seriouse help.....

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littleH

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I have a new horse she was rescued from a rehab center. 3 weeks she has really moved on and up with clicker training,and general handling. I have not rode her yet at my present field. we went back to basics. Yesterday she had a very nasty cut on her hock . my field companion rang and said she had patched her up , she tried to tie the mare up who was very anxciouse ,she then put anti-gel on the open wound which is not a scuff.....the mare fled. I went to the field within the half hour to check myself how bad the injury was. and my beautiful loving mare lunged for me knocking me down with teeth flying, my hubby came to help and she flew for him to...he moved...I however stood my ground. she looked shocked but to be honest she has completely terified me .....am i being unreasonable taking into considerations the previouse events before i arrived?????????please help
 
It depends if the horse means it or not. I have a mare that the farrier calls smiler because she always comes at you with ears pinned back and teeth bared and she frightens so many people and they think they are about to lose there ear or something but she has absolutely nothing behind it, she has never followed it through and I completely ignore the behaviour and she doesn't do it to me, she had a rough time previously and I look at it as her defense mechanism, she is threatening you before you do anything to her.
On the other hand there was a horse at my friends yard that totally meant it and would follow through with biting and kicking if it got a chance and was really agressive - god knows what happened to it in in its life to make it like it.
 
i got her from a rescue center they had found her abandoned for 2 years ish with no human or animal contact. they had loaned her out to a girl who was over whelmed by her and sent her back. they were very strict with her shouting and screaming when she misbehaved but she was never like that with me ..just loving...and a bit frisky when in season
 
This one sounds like it will take time, any animal (even humans) who have not had human contact for a long time will learn to fend for themselves and will not have much trust in humans. The whole experience is probably more overwelming for the horse as we can make sense of our feelings, they can not.

I agree, if you can get the mare into a smaller space where she can rely on you for small things such as a feed she will learn to trust you more. Reward her for all the good things she does, no matter how small i.e allowing you to put her headcoller on.

If you can stick it out you have massive rewards to gain and a horse that will be your best friend for life. If however you feel totally out of your depth I would either get someone to help you or if you can afford it send her to a proffesional. it sounds like all this horse needs is lots of love and patience. You will have days when you doubt yourself but they will be worth it.

Good luck x
 
I would definitely agree about getting her into a smaller space to give you some control. Also if she can have less grass and be fed she will come to rely on you to feed her.

I would imagine that having had no human contact and then very limited contact she has just realised that actually humans hurt you (by putting stinging gel on your cut
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). She is only trying to look out for herself because in her world no one else will do it.
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Protect yourself as much as possible (IE Wear lots of clothes to protect from bites and have someone to back you up) and then act very confidently around her. Lots of ground work, just being around her etc and I am sure she will gradually start to trust you. Once she does you will have a bond like no other.


Good luck
 
Are you fairly experienced with ground work, training horses etc? If not maybe look into having someone come and work with you and the mare a few times, just to give you a framework for handling her should something like this happen again. A very experienced handler might see early warning signs or holes in her education (I'd guess there are a few, given her history!) that you could work on over time.

I would guess her "horse-people" communication skills are not the best. It could even be that she doesn't speak very good "horse". This happens more and more now since AI became commonplace and more horses grow up never having been with a herd in their formative years. So she just acts however she feels, without regard to acceptable limits.

It sounds like she's been bounced around a good bit with some very unreliable handling. The people she HAS met haven't been consistent and in her last home it seems she dominated the situation. It only makes sense she would try that with you, too, since that's what she learned - she would hardly understand that's why her last placement didn't work out! Even the "shouting andscreaming" sounds a bit suspect if you don't mind me saying. Those aren't particularly good or effective ways to discipline a horse, they certainly aren't very useful teaching a horse that doesn't understand in the first place.

On the other hand make sure that what you think is "strict", especially for this horse, isn't just appropriate. Horses are herd animals. They are used to - and comfortable with - a fairly rigid hierarchy. As mentioned above she is used to looking after herself so if you don't do it she will. She needs to accept that you're the one making decisions and that you will make good ones for her - that's what gives her securirty and consistency. There is nothing wrong with expecting things from her and being clear in your expectations. Horses have a very hard time dealing with inconsistency, especially in social situations and when they aren't comfortable themselves.

Good luck with your mare. It sounds like you want the best for her after her tough start. Just make sure that "the best" includes an education not just a nice life. Good training is health insurance for horses.
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