What to do? Owner wont remove horse from field.

You're note isn't good enough OP. It's too nice. All the "I'm not happy" etc is no good, it's an opinion. What this person needs is clear instructions. Eg. You and friend will help one hour a week, she must practice handling daily etc. She will just carry on taking the mickey otherwise.
 
I am an idiot
Mum and baby were herded into yard on Sunday morning - I heard nothing from the owner so me and mutual friend did it. They currently happy(ish) in there. I managed to collar the owner when she came up last night (im not usually in on a Tuesday but the little star was too sick to go to his football club) - she chucked them 3 bales of hay in and said shed be back up on Saturday to check them again!
We had words. Apparently she has been checking them twice a week, Saturdays & Tuesdays, although her husband drives past the field on the other nights check they OK and she assumed if there was any problems id ring her anyway! She is petrified of them (her words) says she didn't realise what she was taking on, the foal keeps putting its ears back and swinging its bum at her and she thinks its going to kick her, and mum she cant get near and when she does she swings her bum round too. She has them advertised but has had no response and now doesn't know what to do with them but doesn't feel she can keep them. (Duh)
She demanded that they be turned back out as she cant look after them in the yard - I said No
She offered to pay me £10 per week to look after them for her until she can sell them - I said No
She offered to sell them to me for £500 as a project - I said No
She then said she would just have to get them disposed of, as she hasn't got the time or the money for them an shes just making them worse and shes been advised that rather than mistreat them shed be better having them gone.
I am now the freaked out owner of a mare and foal purchased for the princely sum of £50.00
What the hell am I going to do with them?
Ive ordered in a load of extra hay as the bloody mare eats like a horse :)
What is the best hard feed get her on? - shes got quite a large belly but you can see her ribs above this
Vets popping in on Friday just to have a look at the pair of them - pretty sure she will want worming.
Her feet are pretty rubbish - but suspect standing still for the farrier isn't high on her list and as such will have to wait for the moment.
Im very conscious of them being in the little yard with only about 25 x 15 foot to mooch around in. Realistically how fast do I need to try and "tame" them before keeping them in the yard becomes unsustainable.
Ive got a little woodchipped school area, so can turn them out in their for a roll but that's only 40ft x 30ft so still not very spacious, and unfortunately isn't close enough to the yard area to link it up and give them both areas, although I possibly could by moving the muck heap and the wood pile.
Shall I go in for the softly softly approach, and keep her here for a while or just the quick hard get it over and done with so that at least she can go out in the field?
Its the filly that is more troublesome - mum will at least come over for a feed and you can pat her neck (and I have stroked her face this morning), filly wont let you near her, and any attempt to be within 4 foot results in ears pinned back, and her turning to kick with back legs if you approach closer. Shes an adorable little thing though :)

Mutual friend thinks im nuts. I think im nuts. Kids think im awesome.
 
You have made me laugh, you have done just what I would have in the circumstances and are now thinking WHAT THE ****, it will take time to get them properly handled, once the mare accepts you the foal will start to become more inquisitive and you will get somewhere. First thing is probably to get the mare wormed, foal also needs doing but may not be so easy, you need an experienced helper to get hold of them with you and will spend many an hour of your time until you can turn them out, the sooner the better really as long as you can get the mare when you want for now the foal should follow and they do tend to come round fairly quickly with a calm but firm approach, if the mare is food orientated it will help.
Good luck!!!
 
Well done! Now take some deep breaths :) Take it one step at a time. Step 1 is to gain their confidence....remember your body language....read up on natural horsemanship principles....don't demand eye contact, keep body language calm and quiet, turn your shoulders away from foal....advance and retreat...reward every try by backing off/away.....don't try to force anything, let the foal approach you....all the very best of luck....take the time it takes....it's not worth upsetting the confidence just to get a wormer in....if you can get the mare eating some tasty hard feed you can mix the wormer into that rather than trying to force it down her throat...there are ways and means and do not make the job spoil the lesson....
 
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BePositive - that is exactly what I am thinking. Do you think its best get a gang and just corner the foal and get a slip on it, or concentrate on solely mum first?

Alyth - I will try that way - I am generally a more softly softly person, and if they weren't cooped up id be all for it its just such a tiny space - mum is about 14 / 15 hands and shes very wide & chunky and foal is a stocky little thing too and although they've got room stretch their legs and potter around they certainly cant have a trot / run or play.

Plan for now is to focus on getting a headcollar on the mare asap so that I can at least take her backwards and forwards to the chip or for a little handgraze without having to herd her everywhere. Im hoping that if I feed her holding the bucket, and sort of pat her neck and get her used to that, I can perhaps at least get the headcollar on her and then take it from there - shes a greedy pig so am sure she will take a wormer from the bucket.

Foal is nibbling at hay, but otherwise seems to be drinking off mum OK - what should I look out for check its getting enough / is OK?

Mum is as I said eating like a horse - shes having as much hay as she can eat (which is a fair bit I can tell you) and shes been having chaff in a bucket - anything else better to give her. Have ordered large salt & mineral lick from feed merchants and will pick that up tomorrow.

Plan now is to take my work out to the yard and sit there like an idiot just hanging out around them, making them suffer by listening to my terrible singing!

Then we just need to name them :)
 
Your post today made me laugh but it is probably what I would do as well if I had my own space and wasnt paying for livery as it would get awful expensive.

Good luck with them - lets see some pictures and we can help name your new additions :D
 
You are a hero silly but a hero .
You are these horses white knight lots of horses need one but never get one .
I would keep them close until you suss the handing .
I would get help from a local person who is experienced with mares and foals to come and help and advise .
The vet might point towards someone good .
But I think you will be amazed at what consistent kind handling will achieve .
 
Beckstar82 said:
A friend of a friend was looking to purchase a horse, and asked if she found one could she put it on my fields along with my horses. I said that would be fine, and she moved her horse on just after Feb half term - its an impulse buy from Beeston to save it from the meat man! 4 weeks ago it dropped a foal. The damn mare is pretty much unhandled and although she will come over for a bucket of feed as yet she has not managed to get a head collar on her.

I've seen less and less of her down the field (my winter field backs right onto my house) although hay is being put in there so she is obviously coming down and feeding her at least weekly. I asked her to move them of by Easter, said if she couldn't find anywhere then she could put them down on the summer paddocks, but as yet shes not done anything about it. Ive sent her written notice, but again im just being ignored.

I want to roll & reseed the winter paddock, but cant with this mare on. I could move her into the stable yard, but then the two of them (mare and foal) would only have a 12 x 12 stable and same sized fenced yard to mooch around in which doesn't really seem like enough room - although it might allow it to be handled enough to move to the summer field, or for her to sell it on or something?

What would you do?

Keep nagging the owner to get her moved?
Shift her to the stable & yard and keep her in a small space for now to see if it prompts the owner to do something?
Shift her to the summer paddock, knowing itll make catching her very difficult as going in with a feed bucket will result in my horses coming over?
Something else?
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Really frustrating and your friend must be feeling frustrated too that she can't catch the mare and you are pressing her to move it to your other grazing.

I'd go for the yard/stable environment for a while so that the mare can be handled, wormed along with the foal. Foal needs to be wormed and start its vaccinations too.

I know when I bought my Clydesdale as an off the hills weanling two weeks in the yard really helped.

I'd let her know what you are doing and why and say that she will need to either pay for your time and for feed unless she is prepared to supply the extra feed the mare needs.

I'm sure she'll be pleased to have the support she needs from you.
 
Beckstar you really are a star!!! I have no real knowledge re the foal apart from just ask the vet/post in the breeding section or call a stud for some foal handling advise but I am a softy softly too and would simply pick a day when the sun is shining and I have nothing of value to do and go sit in their paddock with a good book and they will come over.... It may take a while but they just won't be able to help themselves.........
 
Cant believe you have ended up with them, I think you will be suprised how a little bit of everyday handling will make all the difference, I would just give them hay for now it may just be enough for her to put some weight on, please let us know how you get on and would love to see some pictures of them, well done for taking them on I am sure they will reward you for it one day.
 
I think the sitting in the yard being there and getting on with stuff but ignoring them is exactly the right approach; they need to get used to the look and smell of you before you try doing anything with them. You just have to wait until their curiosity gets the better of them and they approach you; everything will (eventually) fall into place then. You're lucky the mare is food orientated - much easier to tame a greedy!
 
I'm sorry but I suppressed a giggle at your punchline too! But I think that is a very kind thing to do. The fact that they are both confined in a small space is definitely in your favour re: handling. If you can get headcollars on them with a small length of baler twine hanging from the bottom of the noseband you'll be in better stead. I would just sit on the floor.... foals can't help but be nosey and be prepared to do LOTS of scritching once you can lay a hand on her.... it's the best way to make friends......
 
Only read a bit, but in your first post you ask if that is big enough and then you call people fools when they say move onto the yard. No the foal does not need prancing room all the time and many mares and foals are stabled but just a little more than what you have. I would get them in and get them handled, if nothing else just the foal as soon you will have two unhandled horses on the loose and no way to control them.

If you want to move them, if mum comes to the bucket, then i would leave her hungry for a bit and get her to follow a bucket to where you want her, foal will follow mum. If nothing else then bring them in the yard to get two good fitting leather head collars on before taking them down to summer grazing.
 
OP, I haven't read all of this, but if you keep thinking along the lines of 'damn mare' and 'bloody mare' then I can't see the handing going too well. They did not ask to be in this situation.
 
Templebar said:
Only read a bit, but in your first post you ask if that is big enough and then you call people fools when they say move onto the yard. No the foal does not need prancing room all the time and many mares and foals are stabled but just a little more than what you have. I would get them in and get them handled, if nothing else just the foal as soon you will have two unhandled horses on the loose and no way to control them.
/QUOTE]

I think she was replying to Fools Motto, not calling people fools. lol
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I've just ploughed through this whole thread - OP, what a lovely big softie you are! Lots of time and patience and I hope you will be rewarded by your 2 trusty new steeds!
 
Bless you!

I'd concentrate on the mare for now and let the filly come around a bit, once mum trusts you she will become more curious :)

The area that they are in should be fine for a couple of weeks or so while you work on getting them handled (I've kept foals in smaller spaces due to injuries etc before now) Mum may very well need worming but I'd also advise you get some balancer for her as well - just to make sure that the foal doesn't drag her down too much - it will help her milk as well which will help the foal.

You can start being firm with the foal though even from a distance - I would be clapping my hands at her every time she put her ears back or threatened with her legs.

Good luck with both of them
 
Well done OP, I'm sure your patience will reward you in the end. Shame on those who can't be bothered to read the whole thread then wade in with criticism - I'd hate to be your horses if you're too impatient to spend five minutes scanning a conversation to get the full facts!
 
OMG - I've only been scan reading the thread, but what a star you are OP! It would have been so easy just to pack them both back off to auction (well not that easy as they are so unhandled :( ) I've no experience of mares and foals so just want to hope that whateve you decide to do it goes well, and that both ponies end up repaying your kindness and trust and turn into lovely animals that if you ever want to sell, will go on to reap some reward for you.
 
Need photos please! What a mess. Oh well, it's done now. Reminds me of my former YO who ended up with a feral mare and foal from dodgy livery. It wasn't easy. Especially as the foal copied it's feral mum. Get her on side first. Use the food/ treats to your advantage as she is a piggy. Looking forward to the updates. You should keep a Blog and photographs. Frustrating and exciting times ahead me thinks x
 
Nuts and awesome aren't mutually exclusive ;-)

Well done for giving them a chance OP! I'd also love to see some photos.

I think a small confined area is probably exactly what they need right now. Good luck making friends and don't forget foal pics!
 
Keep them confined for as long as it takes. Get vet to recommend local person experienced with mares/foals, to help & support you. Handle mare, foal is taking lead from her, so get her handled then foal. Just be an interesting 'thing' in their environment, & when foal comes over find a spot where she enjoys being scratched. Get her to accept touch before trying to do more. Get a leather foalslip that you can eventually turn out in. what was point in friend coming down twice a week, they were never going to improve with the inconsistancy. These need contact at least couple of times a day. Don't worry about size of pen, it;s only until they accept you. Time invested now will reap huge rewards. Micheal Peace did a good book on handling youngsters, may give you some direction. An experienced person though is invaluable. Those who've never bred don't realise how much work it takes to produce a calm, handled horse.
 
Oh, what a softie op! Agree with others, get that mare handled and foal will be much easier. What a lucky pair to have found you!

Piccies please :)
 
brucethegypsycob said:
So. You are saying your friend could graze her horse on your field in February and now a mere 3 months later you want her moved off. She was very naive in buying the horse in the first place and you as the friend does not appear to have given her much advise re this purchase . You , on the other hand come across as a very unhelpful friend. Those of us that have any knowledge of "meat market" ponies would expect them to be basically unhandled and usually come with a bucketload of problems, like dropping foals. Have you thought of actually helping her handle this poor pony by any chance. You don't need to worry about foal when moving them. Foal will follow mum. I think what has really annoyed me about this post is the way you seem to be threatening to move them off your land per se. You invited them on so deal with it. If you are a friend then help her. Or is this by any chance a troll post.
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No - You have misread the post, she just wants to move them on to summer grazing so that she can reseed the paddock they are in. The mare being ferrel and the owner ignoring her requests are making this difficult!
 
For the unhandled one I had the biggest breakthrough was a glove stuffed with straw on the end of a stick. Show them the joys of scratched while being well out of kicking reach! You can then progress to a shorter stick and eventually a real hand. A feather duster with an extendable handle is also good for this. Also I think just sitting in the yard with your work every day is a great idea. They need to learn you won't hurt them and I suspect will probably be curious enough to come over and say hi at some point. Best of luck and I think its lovely that you've taken them on :)
 
@OP, I don't think you're nuts!

@People who haven't actually read the the whole thread, read the whole thread! This is one of my internet pet peeves. If you read the thread, you would find out that the OP has bought the mare and foal in question.
 
Oh OP, you have made me smile. Good luck, I'm sure that being in the small area will help, as will bribing mum with tast treats. Pictures are a must!!
 
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