Huffing when riding??

Question

my mustang mare huffs/blows air out of her nose when i ride her. she acts tense and "on the lookout" when being ridden.

i think its cause shes so tense but i dont know. shes not tired or anything.

shes a little high strung/spirited and she will blow and charge anything unfamailer.

ex: a wild pig was near her paddock and she was foaming at the mouth, blowing at it and charging at it. which with her being a mustang, shes pretty territorial and alert.

:)

Answer 1

I agree with the poster above me.  She has reason to alert if a wild pig is nearby, and she needs your security to reassure her that she is safe.  She needs desensitizing which is a slow prodess of getting her used to things so she isn't afraid...as well as developing trust in you.

Answer 2

she sounds scared/tense, and like an accident waiting to happen.  I suggest finding a trainer who knows Mustangs before you get yourself in a bad situation.

Answer 3

Maybe talk to your vet or trainer ( if you have one) about it, she might be stressing about something, if you haven't had her since she was a foal she may of had a bad experience with something, but I'm sure you haven't got much to worry about.

Answer 4

My neighbor calls it hunting for boogers.  What it really means is she is scared and on the lookout for things she thinks are scary.  You need to work on getting her desensitized because she is not listening to you when she is that worried. To desensitize her you need to expose her to new things and noises.  When she relaxes around new things reward her.  You need to be confident when you are doing this because they read our cues.  All horses should get in somewhat of a tizzy when a wild animal is near their paddock.

Answer 5

horses communicate through many sounds.she was snorting because she was excited..she was looking for a reply from another horse to validate her insecurity....if you own each second that you riding her-shell understand that you are the leader and she will assume her role as follower...she wont need to react to situations that are scary..provide her with direction at all times and she wil listen to you....

Answer 6

loosen the reins and hold on the the hornyou never know when she might flip, and the horn is your ressorce and foaming means tiredness if i were you free lunge her to calm her down get all the hyperness out.

Answer 7

Lunge her before ridding. It will release some pent up energy. If shes still 'puffing' in a couple months get her checked out. Horses can have Asama