Tips on getting bucking mare calmer when ridden in the field.

[SnowGo]

Looking for some tips on getting my mare calmer when I ride her in the field. Our arena is tiny so want to make the most of this lovely weather and ride out in the field. She has been on box-rest before the new year on and off for nearly 6 months so hasn't been ridden in the field since last summer.

The first time I rode her down the field about 2 weeks ago she felt like a rocket about to go off and when I let her move up into canter to get up a steep bit of the field she exploded and catapulted me threw the air (I'm quite impressed of the flip I did ). I got back on a walked and had a short trot before heading back because I was in a lot of pain.
Two days later went down to the field again accompanied by another rider. She was fine for about 15 minutes when she started getting fizzy again and deposited me on the ground before galloping back to the yard. Again I got back on and went for a walk down the drive but she was very jumpy so I gave up after that.

Since then she's been ridden in the arena and I've been taking her out in hand down the field, either leading or lunging her, doing halt transitions up the hill as that's were she gallops off.
I'm planning on taking her for a potter down the field later and am trying to think of some ways to keep her sensible. On the practical side I'm wearing my body protector and hi viz, and will be putting a longish neck strap on her for something extra to hold on to.

I know that we wind each other up as I can feel that she's wanting to gallop off so I pull her back so she gets annoyed and jogs, and so on and so forth. So hopefully the neck strap might help me stop pulling as much.

Sorry this has got a bit long! I'm not usually ever nervous of riding her as I can always sit her bucks but these two were something else and I had no hope of staying on! Are there any other things I could do to keep her chill? *Goes off in search for rescue remedy*

 

[mcnaughty]

A good calmer might help!

In the meantime - lunge her for a good 15/20 mins before you get on so she can "get out of of her system"!!!

 

[SnowGo]

A good calmer might help!

In the meantime - lunge her for a good 15/20 mins before you get on so she can "get out of of her system"!!!

I might try lunging her, thanks. Its such a war with her though as she never wants to canter on the lunge so we just wind each other up before I even get on.

 

[SNORKEY]

Global herbs supacalm is great stuff. Or you could get some magnesium oxide calmer from eBay, my boys calmed down on that and its only £10. I think your brave getting back on, I would of been put off after the first time :/
I agree give her a good lunge, maybe lunge her in the field as well. Could you ride around the field with a calm quiet horse or take her round there just for a walk after a schooling session, just so she knows it doesn't always mean going for a gallop when she's in there.
Make sure you tell someone where your going as well if the fields out of sight of the yard.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Is she getting turned out now?
My horse would without a doubt kill me if I got on him and rode him in a field after box rest!
Can you chuck her out for a few days to get it all out of her system, then lunge and get on?
Also my horse is always far better to ride on the roads first Id never in a million years make our first ride on grass. Obviously you know your horse best-Im not saying hop on and hack down a dual carriageway Just that many will behave better on the road.
Is she newish to you? Did you ride her successfully in the fields before her box rest?

Well done for getting back on and sticking with it your better than me!

 

[SnowGo]

Quick update to anyone interested. Took her down the field and lunged her for a few minutes then jumped on and have survived to ride another day! She was fairly chilled actually, probably because I was hanging onto the neck-strap instead of her mouth!

She is currently turned out during the day and will be out 24/7 soon if the weather holds out. I'm hoping to chill her out without calmers because I know she can behave well plus I'm off to uni soon so will be loaning or selling her. I feel like calmers would be cheating a bit! She hasn't been on the roads for more than about 2 minutes before so that probably wouldn't have been the smartest thing to do when I was already a bit nervous.
Thanks for the tips, any others would be nice for future reference- especially ones like transitions, using seat etc.

 

[Littlelegs]

Just give her something to think about instead of charging off. Keep her moving forwards from the minute you get on, & using her energy positively instead of storing it up to explode. So transistions, leg yield, shoulder in etc. Anywhere you think she might explode, trot her on beforehand, do usual schooling exercises like circles, serpentines etc. And don't forget to keep using your legs all the time. If she jogs, push her forwards, if she breaks into trot, bring her back to walk. I wouldn't be walking her for long spells without a change if she's hyped, break it up with a few strides of trot.