Stubborn Mare

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debneale

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I have a 5 year old mare, I have only had her for about 4 months and I bort her from a show jumping yard. I wanted a horse that enjoyed jumping and was a bit fizzy and when I first bought her she was but as I have had her she has started being very lazy and slow, especially when she is doing something she doesn’t like such as schooling and then very quick and fizzy wile hacking or jumping but recently she has totally lost interest in jumping and has been very stubborn and not even wanted to enter the jumping field she has no enthusiasm over the jumps and I don’t know how to make her enjoy it again . I have recently upped her feed hoping that her energy levels where just a bit low but there has been no change and if any thing she is getting worse. Is this just her being a stubborn young mare meaning that she will soon grow out of the stubbornness or will I have to solve it myself? Please help as I want to compete with her in the future in show SJ and XC.:(
 
I think you need to get her fully checked out to make sure nothing is hurting her, saddle, back teeth and vet check. If given the all clear look at what you have changed since buying her. Also how often do you jump her now, it doesnt take them long to get very sour of jumping, do you have a spare pair of eyes that can watch you from the ground?
 
How often do you jump? How often do you school? And for how long? Do you break it up with other things like hacking/ in hand/ lunging/ long reining/ free schooling? My first thought would be boredom.

Or back pain. Would get her saddle/ back checked just to be sure as that would make jumping very uncomfortable in particular, and could be the cause of her unwillingness to go forwards.
 
Could you have done too much with her without realising? It sounds like she dreads jumping if she won't even go in the field. Remember five is still a baby, and if you do too much they switch off and get bored... At that age I'd have them mostly hacking. You can do halts, transitions, leg yield etc on a hack, without them even realising they're being schooled.. Give yourself the winter to simply hack and let her get her joie-de-vivre back, then start jumping again with an expert to give you some lessons. You rally must get some help with this young mare, or she will go backwards..xx
 
somethingorother said:
How often do you jump? How often do you school? And for how long? Do you break it up with other things like hacking/ in hand/ lunging/ long reining/ free schooling? My first thought would be boredom.

Or back pain. Would get her saddle/ back checked just to be sure as that would make jumping very uncomfortable in particular, and could be the cause of her unwillingness to go forwards.
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I jump her once a week I was told by my instructor this is how often I should. The schooling is coming along better now and she is more forward going but she is still not enthusiastic when it comes to jumping. I lunge once a week, school twice a week, either hack or do some bareback riding twice a week because both of these things she loves and responds to my every aid with her ears pricked. She has one day off.
 
debneale said:
I jump her once a week I was told by my instructor this is how often I should. The schooling is coming along better now and she is more forward going but she is still not enthusiastic when it comes to jumping. I lunge once a week, school twice a week, either hack or do some bareback riding twice a week because both of these things she loves and responds to my every aid with her ears pricked. She has one day off.
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I spy a big red flag here - if she is a happy responsive horse when you ride bareback then get your saddle checked ASAP. My last youngster changed shape about every 3 months in the first couple of years so really you can't get the saddler out often enough IMO
 
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