Talented but completely insane

wellsat

wellsat

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Lil has calmed down loads since I first got her. She's nice and sensible to ride, enjoyable to hack, sweet to jump and easy on the ground.

Tonight however she went back to her old ways. It all started before I was at the yard when she was being shod. Someone else took their horse away to ride and she threw a fit and pratted around so badly that she had to be twitched for the farrier to finish.

She was then put in her stable to stand in for a hour until I came down in which time she trashed her stable, wripped the kick guard off the door and pulled a shoe off.

When I got to the yard and tied her up outside she continued calling frantically and doing mini rears while tied up even though I was there.

She eventually calmed down so we had shoe put back on which she behved beautifully for and I tacked up planning on working on our medium trot.

The crazy loon was fine in walk but as soon as I asked for trot she exploded into canter everytime and bronked. spooked and reared across the paddock.

I decided to lunge to let her blow off steam without getting killed and she very nearly kicked me in the head.

I could cry

She is so beautiful and so talented but we're never going to make BE if the slightest little thing sends her over the edge.

*Passes round the wine and truffles to all for reading*
 
I think you say it all in your first sentence. read it again. and again....and one more time! Horses are unpredictable, thats why we love them, although my cloth eared mare is pretty predictable, but she aint talented (except she can outgraze teh hungriest of horses!)

Have a good night sleep, and keep doing what you are doing, and she will continue to get better, and better.
Thanks for the truffles but I am on a mega diet (but i cant say no to the wine!)

xx
 
What tangoharvey said.
And (((((hugs))))) I know how you feel. It's one step forwards and two steps back with horrid herbie. We'll get there in the end and when you are flying round the BE courses you will look back at days like today and laugh.
Keep going and good luck.
 
TH - Thanks just needed to rant really to people who would understand. Its never got to me before but we've had such a good spell recently that I really thought we were past all the craziness.
 
LauraWheeler said:
when you are flying round the BE courses you will look back at days like today and laugh.
Keep going and good luck.
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Thanks, I have said that myself often enough. For all the doubters and the people who think she's just bad I'm going to see the look on their faces when we get out competing properly.

Think I may just change her show name to "And you all said she'd never make it!"

Who wants to have the money to buy a schoolmaster anyway!
 
LOL thats a good show name it goes with Lucys, "The pony that will never come right."
Now i just need one for horrid. It's so much better when they are bad to start with. I have so much pride when i think of what Lucy and i achieved and thats what drives me on with horrid. All those people who just go out and buy a horse that wins streight away don't have the appreceation i have. (or thats what i tell myself anyway :p ;) :D)
 
can i just say your not alone, my boy is the same one day hes an angel the next hes cuckoo, hes a very talented jumper and most of the time a nice hack but he has stupid moments in between, we have had so many ups and downs but we r still going and just perservere because for all those loopy days there will be the great days !! my boy reminds me of an adhd child lol
 
I used to have a mare like this and I'm afraid to say that when she had "those" days I just turned her back out as I knew I would never get any sense out of her and we'd end up rowing.

They got fewer and fewer as she got older I'm pleased to say. Good luck!
 
The really talented ones always seem to have "quirk" of some description.

Have you tried ground work with her? It really can help and from your description she does suffer with separation anxiety which needs to be addressed. Mares can have really off days and you have to work through.

That said, it doesnt matter how talented they are they also do have to be trainable, and if they arent they will never realise their potential. There are a lot of talented horses sat in fields due to this.

As the saying goes one step forward, two back then all of a sudden it does seem to just come together and bad days are less and less. If this doesnt happen then you need to rethink. But keep positive and focus on the positives not the negatives.
 
Farrierlover said:
I used to have a mare like this and I'm afraid to say that when she had "those" days I just turned her back out as I knew I would never get any sense out of her and we'd end up rowing.

They got fewer and fewer as she got older I'm pleased to say. Good luck!
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Ditto this! Some people would say I was backing out and giving up...I wasn't, I just knew nothing productive would come from it on them rare 'off' days.


Could it be a hormonal imbalance at all?
 
Just read your post and have complete sympathy...I had the same thing last night!! My mare is 8 this year, ive had her since she was 2. She has always been difficult and quirky but can be a complete angel. On some days she will work beautifully in the school and is 110% on the road and we compete successfully at BE novice. But if she is bad she is horrid!! Recently she has been a complete nightmare, she does it every now and and again for months at a time and I really just want to pack it all in. I don't know why, she has her back done regularly, teeth done, saddles checked etc plus can't be in season for that length of time! But at the moment if I take her in the school is spooks at EVERYTHING, rears, spins round, gallops off, really works herself up into a complete sweaty, puffing mess that you can't do anything with. Last night I hacked her out she decided she wouldn't go passed any drain covers and at one point jumped into a ditch at the side of the road full of water. I am at a complete loss at what to do with her! But I suppose you take the highs with the lows and when she is good she is fab and I wouldn't swap her for anything! Keep faith you will get through it!! x
 
absolute diva, we can start a looney horse club! :D I had really progressed with my girl and had got her out of her dodgy habits for the most part (panicking and breaking free when tied, refusing to leave home, stopping dead on hacks) and then two weeks ago she just exploded into a scary mess. Tried again last week and had the same problem, couldn't even tack her up. One time she was in season, one not, so I'm baffled.

Today my instructor is coming to the house to try and help me out. I feel your pain (except might girl might just be a looney, rather than a talented looney :p ) but I'm hopeful that it will all come together again for us both. We've just got to soldier on. :)
 
Binky01 said:
Could it be a hormonal imbalance at all?
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Thanks everyone for your support. When you're on a yard full of sane horses its nice to know your horse isn't the only one.

We did wonder about a hormonal imbalance as that would explain why she's lovely most of the time and then occassionally loses it but it doesn't fit a regular pattern. She's not really one that you can tell if she's in season so not sure whats causing it.

Have tried magnesium and valerian calmers and they made no difference. I'm curious about trying a mare supplement but don't want to keep throwing money at it if she's just a crazy bat that needs consistent handling and will come right in the long run.
 
scally said:
The really talented ones always seem to have "quirk" of some description.

Have you tried ground work with her? It really can help and from your description she does suffer with separation anxiety which needs to be addressed. Mares can have really off days and you have to work through.

That said, it doesnt matter how talented they are they also do have to be trainable, and if they arent they will never realise their potential. There are a lot of talented horses sat in fields due to this.

As the saying goes one step forward, two back then all of a sudden it does seem to just come together and bad days are less and less. If this doesnt happen then you need to rethink. But keep positive and focus on the positives not the negatives.
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I totally agree with this my mum bought me a horse of the yard I was on after my mare had a colic op I had him on a two week trial and to be honest he was nearing on 17.2 and a complete s&&t, his grandsire was nijinsky and doing research on him he ap was ex the same for his temp my horse even looked the spit of his grandsire so it was just his temp. I was so unsure about him. lots of time and money and dam hard work went into him. We would have days like you said you think its all come right then he went and was a complete T*T. They did become less and less though. :)
I remember spending ages getting him ready for dressage and in the warm in ring he was hollow and then proceeded to buck go on a stride then buck and so on:( am sure people were laughing and a horse that could not do two strides without throwing in enormas bucks.
I thought am here now so ill go in and give it a go he performed perfect :) and came 2nd his first test and even beat a horse that had come 3rd at HOYS :D
Mt instructor who trained with one of the top eventers said that the talented horses have to much brain hence the silly behavior :D.
Keep with it though its dis hearting its worth it in the end:)
 
Binky01 said:
Ditto this! Some people would say I was backing out and giving up...I wasn't, I just knew nothing productive would come from it on them rare 'off' days.


Could it be a hormonal imbalance at all?
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I can only ditto this.

In the same way when you are schooling and your horse produces some excellent work, now you know you can push on to the next stage or you can just say ok that was great and call it a day rather than push it and risk ending the session on a bad note.

Also I have days when I have had a really bad day at work or OH has wound me up and I just go down give him a hug and then leave him the hell alone, pointless as I am not in the right frame of mind.

Maybe after she had calmed down and let the farrier put her shoe back on a hug and a "you daft bat" session would have worked out better.

You have come such a long way so as TH says re-read the first sentance of your post again and again and again.

May be an idea thought to get her checked out for a hormone imbalance other than that she is a talented girl who has come on great guns and I would not let the rare off day as long as it remains rare worry me too much.
 
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