What do i doo?? (Long Sorry :D)

Montyforever

Montyforever

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Well cutting a very long story short i bought a mare 6 weeks ago from a friend out of the field after two foalies
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Not rushed into decision knew what i was getting into.
Shes very nervy (to say the least!) but was making good improvment temprement wise and looking wise!
about a week ago she spooked and pulled back while tied up taking a whole panel off the side of the stable and galloping off with it
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typicly the bailer twine didnt break .. the ring didnt come down :| the whole wall came down! She managed to kick it off and seemed to be unhurt, but after the incident feels like shes back to square one if not worse! She now hates being tied up, wont let me groom her, flinches everytime i touch her, and spooks at just about everything, i think judging by her expression shes got a v.sore back. But she seems to slowly be gettin better. Been lunging her now shes no longer lame. But shes just turned so odd, and she doesnt seem to be progressing at all now.
Bought a supliment today, dodsen and horrel placid, think this might help?
And any suggestions are aprecatied
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Thanks
 
Yes that might help but i think you should get her back checked out first. She will prob now associate being tyied up with pain. You could also try rescue remedy my friends horse was tied to a pole once (by a child) and it went with the horse down the field and she used rescue remedy to help with the fear and build confidence. ground work will need to be built up again , try doing some in the field with her.
I hope you work through this and she gets better soon, good luck
 
Would get her back checked if she would let anyone else near her, someone she doesnt know has to only come close and shes runs off backwards and if she feels trapped rears at them, most chiropractors, farriers ect dont want to waste their time on her
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Shes such a doughnut :P
Shes not hard to lead or anything but is 10 times jumpier, little things set her off, and a 14hh cob barging charging into you, and trying to hide behind you isnt pleasant hehe
 
I have a Welsh C who was just like this... to the extent she was unwanted by anyone... not a soul had the confidence to do anything with her.

Quiet simply it's all about time and confidence... go back to the begining and build your bond on the ground/in the stable without asking for anything.... no lunging.. no nothing!

Once the horse gains that confidence... it'll come.

I spent many hours sitting in with mine.. doing nothing.. eventually she came over to me to start the research... as daft as it sometimes appears.. I tell her everything before I do everything! Introduce horsey to your grooming kit.. sniff/chew and play... remind em it's all about pleasure and there supposed to enjoy it!!
Be patient... aim for the long term result, introduce horsey to people in your company, go at horsey pace and the result will come!!
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Think of it as a blank canvas... develop the story you wish for!

And if the professionals don't wanna touch her, seek out new one's who have the patience and understanding to work with her... trust me, they exist.. the true experts, are the one's who earn there pennies with understanding!
 
Time heals! It won't make her forget but it will get better with patience.

I have a pony, who was very nervy. When the back person came I had to take the back person's hand and then lay it on the pony, as she trusted no one!!!

We were saying the other day, that in the eight years we have had her, she has never had a bath, as she is terrified of water, sprays, hoses etc.

If you think that she's injured herself, I wouldn't lunge. Just lots of ground time. With horses like this you must be very, very quick to praise all good, no matter how small, and ignore any bad!!

It's a tough one, but I hope that you'll get there. Good luck!!
 
It is going to take a long tiome to build her confidence and maker her less nervous. Even then she may be quite panicky at times. Six weeks is nothing in terms of how long it will take.
 
A sedative is a really god idea!

Once you can sort out back, teeth, saddle etc, then you can work on her knowing that it's not a pain reaction, just fear and confidence.

I would also recommend that if you have to tie up again, you split the twine and make it very thin. I do this all the time, as baling twine doesn't always break!!
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I think Boltonrider has hit the nail on the head really...it is time and buckets of patience. It will take months and months of repeated calm work to get her truly trusting and confortable especially after the accident. I had a Welsh D who was very similar and thought everything was going to hurt him in some way...it took a month to get a rug on him never mind anything else!
I spent hours and hours doing things in the field with him or in his stable, rubbing things on him and working all round his body over time, flapping scary bags around and other objects bit by bit. I had to adopt a firm, confident stance and movement round him as if you tip toed or were worried it would make him even worse.
I would say he is pretty much bomb proof now but he did not turn the corner for a good year...although I could do things with him and ride him in that time it was just a very hairy experience.
He now puts up with hgv lorries passing him, helicaopters landing in the field next to him, flapping tape and bags out on hacks...just about anything. But it took a lot of effort and dedication from me to get him there.
 
i'd echo what everyone else says.

-take time
-no lunging/work etc (it can't be enjoyable for a horse to go round and round, being 'chased' by a whip)
-only do pleasurable stuff with her to build her confidence. there's a lot to be said for sitting in her stable with her for hours, reading a book, and giving her no pressure human contact
-get back/teeth etc checked. sedate if necessary
- don't tie her up for a while. use a long rope and loop it round the post, holding onto the other end, so if she pulls back, you can control her.
-make sure your body language is not threatening. walk away from her lots. when you turn her out, turn and walk away from her before she does.
- don't be 'needy' with her. following her round, looking at her... she might read it that you're a predator. relax. when she gets nervous, try turning away from her, even crouch with your back to her. someone wanting to eat her wouldn't do that. but at the same time, your movements/touch etc has to be confident. she needs to get the confidence from you.

it might feel silly, and i certainly don't recommend you carrying on like that forever, but she needs first and foremost to see that YOU are not a threat to her. once she trusts you, she'll let you lead her through scary situations.

be patient, she sounds petrified. good luck! x
 
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i'd echo what everyone else says.

-take time
-no lunging/work etc (it can't be enjoyable for a horse to go round and round, being 'chased' by a whip)
-only do pleasurable stuff with her to build her confidence. there's a lot to be said for sitting in her stable with her for hours, reading a book, and giving her no pressure human contact
-get back/teeth etc checked. sedate if necessary
- don't tie her up for a while. use a long rope and loop it round the post, holding onto the other end, so if she pulls back, you can control her.
-make sure your body language is not threatening. walk away from her lots. when you turn her out, turn and walk away from her before she does.
- don't be 'needy' with her. following her round, looking at her... she might read it that you're a predator. relax. when she gets nervous, try turning away from her, even crouch with your back to her. someone wanting to eat her wouldn't do that. but at the same time, your movements/touch etc has to be confident. she needs to get the confidence from you.

it might feel silly, and i certainly don't recommend you carrying on like that forever, but she needs first and foremost to see that YOU are not a threat to her. once she trusts you, she'll let you lead her through scary situations.

be patient, she sounds petrified. good luck! x

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Yeah, ive been doing that, but i was told by a friend lunge her first to get the energy out of her (Not hard as she just goes on voice command, must be from her driving days
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But shes constantly got energy! And is really not working lol, Thing is she will do it for me, but anyone else and its a complete other thing, i can get rugs/saddle on her, groom her (as long as i dont touch her back legs!) Ive left her alone in the field for a few days with her boyfriend who came from the same background and is a good boy now
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Well if you think her back might be sore you won't be putting the saddle on, will you?
As Boltonrider says it will take time (might be lots of time). I think you need to get her sedated to get her back checked. If you think she will react badly to a vet trying to inject her give oral sedalin before the vet gets there. I would also rethink tying her up until she is much more confident. I almost never tie my horses up (although I can if I really need to).I groom etc in the stable with the door shut and the horses learn to stand still/move as I request. If at first she doesn't co-operate give her some hay to eat, she will stand much better then.
I think you need to think carefully about your approach, you are either going to be understanding and take things at her pace (IMO the most effective approach) or you are going to insist that she does things are your pace (which in its own way may instil confidence in her). Lunging her as your friend suggests falls into the 2nd approach. At the moment you seem to be trying to combine the two approaches which I'm afraid won't work.
 
I know what you are going through.

I wont bore you with the details, but it has taken my boy the best part of a year to get nearly there.

He was almost ferral, even a horse behavoirist could not get near enough to handle. Yesterday he came and "kissed" me square on the face, yay,

Your mare will get there but Rome was not built in a day, and the problems she has were not casued in a day.

SLOWLY SLOWLY CATCHY MONKEY
 
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Well if you think her back might be sore you won't be putting the saddle on, will you?


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Well no, i was just putting what i CAN do with her at the moment, which if i can get a saddle/roller on no problem, headcollars ect, can handle her easily, i have no problem with her except shes a little touchy about her back and legs (the areas most horses arnt confident about ..) The question is she may be in pain, but until i know the reaction isnt through fear. theres no point putting her through further things that may make her worse. She isnt currently ridden ect so a sore back isnt gonna get worse by the day, and shes not physicly lame ..
 
I'd be really interested to actually see how she responds when you put a roller, saddle etc on her. If she is as nervy as you say I wonder if she is truly accepting of this. Do you know that some horses can shut themselves down and stand like rocks, looking to the inexperienced eye as if they are OK with something when they really aren't?
I went to see a horse once that was completely off his head with stress, but the owner couldn't recognise it. He fell asleep as soon as she tied him on the yard, I mean within about a minute. She thought that meant he was relaxed, but it is really a drastic coping mechanism.
You need to let this mare get properly relaxed with you before you impose too much on her, and certainly set aside all thoughts of lunging, and other "work". Have you thought about getting someone with some experience of nervous horses along to give you some input? Someone recommended as having a kind and sympathetic approach, not just any old trainer who advertises in the local free mags. If you would consider this maybe tell us where you are and we could recommend someone.
 
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