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Regular
Posts: 82
| Sorry in advance - this is a novel :p
I have a 3 year old filly that I had 90 days put on this spring/early summer. She's been riding great - I've chased cattle out on her, hauled her to rodeos with me... she's been VERY willing since I got her home and has a nice handle on her. I wouldnt say she's "fancy broke" just yet, but she's darn sure close.
By nature, she's very flighty - it took us quite a while to get her to trust us as a yearling and she just isn't real sure about a lot of things (freaks out when vehicles drive by her still, but is getting better about that). That being said, she hasnt really given me any trouble you wouldnt expect from a 3 year old, green broke colt that hasnt been anywhere.
Because of my job and the weather, I hadnt been able to ride her in about a week until last night. We've gotten about 5" of rain in the last 48 hours so the pasture was pretty saturated and it was a bit cooler than it had been any other time I've ridden her. With her flighty attitude, it's nothing for her to not want to sit still when I'm on her, but last night from the time I got on her she felt like she was on the verge of just taking off in the pasture. A few times she got pretty on the muscle and didnt rear or anything, but kind of hopped around and rocked back on her back legs like she was about to lunge and take off. I was able to get a hold of her and made her work in a few tight circles before riding off, but she did this 2-3 times over the course of an hour. She had never done anything like this before.
When I was done, I tied her up to the trailer, left her saddled and went inside. When I came back out I noticed a slice on her right front leg, hair on the bumper of the stock trailer she was tied to and her side was covered in mud. I figured she must have spooked and threw herself down and went back to the house to get something to doctor her up with. Before I got back to the house I heard her go down again! I ran out to the trailer and she was laying down up against the side of trailer (by the wheels) not moving. I just knew she broke her neck with how she was laying there and her head in the air... Got to her and she was breathing so I went to take the saddle off while she was down as it looked as if she had a back leg through a stirrup. She tried to get up as I was removing the saddle and got further underneath the trailer and got a back leg through a rail on the trailer. I got away from her and she got up and was essentially fine - a few nicks but nothing to stitch or too concerning. The rest of the night she was snorting and spooking at everything.
I know I need to get on her tonight so she doesnt think that behavior is acceptable but Ill be honest, Im pretty hestitant as we dont have an arena or anything to really confine her in. She has a history of throwing herself down and throwing fits (she did so when she was tied by herself at the colt starters and the first time we had her teeth worked on). She has an attitude to begin with... I'm just pretty gunshy as what if she throws one of these fits or just takes off with me on her?! While she DOES really have a nice handle, shes headstrong enough that I feel as if she did take off, if it was in her mind to run, not me, you or the man in the moon will stop this rip.
I guess my question is... How do you correct this behavior?? What can I do to get her over throwing fits, spooking at everything, trying to run away from everything....
In her defense - the mosquitoes were absolutely AWFUL last night. All of our horses were bucking, shaking their heads and acting like fools (in the barn) trying to get away from them. And like I said, she hadnt been rode in a week. But I cant imagine bugs and a week off could cause her to revert back to throwing a fit and acting this way when she hasnt in over 6 months...
She's a super cool filly - athletic as they come, moves like a cat, big hip, built right... just flighty.... I've never had one like this and want to give her a shot because I see the potential, but to me, it's not worth getting hurt or getting her hurt. |
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
  
Location: Phoenix | What an ordeal!!!! If it were me I'd find a place with a roundpen to haul to and roundpen the **** out of her. Get her listening and respectful again with and without a saddle. Only when you feel confident in her responses do you get in again; preferably in an arena. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 808
| Ride the living p*ss out of her everyday, check fence, check cows, anything work related that can be done with a horse use her. Ride her from sunup to sundown. She needs to work and she needs to be tired. Eventually they realize "Shoot, I have NO idea when I'm going to be done so I better just calm the heck down and chill" and by the time they get back to the trailer they are so dang thankful they just stand there and sometimes I'll just leave them there tied all day as long as I'm around to keep an eye on them. Preferably to a tree and not my trailer in case they do decide to be silly.
If that doesn't work then they get sent down the road, in a hurry. Life is to short to ride rude, illl-mannered, or pea brained horses lol
Edited by The1CowgirlsEnvy 2016-09-15 10:32 AM
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  Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | If you don't have a round pen or arena, can you lunge her? I'd have her breathing heavy and sweat rolling. Then ride her or call it good and tie her up. The throwing a fit, I have no tolernance for and a horse that has no self preservation will have no regards to your safety either. For the fits while tied, can you find a tree or something she can throw all the fits she wants and not really get hurt (leg through anything etc)? If you can work her behind off and work up a lather, she will be less likely to have a fit when tied as well. |
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Regular
Posts: 82
| I 100% agree with everything you have said here, and was already planning to leave her saddled in the barn all night before she threw the fits because of her lack of attention to me when I rode her. Unfortunately I have an 8-5 and dont have the option of putting those kind of daily miles on her. Maybe Ill start by saddling her before I leave for work in the morning? But then Im afraid if she throws another fit like that and gets in a bind and nobody is around.... |
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 Veteran
Posts: 129
Location: South | I would have to agree with other posters on here. I had a filly just kindof "fruity" at times. Typical 3 year old stuff. I just rode the absolute crapola out of her, and if I didn't ride her I would have her saddled in the morning to stand tied until I was done. She never knew what I was going to do. I would ride at different place near us, and ALWAYS by herself because she was heavily dependent on other horses. Once I quit giving her a reason to act like she did, she matured so nicely. It took some time, blood, sweat, and tears. Goodluck! |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | With her being the way she is and you knowing her, she needs to be rode every day, if you cant ride then just saddle her and lunge her both ways when you get home from work and leave her saddled up for awhile every day. Is she kept in a stall or turned out? Being not rode in a week and then riding her I can see where she would be fresh, with the way you told us about her she needs to be worked every day even if just saddled a few hours a day. Dont get yourself hurt over her, I really think she needs to go back to the person that broke her and let him ride her for a few more weeks. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 899
Location: Idaho | I also agree with the others. I am no baby expert, but with my colt I was told by many others who were colt starters is to work the crap out of them, make them tired. If they start acting up, WORK WORK WORK. Lunging, round pen. I know how you feel when it comes to riding by yourself. Better be safe than sorry. I have zero qualms about jumping off a horse that is acting up, and working them on the ground. Because even though.. YES, you do get off them when they act up.. but you're not putting them away, you move their feet and work the daylights out of them on the ground, and THEN get back on them. And if they are still acting up, do it some more. Remember to look for the licking and chewing though, that is a sign that they are ready to comply. Eventually they learn that it is much easier to do what you ask, than to do what they want.
Also I always lunge my colt before I get on him. Doesn't matter if he's doing good or not. I like to see where he is at mentally, and see if he is going to be listening to me or not, and also I want him tired when I get on him. Even if he is doing well, or if I'm short on time, I still lunge him even if it is just a few minutes. My safety is #1. Also do you have a patience pole? Or a wall you can tie her up against where she won't get caught? or even a hot walker? I'd tie her up where she couldn't get caught on something, and leave her there. She needs to learn she can't get away with that.
Edited by DashNDustem 2016-09-15 10:13 AM
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 Chasin my Dream
Posts: 13651
Location: Alberta | Southtxponygirl - 2016-09-15 9:07 AM With her being the way she is and you knowing her, she needs to be rode every day, if you cant ride then just saddle her and lunge her both ways when you get home from work and leave her saddled up for awhile every day. Is she kept in a stall or turned out? Being not rode in a week and then riding her I can see where she would be fresh, with the way you told us about her she needs to be worked every day even if just saddled a few hours a day. Dont get yourself hurt over her, I really think she needs to go back to the person that broke her and let him ride her for a few more weeks.
I agree...consistent riding is key with a lot of horses...I also agree on not getting yourself hurt. I can appreciate a horse with grit, but one without self preservation would worry me. |
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| I have an idea! But...it involves a sale barn.
I just don't have time for that stuff. Tons of nice ones out there without the mental glitch.
There's enough chance I'll get my brains smeared across a parking lot or pasture on one that I love and trust, without jacking with one that scares me and doesn't have an ounce of self preservation. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 415
| WAIT! Look up the symptoms of PSSM type 1 and 2 and test her! This is my mares exact story!!! She has type 2, pm me if you want to call me it's easier than typing! My filly was great, almost fancy broke as well but still needed finishing and was always a little touchy, hauled her places and she was fine, maybe nervous but fine. Gave her two weeks off and she changed personalities and would get goosy when I got on but no bucking, just didnt want to move forward or let me touch her sides with my legs. She also had a trailer incident and would lose her mind over dumb stuff, never complelety out of control but not like her at all. Im guessing your trailer incident was because she was hurting and trying to rub the saddle off (mine associated the saddle with pain and that it was scary) and a lot of these horses will bolt if given the chance! I could go on and on and there are so many different random symptoms but the type 2's sometimes lose their minds over dumb things (or after an incident like the trailer thing) for no reason even though they were trained beforehand. |
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Regular
Posts: 82
| Thanks for all the suggestions!
I saddled her over my lunch break yesterday and left her tied to a (solid) wall in the barn. Got home, lunged her for about 10 minutes both directions then got on. She rode like an absolute dream. I did leave her saddled for about an hour while I worked my older colt and will probably continue to do so until I see more consistency or maturity. I did not tie her back up to the trailer where she spooked though. I rode around it quite about just so she wouldn't associate it with anything negative...
I called the man who started her for me... he said it sounded like I had been pushing her too hard too fast. Not physically - if anything, I dont push mine enough in that department. But mentally by exposing her to so many things in such a short time. My father was at the house when she threw her fits last night and called me when I got home... There was a lawn mower in the stock trailer she was tied to. This filly has always been scared of vehicles (especially diesels, tractors and mowers). He wonders if maybe she saw that mower in the trailer and got scared. I dont know.... she's been tied to that trailer a million times (but that mower had never been in there when she had been tied to it, so idk.....).
Theyre darn sure humbling  |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| With my colts, if I haven't rode them in awhile, I won't ride them when the weather is iffy.
Weather can make any horse goofy, to me it is just setting up a colt for failure.
Since she is only 3, I wouldn't be riding her every day, I find if you camp on them consistently then they have a week or month off, this is when they will get broncy. |
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Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | cheryl makofka - 2016-09-16 6:50 AM With my colts, if I haven't rode them in awhile, I won't ride them when the weather is iffy. Weather can make any horse goofy, to me it is just setting up a colt for failure. Since she is only 3, I wouldn't be riding her every day, I find if you camp on them consistently then they have a week or month off, this is when they will get broncy.
Ditto. I don't think you should have ridden a 3 year old out in a pasture after 7 days off. Not to be mean. :) I understand if you don't have an arena to work her in, but my horses only get to be rode in the pasture if they are working good in the arena. |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Two Nickles - 2016-09-16 8:38 AM Thanks for all the suggestions! I saddled her over my lunch break yesterday and left her tied to a (solid ) wall in the barn. Got home, lunged her for about 10 minutes both directions then got on. She rode like an absolute dream. I did leave her saddled for about an hour while I worked my older colt and will probably continue to do so until I see more consistency or maturity. I did not tie her back up to the trailer where she spooked though. I rode around it quite about just so she wouldn't associate it with anything negative... I called the man who started her for me... he said it sounded like I had been pushing her too hard too fast. Not physically - if anything, I dont push mine enough in that department. But mentally by exposing her to so many things in such a short time. My father was at the house when she threw her fits last night and called me when I got home... There was a lawn mower in the stock trailer she was tied to. This filly has always been scared of vehicles (especially diesels, tractors and mowers ). He wonders if maybe she saw that mower in the trailer and got scared. I dont know.... she's been tied to that trailer a million times (but that mower had never been in there when she had been tied to it, so idk..... ). Theyre darn sure humbling
Could have been the mower with the smells of the gas and oils that could have been what set her off. When I had my 3 year olds I showed them every thing and anything and rode everyday, if I didnt ride I saddled and left tied while getting things done. When I rode sometimes it would be just a short ride around the pasture and then the next day it would be a longer ride out in the orange groves behind my house are down a canal with a friend. I did this solid for about a month then I slacked off because I felt like they got confidence in me, I loved taking them to ropings and just track calfs on them.
Good luck with your young one  |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 490
| I have 1 like your describing. CLINTON ANDERSON GROUNDWORK!!!!!! And lots of it. Get her paying attention to you and using the thinking side of her brain, not just reacting. My mare is 8, but mentally acts 2 most days. I talked to someone that has known her since a weanling and she said shes always been real flighty and reactive. The groundwork helped so much. When she starts acting "squirrely" I will get off and do the sending exercise and really get her thinking. Mine came to me with major alley issues and a BAD rearing problem any time you asked for more than she could mentally handle. (No it was not disclosed to me at the time of the purchase) Ive owned her 10 months and last night was the first time since april shes giving me major issues.
One other thing I did was start her on Magnesiun. Mag 5000 is what I bought. It made a huge difference in her attitude. No more running out of her stall at the slightest noise or movement. I still cant play Meghan Trainer songs around her, but she's cool with pretty much everything else.
And another suggestion (and one Im about to try) Would be one of the HIDEZ hoods. They say it acts like a thunder shirt for the horse. You never know, it may work! |
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Regular
Posts: 82
| Jazz's Girl - 2016-09-16 1:19 PM
I have 1 like your describing. CLINTON ANDERSON GROUNDWORK!!!!!! And lots of it. Get her paying attention to you and using the thinking side of her brain, not just reacting. My mare is 8, but mentally acts 2 most days. I talked to someone that has known her since a weanling and she said shes always been real flighty and reactive. The groundwork helped so much. When she starts acting "squirrely" I will get off and do the sending exercise and really get her thinking. Mine came to me with major alley issues and a BAD rearing problem any time you asked for more than she could mentally handle. (No it was not disclosed to me at the time of the purchase) Ive owned her 10 months and last night was the first time since april shes giving me major issues.
One other thing I did was start her on Magnesiun. Mag 5000 is what I bought. It made a huge difference in her attitude. No more running out of her stall at the slightest noise or movement. I still cant play Meghan Trainer songs around her, but she's cool with pretty much everything else.
And another suggestion (and one Im about to try) Would be one of the HIDEZ hoods. They say it acts like a thunder shirt for the horse. You never know, it may work!
What exactly are the Hidez hoods (and suits for that matter) supposed to do??
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Veteran
Posts: 129
Location: South | Probably referring to Hides as in canines versions of Thundershirts. Thinking maybe the compression or closeness the suit creates relaxation? I know Thundershirts work wonders for canines in stressful situations. Probably borrow one before you purchase, they are quite expensive. |
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