanks ^^^





i will feed her over the door and slowly edge my way into the stable feeding her from the bucket....and hope she learns eventually?!?

She will, she is plenty young enough to be able to change her ways when she learns that there is no need for her to be aggressive about food with you.

 

[FfionWinnie]

Is she in poor condition now? Personally I'd feed adlib hay and no bucket feeds while you work with this mare. Once she realises you are the boss and you are regularly working with her getting her ready to back, she will have built up more confidence in herself and you and, the chances are this issue will have disappeared.

I'd also invest in Train your young horse by Richard Maxwell. His techniques work very well with aggressive sorts. He's not namby pamby nor is he aggressive.

 

[Antw23uk]

My new mare is food agressive. I knew about this when i got her, she is an 11 yr old ex racer.

The first thing i had to do was change her feeding routine in the morning as i couldnt justify feeding her in her stable when i had to skip out, refill haynets, water ect before work (Just dont have the time to wait for her) ... I WOULD NOT even try to feed her and work around her in her stable whilst she is eating.

Currently she will see her bucket of food put on the floor on the yard where i tie her up and she will let me put her headcollar on and lead her out of stable, tie her up and then i can start my day and the most i will get is a face pulling grumpy look if that!. I havent approached her once she is eating ... Why would I? She is eating and im rushing to skip out as quickly as possible.

In the evening she is fed in her stable ... This is where her aggression is heightened to the MAX!! Her previous owner has taught her 'Away' so i say AWAY firmly and she will walk round her stable and within that time i can open the door put food in and close door. Job done. You then leave her to it. She is 'awkward' at best with haynets if i need to go in but i ignore this behaviour as its not dangerous and im now very aware that anything i do in the stable she must be tied up (except the feeding where she is left alone)

You have to think logically ... Why on earth would you be by her food unless you wanted to eat it yourself? She doesnt know im just standing chatting to a friend ... im a threat to her food ... again WHY would i be near her if i wasnt trying to take her food?

I give my mare space to eat, its the least i can do and she shows acceptable behaviour eating on the yard which is good for me and still good for her.

Concentrate on other things. Let your horse eat its food in peace. Good luck and stay safe x

 

[noodle_]

Is she in poor condition now? Personally I'd feed adlib hay and no bucket feeds while you work with this mare. Once she realises you are the boss and you are regularly working with her getting her ready to back, she will have built up more confidence in herself and you and, the chances are this issue will have disappeared.

I'd also invest in Train your young horse by Richard Maxwell. His techniques work very well with aggressive sorts. He's not namby pamby nor is he aggressive.

no - shes in good condition now - really good in fact - im hoping to get her out showing next year !

My new mare is food agressive. I knew about this when i got her, she is an 11 yr old ex racer.

The first thing i had to do was change her feeding routine in the morning as i couldnt justify feeding her in her stable when i had to skip out, refill haynets, water ect before work (Just dont have the time to wait for her) ... I WOULD NOT even try to feed her and work around her in her stable whilst she is eating.

Currently she will see her bucket of food put on the floor on the yard where i tie her up and she will let me put her headcollar on and lead her out of stable, tie her up and then i can start my day and the most i will get is a face pulling grumpy look if that!. I havent approached her once she is eating ... Why would I? She is eating and im rushing to skip out as quickly as possible.

In the evening she is fed in her stable ... This is where her aggression is heightened to the MAX!! Her previous owner has taught her 'Away' so i say AWAY firmly and she will walk round her stable and within that time i can open the door put food in and close door. Job done. You then leave her to it. She is 'awkward' at best with haynets if i need to go in but i ignore this behaviour as its not dangerous and im now very aware that anything i do in the stable she must be tied up (except the feeding where she is left alone)

You have to think logically ... Why on earth would you be by her food unless you wanted to eat it yourself? She doesnt know im just standing chatting to a friend ... im a threat to her food ... again WHY would i be near her if i wasnt trying to take her food?

I give my mare space to eat, its the least i can do and she shows acceptable behaviour eating on the yard which is good for me and still good for her.

Concentrate on other things. Let your horse eat its food in peace. Good luck and stay safe x

thank you


really good advice



makes sense when someone puts it into words, thank you


will put it into practice !