What would you do with this horse

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Megibo

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To try and cut a long story short, my mare who I have had almost a year can either be fine or spook violently. Today she has really hurt my back as I was trotting her round the school and somebody walked out of a shop-she span at warp speed then leapt all four feet off of the floor, landed and did a handstand finally managing to unseat me. It seems to be she panics for a few seconds and keeps going until you fall on the floor. Once you come off, she settles.
She needs to be worked properly however if worked properly she argues/resents it and starts making excuses which leads to these stupid moments of spooking. Instructor having seen it describes it as her having a 'panic button' where she snaps and goes. Lasts a split second but it is enough, and really trashing my confidence as I bought her to compete but it is really unlikely with her doing what she does.

Teeth, back and tack are all fine.
 
Next step if she were mine would be the Vet to rule out anything clinical such as kissing spines.

After that if nothing found then back to basics lunging etc.
 
Hmm, describes my friends horse pre kissing spine surgery with a moment of panic where she would whip round or buck, rear, basically try to escape. Then she would settle and behave again until the next panic episode.
 
Megibo said:
To try and cut a long story short, my mare who I have had almost a year can either be fine or spook violently. Today she has really hurt my back as I was trotting her round the school and somebody walked out of a shop-she span at warp speed then leapt all four feet off of the floor, landed and did a handstand finally managing to unseat me.
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Today, I would do nothing. You've had a bad day, I'd get back up again and try again tomorrow. Unless the mare being a PITA and getting you off is a regular occurrence, in which case IIWY, I'd sell her if I thought someone else might like her or put her down if I thought everyone would find her a PITA.
 
Have you had eyesight checked?


Othe than that can't really say a lot. Have known some horses that have been like this just as a pattern also.
 
We had a TBxCB mare similar to yours, nothing physically wrong, just tended to want to do her own thing, when she was good, brilliant, but downright dangerous when she was in a stroppy mood.
My daughter wanted to try with her, she's as stubborn as the mare, made it clear if she made no progress, the mare was to be pts.
Two years on, after being turned away for a couple of months, the mare is now happily hacking out and rounding up New Forest ponies, two years of hard work, back to basics, tears and tantrums on both sides. Visited last year, never seen this mare so calm. I'm so proud of my daughter for perservering, we gave up after two years.
That mare is still the only horse I would happily put a bullet into
 
It's not a very safe technique if it doesn't work, but sometimes works. Soon as they start to spook, either you or someone on the floor needs to get their attention back. Depending on horse, something like smacking your boot with a whip, shouting their name or 'come on' same as you would at a field gate, person on floor making a noise etc. But not something that would spook them normally, just something attention grabbing. But, it goes one of two ways, either grabs their attention back & shakes them out of panic. Or, makes it worse. So best to try on the lunge with a helper.
 
If you have had her fully vetted, checked eyes, teeth, feet, gear, had her checked by a massage practitioner, they have all found nothing wrong with her and you still want to keep her... I would send her for some re-training and desensitising.

If that doesn't work, then either keep her as a companion if you are in a postion to do so or have her PTS. If you sell her as a companion, what's to stop someone down the track jumping on her and falling off and getting seriously hurt or even killed by one of her episodes?
 
Are people genuinely suggesting PTS for a horse that has bucked her rider off once (as far as we know) when something spooked her?

If she only does it when spooked or startled it doesn't sound like a pain reaction to me.

Personally I think we need a lot more information before offering advice.

Where did she come from, did the previous owner have the same issues?
How is she kept, what is she fed, has anyone else ridden her since you have owned her?
Have you tried sending her away for training, is she always 100% in front of the leg and working into the bridle, what is she like when lunged or worked in hand?
 
Hi liking some of the responses so far. Now I'm going to suggest something and I may get shot down in flames by all the traditionalist but personally I would try an equine communicator (not horse whisperer I hate that phrase). Now I know a lot of those out there are rouges and make stuff up but the lady I am going to suggest is certainly not one of them. Her name is Anne Dee.I have used her on my horses when I've had any issues and have also had friends use her and she was spot on with every one and even managed to solve a mystery lameness that even the vets couldn't pinpoint the problem on. This horse would have been put down the following day had it not been for a session with Anne. Said horse is now out BE and doing fantastic. Anne is £50 per session and will spend as long as necissary with each horse. If you ask me if you've had everything else checked its got to be worth a shot.
 
Agree with Rebals and Izzwizz
Physios don't pick up KS, my mare has been diagnosed with it and she had a physio once a year.....she would when trying to back her have moments of calm then just explode and would only settle once you are off her. She is now a compaion to my older mare.
Would be worth talking to your vet.
 
I did say to send her for retraining and desensitising first.

IF all else fails and the OP wants to get rid of her she has options... Sell her as a companion(but who's to say down the track someone may try to ride her and get hurt or killed when she freaks), sell her to a rider that can handle her or IF she can't get one of those, have her PTS. It's better that then bouncing from he to home and becoming a welfare case.
 
*stupid phone.....about coming out and having a look at her, just to rule out pain related. If its all clear then send her for re schooling/ desensitising work.
 
I've had two that showed these type symptoms. One has Ks and at some point smashed up his withers. We found this out 6 years into ownership having had several different back people regularly treat him. Only X-rays show some problems up.
The second had eye problems so yes would have to recommend a good vet check up.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone.
millitiger said:
Are people genuinely suggesting PTS for a horse that has bucked her rider off once (as far as we know) when something spooked her?

If she only does it when spooked or startled it doesn't sound like a pain reaction to me.

Personally I think we need a lot more information before offering advice.

Where did she come from, did the previous owner have the same issues?
How is she kept, what is she fed, has anyone else ridden her since you have owned her?
Have you tried sending her away for training, is she always 100% in front of the leg and working into the bridle, what is she like when lunged or worked in hand?
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In October she went bolt upright with me when I got on, she was being spooky on the ground that day which should have been a warning but unfortunately I did not take heed..Instructor got on her and she tried the same thing with her but instructor is experienced and pushed her through the behaviour so she ended up working nicely. A couple of months ago around December time she was doing lovely canter transitions in the school, then for no reason i asked her to canter and she bolted whilst leaping all four feet off the floor and bucked me off giving me a four day concussion. Then she had been ok until yesterday, not really ridden her for various reasons-snow for 2 weeks, lack of time etc but she had been lunged. And a friend up the yard who is super confident had ridden her for me with no problems. Yesterday I was having a lesson with new instructor to try and get my confidence back up and she was doing some lovely work, going properly etc really listening then of course a person walked out of a shop into her line of vision and she span round, jumped off the floor and landed with a buck. I fell off and she stopped immediately... she was then lunged by instructor and my friend got on her and walked and trotted and she kept spooking at stuff I'd been riding her past all lesson but after she was told off she was fine. Instructor said she's very sharp and has that spooky streak, though she doesn't seem afraid just looking for excuses.
She came from a field basically, the previous owner had hacked her out and done some jumpcross but that is it.. the owner rode her when she had a cut on her withers assuming she would be ok as saddle didn't sit on it but the bruising must have spread as she said she mounted and Nesta took off bucking. Que being turned away all winter and then going to Rossdales for the full MOT xrays of her back etc everything and nothing was found. She was then brought back in to work and advertised for sale. In previous homes she has been a real pony club pony and done everything. She seems better if worked for a good hour everyday which I can't give her...
She is out in a field during the day and in at night, come summer they'll be out 24/7. She has only been ridden by my old instructor a couple times and by friend from the yard recently. Fine both times.. she has been on a hack too and spooked once which was a sidestep, but otherwise calmly plodded behind me on my other mare. She is fed fast fibre, hoof and joint supplement and a simple system chaff.
Have not sent her away or anything etc, she is backwards thinking to ride you only get these 'episodes' when you send her off your leg and working over her back into a contact. Make her work basically.. She works fine on the lunge, is better to lunge than ride!
 
Just to say that we have just booked for the vet to come and check her eyesight, as she can be funny about things on her left side now i think about it and will always turn so you and the 'scary thing' are on her right side instead. I wonder if when she is working properly she is less vigilant so to speak so things suddenly appear in her vision and scare her half to death!
 
She sounds very similar to a mare that some friends of mine bought for their daughter last September.

I'm not sure how to say this, but is it you? How experienced are you? If you are nervous of her (quite understandable, i would be!) you could be making the situation much worse.

My friends mare is a nightmare with her daughter, i am very worried about it & really want them to sell it. To be honest, I thought that it needed a bullet, however my daughter has ridden it a handful of times & it is a completely different animal.

I would move on, sell it if your instructor believes that it could do a useful job with someone else or PTS.

I feel for you as it's a horrible situation to be in. Good luck.
 
Sorry, have just looked at your pictures & read other posts.

She is a lovely mare & i can understand why you want to sort it out. But, she's Welsh D, what more can i say? I love them to bits, we've had two, both mares. As you know, they can be very tricky.

One of ours was the most fantastic PC pony & did all the teams with my daughter, but she was totally unpredictable & the only way to keep her sweet & controllable was for the whole yard (luckily our own) to revolve around how she liked things done! If she needed to come in, then everything came in, when she went out to a comp, she had a companion go with her. She needed a very confident but sensitive rider, she liked to be supported & told what to do the whole time or she just lost the plot & started to stress. I'm not sure that i'd have another one, there were very many occasions where i'd have put a bullet in her if i'd have had a gun :-)

I hope this helps.
 
Megibo said:
Surely my physio would have picked that up? She has had an 'MOT' at Rossdales and nothing was found. Its very random but so off putting.
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Often horses that are in pain will spook and panic. What did they do at rossdales? My boy who has kissing spines was seen by two physios and two vets and all said his back was nice and strong and pain free. :o
 
My spanish used to be like this and it was sheer panic couldnt even stop him as rides overbent so no mouth. I was all ways hitting the deck i did send him to have good work out at the vets they found nothing just said thats him. I dusted myself off and got back on. This lasted six months mostly every day i came of even better riders than me didnt last either then i dont know if i got better or he did its rare that i hit the deck now it takes practice to stay on Check your food turnout a must And make sure theres no reason for this behaviour.
 
Sounds like you may be on to something with her eyesight.

I've known two horses like this. In one case, there was nothing wrong with her (other than dubious at best training practices when she was a youngster that probably did not inspire her with much confidence in people). It was worse in arenas than it was on the trail. Luckily, my friend, who had bought her and discovered she had a "panic button" as you say, must be one of the kindest, most patient horsewoman I have had the pleasure to know and quietly worked with the mare on this for years. My friend is also a trail rider and while I think she fancied some dressage, she wasn't bothered when it turned out that the mare needed tons of work before she could be safe in an arena. Sixteen years later, the mare is in her 20s, quite sensible, and they are a happy pair.

The second probably had a back issue, as she'd smashed her withers in a trailer accident, but this was never officially diagnosed as her problem. My friend who owned her wanted to get serious about her showjumping and this mare's worst behaviour invariably happened when she was jumped. However, my friend had the means to buy another showjumper, but continue to keep this mare as a pasture ornament, where she happily remains to this day.
 
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