Mare problem. horse owners or experience :) ?

Question

today i went to feed my horse where i keep her and we let her out to graze which we normally do. then my mum tried to go bring her back in but she started bucking and kicking and ran away. i went and got her and led her around in her single paddock and she pulled away from me and kicked a bit.

my mum thinks she might be on heat but im not sure. does anybody know the problem and how i can fix it or is this just normal

Answer 1

Pan's Mom is on the ball. Your horse is just being a horse and needs to be a horse. Preferably it should have a paddock mate too. Many people stable their horses and bore them stupid, which creates bad habits. Play some games with your horse such as lunging over jumps etc but vary it, not the same thing every time; or ride it. However, you must not allow the horse to pull away from you. So, you need to use a rope halter, you will not be able to hold her with a common webbing halter. You should also have a long lead rope, say 3m and wear gloves so you don't get rope burn and pull her head back towards you immediately when she tries. You will need to be careful and keep yourself out of the kicking zone!

Answer 2

Sorry - look at it the other way.

It sounds like your mare is stalled all the time - ie. "we let her out to graze".

Forget about showing her who the boss is and LISTEN to your horse. She is telling you that she needs to be outside since she is a HORSE.



Less stall and way more turnout.

Answer 3

I also agree with others that she's trying to be the boss and she's gonna do what she wants, you have the correct idea in teaching her this isn't acceptable:)  Weather she's in heat or not, she needs to learn to control her temper:)  Best of luck.  

Answer 4

If this has happened out of blue, then maybe you she's in pain? Have you recently had her checked out by the farrier, dentist and vet?

If you know that she's in perfectly good health, then as the others have said, it's either a behavior thing, or she just simply wants to stay out a bit longer. Try turning her out for another hour or two, then slowly bring the time back down.

Good luck.

Answer 5

I would agree with previous answers. It does sound like she's just trying to show you and your mum that she's the boss not you, which could develop into a habit you really don't want. Has she always been difficult to catch?

Answer 6

I Agree With The Girl Above. If This Is The First Time Your Horse Has Done It, I Would Also Be Tempted To Say She Was Just Being Cheeky And Didnt Want To Come In, But You Will Have To Show Her Who's In Charge Or It Will Become A Problem :)

Answer 7

Try reversing your routine, leave her outside, bring her in just to feed her, that way she will be ready to go in.  Horses are outdoor animals and they like it outside 24/7.  It is nice weather out now, why not allow her the luxury of being outside.  I think that your horse is trying to tell you something.  "more time outside"

Answer 8

You cannot excuse this behavior on being in heat.  Hundreds of people show mares every day, and many of those mares are in heat during competition.  They do NOT buck, kick and misbehave.  So this is not normal and should not be ignored.

I guess you need to ask yourself why your horse would act this way.  Was it a one time thing?  Was it windy, stormy, has your horse been underworked lately?  

The things you can do to make your horse less goofy and energetic are 1)cut back or totally eliminate grain (most will manage fine without grain unless young and/or underweight 2)have her in turn-out as much as possible, preferably 24/7 3)keep her with other horses so she can interact and play with them 4)ride her on a daily basis, or at least 4-5 times per week.  If you are doing all these things and she's still misbehaving you may benefit from taking her to a trainer and having them show you what to do when she kicks, pulls away, etc.  Lots of good steady ground work where you are the boss, but a good, kind, strong and fair boss, and not just a bad tempered person will help.

Answer 9

Is this a constant problem or has she only just done it today?

How old is she?

I would be tempted to say there is nothing wrong with her.  It just sounds like she didn't want to come in from the field.

However, this can develop into a problem very quickly if you don't show her who's boss.  She will soon learn that all she needs to do is be naughty and she can do what she wants again.

Next time you catch her - try it with a bridle and a lunge line.  This way you have hold of her better with a bit in her mouth.

Also a lunge line so if she wants to kick you can let her do it 6 feet away from you without being hurt but she can't run away because if you hold firm she won't pull against the bit

Good Luck :)