skiddish mare

[mytwoladies]

(skiddish) I have amare who is new to me this past year she is bred not due till july. ( I'm told)

She was very skiddish when she came to me an has been getting soo much better till just recently. An I'm unsure why ! She acts very scared like I'm gonna hit her or something. An I have never hit her or been mean. Only thing I've done different is put a blanket on her! But its soo cold here tonight about -8 right now .soo she really needs it. Would that cause her to be fearfull?? can any one help me! I'm back to sqaure one with her .

also if she is like this now what might happen when she foals? will she let me be around her foal can anyone help me?

Her previsous owner wont return my calls soo I havent been able to talk with them..

 

[Marty]

I've got one like that who's been here forever and never been hurt a day in her life; that's just her. Insane trying to catch her for instance. I finally got tired of it so I clicker trained her. You know, click=treat......Get a halter and rope on that gal, fill your pockets and click away. For every good think she does, she gets a possitive re-inforcement. Took very little time and you can do anything with her. They always love the one that's got the treats.

 

[A Little Blessing]

I have a mare from a fellow forum member who is a saint and a half. Kids climb all over her, play with her mane and tail, swivel her ears around, stick fingers in her mouth and she doesn't flinch. However, the first few times we went to blanket her (Karla's barn stayed warmer than ours does!) she ran in circles. She wasn't used to wearing a blanket and this big, kind of shiny, sort of noisy thing coming at her, and then being strapped on was a little scary! She's fine now and loves her blanket and stands perfectly to have it put on. Could just be your girl is a little scared of the new sensations of the blanket.

Now that I think of it a pony I rode at school was also a nervous wreck about his blankets. He was also a steady going guy and was a true kids pony, but when he got clipped and starting to need a blanket it took two of us to get it on and off because he was so nervous about it. He also has become unfazed by it and doesn't care anymore.

 

[Eagle]

Hi, here is my input. It could just be that she is changing a bit as she starts to feel the foal moving, possibly she is still not 100% secure with her new and stress free life.

I have a mare that is an absolute angel and very pretty, I call her "the Princess" cos as soon as I get the brushes out she is first in line, as she just loves to be pampered. UNTIL.... she is pregnant and out comes the :modedit: in her. She attacks the dog, my kids (or at least tries) and she is real grumpy if I touch her tummy, as for touching her teats

yippee!!!!!.. back legs come up, only slowly but she is saying "I'm warning you". Maybe your little girl is the same. I agree with treats with nervous horses. My lot are spoilt rotten and they follow me round like sheep. Good luck

 

[Minimor]

First off, I chuckled when I read the part about it being -8 and so she has to be blanketed. If she's healthy and in good condition and with a good hair coat then most likely she doesn't need a blanket. Ours are not blanketed even when it's -40. Most horses are less uncomfortable with cold weather than many people imagine them to be.

But yes, the blanket could very well be making her act more nervous. I have one that is a real pet, always in your pocket when you go out in the pasture. However, in summer when it's very hot/sunny/high UV index she tends to sunburn so I put a fly mask on her on those days when there is high risk of sunburn--and she hates her flymask. After a couple of days she wants nothing at all to do with me--she acts like the most flighty, hard to catch horse there ever could be!

As for whether she will let you handle her foal--probably not willingly. If she's hard to catch now she will be harder to catch once she has her foal at side. You will have to catch her & then handle the foal while the mare is tied or shut in her stall. Keep an eye on her to make sure that she doesn't try to get aggressive in an effort to keep you away from her baby. Usually this type of mare settles down again a couple of weeks after foaling and then will be more accepting of you handling her foal. Also, I've found that these foals soon get tame & will come to you for attention even if their moms aren't at all friendly.

 

[Ashley]

My opinion, get rid of the blanket. She doesnt need it unless she doesnt have hair or is skinny.

We got down to -25 here with out a windchill. The only ones that get blankets here are the two old ones who dont have any weight to spare.

 

[targetsmom]

I have one (another Princess) that hates having a blanket on and lets me know it - but she has one on now because she doesn't grow much coat. I can tell when she needs it because she cooperates! I agree get rid of the blanket - most of ours don't have them, only the very old or hairless!

I also have a skittish mare so I know what you are going through there. I put a breakaway halter on her (the kind with the leather fuse) and started offering her bites of hay and spoonfuls of alfalfa cubes every day and she is getting much better. And, yes, she eats off the spoon! Mine is very head shy especially around her ears, but is fine with you handling her rear end. That is why we leave the halter on because getting it on over her ears is an issue. Try to find what your mare's main issues are (e.g. the blanket) and work from there.

 

[fowlersminis]

Just thought I would mention this...my sister's horse was "scared" of the blanket because it actually hurt...the static electricity was causing him to continually get "shocked" when the blanket moves around and especially when it's taken off.

It took a while to figure it out, but it made sense!

Good luck with her...

 

[chandab]

Just thought I would mention this...my sister's horse was "scared" of the blanket because it actually hurt...the static electricity was causing him to continually get "shocked" when the blanket moves around and especially when it's taken off.

It took a while to figure it out, but it made sense!

Good luck with her...

This was my thought too. And, I've seen sparks fly when blankets are removed, and felt the shock too.

 

[Allure Ranch]

Patience..... and just keep up the good work with her. Eventually she'll come around to trusting you. Although, it may take some time.

 

 

[Make A Wish Miniatures]

Make sure that you tie her up before you try putting the banket on her Let her smell the blanket and rub it over her before you actually put it on her. She will come around . Skittish horses get more scared when you just come at them with this big scarey thing that you try to throw over their back. Good Luck.

 

[mytwoladies]

Thanks to you all!! I went out an got a bag of sweet feed to give it a whirl I was starting to clicker train her a little But she dosent seem to like treats ssoo I'm going to try sweet feed see how that goes. my two year old Bella is doing great with clicker .But Tig my 4yr. old just likes me to pat her. But not any more just ssoo weird. thanks for the great sugestions. I'll let you know how it goes..

Make sure that you tie her up before you try putting the banket on her Let her smell the blanket and rub it over her before you actually put it on her. She will come around . Skittish horses get more scared when you just come at them with this big scarey thing that you try to throw over their back. Good Luck.

 

[kristi@berrett-ranch]

So glad to see this post, I have the same situation. Recently we adopted 4 minis, 3 mares that are supposed to be with foal and one little stud. When we went to pick them up the 2 white mares were gentle, you could tell that they had been given attention. They were good to catch and lead, very calm. The third mare does not seem to have been haltered and is very skiddish but she is coming around slowly but one of the white mares has now become so skiddish. We can hardly catch her to put the lead rope on her, I hate leaving halters on but ended up having to on her since we had such a hard time catching her last time. I too don't understand what happened with her. She will come up to me to get treats but if you try to catch her she flees, breaks my heart