Bunnylady
Well-Known Member
Who knows what demons lurk in the minds of horses? The Shadow knows! (Unfortunately, he ain't tellin!)
First, a little background. I have a friend who has been bitten by the horse-trading bug. Since the people she hangs with/sells to are mostly the hunter/jumper crowd, most of the horses she gets are acquired with that sort of thing in mind. She has had a great variety of horses, but one she has now is a doozy! She has an 18-year old QH mare, a Paint gelding, and a 13-or-so-hand TB/Welsh cross. The Welsh is the problem. The other horses are in the pasture, but she doesn't get along with them, so she is in the backyard. My friend has been feeding her by dumping a scoop of sweetfeed on a concrete pad near the garage, the other two are fed in the pasture and barn. She is really exaspirated with this Welsh mare. She got her from another horse trader. "He said, 'She thinks she's too good for you. If you try to do anything with her, she's like "How DARE you??!"' He was so right! I have had it with her! Do what I've been doing , put her in the stall, I don't care, whatever works for you," is what she told me. She blames it on the TB blood in her.
Anyway, my friend is out of town, so I'm looking after her horses for her. The problem with the feeding arrangement, is that the feed/tackroom is a shed in the backyard. When I go to feed them. this horse is right outside the door. All horses get wound up at feeding time, but this girl is wild! She's dancing around, snorting, pawing, trying to come in and help, you get the picture. Walking across the yard, she's jumping around, tossing her head, I keep expecting her to knock the feed out of my hands or knock me down.
At first, I only had them for a couple of days, so I put up with the nonsense, just using verbal repremands and body language to keep her off me. But then my friend called again, she's gone for another week. I decided it wasn't good for either me or the horse for mealtimes to be so stressful, we need a bit more control in this situation. So, I put her in the stall.
The first morning I put her in there, she seemed a little surprised, but came right along. I had to position myself carefully in the doorway to keep her from coming out while I closed the door. As soon as she was through eating, I let her out, and she went out like a rocket!
That evening, she managed to squirt out of the stall before I could get the door closed. Now, she won't let me catch her. She ran along the fence, I raised my hand, she reversed, I think "What the?" because here I am, free lunging her around the backyard! After a couple of minutes, I get her to stop in a corner, she lets me take hold of her halter, put her back in the stall, block her from another escape, feed her, let her out.
The next morning, she's practically in my pocket. The next evening, she comes trotting up to see me, takes one sniff of my hand, and won't let me touch her!
Now, I've always heard, that when you start to catch a horse, you must catch that horse, no matter how long it takes. I tried to approach "softly," but she just ran away. So I said, "All right, horse. You want to run? Lets run!" and waved my hand. She was off!
She ran in circles around me until I was dizzy. So I reversed her and she ran the other way. I kid you not, I free lunged that horse around that yard for more than thirty minutes. I could push her, turn her, stop her, but I could not get her to come to me, nor stand still long enough to let me catch her. Every time I tried to approach her, she turned away and moved off.
At first, the other two horses stood by the fence and watched. She kept trying to "hide" with them, but the QH reached across the fence and bit at her. Sometimes she ran behind the garage, but she couldn't see any of us back there, and she always came out faster than she went in.
Finally, she went into a corner, and barely managed to stand still while I stroked her shoulder and then took her by the halter and led her to the stall, where I shut her in and fed her. She was dripping with sweat, and I hated not cooling her out first, but I wanted her to see that I really only wanted to feed her.
Next morning, she's in my pocket again. She jumped a little when I took hold of her halter, but went into the stall easily enough. Antsy as all get-out to leave, as usual.
Last night, she won't let me catch her again. Frankly, I wasn't up to chasing her around, so I only made a half-hearted attempt to walk her down. When she tried to lead me on another chase, I turned my back and went into the feed room. I closed the door (no lights, so I was working almost by touch.) I could hear her, nickering and pawing outside the door. I came out as loud and fierce as I could be, carrying feed only for the other two. She got to watch them eat their dinners, but didn't get hers! I gave her chance after chance to let me catch her. She followed me like a dog as I carried empty feeders, filled water buckets, did all the usual things, but would not let me touch her! I finally put some hay out for her, and left.
This morning, she wants to play "catch me if you can" again. Several times she started the circling business, but I refused to hook up. As soon as she starts running, I do a 180 and walk off. When she stops, I try to approach, keeping it soft and light, but will not follow when she runs away. After a few minutes, I feed the others, being merely firm rather than fierce to keep her at bay. Finally I put some hay in the stall. She goes in to eat it, but "escapes!" when I get close to the door. I walk away, and she goes in again. I walk up to the door, she starts to leave, I step in the way and she jerks to a halt, but stands as I close the door and go to get her breakfast. When she's done, she goes back to the hay. I open the door, she walks out and heads for the water tank. I went and sat on the garage steps. She walks right over to me, does a deep breath of my hand and knee. I fished a piece of carrot out of my pocket and put it on the step. "Yes, it's for you. I'm not particularly interested in it." She ate it, and let me pet her nose.
So what gives? She doesn't want to be "trapped" in the stall, I got that much. I don't buy the arrogance thing, she's a beauty, but I just don't get that impression. It isn't just a game, she isn't having much fun with this. I believe animals do things for a reason; why would she prefer to be run into a dripping sweat rather than just get handled such a little bit?
My friend is determined to get rid of her as quickly as she can, so I probably only have a few more days with her, but I can't resist a puzzle. Anybody got any ideas what might be going on with her?
I forgot to mention, her feet are kind of long, and there are ridges near the toes on all four. Could she have foundered, and perhaps been upset by the treatment? She "seems" sound enough now.
First, a little background. I have a friend who has been bitten by the horse-trading bug. Since the people she hangs with/sells to are mostly the hunter/jumper crowd, most of the horses she gets are acquired with that sort of thing in mind. She has had a great variety of horses, but one she has now is a doozy! She has an 18-year old QH mare, a Paint gelding, and a 13-or-so-hand TB/Welsh cross. The Welsh is the problem. The other horses are in the pasture, but she doesn't get along with them, so she is in the backyard. My friend has been feeding her by dumping a scoop of sweetfeed on a concrete pad near the garage, the other two are fed in the pasture and barn. She is really exaspirated with this Welsh mare. She got her from another horse trader. "He said, 'She thinks she's too good for you. If you try to do anything with her, she's like "How DARE you??!"' He was so right! I have had it with her! Do what I've been doing , put her in the stall, I don't care, whatever works for you," is what she told me. She blames it on the TB blood in her.
Anyway, my friend is out of town, so I'm looking after her horses for her. The problem with the feeding arrangement, is that the feed/tackroom is a shed in the backyard. When I go to feed them. this horse is right outside the door. All horses get wound up at feeding time, but this girl is wild! She's dancing around, snorting, pawing, trying to come in and help, you get the picture. Walking across the yard, she's jumping around, tossing her head, I keep expecting her to knock the feed out of my hands or knock me down.
At first, I only had them for a couple of days, so I put up with the nonsense, just using verbal repremands and body language to keep her off me. But then my friend called again, she's gone for another week. I decided it wasn't good for either me or the horse for mealtimes to be so stressful, we need a bit more control in this situation. So, I put her in the stall.
The first morning I put her in there, she seemed a little surprised, but came right along. I had to position myself carefully in the doorway to keep her from coming out while I closed the door. As soon as she was through eating, I let her out, and she went out like a rocket!
That evening, she managed to squirt out of the stall before I could get the door closed. Now, she won't let me catch her. She ran along the fence, I raised my hand, she reversed, I think "What the?" because here I am, free lunging her around the backyard! After a couple of minutes, I get her to stop in a corner, she lets me take hold of her halter, put her back in the stall, block her from another escape, feed her, let her out.
The next morning, she's practically in my pocket. The next evening, she comes trotting up to see me, takes one sniff of my hand, and won't let me touch her!
Now, I've always heard, that when you start to catch a horse, you must catch that horse, no matter how long it takes. I tried to approach "softly," but she just ran away. So I said, "All right, horse. You want to run? Lets run!" and waved my hand. She was off!
She ran in circles around me until I was dizzy. So I reversed her and she ran the other way. I kid you not, I free lunged that horse around that yard for more than thirty minutes. I could push her, turn her, stop her, but I could not get her to come to me, nor stand still long enough to let me catch her. Every time I tried to approach her, she turned away and moved off.
At first, the other two horses stood by the fence and watched. She kept trying to "hide" with them, but the QH reached across the fence and bit at her. Sometimes she ran behind the garage, but she couldn't see any of us back there, and she always came out faster than she went in.
Finally, she went into a corner, and barely managed to stand still while I stroked her shoulder and then took her by the halter and led her to the stall, where I shut her in and fed her. She was dripping with sweat, and I hated not cooling her out first, but I wanted her to see that I really only wanted to feed her.
Next morning, she's in my pocket again. She jumped a little when I took hold of her halter, but went into the stall easily enough. Antsy as all get-out to leave, as usual.
Last night, she won't let me catch her again. Frankly, I wasn't up to chasing her around, so I only made a half-hearted attempt to walk her down. When she tried to lead me on another chase, I turned my back and went into the feed room. I closed the door (no lights, so I was working almost by touch.) I could hear her, nickering and pawing outside the door. I came out as loud and fierce as I could be, carrying feed only for the other two. She got to watch them eat their dinners, but didn't get hers! I gave her chance after chance to let me catch her. She followed me like a dog as I carried empty feeders, filled water buckets, did all the usual things, but would not let me touch her! I finally put some hay out for her, and left.
This morning, she wants to play "catch me if you can" again. Several times she started the circling business, but I refused to hook up. As soon as she starts running, I do a 180 and walk off. When she stops, I try to approach, keeping it soft and light, but will not follow when she runs away. After a few minutes, I feed the others, being merely firm rather than fierce to keep her at bay. Finally I put some hay in the stall. She goes in to eat it, but "escapes!" when I get close to the door. I walk away, and she goes in again. I walk up to the door, she starts to leave, I step in the way and she jerks to a halt, but stands as I close the door and go to get her breakfast. When she's done, she goes back to the hay. I open the door, she walks out and heads for the water tank. I went and sat on the garage steps. She walks right over to me, does a deep breath of my hand and knee. I fished a piece of carrot out of my pocket and put it on the step. "Yes, it's for you. I'm not particularly interested in it." She ate it, and let me pet her nose.
So what gives? She doesn't want to be "trapped" in the stall, I got that much. I don't buy the arrogance thing, she's a beauty, but I just don't get that impression. It isn't just a game, she isn't having much fun with this. I believe animals do things for a reason; why would she prefer to be run into a dripping sweat rather than just get handled such a little bit?
My friend is determined to get rid of her as quickly as she can, so I probably only have a few more days with her, but I can't resist a puzzle. Anybody got any ideas what might be going on with her?
I forgot to mention, her feet are kind of long, and there are ridges near the toes on all four. Could she have foundered, and perhaps been upset by the treatment? She "seems" sound enough now.
