stressy TB troubles. again. rant

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cobface

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Tacked up ans thought i would take my TB mare out round the lanes, only for half hour or so, been schooling alot lately and shes had the past 2 days off. Minute i got on she started, wouldnt stand whilst i did up her girth and then the cow bag decided it would be fun to rear, then buck then rear again :( she was really on her toes, so not feeling overly confident taking her out on my own (past experience tells me to head back when shes in this sort of mood) so i took her in the menage. She was awful, kept pushing herself right up to the fence round the menage and kept really knocking me into it, pushed her out and after warming up she got better. Did some transistions but when i halted she just didnt want to stand :( made her stand a few times, asked for canter and she decided to buck. Then she started with the head tossing and basically i had to get off her and take her back in. Terrible session today.
I think she maybe coming into season or could of been the wind, either way she was a total bag :(
She gets like this, has her off days and i hate to say it but i do get annoyed with her eratic behaviour, we can spend weeks prepping for a walk and trot test and she will go perfect at home only for on the day to mess it up big style with her head tossing and general stressiness.
My friend has a TB, she rides only once/twice per week, hardly schools her just hacks out, she lives out 24/7 then takes her to a dressage class/riding horse and wins outright every time. I sound bitter about it, really am not i just wish my mare could be like that.
I have a lesson every week, keep her at the best yard, pay alot to keep her, always spend time schooling her/jumping etc and taking her to shows only for it to be a shambles :( :(
She is a notably hard horse to ride and i have seen her ridden by instructors and various riders and i seem to be the only one who can get a tune out of her. (on a good day)
Just we seem to have more bad than good lately :(
She has had a saddle fitted by the saddle fitter about 5 months ago, back man out in april and had her wolf teeth removed back in march so i dont think its physical.
I just want a horse i can get on, go nicely and not be in a constant battle with it and go and do a few dressage classes :( i may aswel spend the cash i have saved for a dressage saddle :(
I know shes only 5 but most 5 yr olds i know are not this stressy :( beginning to think she may always have this problem.
Sorry for the rant/moan, i know i sound ungrateful am just fed up. i need to vent.
 
Aw poor you! I really feel for you. Hopefully she will settle down for you again. I am also currently having a very fidgety mare to cope with (TB) - we recently moved yards and before she used to be ever so calm I really had a horse to rely on and was riding her throughout both my pregnancies!!!
Since we have moved she is a different sort. She is now living out 24/7 and when we get up the yard there is nothing in so she is all frightful and never standing still. I can get her to work ok in the arena (had to do lungeing only for a bit and now need new saddle so getting on has been postponed again a little). But I am longing for my old horse that I could rely on so much not to be silly (except on some occasions of course). I hope she settles down when the winter comes and they all come in. Not sure it may be that she is better with a fixed routine than me doing her sporadically every day and coming in alone but equally she is thriving living out and I wouldn't change that for the world...
 
If you have read some of the previous posts on this forum you will probably have noticed that a lot of people have problems with their five year olds. One of mine was no exception, an angel at 4 and a stroppy nightmare at 5. Now at 6 he has turned the corner and is coming good.

It might not be the case with your mare but some years ago I had a mare who could be very difficult, rearing, napping etc but through trial and error we discovered that she was much, much better if she was kept busy. She could have one day off a week but was a git if she had two days off so mainly she was worked seven days a week - a lot of hacking with some schooling and jumping too.

As for your mare being difficult at shows this is not unusual. It could also be the case that you get a little uptight and your mare picks up on this and stresses more.

She is still young so it might be worth taking her to a show but not competing, just warmup when you are not under pressure to perform.
 
Ahhh....head tossing eh? I bought an 8 year old mare in April. She started head tossing a few weeks later - hacking and schooling, any time when ridden really. Took her to the vets as eventually, yellow mucus started coming down one nostril. Two months later, she is now in Edinburgh vet hospital having had a tooth taken out due to a tooth abscess. This didn't show on the original x-rays. I hope it isn't this for you, however it's worth bearing in mind if the head tossing doesn't stop....x
 
I have changed her routine slightly with the children being off school, she used to be worked 5 days per week with 2 off, not continous days though. Planning on riding her again tomorrow and will see how she goes. Thinking of getting her a calmer aswell just to take the edge off of her.
Has anybody tried the naff magic one?
 
cobface said:
Tacked up ans thought i would take my TB mare out round the lanes, only for half hour or so, been schooling alot lately and shes had the past 2 days off. Minute i got on she started, wouldnt stand whilst i did up her girth and then the cow bag decided it would be fun to rear, then buck then rear again :( she was really on her toes, so not feeling overly confident taking her out on my own (past experience tells me to head back when shes in this sort of mood) so i took her in the menage. She was awful, kept pushing herself right up to the fence round the menage and kept really knocking me into it, pushed her out and after warming up she got better. Did some transistions but when i halted she just didnt want to stand :( made her stand a few times, asked for canter and she decided to buck. Then she started with the head tossing and basically i had to get off her and take her back in. Terrible session today.
I think she maybe coming into season or could of been the wind, either way she was a total bag :(
She gets like this, has her off days and i hate to say it but i do get annoyed with her eratic behaviour, we can spend weeks prepping for a walk and trot test and she will go perfect at home only for on the day to mess it up big style with her head tossing and general stressiness.
My friend has a TB, she rides only once/twice per week, hardly schools her just hacks out, she lives out 24/7 then takes her to a dressage class/riding horse and wins outright every time. I sound bitter about it, really am not i just wish my mare could be like that.
I have a lesson every week, keep her at the best yard, pay alot to keep her, always spend time schooling her/jumping etc and taking her to shows only for it to be a shambles :( :(
She is a notably hard horse to ride and i have seen her ridden by instructors and various riders and i seem to be the only one who can get a tune out of her. (on a good day)
Just we seem to have more bad than good lately :(
She has had a saddle fitted by the saddle fitter about 5 months ago, back man out in april and had her wolf teeth removed back in march so i dont think its physical.
I just want a horse i can get on, go nicely and not be in a constant battle with it and go and do a few dressage classes :( i may aswel spend the cash i have saved for a dressage saddle :(
I know shes only 5 but most 5 yr olds i know are not this stressy :( beginning to think she may always have this problem.
Sorry for the rant/moan, i know i sound ungrateful am just fed up. i need to vent.
Click to expand...

Do feel sorry for you she is a TB and a mare! Double trouble! From my experience (and happy for you to discount it.....) TB's love routine, so try and do everything at similar times of a day. They are often happier going out in company (because that is what they are used too......) and whilst they have to learn to adapt - if you can establish a happy going out in company, then you can try to learn her otherwise - but it will take time.
Young TB's who are only used to racing, find schooling hard - because they are only used to going in straight lines - so try and do a lot of schooling / suppling work out on hacks (shoulder in's etc. half halts etc.) before you do to much in the school - because they will get P'd off, because they find it hard.
Try to find a friend who you can do fun hacks / pleasure rides / hunting with - because the mare will enjoy it and gain in confidence (if not too loopy)
Once she is confident in having fun, then she will take to the schooling better - honest, but it might take some time.
Appreciate where you are coming from - and if it is too much hard work for you both, then maybe think about a change, but an ex racehorse mare has little re-sale value, if she is cranky, so you might just have to stick with her - it could be worth it in the long term! I had similar - a mare I purchased at 3 years, when my daughter was a baby - at 15 she was riding it at PC Camp - it was still a nightmare - but she loved it and got the prize for having the best hands, and getting it to do a decent dressage test......long term benefit!
 
Hi, sorry to hear you are having probs with your mare.

I know you say you've had her back checked, but i really would get a second opinion, preferbly by a vet, only because my TB was just like this and after back x-rays it showed that he had severe kissing spines.

Im not saying that is what is causing her to be like this, but there is a possibility, and i always had marco's back done by good back people, but they didn't suggest he had kissing spines, but the vets watched me ride him and had him x-rayed.

maybe try lungeing her in her tack first to warm in and loosen her up. see if that helps.

keep us updated :)
 
I have a 5 year old TB mare too and I know if I gave her 2 days off and got on without giving her a bit of a workout first, I'd be taking my life in my hands. I don't tend to give her more than one day in a row off because she thrives on work. And if she's in a mood, or has had a day off, I pretty much always lunge her or turn her out before hand to get some of that extra energy out and help her focus. If you don't do this, give it a try as it does help me. I don't expect a lot of focus in those sessions - it's more for her to get her bucks out.

I also strongly agree with trying to work as close as you can to a regular schedule. My mare does much better with that. I'm not strict about it - some days I'm out earlier or later - but for the most part, I try to be out at around the same time and she does seem to like the routine.

As for the schooling, I have to make it interesting for her - she gets bored quickly with around and around. Lots of changes of direction, transitions, serpentines, bending, etc. I also do a ton of trotting - lets out energy in a positive way. A lot of the issues with young TB's is harnessing that energy. You can't do it by making them stop - you have the energy, you just need to focus it forward (rather than up and down).

Hope some of that helps.
 
Thanks for all the advice, i think the sooner she gets back in her routine the better!
Also i am going to vary her work a bit, we really should be hacking more but we have had a few shows lately and our routine has changed alot.
I have booked a xc schooling session for the end of the month, also we have a dressage comp next sunday so i will take her for a nosey, its only a small one and we have been there before and the tests and warm up is on a surface which is so much better.
Will school today, jump tomorrow, sunday off, hack monday, tuesday, school wed, thurs day off, hack fri, school sat and dressage sunday.
Will keep you posted!
 
I think you own my boys twin sister!

I have exactly all these problems with mine. (apart from being mareish!)

Wednesday night I schooled him, and he was an absolute ****! I was sharing the school with my YO and he spent the majority of the time lunging up and down and bronking. YO got cross and gave me another lecture about that horse is going to kill you. My OH was there too and the whole evening afterwards was miserable because he was going on about the horse is too dangerous.....blah....blah...blah....

Yesterday night I did exactly the same, but this time no one was at the yard and I was completely alone. My horse was in a totally different frame of mind and he behaved like a dressage schoolmaster and worked beautifully - and no one bloody saw! :(
 
I love threads like this! It makes me feel less alone!

We have a 6yr old tb, and he can be horrendous. Try to kill you on the lunge or leading out, handful to ride etc etc. Next day an angel!

Every week is a 'shall we sell him/loan him/send him for glue (joke)', then he redeem's himself by behaving impeccably and we say maybe he is turning a corner. I am sure he knows this...
 
We have a 6yo ex racer mare, got as a 3yo. Well my daughter does really, I just do grooming detail :D and I know she would totally relate to how you're feeling in terms of the frustration of going 2 steps forward and one back all the time.

*Knock wood* Right now they're going really well and my daughter is so happy and I am holding my breath and hoping the "corner" has finally been turned because I can't tell you how hard she's worked at it with that horse.

The way I see it, even if it doesn't work out and we have to sell her, my daughter's gained a wealth of knowledge and experience throgh trying to rise to the challenge which is never a bad thing
 
In that situation, I would have got off, secured stirrups and reins, and freeschooled/lunged to get the bucks/leaping etc out of the way, and then got back on and ridden, rather than giving up. You don't want to even begin to suggest to your horse's mind that if she mucks around she doesn't have to work as hard/for as long/concentrating as much. She just needed to let off some steam, and is young and from a racing breed, so can hardly be blamed for that!

When my TB girl was 5yo we spooked a lot more, and dashed everywhere, and it's the same with my current 5yo pony. Both were doing that living out too, so not a lack of turnout!!! Took the 5yo pony for a dressage lesson yesterday and was it scary - there was the mini rear on mounting (just because!), the jumping back at the new school surface on the way in (and incidentally headbutting me as I was trying to do the girth up lol), lots and lots of spooking at the new place/people/horses/nothing at all, then finally she settled and we got on with the lesson.

With my TB (who is now 11) and with my 5yo, I find that doing sufficient work helps an awful lot, and esp with the TB, sufficient fast work to give her a good run/jump a couple of times a week (even freeschooling will do). With the TB I found that fast work on its own wasn't sufficient (I still got plenty of bucking), but jumping a couple of times a week, at a decent height, fixes all our problems, as she gets to leap around in a controlled, sensible way, and gets it out of her system. If I don't canter the TB enough, even now, and don't jump at least once a week, the bucks come back, and the spooking doubles. She's only trying to spook that much to get me to loosen the reins so she can run, after all!
 
Bless you- cant really offer a huge amount of advice, and tbh dont know if thats what your hoping for or just needing to sound off about madam!
I've soooo been in your exact position sometimes i really hate my horse, sometimes he terrifies me and sometimes he's absolutely amazing and quiet and tries really hard, There is no reason or excuse he's just a random TB.
At the same time i have friends who are out competing on their TB's who have been out of racing less than half the time mine has- Its really dis heartening sometimes.

I have never tried magic but have 2 friends who swear by it- I have used Magnitude by equine america and **think** it helped- its much cheaper and could be worth a go?

((((hugs)))) I hope things get better for you xx
 
cobface said:
I have changed her routine slightly with the children being off school, she used to be worked 5 days per week with 2 off, not continous days though. Planning on riding her again tomorrow and will see how she goes. Thinking of getting her a calmer aswell just to take the edge off of her.
Has anybody tried the naff magic one?
Click to expand...

Hi Cobface, I feel for you with your 'stressy tb' I have one to, 5 years old and wants to take on the world !!
Naff magic is great, have seen the results first hand with a friends tb who has gone from a total lunatic to a sweet angelic chap in a matter of weeks, the begining of July he went to his first show and spent most of the time on his hind legs (he was like this at home to) last week he went to another show and was as good as gold (like this at home now to) I would say try it, the powder daily is brilliant and the syringes for comp days just 'top' them up a bit.
About to go and buy some for my little terror (love her to bits) as I will be backing her hopefully in the next couple of months and don't really want to be 'flying through the air' every 5 minutes :p

Good luck x
 
straight to the point-you're expecting too much.she's a green 5yo so more of a 4yo really, and you hadnt ridden for 2 days and then wanted to go hacking in the wind-asking for trouble IMO.

she WILL toss her head at shows-its her way of telling you she's worried, you will have to accept that she will have good and bad days, and initially be VERY affected by show atmosphere. she wont be a get on and go after several days off, sort of horse, for a long while, not many babies are,let alone a baby TB.

its not nice, and it is frustrating, but look at it from the horses POV.
 
Thanks for all your replies and advice :)
Been a bit stressed lately about it all, so gave her the last few days off and today.
I think she has been in season, she was really bad tempered with her neighbour yesterday and shes not normally like that until she has finished her season. So i am putting the other day down to her being in season and me being stressed :o
Planning to lunge her tomorrow and see how she is and then just keep her in her routine as much as possible.
Hacking with a friend on Monday as i think she will be better with company, and going to hack out more, we used to be out at least 2 x per week but lately dont seem to be getting out as much lately.
As i mentioned we have a few things coming up such as a XC schooling session which she will enjoy and i have a lesson on wed.
:)
 
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