My mare is great under saddle, but disrespectful on the ground.What can I do ?

Question

I have read some of the previous answers on this subject, but , I don't really understand how you can get respect just by leading them around. I use a stud chain under her chin to lead her and cirlce her and whoa her when she gets to leading me.

None of this is getting me anywhere.

She is a belgian cross and is around 1300 lbs, I am 5'3. She towers over me. She is 13yrs old and has one colt (5yrs old now) I inherited her and her colt.

I don't want to make her head shy,, when I yank down on the lead, she used to stop,, now she just throws her head and charges on ahead and I end up putting on my flintstone brakes,and circling her and we stand there looking at each other stupidly!!! Then we start the whole dance over again.

I have no place to do join-up. (and yes, I have done it in the past and done it successfully) It sounds like b/s ,, but, I really do have total control in the saddle. I don't take any c**p from her on her back, I want this control on the ground too.

Answer 1

This might sound odd, but a lot of this may be your confidence on the ground. When your in the saddle you are a confident rider and you feel in control she knows who is boss and she can't get away with acting up. Perhaps you need to display more dominance on the ground for her to take you seriously. If she knows your a bit intimidated of her on the ground she can read that and is probably really acting up because she knows she can. I'm sure there is someone at your barn who is very confident with handeling, perhaps maybe see if they would be willing to walk her around a bit and see if they experience the same issues as you. If they do better with her ask questions, and see what works for them. You may just need to assert yourself more on the ground and let her know your the alpha female not her.

Answer 2

When you lead your horse she should never be allowed to walk with her head before you.

When she does this SHE has asserted herself as being the decision maker.

You need to snap that lead and make her back behind you.  If you feel her encroaching again snap it again and back her off.

Have it in your mind the distance she is and don't let her take one little step past that...closer to you.  If out of the corner of your eye you see her stepping back up, snap  her back and hard to get the point across.  Take that lead and wag it back and forth really hard and fast to make her back up.

********edit**** When I snap I don't mean yank their nose down.  I mean to put some tough pressure on that and wag that lead so there is a tremendous amount of energy traveling through it...wag it back and forth hard hard hard. Rope halters work best for pushy horses on the ground***********************

When you are standing there with her and she takes a step into you and you move....she asserted herself as the boss again.

You cannot let her walk into you no matter what.  Take the end of that lead and smack that shoulder or you smack that shoulder with your hand. Make her move away.  Then you go back to being calm.  If she pushes back into your space repeat it.

This goes for any instance you come across.  If she comes into your space without you inviting her, she is wrong and needs to be told so.  You are the boss and you did not invite her to be buds with you yet.  She needs to wait.

No mouth.  A mouth on you, nibbling can be a small indication of trying you.  Now my guys can be mouthy but they know what the limit is.  They know this alpha is fair and just and will ALWAYS knock them if they put teeth on me without my permission (I do alot of mouth rubbing on them and rub their teeth so I'm sorta different than others)

So that is what people mean.  YOU choose where they move and where they go.  YOU invite them close to you...THEY are the ones to move their feet, not you.

ex.  Herd mare out in the pasture.  No one gets close to her...the second in command will be nearest but will slowly graze closer and when the grazing alpha mare gives her a special look and her ears stay pricked then the second mare is fine.  She was invited in.

Now...the third in command grazes closer.  She wants to be near the alpha.  Alpha is grazing but with just her eyes, looks at her and her ears flip back a second then forward.  That was a "Don't you dare even try to get close to me"

If that third mare approaches still, missing that signal, she is going to get ran after and off, bit if not fast enough...out of that mares space.  The mare won't chase.  She just wanted her out of her space and to learn the lesson of who makes the decisions.

:)

***edit***lunging your mare for being pushy on the ground will not teach her to not be pushy.  You have to assert yourself while leading and even while grooming.

edit:  exactly Galloppal!  I forgot the halter holding business.  I always have them about 3ft behind me. I forget not everyone leads like that.  I'm reminded when I go to trail rides and see little girls holding that lead right up under the chin on the clasp.  *shudder*  scary thought!

Answer 3

ha  well this is odd. I have a draft cross and i'm 5'3''! my mare sounds a lot like yours. She is pushy ont he ground and acts as if shes the boss, no matter how many times  i show her i am, its as if she doesn't remember and can't learn. When i'm in the saddle with her she also changes completely. She gets unsure and relies on me to keep her going and listens to me perfectly.

the way i've been working on fixing this with my girl is like this...

- i go into her stall and sit with her for a while. just sit and talk and make her respect any boundries your putting up. (ex. If you don't want her close to you, do not let her come close or if you want  her to stand the whole time, put her on a lead and stand with her for a half and hour and just talk to her and make her recognise you as both someone of authority and a friend who won't hurt her.) i know its hard to eb the boss lady becuase shes so big and much harder to control (like when my mare sees grain, i'm dragged halfway across the barn no matter how much i am pulling) but you have to understand that  you horse might not know her own strength. Kisses, my horse, she doesn't do any of the things she does maliciously, she just doesn't realise how much stronger than me she is. good luck! and i'd love to see a picture of your mare. if you have one you should put it up!

Answer 4

First of all if she starts acting up you don't have to yank on the lead. Feel free to if you need to though. Make her stop, back her up until she puts her head down, and try it again. She needs to understand that you are the pack leader, the dominant mare. In order to do so I would lunge her a lot, make sure she listens to you. You should be able to do everything on the ground as you do under saddle. Maybe contact a professional trainer to help these poor manners on the ground. Also if she acts up make sure she knows " If I act bad I will just get worked more. " For example if she does any of that stuff, lunge her for 30 minutes, then ride her, and then work on the leading stuff. Don't reward bad behavior so if she was bad don't give her treats. After you lunge her if she knows you are the dominant mare she will be l*****g her lips in submissiveness. If it gets really bad contact a trainer to help rule out why she is treating you like this on the ground. Good luck!

Answer 5

i had 2 use a stud chain on my mare 2 get her 2 know i was there. what i did was walked and tryed 2 stop and if she did i would pull on the chain. then walk again and stop and if she stop i would rub her head so she knew that she did good. but if she didnt stop i would  pull on the chain. then walked again. i dont know if this will work 4 u but that was what worked for me. remember if you dont take c**p on her back dont take c**p on the ground.

Answer 6

I agree with buckinfun.  More on the rope halter...I use a rope halter and the lead attaches via a loop...no clasps or metal parts to break.  You can have an amazing amount of control with such a rig, and no chains needed.  Beyond the initial training that buckinfun is outlining, I always reinforce the respect of my space.  I'll shake that lead at them harder and harder to back them off anytime they "forget" to ask my permission before coming into my space.  I also never lead them with my hand right up by the halter...they are given about 3 feet of slack and if they crowd me or try to get ahead it's easy to shake them back (one shake will do it once they know the signal).

Answer 7

i'm gonna recommend 2 books to you that are amazing. hopefully it can teach you some things to help your mare out.

"Teach Your Horse Perfect Manners" by Kelly Marks

http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Your-Horse-P...

"Think Like Your Horse" by Michael Peace and Lesley Bayley

http://www.amazon.com/Think-Like-Horse-M...

i suggest at least checking them out from a library. very useful!