Sudden drastic change in horse's behaviour - help please

eventrider23

eventrider23

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I sold my mare the other day and the new lady has got her and her newly weaned foal. The mare has always been a total sweet heart to do anything with; she pulled faces at feed times and sometimes when doing the fronts of her rugs up, but it was never followed up by anything. She was one of the easiest horses I have ever known and felt you could do anything with her on the ground. Definately a dominant mare with other horses but not nasty and very affectionate. Excellent around any kids, dogs, cats, etc.

I have just had an email from the new owner who is quite concerned over the fact that the mare has suddenly become quite aggressive. She has started biting people over the stable door and lunging at her children when they come to see her over the door and has kicked out at their groom.

She wants to know if I have any suggestions. They have only had her for about 6 days now so it might be that she hasn't settled as well as they first thought. In addition, she hadn't been out in the field for a while whilst with me as she was being weaned and also had bad mud fever; since moving she has not yet gone out in the field as they were going to turn her out tomorrow. I said that maybe she is feeling a bit frustrated with being in and will settle once she goes out.

I am however quite baffled at this change in attitude and don't know what to suggest. They are a lovely home and would love to have her for the rest of her life and her foal has settled in wonderfully but they are understandably quite worried about this attitude she has developed suddenly.

Any suggestions anybody??
 
I'd say she is feeling a little insecure and just needs time to settle. Both of mine change behavior even when other people do them or feedtime is 30 mins different!

Also what is she feeding her?, could be change in pasture but as she has foal I would be guessing she is feeling it is all new and being protective over baby.

I;d get them to just give her time and space to get used to the change, 6 days is very soon x
 
That's what i said but I just thought i would see if anyone else had any thoughts on it. Just had another email and it says that they put mum and baby back together for the past week to help them settle (they are fully weaned and mum has no milk and baby doesn't try to nurse anymore - was just for emotional aupport). I am thinking that maybe some is being protective of baby OR maybe she doesn't want to have the foal back with her at all and is pissed off.

Feedwise - she hasn't yet gone out in the field so change of grass is now a prob. The foal took a lot out of her so she is on Mollichaff, midlings (cereal meal) and pony nuts. Nothing high in energy but high calories to help her put back on condition.
 
I KNOW!!! They travelled them over together (7 hour drive from Sussex to Wales) and things went well so when they got back very late at night they put them in together and all seemed fine. I personally would never have put them back together as they were totally setteld apart but as the 'ex-owner' I didn't want to stick my 2 cents in too much and the lady that has bought them used to run her own stud so should know what she's doing.
It's just frustrating when soem says that the horse's behaviour has changed so drastically as she really has never put a foot wrong since I've known her.

I have no idea about whether they've been feeding tit bits but she's never been a nippy sort of horse - very food orientated but if you said no then she was fine with that.
 
Perhaps she just doesn't like the Welsh!!
smile.gif
 
does she know the details of how long the foal had been weaned and how well it was doing without its mum etc?

I know you may have told her but sometimes you might have to find a gentle way of telling her that is your opinion - after all she did ask you.

At least she contacted you about it.

Mud fever or not, I would have turned her out for short periods. Mud Fever can be controlled and cured even when turning out most of the day every day.
 
Maybe with the novelty of her being new there she has had a lot of visitors and attention at a time when she probably needed to be left to establish her own space (I also wouldn't have put the foal back with her)
 
yes - she would have recieved lots of attention being new (something I'm sure we are all guilty of!) but the foal would have added 'aah factor' and possibly added even more!

poor mare has had to cope with pregnancy in the first place (I can sympathise there! lol), the foal then weaning, hormones (might be a surge of them at the moment), weaning, a new home then lo and behold, the cuckoo hasn't left the nest!!

she may love her own foal but enough is enough and the foal may also be showing a few signs of independance as well.

just another idea, may be completely wrong, when the mare has had visitors and they have ooed and aahed over her, has the foal gone to them for the attention and mum has been pushed into the background too?
 
I have to say that when I went to try my Welsh he was the sweetest boy and was everything I wanted..friendly, calm, happily plodded round the roads etc. When we brought him home he turned into the horse from hell! It was as if I had taken a wild horse home that was straight off the hills.
He was awful...scared and jumpy at everything, bolshy, nippy and very stressed. I could not lead him anywhere or do much with him because he would be biting at me or trying to run off. I had to almost start from scratch with things like putting a rug on even though he had previously been wearing one for months! It took him months to settle and whilst I did get on and start riding him straight away, he was a spooky jumpy nightmare.
I know for a fact that there was nothing sinister and he was not mis-sold, but he could not cope with the change and that is how he is. Even now he can be easily upset by sudden changes...3 years on, but is getting better.
This may not be the case with your horse...but it might just be the change she cannot cope with. She will need lot's of patience and firm but kind handling and turnout, lot's of turnout.
 
I'd rug her up and chuck her out in the field on her own for a few days with regular feeds to establish the contact/bond with her and leave her to settle down for a few days. Mud fever is a pain, but you can get around it.

Slowly slowly catch the monkey..........
 
[ QUOTE ]
She has started biting people over the stable door and lunging at her children when they come to see her over the door and has kicked out at their groom.



[/ QUOTE ] Has she actually connected with anyone? Has she actually bit or managed to kick anyone? If she hasn't then (from what tiny little I know) she could just be trying to keep people away because she's feeling unsettled / scared.
 
In response to Heather 123: i would have LOVED to turn her out but her mud fever really was THAT bad! It took over all four legs from the knee down and even with living in, etc. continued to get worse. I know how to treat it hand have dealt no prob with horses with it for years but in this mare's case there was no option but to stay in. She was turned out during the day on my open yard and wandered around but not into the field as mine are WAY to boggy for her legs. She wasn't at my yard when the mud fever started as she was at a friend's place turned away with her foal; when she came back into mine I noticed it and started treating it but it just got worse and worse (she's got 4 white legs and so it ate away at them).

She has started connecting with the lady who owns her herself but is still being quite aggressive. She has bitten their groom but I don't know any further info I am afraid.

They knew how long they'd been weaned and that everyone was now independant, etc. but putting them together is what they wanted to do for a bit and as at the end of the day they know what they are doing as they have a stud themselves in the past.

Her mud fever is now under control and the plan was that they were going to turn her out in a 100acre field today with her other horses that have been turned out for the winter and let her have some chill out time.

I do think she is just unsettle and insecurebut wanted to see if anyone else had any views on possible causes for her attitude change.
 
no worries Heather, I totally understand what you meant. Hers were really just horrendous and she was in for her health.

Will keep posted on what she is like and if she relaxes with some turnout.
 
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