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 The Bird Lady
Posts: 6440
   
Location: The end of the Earth, SE AR | I have a wonderful 6 year old mare I have been ridiing on trails since she's been 2. She's laid back, very sensible but can be a little mareish at times . My husband, who I feel is a good trainer, has ridden the mare every day for 2 weeks and got her very soft in the face, she will lope on a relaxed rein and now she neck reins. He rode her in the late afternoon but before he put all the horses up at feeding time with the idea that I could continue training her and start her on barrels. He rode her not only on our place but all over the ag fields away from our farm. She's ridden in a d ring snaffle.
My plan was to start riding her everday when I get home from work and start her on barrels. I get home from work when he is just about the put the horses up and feed them. On Monday, he put the other horses up but didn't feed and and I saddled up the mare to ride her on the farm and get her loping circles in our disked up area. Well to put it mildly my mare turned into the She-Devil from hell . The next day, my husband started feeding the other horses while I was trying to ride and she turned into the devil himself and bucked, ran backwards and even tried to rear a tiny bit.
Thinking it might be somthing I was doing wrong, I put my husband on the mare and I proceeded to feed while he tried to ride her. She tried all the stupid tricks she tried with me including the delightful running backwards when not asked, and pitching when you ask for a lope and shaking her head and pulling on the bit. These are things she never did when I rode her on Sunday afternoon.
Naturally, these were the wrong things to do with my husband and he and the mare had a come to Jesus meeting and by the time he was done, she was a wee bit tired.
A friend of mine says that I am just asking for trouble by riding her when the other horses are in the barn waiting to be fed, another friend says I should put her up , feed her a 1/2 a scoop and then ride her. My husband and I are of the attitude that whenever we ask a horse to ride no matter if its feeding time or not, they should ride just the same as they would in the middle of the afternoon.
Can you take one of your horses out at feeding time and ride with no issues?
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 Good Grief!
Posts: 6343
Location: Cap'n Joan Rotgut.....alberta | yes......i can take any one of them out and have no issues............mares or geldings
m |
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| Your asking for trouble... its like having a house full of kids and a big bowl of candy and keeping one away not letting all the others have a feast!!!
But i can feed half their grain and continue...
Edited by Kgirl 2014-04-24 10:07 AM
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  Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | I never feed my horses until I'm done riding everything for the evening, but I have that ability, some ppl don't.
That being said, you can ride/handle any one of my horses while the rest are eating. I can even take one away from their grain to do something with them without a fight. I think it's just persistent training. Now I have never had more then 13 horses at a time so maybe I can get way with this in small numbers. Would it be possible to feed her half, then ride her? Not that I want to condone her behaviour, but I'd rather not see you get hurt either. |
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 Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12704
| There have been many times I have ridden one during feed time. Long ago I used to ride the Boy in the am before work. I would get him out and tie to the trailer, throw feed to the rest, finish tacking up and go. I think the first few times he was not wanting to leave our property for our am trail ride. More recent, during winter light hours, I will sometimes choose to throw feed while light and ride into dusk. Again, I'll get Zan out, tie at trailer, run the feed around, then tack and head out. Zan and I had such CTJ meeting already that he does not resist me in anything any more. But the history of discipline is long between us!
I would keep up the routine of riding your mare while everyone else is eating. She'll get past the tantrums. If she were ever to go on to big shows there might be other horses getting fed when it's time for her to warm up and run. It would be a very bad thing for her to throw a tantrum at a big show just because some other horse was eating when it was time to work. |
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 Northern Chocolate Queen
Posts: 16576
Location: ND | YES I can take any one of my horses out and ride them at any time I want regardless of what is going on at the barn & if it's feeding time or not. And if one of them did happen to throw a fit because of it they'd find themselves getting very tired! |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| Because of my work schedule and the barns feeding schedule my rides frequently conflict with feeding time.
Sometimes he is fine, sometimes he is a little less focused. I usually stick to the arena during the week and save riding out in the fields for the weekend when I have more time to work through and issues we have - Riding him in the field at dinner time is usually asking for issues to work through and I just don't have the time in the evening.
But the mare needs to learn the those things are unacceptable no matter the time of day she should at least function as asked. |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | What's up with the running backwards thing at your house? Please don't get hurt again. She does need to get over it, but I would let Jim do the schooling. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
| If she were mine I would ride her everyday at feeding time just for acting like an idiot! I have no patience for temper tantrums, especially from a horse! everything on my place will work, anytime of the day. If they are saddled I expect them to be ready to work, paying attention to me, not worried about what going on at the barn. |
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The Bird Lady
Posts: 6440
Location: The end of the Earth, SE AR | Vonda, she's never run backwards in all her 4 years of riding until Monday. And Diva never ran backwards for us; when I had my accident I was asking her to back up, neither of us knew the barrel was there.
I expect my horses to mind us so I think Jim will ride her at supper time for the next few days and then I will take over.
I'm not sure if I should feed her half a ration or not, I sort of feeling that by doing so I'm am letter her have my way - is that a stupid way to look at it? |
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 Expert
Posts: 2457
| rollingrfarm - 2014-04-24 10:24 AM Vonda, she's never run backwards in all her 4 years of riding until Monday. And Diva never ran backwards for us; when I had my accident I was asking her to back up, neither of us knew the barrel was there. I expect my horses to mind us so I think Jim will ride her at supper time for the next few days and then I will take over. I'm not sure if I should feed her half a ration or not, I sort of feeling that by doing so I'm am letter her have my way - is that a stupid way to look at it?
That's not a stupid way to feel about it. She IS essentially getting her way if you do that.
Maybe step down off her and work her HARD from the ground? Lots of roll backs and moving her feet and making her pay attention to you instead of what is going on in the barn. My 3 yo has learned to wait and I purposely feed the other horses at night and leave her safely tied in the round pen until everyone else is finished. Don't underestimate the power of tieing them up properly :) - Leaving one tied in a safe spot can teach them alot of patience and to wait on you too.
Good luck and please be safe! |
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | rollingrfarm - 2014-04-24 10:24 AM Vonda, she's never run backwards in all her 4 years of riding until Monday. And Diva never ran backwards for us; when I had my accident I was asking her to back up, neither of us knew the barrel was there. I expect my horses to mind us so I think Jim will ride her at supper time for the next few days and then I will take over. I'm not sure if I should feed her half a ration or not, I sort of feeling that by doing so I'm am letter her have my way - is that a stupid way to look at it? Judging by the crap I had to ride through every time Diva got piffed and didn't want to do what I asked, I would guess your accident was NOT your fault. She worked out of it, but it took a while. Now, I don't believe she had bucked before, and that was her next trick she tried after she gave up running backwards. She wasn't nearly as confident about bucking and stopped trying it quicker.
I wouldn't feed To until I was done if I was in your shoes. She's old enough to get over herself.
Edited by Three 4 Luck 2014-04-24 10:52 AM
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The Bird Lady
Posts: 6440
Location: The end of the Earth, SE AR | I think I will add some patience poll training while the horses are all out grazing.
And I'm not going to feed half rations before working.
However its just as easy to put the other horses in the barn with just hay and no grain and make them wait til she's done working and cooled down.
I really appreciate everyone's comments, suggestions and personal experiences. |
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 Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| Every horse I've ever had would get piffy if everyone else got their grain and they didn't. Hay wasn't an issue, mostly because it came AFTER the grain.
I always feed after everyone gets rode, nobody ever gets fed early if one still has to work. |
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 Best of the Badlands
Location: You never know where I will show up...... | mruggles - 2014-04-24 9:56 AM yes......i can take any one of them out and have no issues............mares or geldings
m
Ditto. I expect mine to behave regardless of what gender the horse is, regardless of what else is going on around the rest of the barn, or what time of day it is. When I am in the saddle their focus is on what I am asking them to do. Not their food, not their friends, or anything else. |
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 More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | They need to behave no matter the gender, time of day or whats going on elsewhere at the moment. Except one of my mares. She's naughty when it comes time to run barrels. I'm working on it. |
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 Ms. Poutability
Posts: 2362
Location: In my own world | I haven't read through all of the replies but my mare is kind of doing the same thing. I put everyone up when I ride. Not feeding time but they get in the way if I leave them out. Phoebe is way more focused on her buddies than riding. So it may not be that it's feeding time but just being buddy sour? Mine is getting the patience tree! |
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The Bird Lady
Posts: 6440
Location: The end of the Earth, SE AR | livinonlove&horses - 2014-04-24 1:14 PM I haven't read through all of the replies but my mare is kind of doing the same thing. I put everyone up when I ride. Not feeding time but they get in the way if I leave them out. Phoebe is way more focused on her buddies than riding. So it may not be that it's feeding time but just being buddy sour? Mine is getting the patience tree!
I think my mare has issues related to both. I think she just needs to spend a whole lot of time doing what she doesn't want to do, be it riding when everyone else is in the barn or standing at the patience tree while all our out back grazing. |
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 Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11493
Location: 31 lengths farms | I dont'have any issues with my mares. They have more issues with being left in the pen and not the one being ridden, literally. |
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Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| Does this mare throw a fit if it's not feeding time?
I know I get crabby if everyone is eating and I'm not. |
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The Bird Lady
Posts: 6440
Location: The end of the Earth, SE AR | Nateracer - 2014-04-24 2:36 PM Does this mare throw a fit if it's not feeding time?
I know I get crabby if everyone is eating and I'm not.
No, not at all. She's she's been grazing all day and if there grass is not good she's got good hay. I don't think it's a blood sugar hunger issue.
Since we sold our broodie a month and a half ago she's become the alpha mare in the herd - her and our lone gelding are at the top of the pecking order. I'm guessing she thinks when her crew is in the barn, she should be in the barn. NOT!
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 Expert
Posts: 2276
Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | I can and have several times. I don't like to but sometimes it happens. I would just be persistent with it. My mare used to not want to work but she never acted like yours. Now they all can do it just fine. |
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | rollingrfarm - 2014-04-24 3:15 PM Nateracer - 2014-04-24 2:36 PM Does this mare throw a fit if it's not feeding time?
I know I get crabby if everyone is eating and I'm not. No, not at all. She's she's been grazing all day and if there grass is not good she's got good hay. I don't think it's a blood sugar hunger issue.
Since we sold our broodie a month and a half ago she's become the alpha mare in the herd - her and our lone gelding are at the top of the pecking order. I'm guessing she thinks when her crew is in the barn, she should be in the barn. NOT!
It sounds to me that she needs a reminder of who the REAL alpha mare is around there. Pin your ears!!! LOL |
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 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | while I usually try to ride everyone then feed everyone when I am done, there's been times where I pull one out and ride while everyone else is getting fed. I won't accept any ill behavior because of it. None of mine give me any trouble either. and everything I ride is a mare so.. no gender excuses |
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 I'm Cooler Offline
Posts: 6387
Location: Pacific Northwest | I can ride any of my horses at any time. Generally I am the only one who takes care of my horses, so no one gets fed until I'm all done, but there have been plenty of times that I was riding at a boarding facility and the horse I was riding could hear their horses being poured grain and could hear all the horses nickering for food. Sometimes my horses will prick their ears and get a bit distracted but no hissy fits.
It was something they had to learn though. All of my horses with the exception of 2 of them were under the ages of 4 years old when I got them. There were many times where they had to do something they didn't want to; like being ridden when their buddy was screaming for them in the field, being ridden out into the trails by themselves, wait patiently while everyone else gets fed first, etc.
ETA: In your horses case I would probably work with her on it. Maybe not be on her, but do groundwork while the other horses get fed. While it may not be an ideal situation, it's something where if she were my horse, it would p*ss me off that I would have to work around HER schedule just to get a decent ride on her. To me there is nothing more annoying than having to "plan" how you ride a horse...I should be able to ride the horse whenever I want. Two of my horses when they were young were afraid of being ridden with other horses in the arena and would freak if another horse passed them going faster than a walk. Instead of avoiding the situation I always made a point to take them to arenas with other horses. I had another horse that was fine unless horses started leaving the arena and he was suddenly alone...instead of being "done" when everyone else was done I would keep riding and ride him through his hissy fit.
Edited by livexlovexrodeo 2014-04-24 4:45 PM
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Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| I should clarify that while mine get cranky they don't go stark raving mad. |
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More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | Nateracer - 2014-04-24 2:36 PM Does this mare throw a fit if it's not feeding time?
I know I get crabby if everyone is eating and I'm not.
LOL |
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 Chasin my Dream
Posts: 13651
Location: Alberta | yes........... |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 742
| I absolutely agree that she should do what you ask when you ask but I have a mare that is 7 that I got a year ago and haven't ridden her in a few months and I wasn't the one that trained her but she is buddy sour, like, BUDDY SOUR. What if, like RF, they throw a hissy fit. Mine has done a little buck and just keeps turning her head in the direction of the herd. As I have gotten older I am a bit afraid of correcting in case, especially if I am in the the big pasture and they break in two although I know it needs to be corrected.
RF I know when this happens it can rattle you.  |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1131
| My mare gets mad, but she doesn't do anything stupid, she'll just give me the look and be a bit more spunky, but not anything like what your describing. I would have a Jesus meeting with her if she ever pulled a stunt like that, because she knows better. |
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Can you ride your mare while the other horses are in the barn at supper time?