Any advise for my mum's spinning mare?

Question

My mum owns a 16.1 Cleveland bay/TB mare. Within a few days of having her she started turning and heading off in the opposite direction. She always turns to the right. Her back teeth tack etc have all been checked so the problem must be in her head. She does this going both away and toward home and does this as both a nap and a spook. We have tried loads of different bits, martingales and gadgets with no avail. The more you pull as she spins the worse she gets. The only way of stopping her is to drop the reins and use your seat but obviously still spins. Both my mum and i are very experienced riders but all the conventional ideas have been exhausted. She's twelve years old and we have done team chasing show jumping and dressage with her so she's by no ways green. She's a really nice mare but sometimes is afraid of her own shadow especially with people she doesn't know. Only my mum can sometimes catch her and some days she's even afraid of a carrot!!! Any fresh ideas?

Answer 1

So what your saying is that the horse will basically spin on her heels and turn 360 degrees?

I ride a horse who does this alot. What I would do is do my strongest aids for stop and do this again and again. Before telling the horse to stop I would tap him with a crop and firmly say No then give the aids for stop and use a form of positive reinforcement. This horse never really dropped the habit as he used to be a western horse and was trained to do this. But with a bit of work this spinning incidents decreased.

As for her spookiness and inability to catch what you need to is is a overall desensitization. Try having your mum in the Field with you and having you try and catch the horse. In a safe enviroment slowly introduce some of the things that spook her. Try having one quiet person meet her a day with you or your mum present , have this person feed her a treat and give her a rub in her favorite place. Just because she is not a green horse does'nt mean her old owners took the time to socolize her and teach her not everything is scary and is going to bite her!

Hope I could help!

Answer 2

this doesn't sound very healthy GET A VET OUT !!!!! i think its some think to do with her visual or hearing somethink a miss!!!!!!!

I HOPE I HELPED*_*

Answer 3

As with most humans, horses have a stronger side (like us being right or left handed), hence the fact the mare spins to the right. Also, if you are weaker on your left side, she will know this and use it against you to get away from you. If you have had her back, neck, legs, teeth etc all fully checked out and they are fine, I'd say she's taking the mickey. She's gotten away with it once so is just carrying on the behaviour because it is easier than working.

I would suggest carrying a schooling whip in your right hand and tapping her on the right shoulder when she starts to spin. She needs to be kept in an outline with constant contact, and ridden strongly forward, keeping her mind occupied so she doesn't see "spooky" things, and always do a shoulder-in with her head turned away from the object, so she can't see it. Even though you are both experienced riders, it may be an idea to get an instructor in to give you a few lessons as things often look much different from the ground! I'm an experienced rider but just couldn't get on with my last horse, the head would be up and she'd be gone, and would always swing out to the right side in the school. My friend came to give me a lesson and found I was sat over to the right side so much that my left side was useless - a few sessions later and I had a completely different horse!

Good luck with her

Answer 4

I had a horse like this who was afraid of donkeys and would get himself in a right tizzy.  Sometimes it is really a form of napping.  One day I took him to a place I knew and he knew a donkey normally was kept.  I made sure it was on the way home and made sure he was trotting forward strongly but I could feel his back end slowing down and becoming sticky.  I knew the donkey was not there - I had checked before.  So I got really firm with him, and drove him on.  He stopped.  We had the usual spinning in the road, rearing, bucking etc.  I managed to make him stand still long enough and then when he tried  to back up I backed up my leg and seat aids with a schooling whip and he reared at which point I got very cross.  He dropped his head and trotted forward in the right direction as if to say "Oh, alright then" and never gave me any trouble again.  He was really just trying me on because he went by the donkey when it was in the field.  It is dangerous to battle with them on a road, but when the coast is clear go for it and make sure you are wearing protective gear and a hard crash cap.

As it is a mare it could also be a bit of hormones playing up.  Time the problems and see if it could be something to do with her heats.

Answer 5

I'm thinking visual problems....some kind of visual impairment.  Have you had that checked out by a vet?  Or a neurological problem...?  I'd have a vet rule out both of these as contributing factors for her "spinning".....has she taken a fall in the pasture?

Answer 6

Well I had this exact problem with my cob x. He would spin to the right too! The only way that I over come this after trying EVERYTHING!!! was to loose my temper with him! One day I jsut flipped! I had the rein tight behind me knee kept kicking and gave him a few hard slaps with the whip! I know it sounds horrible but he never has to have a smack now! This seemed to work for me! But for my horse he was taking the mickey of me! He was not afraid! If your horse is afraid then I would do things with her that she enjoys and spend time with her in the stable grooming and talking to her, she has got to learn to trust people! Good Luck!!!!

Answer 7

maybe she just needs leadership or isnt confident.

i'm not sure because you've said shes not green, or maybe shes just doing it because she knows she can get away with it as she is a big horse to handle.

Answer 8

What does a vet say?

Does she circle when not tacked up?  

Could it be a type of seizure, or are you sure it's a training issue?

This really sounds like it could be a medical issue with her brain and/or nervous system.  I'd have a vet look her over and have some blood work done.  

Pay for a session with a trainer.  Experienced trainers can tell almost at a glance if something is misbehavior and when a vet should be called.  They can also give you hints and tips on how to handle the problem.

If possible, call the old owner and see if there's been any problems in her past.

Good luck.

Answer 9

Hello,

Well, my first horse was a Palomino named Blondie, she was a bit older than your mums new horse.  But, my Blondie was a  SMART mare.  She always tried the spinning thing when ever we would mount up.  And for a few more times after being mounted.  SHE had figured out that  if she did this most  a lot of riders would get off and not want to rider her.

She was like a wise old pony!  If you stayed on her and rode it out, she would finally give up knowing I wouldn't fall for the last chance she had to give me a fright before the trail ride.

She too was a bit spooky, she would always spook, but never ran off or hurt me.

I would give her a chance, she may just being attempting to scare your mum off of her, so she doesn't have to work!

Answer 10

I think patience is the way forward with her. She is in a new home, she needs to get to know and trust you.