BIG horse people

[Candleliteranch]

I have a 13 yr old QH mare that I laid off for two years to have foals. She is a very well trained reining horse, though I only use her for trail riding. She's always been just fine for me. i've had her for 9 years. Her last foal is a coming two yr old. I tried to get her back into gear for trail riding this summer and she had other ideas. She was fine in the barn on the cross ties while i groomed and saddled her but when i led her outside she began snorting and blowing like everything was all new to her. Nothing was "new", same place, same horses, same humans.....She jumped at every little leaf blowing and nearly ran me over. I walked her (hand walked) till she calmed down. I got on and rode toward the round pen where my friend was riding one of my other horses. She is pastured with this other horse and stalled next to him, so he was nothing new either. She's been to the round pen with NO problems many times before.

We got to the pen and she bolted and raced around it, took me under a tree and proceeded to buck. This mare has NEVER attempted to do this before. She's so calm I can fly spray her ears in the woods while I'm riding her and she doesn't care at all. My S.O. grabbed ahold of her and led her into the round pen. I rode her around the pen and she seemed ok. I asked her to trot and she laid her ears back and began to hump up. I turned her and asked her to trot in the other direction. She did better but still was unhappy about it. She's not wanting to flex her neck at all. Ok, I'm not going to force her. I called the chiro and had him out to evaluate her. Her pelvis was out of whack, so he spent 2 hours working on her. She was very cooperative. He told me to give her a few days then try her again. I got back on and same thing. Ok, now I'm thinking teeth. maybe the bit is hurting her, she must need her teeth floated. Call the dentist. He flaots her and said, she didn't really need that, but I figured I'd go ahead and take care of her now rather than wait till she has a problem. sounded good to me..... Got on her again and she still didn't want to coperate. Called the trainer and he said to tie her neck around for short periods, gradually increasing the length of

time.

I've spent the whole summer and fall without riding and some "horse people" are telling me that she now has the "brood mare mentality" and will never ride the same again. I think and hope this is BS and she'll come around. Anyone else ever had a broodmare not want to go back to her real job?

Sorry this is so long, but wanted to give as clear of a picture as possible. Thanks for any help or tips you may have to share.

 

[hahler]

I have a mare like that. It took time I had to basically start over on the training. She needed to learn who the alfa was again. so now i ride her even when she is in foal. it just takes patients and time.

dawn

 

[jrae]

Well, I hate to say this...but we had the same thing happen with one of our show mares. She had an excellent show record, was a wonderful, cooperative, easy to ride amateur horse. After a 'baby break' she just decided she did NOT want to do this anymore. Our professinal trainer who is amazing with horses finally gave up and he said that unfortunatley is does happen with some mares. This sane, super mare from our previous expereience would try to kill you after she started back under saddle, would actually go up the barn hallway slamming our trainer against the wall with everything in her! Like you I had he vetted, chiropracted, everything. She won, she is now on a huge farm happily producing gorgeous babies. Wish my story had a happier more encouraging ending for you!

 

[h2t99]

I would send her to the trainers to get a refresher!! Even if you only had her there for a couple of weeks, it would get her back to where she should be!! That is what we did with one of our broodmares and we ride her even when she is nursing a foal. We just limit where we go and foal tags along. That way she does not "forget" her manners.

Good Luck

 

[hahler]

Like you said in one of my posts I wish we lived closer

we would take her in and work with her

dawn

 

[Charlene]

you've probably had her evaluated by your vet but i'm gonna throw this out to you anyway...

i had a mare with much the same problem. it was discovered that she was suffering from cystic ovaries. this condition can range anywhere from mild to severe. my mare's symptoms were severe. all it took was a hormone shot and she came around almost immediately and was her sweet, normal self.

 

[New_Image]

Don't let anyone tell you she has a brood mare mentality and she will never ride again, Nonsense!!!

She got spoiled and needs a little refresher. In her eyes, standing around munching seems like a better idea, shes out of shape and pulling your leg. If shes something you aren't comfortable with handling, send her out for a refresher. I am sure all she needs is to get back into the swing of things.

When I bought Molly she had been a brood mare most of her life, then the guy I bought her from had a daughter who rode her the first year, she moved out, then Molly stood around for 2 years. She is a well trained horse but everyone after breeding and standing..... She was a SNOT. She did the prancing around snorting at nothing, spooking at nothing, taking off full blown gallop down the field bucking some days and others she wouldn't move, threw a fit if you asked her to canter, backed up instead of walked forward, anything to be a pain. The fact that this was my first horse didn't help, I was gullible and she knew it. But we got it worked out. No one would tell me she isn't the same horse before breeding, I am sure she is even twice the horse she was before

Your girl just needs to get back in the swing of things, daily work even if just a little, get her back in shape and probably remind her who is boss and that she is on this planet to be a riding horse not a pretty pasture decoration and she'll be as good as always!

 

[Margo_C-T]

In LOTS of years with horses, I've NEVER heard of 'broodmare mentality', and would not give that notion any credulity! I'd be inclined to think that the mare just liked 'retirement' better, and is resistant to going 'back to work'! Although some horses are the same even if you haven't ridden them for a while, others can be very 'fresh' if laid off regular work for a time, esp. if it's a long time, as with your mare. I'd suggest just treating her as if she were somewhat 'green' again, being careful but requiring proper manners and behavior as you 'bring her along' back into regular work. It NEVER hurts to go 'back to basics'; be prepared to be patient, but firm and consistent.

I do think that the point about csytic ovaries might be one to check out should the problem seem to truly persist!

Best wishes,

Margo

 

[Danielle_E.]

You say her foal is coming 2 years of age. Do you still have the foal, well the 2 year old? Is he/she pastured still with her? That could be the problem as well as being off for two years. I agree, she needs to be re-trained and if you do still have her 2 year old, they need to be seperated for awhile.

 

[wildoak]

Is this only under saddle? Assume you have checked saddle fit, etc. Chiropractor was a great place to start. I'd be inclined to think there is a real problem given the strength of her misbehaving. We have a mare who gets very anxious and cranky at times under saddle....acupuncture over her ovaries helps quite a bit so that's sure something to look into.

She may have some attitude adjustment in order, but over a lot of years I've learned to respect what they are telling me - there is usually a physical reason lurking there somewhere! Good luck, hope you can figure out what it is.

Jan

 

[Casnos Minis]

[SIZE=14pt]I don't have a brood mare, but my daughter's gelding started doing that after we got him. My cousin was helping retrain him after being off for 8 months due to an injury at his old owners. We rode hime for 3[/SIZE]

months and then he started snorting, bucking, racing off on my cousin (which I'm glad he did it to her and not myself or my daughter). I had the vet out and we flex tested him and his arthritis was flaring up and he was lame, but showed no signs of it while he walked or trotted. He's on monthly injections now and is fine again. I'd have the vet out to check everything.

Christy

 

[mydaddysjag]

Since you've already had the chiro and dentist out, as long as she has a clean bill of health, Im going to say shes just enojying the retirement, and as long as she keeps getting away with the crap shes going to keep doing it. I would start by lunging her Everyday for a week, then l would start lunging her under saddle for a week. Get her used to a routine before anyone gets on her. Then I would start slow on the riding. I dont think its so much that shes forgot what to do, but that she dosent want to do it.

 

[outlawridge]

Here's my two cents worth.... many horses that are "spooky", or are "cold backed", become harder to bridle or halter, flex easily to one side but not the other, or have a dramatic change in behavior especially when ridden, often times have their first cervical vertebrae out of alignment. This is way more common then most people think and can happen for a huge variety of reasons. And unfortunately, many of these horses are disciplined for "bad spoiled" behavior, sold as a problem, given "attitude adjustments", put in more rigourous training (which only adds to the problem, pain, and disposition) etc etc etc.

It really is a very easy fix. These horses are in pain, and anyone who is familiar with chronic pain in their neck or back themselves, can sympathize. Once readjusted, there should be dramatic and immediate results. The horse may need to have this adjustment a few times again, but that usually does the trick.

A qualified chiropracter will usually check for this first, with these types of people complaints.

There is a simple test you can do to check for this that is kind of hard to explain. I will do my best if you'd like to pm me. I am not a chiropracter, but I have performed this test on a horse before that I heard was suddenly having problems this year including bucking off a few riders. I know this horse well and he is a big softy and a dream to ride. I found his first cervical vertebrea was way out and unfortunately the owners did nothing but sell him

When I tested him, he literally fell asleep with relief in the position I put his head in.

Perhaps this is not the case in your horse. But because it is so common, and so commonly overlooked because humans usually assume it is an attitude problem, I ALWAYS check this in any horse that has a change in demeanor or behavior.

 

[whitney]

Check the physical stuff first if everything is a ok.

This is what I have done to bring broodmares back. I've ponied them off another horse for a month or two.

 

[Candleliteranch]

Thanks to everybody for your input and experiences. Since she's been checked by the dentist, chiro and the vet I tend to agree with the thought that it isn't that she CAN"T do it, she just doesn't want to. It is only under saddle. When she's out with the other horses in pasture, she runs like the wind, plays and generally at times acts more like a foal than a grown mare. Her youngest foal is now a coming two year old filly. She's been seperated for a long while from her and barely pays attention to her when she sees her. I'll be taking some time off for the nasty winter weather as I have no indoor arena to work her in, but come spring we'll be back at it.

Thanks again for your thoughts.

 

[HGFarm]

I've never heard of the term 'broodmare mentality' and if there is such a thing, I would not want to be breeding it, if that's it!!

She has just gotten horse and barn sour and needs to be worked. Do you have a horse you can safely pony from? Saddle her up and pony her out a few times from another quiet horse. Work her in a round pen while saddled. Sort of 'start from scratch' for a bit. When she has been worked down in a round pen, and got the 'edge knocked off', get on her IN THERE, where she cannot take off across a pasture, and doesnt have a lot of room to get 'wound out'. This isnt saying she cant buck still, but if she is worked down enough, she will be less likely to, and wont have the joy of the wind whipping through her hair as she races back to the barn!!

Work and sweaty saddle blankets are going to get her back in shape and knowing who the boss is again. If need be, I recommend sending her to a trainer for 30 days to get her past this point and going again. It shouldnt take long to get her going again.

We never had this problem, but our horses were still used while pg, and even when they were quite fat, we would jump on bareback and at least take a spin around the pasture. Those mares were then used to pony their babies from, etc.... so they were not just idle for years.