Can anyone help with my napping horse?

Question

Right well i got a new horse a couple of weeks ago and got 2 shetlands to keep her company, they're all mares. And after a couple of days i put her in their field, but she has been in her own field a couple of hours each day and not bothered!

It started last week when i went out for a ride and she wouldn't go past the ponies and just mesed around, and thn when i took one of the shetlands out of the field and she jumped out!!

Then this morning, when i was putting her in a seperate field she started rearing when i was holding her and then she jumped a 5 bar gate! so she's getting really naughty!!

Any one got ANY tips for me??? pleeeease!!

Answer 1

She's just moved home - you gave her some friends and now you are taking them away again, naturally she's upset.

Horses are herd animals and like to be with other horses not kept on their own. She's telling you she wants to get back with the ponies.

I would let her just graze with the ponies for the time being and give her time to settle down. Spend a lot of time doing nice things with her so that she starts to feel happy with you - a bucket of food, a few treats - maybe a bit of grooming just in the field. She'll start to relax and bond with you and her feeling of safety and well-being will come from you as well as her companions.

It's not just a question of kindness and recognizing her needs either - there are safety considerations too, she might injure herself jumping out of fields or you if she is trying to get away from you.

If you can't ride her - could you get a friend to come along with another as a companion? She sounds as though she lacks confidence and this takes time and patience to build up.

Answer 2

well, this is quite tricky but maybe she enjoys the company from having her own field to sharing one so its a bit different for her.

once a horse knows how to jump out a field, it is tricky to get them out of the habit. when you have to ride past the field, get off. this shows leadership and some people might disagree with getting off but it has helped me so much with one of my horses and respects me more for getting off, look straight ahead of where your looking to go and dont look at anything else. you could try moving the shetlands into another field so she wont nap at that area where she can see them.

if you only got her a few weeks ago she could be trying you out as about this time my haflinger kept on bolting to the gate, bucking bronco but she has now settled down really well as almost had her about 5 months.

its all a matter of time and i can't really help you that much but just try lots of different things to try and get to the bottom of the behaviour.

Answer 3

I had a horse like that some years ago that I wanted for barrels, but he didn't work out because he wouldn't even lead into an arena away from the other horses.  Did your horse come from an environment where she was alone or with other horses?  If with other horses was she ever taken out alone or always in a group?  If in with other horses at the previous owners when you tried her out was it in with the other horses or did they volunteer to ride with you?  This may be something that can't be overcome.  I ended up selling my horse to a family who I knew always rode together and I explained that this horse will freak if taken out alone even just the other side of a fence.  You can try to make leaving the ponies a good thing by offering a piece of carrot every couple steps until away but baby steps, just to the gate a few days, then outside the open gate, then outside the shut gate; this may take weeks.  Judging by the extreme level of seperation anxiety while still i sight of the ponies, you may have a decision to make if reconditioning her mind doesn't work.  

Answer 4

you need to become the leader of your mare.... mine used to do this.... and so you need to tell her that you are the leader of her and thats the way its gunna stay.... if not youve got no chance.... i lunge my mare every time before i ride (i have to because she is cold backed.... but it also takes the 'edge' of her and gets her to listen too me! and its a great way of getting them fit!!! bonus! lol)  so i would lunge your mare before you ride her (in the feild where she is by herself- so that she gets used to working around the ponies- and also if she tries to rear you have more lead rope, so that you can slack it for the rear but youve still got lots to get her back under controll with!)

try not to ride your mare past the ponies to beguin with (unless you have no other option- but if you have a feild or a menage that you could take her in instead of going past the ponies that would be just as good as taking her on a hack to prove who is boss....)

(saying you can take her on a hack without going past the ponies) really get her to listen to you, do lots of transistions and half halts etc.... if she spins around 'pull' her back round the SAME way she spun round (eg if shespun to the right DONT let her do a full circle 'pull' her back round left- i hope this makes sense! if not just pm me!) if you do let her do a full circle that would mean she would be gtng her own way so by making her go back you are in controll- just like a herd leader.

if she rears (whilst your on the hack) then lean right forward and grab her mane (to hold you on a bit more!) but be VERY carefull when she rears as if you lean back she may go right over with you! but also make sure your sturip leathers are in tighley as my friends horse reared and herswernt in properly- resulting in her sliding down the horse back thankfully he didint buck afterwards or she may not be here now!!

if you feel she is going rear make her do lots of very little circles as horses cant rear with their legs crossed! i wouldnt advise getting off as this can make your horse worried that there something scary and if she rears again you wont be able to keep a hold of the reins (they arent long enough- and dont take them over you mare head in case she runs off and gets them caught around her legs...) so it would be best to stay on and just kick her on.

keep taking her out and get her to listen and trust you, you could also take her for walks with the lunge rein and lunge her in a new field- which she would then have to trust you to look after her.

spend as much time as possible with your mare- you could also do join up with your mare

http://www.montyroberts.com/ju_about.htm...

but please only do this if you have the correct equipment and knowlage!

you also say that your mare is now jumping out of her field- could you make the fence higher? or put an electric fence 1.5 meters away from the wooden fence on the inside- as it means she wont  be able to jump the electric fence and the wooden fence at the same time- and she wont be able to jump the elecrtic fence and then the wooden fence as theres not enough room for her to get over it (i hope!- if so make it even further away from the fence)- make sure the electric fence isnt on to beguin with i case she does try to jump the electric fence and then the wooden fence,as she may get stress when she realises she cant jump the wooden one and if she got caught up in the electric fence whilst she was getting stress she would get a lot of electric shocks which would be horrible!!!!!!!

i hope i have help a bit!

good luck and keep boss of her!

x*x

Answer 5

try getting someone to lead the shetlands out with you when you hack also leave her with them in the feild coz horses are herd animals., try not riding her past the feild then she will be good?