Why is my horse so needy?

2
Aug
2010

Make sure you wear a hard hat and gloves when leading a difficult horse

"Hi, I was wondering if you could help us. I bought my horse, who is a 16.2hh Thoroughbred chestnut mare last October. We also own an ex-racehorse. We moved six weeks ago onto the perfect yard - big fields, plenty of grass and only five horses including ours to share it. As I said, we moved yards and our horses now share the field with three geldings, one is very, very protective. They have all grown very close in a very short period of time. The problem we face is every time my wife hacks out or takes her horse out of the field, my horse goes ballistic galloping around the field like a lunatic. If I take her out of the field and into the stable, she also goes wild, she has become very needy and at times she turns into a raving lunatic. The owner of the gelding she has grown very attached to went out on a hack, my horse threw a track, becoming badly lame two weeks ago. We called the vet out and he diagnosed corns, but he also told us to give her 10 days box rest. We had two farriers come out who both said it was not corns. When my wife put her in the stable for 10 days box rest, she went ballistic nearly breaking down the door in a total panic, hence my wife had to let her out again after just one night - she was totally stressing out and in a total panic.

"All the time we were at the other yard, she was never a problem. In fact, she wouldn't even go near our other mare - they just didn't like each other, but now she goes mad when they are separated. She was box rested for a long time at our other yard when she was kicked in the field, no problems whatsoever, she didn't want to come out when she was better. We have the vet coming again on Thursday and my wife is dreading the result - we know he is going to say we have to box rest her otherwise she will not get over her injury. I can handle her when she starts throwing tantrums but she is getting progressively worse, the problem is I'm in the forces and work away, only getting home at weekends. My wife is a 5" 6 and weighs eight stone, my horse is just to big for her to handle. When she goes off on one, she just tosses my wife around like a rag doll. What can we do to calm my horse down? It's getting beyond a joke and my wife is at the end of her tether.

"They cannot be split, geldings and mares have to share the field. Any help or advice would be very much appreciated. Regards, Dale."

H&C blogger and proprietor of Contessa Riding Centre Tina Layton-Elliott BHSI replies: "Dear Dale, thank you very much for your question. It sounds like a tricky situation where you’ve found a good yard, but it’s unfortunately not working out at the moment.

It seems as though there are two separate issues to deal with; firstly the causes of your mare’s lameness (and therefore how to treat it) and secondly, her change in behaviour since moving yards.

The lameness since she lost a shoe needs to be looked at by your vet and a reputable farrier. Did she improve once the shoe was put back on? It could be anything from a bruised sole (healing can be accelerated by applying a poultice to the sole of the foot), or perhaps she has injured the leg itself from galloping around. This is all speculative however, so your vet will need to investigate further.

In the meantime if box-rest is diagnosed, is it possible to stable your other horse as well, so that they keep eachother calm? If she has company while she is recovering it may stop the problem from becoming worse. You could also try a herbal calmer or alternative therapy.

As for her behaviour in the long-term, it sounds as if your wife may be in a potentially dangerous situation and should take precautions such as leading the mare in a bridle, or even a chifney and wearing gloves and hard hat, etc. It is important for the horse to respect and trust your wife so that she can keep the mare more confident and less emotional when away from the other horses.

It is fairly common for horses to become a little more ‘wild’ when turned out in a larger herd situation where mares and geldings are together. Remember also if the grazing is very good, she might be feeling livelier from the grass. Bringing her in to handle and work regularly when she’s sound should help.

Best of luck with getting to the bottom of the lameness and addressing your mare’s temperament issues. If you have no luck it may be worth thinking about moving them to a yard where mares and geldings can be kept separate.

Tina."