stressy mare where do we go now

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tillsmum

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I have just brought a mare that is very sensitive and wondering if anyone has any suggestions on what could help her. She gets really stressed when her friend is taken away to work to the extent she will quite often sweat up by the time we get back. Apparently she constantly calls while we are gone to. When it comes to riding she will let me get on and do anything while in her stable I can play on my phone eat chocolate with a crackly wrapper, wiggle about etc. so i have been taking it very slowly we have done loads of ground work and she is very respectful of me and voice controlled. BUT then you ask her to leave the stable. This can be on longreins or with me on top and as soon as you ask for stand or go somewhere shes not been or head for home she loses it she tries to rush, she rears, she dances generally goes into a almost panic I can't get through it I just have to stand/sit there and wait. It can take ages I have tried talking, stroking her favourite places, singing to no avail. Today she managed to get herself in such a stress just walking up and down the shed they are stabled in (70ft long) she was foaming all because i asked for stand as she was going towards her stable away from it was fine. She was in such a zone that she knocked a pallet over and didn't even react to the bang right behind her. This doesn't get better with repition either we did it about 50 times today as soon as she got back in her stable she imediatly calms down and stands as long as I want her to on the buckle end. She also seems to find solace in walls she doesn't like being in the middle of the walkway or stable she goes to walls.
Do you think a calmer would help her as I really don't think she is being naughty but we need to get over this. If so what would you recommend.

thanks
 
Your comment about walls.... is her sight ok, if she's happy in her stable but not outside perhaps she cant see too well & only has confidence in the familar surrondings. If you haven't done so get her sight checked out.
 
Her sight is fine she sweated up when she was first put in there to because she hadn't been in for so long. Its almost like a security thing she will stand in the middle to be groomed and do ground work etc its only when its something shes not sure of. She is a complex mare which is why i was wondering about weather the calmer would help her rationalise things better cause she will be able to slow down and think
 
she was kept by her breeder till she was 9 and he breed to foals off her and she was ridden by his daughter and him on the farm. The daughter may or may not of taken her to gymkhana etc. I doubt it because shes 15.1hh bit big for gymkhana. The lady who brought her hadn't done anything with horses for at least 8 years and brought her because she wanted a horse and came into some money. But being a welsh cob and clever she quickly put her into her place so was kept as a field ornament for 5 years till i got her. The field she was in was down a long lane so shes seen very little in 6 yrs apart for residential traffic. When I went to see her she was very bloshy and her owner wouldn't really do much with her (hold her, get on her etc) so i had her on trial and then discovered this lack of confidene and worrying under the surface of the bolshyntess. When her old owner came up yesterday to sign the passport and get her vastly reduced money Nellie was horrible to her and very unsettled when she was about. After she had gone i had lots of cuddles and she followed me everywhere.
 
I have some experience of a panicky welshie, the only thing that worked was time...lots of it. He had major separation issues and did not like to be stabled. My own mare was very stressy where stables are concerned. Could also be due to the fact she breed foals...weaning is pretty hideous! could be traumatised by this?

Do you have any options to keep her out 24/7?

How much to you like the yard you are in?

The reason I mention this...my mare has historically freaked at being stabled (having spent many years out 24/7), we then worked out that she was ok in certain stables. I tried her in american barn stabling and she freaked, I tried for 5 months...in every day and she would weave or get stressed out by the tiniest thing...I moved yards to a place with an outside stable...he presto...not seen a weave or stress out in 15months!! I would have her out 24/7 but she needs her stable these days to get some peace now she is older.

Calmer might work...certainly worth a try. Mirror in stable for when her mate goes out?

Just as a comparison, my mare would rush in and out of her barn stable, rush along the walkway, once in the stable she would stay near the back and launch forward or be at the front weaving herself into a panic.
 
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thanks for that lots of things in there that might make sense. I hate the yard but unfortuntly they are on my in laws farm for free so not much i can do. In an ideal world we would bulid some new stables but it took me 10 yrs to get them to let me have them there so not holding my breath on the stables althought they have been mentioned.
 
if youve just had the horse then maybe you should give her a bit more time to settle and get used to everything- i know my cob is like this and he took 6 months to settle on our new yard.! give her hay not haylage and no hardfeed, also can you use her friend as a lead to get her out and about. ?
 
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