Carly Rae
Well-Known Member
Hi.
I have a VERY stubborn mare... Snickas. Shes 4 years old and if something annoys her or that she doesn't like she won't tollerate it... AT ALL.
It can be little things like brushing her tail or clipping or to other things like bathing and farrier work/cleaning hooves. Also if she doesn't want to walk on, in or near something she won't, like not a chance in heck.
It can get extremely frustrating and no matter what I try, I can try for hours and she won't back down.
Here is some examples of what I actually mean by 'stubborn'
When we have farriers out to do her hooves, you literally need like three people to hold her and even that doesn't do much. She is fine for the first hoof, actually nearly perfect. But as soon as she gets bored or frustrated, thats the end of nice Snickas, it turns into rearing crazy physcho Snickas... we try to keep her occupied and pat her and talk to her, let her have her head and everything but she still gets annoyed and the last farrier tried to use his 'techniques' which was twisting her lip or ear (I personally didnt like it) and it only made her angrier, she also backs up a lot with her ears pinned back.
I also really dont think its pain related because farrier work is not the only thing...
Brushing her tail, she will move her rear end away from me every time I try get her tail, sometimes she is good. Sometimes it is heck, like she is testing me. When I want her to walk on something, say the concrete slab in our back yard, she will NOT walk on it, but any other concrete slab she will walk on perfect, just that one slab and she will rear at me and back up furiously and then she is heck to work with after. So if you take her near that concrete say bye bye to good Snickas for the rest of the session.
When tied up (for brushing ir bathing ect) she will try turn herself inside out if she doesn't want to be tied up(again sometimes perfect). She will throw herself to the ground if she has to. Which makes me concerned because thats an injury hazzard.
Sometimes during training if she doesn't want to cooperate she won't stand by my side she will keep pivoting to stand in front of me and if I walk to stand beside her she will again start backing up really quickly with her head up.
She is also very pushy when she wants to be. I have tried to be nice when she gets annoyed and I use a light voice and pat her and say its ok snickas which makes her feel like she can stand over me, then if I put pressure on her and push her back raise my voice it just makes her angrier and makes her feel like she has a challenge.
But its not aggressive, its more 'I dont want to do that...so I won't. And you can't make me' it really pushes my buttons and I dont know what to do.
She is VERY strong and has a fair bit of muscle.
Please note, she has been like this all her life but it's just getting beyond a joke and really shouldn't be tolerated.
Please help! I want to do something about it, but really I don't know what I should be doing and I dont want to do the wrong thing.
Please if you have any tips or anything I should stop please let me know.
Thanks!
I have a VERY stubborn mare... Snickas. Shes 4 years old and if something annoys her or that she doesn't like she won't tollerate it... AT ALL.
It can be little things like brushing her tail or clipping or to other things like bathing and farrier work/cleaning hooves. Also if she doesn't want to walk on, in or near something she won't, like not a chance in heck.
It can get extremely frustrating and no matter what I try, I can try for hours and she won't back down.
Here is some examples of what I actually mean by 'stubborn'
When we have farriers out to do her hooves, you literally need like three people to hold her and even that doesn't do much. She is fine for the first hoof, actually nearly perfect. But as soon as she gets bored or frustrated, thats the end of nice Snickas, it turns into rearing crazy physcho Snickas... we try to keep her occupied and pat her and talk to her, let her have her head and everything but she still gets annoyed and the last farrier tried to use his 'techniques' which was twisting her lip or ear (I personally didnt like it) and it only made her angrier, she also backs up a lot with her ears pinned back.
I also really dont think its pain related because farrier work is not the only thing...
Brushing her tail, she will move her rear end away from me every time I try get her tail, sometimes she is good. Sometimes it is heck, like she is testing me. When I want her to walk on something, say the concrete slab in our back yard, she will NOT walk on it, but any other concrete slab she will walk on perfect, just that one slab and she will rear at me and back up furiously and then she is heck to work with after. So if you take her near that concrete say bye bye to good Snickas for the rest of the session.
When tied up (for brushing ir bathing ect) she will try turn herself inside out if she doesn't want to be tied up(again sometimes perfect). She will throw herself to the ground if she has to. Which makes me concerned because thats an injury hazzard.
Sometimes during training if she doesn't want to cooperate she won't stand by my side she will keep pivoting to stand in front of me and if I walk to stand beside her she will again start backing up really quickly with her head up.
She is also very pushy when she wants to be. I have tried to be nice when she gets annoyed and I use a light voice and pat her and say its ok snickas which makes her feel like she can stand over me, then if I put pressure on her and push her back raise my voice it just makes her angrier and makes her feel like she has a challenge.
But its not aggressive, its more 'I dont want to do that...so I won't. And you can't make me' it really pushes my buttons and I dont know what to do.
She is VERY strong and has a fair bit of muscle.
Please note, she has been like this all her life but it's just getting beyond a joke and really shouldn't be tolerated.
Please help! I want to do something about it, but really I don't know what I should be doing and I dont want to do the wrong thing.
Please if you have any tips or anything I should stop please let me know.