Those of you with grumpy horses...

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HoneyB24

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Hi all,

So my mare can be a bit of a grumpy moo, i don't mind as i know her and 9 times out of 10 she is fine with me. She is a mare that likes her space, and takes a while to get to know people. I am careful with who i have handling her when i am away on business, basically one person does her for me and has spent time getting to know her and she is fine.

My horse is on a DIy livery yard and in a barn which consists of 4 horses, we are to the side, so not on a main part of the yard which is great. There are quite a few kids around (i'm not a person who likes kids around horses when they are running around as it can be dangerous, but thats my opinion).

It hasn't been an issue before as the 3 other people in my barn are adults and keep their distance from my horse, however a new person has come into our barn and she has 2 young kids who have no fear around horses! This woman talks the talk but has no idea what she is doing....but anyway that's not what i am on here to discuss.

I have told them several times to stay away from my horse as she isn't used to children and likes her space. But it seems to be falling on deaf ears, even the yard owner has said that my horse is grumpy! I am worried that she may one day bite them and it would be my fault! It just winds me up when people can't control their kids, my horse is a big horse and i enjoy going down there spending time with her, not worrying if she is going to bite some kids!

Another thing i have noticed is they keep giving her treats without asking which really bugs me as i know a horse who is allergic to most things and my horse has sweet itch so is on a special diet that i keep a close eye on without her being fed carrots, apples and sugar lumps!!

So i have thought about putting a sign on her door, what are your thoughts?
 
Noone should give your horse treats without your say so. It is totally irresponsible of the mother to allow her kids to roam freely and when you have expressly told them about your horse even more so.
Some horses just do not like attention at their stable door and I agree a bespoke sign will state clearly your wishes, but without the backup of the YO and parents of these kids I think you may be hard pressed to see change.

You can get bespoke signs made on ebay and something along the lines of 'I can be grumpy so Please respect my space and leave me alone' on her door may do the trick. Good luck!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/270792559772?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
 
My mare is the same. I had a sign made saying 'I do not like people and I will bite'. I felt awful doing it, as she is not as bad as the sign made out, but I would rather people knew they would loose a hand and stay well away. It worked and I'm sure she was happier with people giving her a wide berth.
 
I'd put a firm note on the door saying 'Please do not approach, will bite or kick. Do not feed due to allergy' If you've told them, the parents and YO, there's not alot you can do if she does bite them but a sign will protect you from them trying to claim if they tried!! Although all horses are unpredicatable and she should know this! Children have to be with parents at all times on our yard after some brat jumped out from behind the school to scare my horse on purpose. I have a 7 year old and if he doesnt want to come to the stables then he doesnt come otherwise he'll be a pain and its not fair on other people, or him to be expected to sit there while i ride! x
 
Thank you, will have a look and get one made up.

I feel awful doing it, but the amount of kids that come over to her and expect her to be happy is rediculous! In the summer it is fine as she lives out, but has had to come in earlier than planned.

I don't think she would bite, but i just don't want to risk it. She tried to squash me a couple of weeks ago when i was putting her rug on, she used to have no manners when i first got her and tried to do this several times, but again i think it was that there was a lot of people coming to see the new horse and in her space, i was just in the way! So they have seen what she can do and still insist on trying to stroke her even when she has her ears pinned back and her teeth on show!

I still love her though, but she knows me and i know her, and she does give me cuddles which she never used to. I just wish people would control their kids, i think the YO may be on my side with this one, from what i have heard she isn't too fond of kids running around near horses and yet more kids keep appearing!
 
DO NOT FEED THIS HORSE, kids will soon get bored of watching your gnashing beast if they're not allowed to run the gauntlet.

I have a similar mare, kids always want to pet her.
 
Sounds like the horse would prefer to be out 24.7 tbh, especially if the behavioural changes coincided with her being brought in :( They are a herd flight animal, not designed to stand in solitary in an enclosed space. Vices often appear when the animal mentally cant cope with it.
 
TigerTail said:
Sounds like the horse would prefer to be out 24.7 tbh, especially if the behavioural changes coincided with her being brought in :( They are a herd flight animal, not designed to stand in solitary in an enclosed space. Vices often appear when the animal mentally cant cope with it.
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I'm not being funny, but didn't come on here to be judged and told what my horse does and doesn't need. It isn't really a vice, it is to do with hormones and the fact she is mare! She is always a grumpy moo when she is out 24/7 or not, it is more worrying when she is in as people will be around her more than when she is out, so doesn't make a difference.

She is turned out for at least 10 hours a day, and is always happy to come in. She is settled in her stable, doesn't boxwalk, weave, crib etc. She just likes her space...nothing wrong with that surely.
 
thank you to those of you who haven't judged or criticised how my horse is kept and given me useful advice. I will get a sign printed, and see if that helps.
 
TigerTail said:
Sounds like the horse would prefer to be out 24.7 tbh, especially if the behavioural changes coincided with her being brought in :( They are a herd flight animal, not designed to stand in solitary in an enclosed space. Vices often appear when the animal mentally cant cope with it.
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That's a bit unfair TT. I think most horses and a lot of people too come to that, would rather be doing something else but unfortunately, they can't and that's it, it's called life. The poster wasn't asking for advice on stable management tbh.
 
Elsbells said:
That's a bit unfair TT. I think most horses and a lot of people too come to that, would rather be doing something else but unfortunately, they can't and that's it, it's called life. The poster wasn't asking for advice on stable management tbh.
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Thank you :-) Compared to how my horses used to be kept, i consider her to be very lucky, she came from living in a field, overweight and no attention to being loved and spoiled rotten. If she didn't like coming it at night, then she would let me know about it! It isn't ideal, but compared to how some horses are kept, i think she is pretty lucky IMO.
 
HoneyB24 said:
I'm not being funny, but didn't come on here to be judged and told what my horse does and doesn't need. It isn't really a vice, it is to do with hormones and the fact she is mare! She is always a grumpy moo when she is out 24/7 or not, it is more worrying when she is in as people will be around her more than when she is out, so doesn't make a difference.

She is turned out for at least 10 hours a day, and is always happy to come in. She is settled in her stable, doesn't boxwalk, weave, crib etc. She just likes her space...nothing wrong with that surely.
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Ooook you asked advice about her being grumpy, I read your post and that is the conclusion I came to. No need to get upset about it - thats the thing with forums people tend to disagree!

Mares shouldnt be grumpy all year, most arent, and we are out of the time for seasons causing fluctuating hormones.

You have agreed with me in your final sentence - she likes her space - which she doesnt have on a LY with people coming and going and her stuck in a stable with people feeding and patting her all the time. You may think she should be grateful to be in and have attention etc, but horses dont think lke that! She was probably perfectly happy in her field doing what horses do. Dont put your human needs and wants on to her......
 
TigerTail said:
Ooook you asked advice about her being grumpy, I read your post and that is the conclusion I came to. No need to get upset about it - thats the thing with forums people tend to disagree!

Mares shouldnt be grumpy all year, most arent, and we are out of the time for seasons causing fluctuating hormones.

You have agreed with me in your final sentence - she likes her space - which she doesnt have on a LY with people coming and going and her stuck in a stable with people feeding and patting her all the time. You may think she should be grateful to be in and have attention etc, but horses dont think lke that! She was probably perfectly happy in her field doing what horses do. Dont put your human needs and wants on to her......
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How dare you! I asked advice on how to get people to leave her alone, not how to deal with her being grumpy and you obviously don;t have a mare or have ever dealt with any mares. Last year she was in season through to November and i did take her off her supplement which made a difference and she is now back on so what does that prove! She isn't stuck in her stable all the time, who have no idea how my horse is treated and how she is, so don't jump to conclusions that i put myself before her! She also suffers with mild sweetitch, is that me being selfish having her stabled at night as the weather is mild? I don't think so as she would just rub herself raw! Do you have horses? Do they live out 24/7? She also suffers with mudfever...yet another reason to bring her in at night so i think my reasons are justified so don't judge people until who know the entire story!
 
HoneyB24 said:
How dare you! I asked advice on how to get people to leave her alone, not how to deal with her being grumpy and you obviously don;t have a mare or have ever dealt with any mares. Last year she was in season through to November and i did take her off her supplement which made a difference and she is now back on so what does that prove! She isn't stuck in her stable all the time, who have no idea how my horse is treated and how she is, so don't jump to conclusions that i put myself before her! She also suffers with mild sweetitch, is that me being selfish having her stabled at night as the weather is mild? I don't think so as she would just rub herself raw! Do you have horses? Do they live out 24/7? She also suffers with mudfever...yet another reason to bring her in at night so i think my reasons are justified so don't judge people until who know the entire story!
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Ok last attempt at sanity and rationalism.

Thread title ''grumpy horses'' - you have put your mare's behaviour down to these two children, although you state in your first post you dont like kids so logically it could be said that you are anthropomorphising your dislike of them onto your mare.

I chose to look at all the facts in your post, she used to live out 24.7, and is currently out 8 hours a day - thats 16 hrs a day shes stood in close confines having been used to being out. Its also on a yard where there are people coming and going all the time and she may find that stressful - some horses do. If she has been used to being on her own in a field all the time its a big change.

A horse is a product of their environment, feed and handling so if the horse isnt happy one, two or all three need addressing. I have not said you put yourself first anywhere :confused:

I have 2 mares btw, both of whom live out, 2 mare liveries one of whom was considered dangerous at her last yard due to grumpy behaviour which escalated from ears back and lunging at people over her stable door, to trying to squash/kick her owner whenever she went in the stable. Since living out she has been a different animal.
 
Apart from anything else, it's not acceptable to give someone else's horse treats.
Take the parent to one side and tell her that you need to speak to her about a serious issue. Don't do this standing up in the yard, take her aside and both sit down. Make eye contact. Tell her that you are very concerned about something to do with your horse and you want to deal with it in a friendly way. Then just tell her that you don't want anyone messing about with your horse in any way. That particularly means that under no circumstances are they to feed her treats. Don't make excuses about your horse being "grumpy", just tell her that you know your horse likes to be left alone in her stable and you would like her to make sure that she and her children respect your wishes and leave her alone. If she says anything other than "sorry, yes, OK..." just repeat the above until she listens to you and agrees to do as you ask.
You could tell her that you're worried her children might get bitten, but that only gives her an opening to say that oh no, they're fine. The bottom line is your horse, your rules.
 
I agree with tt too. Kids shouldn't be getting in her space & nobody should be feeding her, but from your posts she isn't just grumpy with kids, they sound like they are just another irritation when she's grumpy anyway. Pulling faces at kids isn't actually the cause of the problem, its just a symptom. And as a side note, ime moronic adults & bad mannered horses are usually a far bigger problem on yards than the majority of kids.
 
TigerTail said:
Ok last attempt at sanity and rationalism.

Thread title ''grumpy horses'' - you have put your mare's behaviour down to these two children, although you state in your first post you dont like kids so logically it could be said that you are anthropomorphising your dislike of them onto your mare.

I chose to look at all the facts in your post, she used to live out 24.7, and is currently out 8 hours a day - thats 16 hrs a day shes stood in close confines having been used to being out. Its also on a yard where there are people coming and going all the time and she may find that stressful - some horses do. If she has been used to being on her own in a field all the time its a big change.

A horse is a product of their environment, feed and handling so if the horse isnt happy one, two or all three need addressing. I have not said you put yourself first anywhere :confused:

I have 2 mares btw, both of whom live out, 2 mare liveries one of whom was considered dangerous at her last yard due to grumpy behaviour which escalated from ears back and lunging at people over her stable door, to trying to squash/kick her owner whenever she went in the stable. Since living out she has been a different animal.
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First off she goes out latest 7:00am and in at 5, so 10 hours turnout, which compared to a yard i was on with her previously is luxury! You know what, i don't really care what you think and am going to ignore everything you have said as i have not found it helpful and is irrelevant to the question i was asking.

My horse is usually grumpy to an extent no matter what and was living in during winter last year, so this is her second winter stabled, so really not much of a change and we have done it gradually, she came in to be ridden and fed during the summer and now she is much more settled than she was last year. She has a much bigger stable, and is in a small block of 4 horses (if you read the original post, you would have seen this) So not like she is a a big barn, that everyone comes in, it is just this one owner with her 2 kids that she cannot control!

When it is just myself and maybe one or 2 other people she is much happier and doesn't pull any faces etc. But when she isn't used to children, i may not be a fan of kids that are left to their own devices, i do not mind them ( i worked at a summer camp), it is understandable the way she reacts to them. Also if they have been giving her treats, even more reason why she would act up a little bit.

This forum is full of so many people that judge others and have no idea of the situation, i am not going to post or visit this forum anymore i am afraid. I have had some helpful comments, and for those i am greatful. I know my horse, i have been around horses for over 17 years, in all sorts of different yards and i do not appreciate people interferring trying to tell me what is best for her. I don't interfere with other people, if people ask for advice i give it without judging them to forcing my opinions on them.

Good bye.
 
littlelegs said:
I agree with tt too. Kids shouldn't be getting in her space & nobody should be feeding her, but from your posts she isn't just grumpy with kids, they sound like they are just another irritation when she's grumpy anyway. Pulling faces at kids isn't actually the cause of the problem, its just a symptom. And as a side note, ime moronic adults & bad mannered horses are usually a far bigger problem on yards than the majority of kids.
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i may have misread this wrong, but are you trying to say i am moronic? i disagree that my horse is bad mannered, she was when i first got her but i hate horses that have no manners and she isn't one of them!
 
Used to have a mare at a yard was at that was a 100% prize bitch. Dangerous with it. Different animal out of the stable.....

But, your problem is people 'interfering' with your mare whilst in the stable, and the possibility of her biting them.

Big sign on the door - this horse bites, no treats, or petting.

Also make it clear to the YO and the silly woman, that you will not be held responsible for any injury to this woman or her children if they are bitten.
 
No op, if I felt the need to insult you I would make it perfectly clear that was my intention. I just don't like the way that on here & in rl all kids on yards are made out to be trouble. A small minority like the two on yours may well be, but I thought it only fair to point out that kids in general on yards aren't trouble, its usually adults who are.
 
Ok thats fair enough, i do agree it is the parents fault, they are just kids after all. Most of the kids on the yard have their own horses and they are fine and well behaved, but these 2 boys have no fear which can be dangerous but it is down to the parents.
 
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