Bringing back into work & weight issues?

sammyantha

New Member
Jan 2, 2007
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Derbyshire
I have had my mare for almost 4 years this July and I'm ashamed to say I have never really *done* anything with her at all. In fact she has been practically turned away over the winter due to shortage of time.

After it dawned on me that I am spending a heck of a lot of money per month just to have a "pasture ornament", I'd really like to start working on my mare to get her to the point of being the horse i always dreamed of - responsive, fit, supple, relaxed when hacking, and a friend/ partner.

Here are the issues I have that I would like some tips/ help with please:

Right now she is underweight after winter - Her flanks look a bit sunken to me, and I can feel her ribs when i run my hands over her. She has been wormed and I have just begun to give her "build up" feed, mixed in with a quarter of a scoop of cool mix (as i introduce the new feed, then will move wholly to build up), and a scoop of Alfa A Oil chaff, with garlic, am and pm. If anyone can suggest a better feed plan to quickly help her build the weight while not making her fizzy, or if this already sounds like a good diet?

She is spooky all of the time when ridden out. She is worse at the moment due to being out of regular work for so long, but she has always been a spooky horse. She simply cannot relax - her head is side to side, neck up in the air, muscles tensed, stops and jumps to the side when frightened by something in faster gaits.

Lack of concentration - I know this will get better as she is brought back into regular work and given something to focus on, but i wonder if there are any quick tips that might help? Am I right in thinking that as she begins to trust *me* more, the more able she will be to relax and concentrate on the task in hand?

Raised head/ neck carriage - Her back and teeth have been checked and we have the all clear, yet she constantly carries her head like a giraffe. She will soften and come "onto the bit" for moments at a time, but as soon as we move up a gait, the head goes up again. This is worse during canter.

Trust/ building a relationship - This mare has never been "fussy". She will stand affection for a few moments at a time and then moves into my space to push me out of the way, or shakes her head. She neither trusts nor respects me. For the last week I have been actively taking at least 20 or so minutes per day just to "be" with her - standing in her box while she eats, grooming, playing games, watching her graze. And I am beginning to see a small change in her attitude. This is one area I would really like to make a difference to as I feel it will help all of the other issues no end. Plus it will feel great to have her nicker at me and come walking over in the field :D

And finally (yes there is an end, LOL), tips on getting her fit? I don't want to compete at Hickstead or anything of the like.. just hacking, schooling, some low level dressage and the occasional fun ride. My RI has us on a regime for this (last) week of just walking out around the block at a marching pace every night. Next week we are to introduce some trot, and after that do some interval training - walk/ trot/ walk/ trot and so on. And then bring in riding lessons once she is supple enough. Can anybody add to or comment on this?

All help is greatly appreciated :D
 
I'm starting to do the same thing at the moment!

It sounds likes your riding instructor has the right idea, in terms of the riding problems and getting her fit I'd stick with that advice. Build it up slowly and do lots of walking to start.

Feeding
That sounds good but I'm no expert! I will say I used Alpha-A oil over the winter to improve weight and condition and it worked a treat. Be careful of the spring grass coming through though! That will build weight as well.

Hacking problems
Ride the same routes to begin with so she's happy doing them, once she knows the routes she should relax into them. Go at a reasonable pace and without stopping. Always hack on a contact and at a bit of a march. That will improve her listening and should stop spookiness. Maybe ride out with other horse if that helps her relax?

Head carriage
That should improve as she gets fitter. Don't worry about 'getting her on the bit' to start, make sure whenever you ride she's always going forward and you always have a feel of her down the reins, then softness should come with time and patience!
She'll need to build neck muscle and back strength before she can work softly for long (and in other gaits). To help with this I'd suggest always starting and finishing your ride on the a long rein (even after a hack) so she can stretch her neck down and stretch her back out. Hopefully, if she has worked hard after the ride she will want to put her head right down so the poll is well below shoulder height! Perhaps do this round the field/school if you don't feel happy doing this on the road/on the hack.
If she's a bit skinny and has the winter off then her back muscles are probably soft and squishy (like my pony's are!).

Relationship
Sounds like you're doing the right thing! Perhaps try natural horsemanship? Spend loads of time with her grooming and handling.
Do some work in-hand, making her back away from you, doing some turn about the forehand/haunches etc. Also, stretches in the stable are a good thing, have little treats and make the horse bend this way and that, and have them stretch down to the floor. Round so her nose touches her stomach and make her hold for 3 second etc.
I always make Dobbs move away from me whatever I'm doing to assert dominance. I'd always recommend standing your ground if a horse tries to barge past, puff yourself up and put a firm hand on the shoulder to stop them (though make sure your feet don't get trodden on!). Be in charge. Obviously they'll win if they really want to move you! But if you look a horse in the eye and put your hand on your hips or out to the side, and step towards them it's a sign of dominance. You don't want to scare her, but you need to make it very clear barging and pushing won't be tolerated.

Hope this helps.... sorry it's a bit long, I'm procrastinating from doing my Uni work so this is a good distraction! xx
 
Hi Sammyantha, first I'd like to say that it sounds like you have a great project in front of you and you are making a good start by spending some time with her.

If she is already fizzy, cut out all grain and molasses from her diet. Try Simple System Feeds which are free from both. She will gain weight and have energy on their feeds without any compromise to her personality. (no, I am not an agent.

Start working her in hand rather than riding her. It takes about two years for the longissimus dorsi - the long back muscle to be strong enough to carry her neck and your weight in a relaxed manner - especially if she has previously gone like a giraffe.

Don't worry, you can get on board before that. After a few weeks of in-hand, move onto long-reining and the occasional sit on.

Where in Staffs are you? I do a lot in Leek area and I'd be happy to come out and help you sort out a progression plan for you both? I have lots of people in a similar situation - and I am currently re-habbing my own mare - I have a particular thing for mares anyway.
 
Billy - stretches around the stable etc, she LOVES them :D She'll do anything for treats! You have some great tips up there, thank you so much. I hope you are progressing well with your horse too?

Rabo - My mare is stabled in Little Aston, near walsall, west midlands. I'm not sure I could take that slow of an approach as I'd like to start some low level comps fairly soon, but I would definitely be interested to talk with you and perhaps do a few sessions.

Tonight it was hammering down and I was late back from work, so instead of riding i gave her a long grooming session, some carrot games, and fussed her while she ate. When I walked away she finally had her ears pricked forward as if to say "whre are you going?" lol :D
 
Awww it's lovely properly bonding isn't it!

Dobbs is doing okay, I'm probably better giving advice than following through though! I get impatient with her not working correctly! But I've found if I relax and enjoy the ride, and concentrate on my own position, she improves enormously too. Still it's sooo easy to get frustrated at how long it takes to get her doing anything 'correctly'.

Best of luck!
 
I'm just trying to get Tia fit, as she was out of work from November to February and before that I'd only had her since August, previous to that she was a broodmare at her last home for two years. So was interested to read some of the posts. I had to work at bonding with Tia full stop, but I noticed that even just lunging (I dont know how to longrein I'm afraid) helped us bond as she had to listen to me. I noticed that we really came on leaps and bounds after doing those sessions. A few months ago, she would just ignore me in the field, now she comes to call, pretty much most of the time, and even whinnies at me now..bless her, I think this is due to the fact that we had to do a lot of inhand stuff whilst she was out of work.

Also in terms of fitness, I've just bought a pessoa, as Tia needs to build up her back end and I know a pessoa is very good for making them work all over.

I have no idea if what I've just said has helped, but just thought I'd share my brief experience. Can't help you on the food side as Tia is such a good doer she only has a handful of chaff when she works. Thank goodness she has lost weight over the winter as people were asking me if she was pregnant! (I wasn't giving her hard feed at all lol!)
 
Thank you NicNac, that does help, I have been meaning to purchase a pessoa as it is something my RI mentioned.

So I have been riding out every night for a week now (ok, almost every night lol due to torrential rain and freezing temps in this so called "spring"!) and she has been put onto build up mix. Her spookiness has not improved one bit, but her general attitude has - she has a calm eye, relaxed manner, and actually pricks up her eears and watches me move around the barn going about my chores - she looks interested finally!

I would love to hear more stories and tips for fittening and bonding :D
 
Interested to see how you get on! Some horses are just built to be spooky, there won't be much you can do except do loads and loads of desensitisation to scary stuff.

One thing I would say about the pessoa is make sure you get someone to help you attach and fit it correctly, too many training aids can do more harm than good. Although if used right, I think it does make them work correctly from behind (instead of just 'in at outline' by the neck which is what sidereins alone would do). I find them a bit 'forceful' and would rather work on impulsion, somehow I feel they just force the horse into a 'correct' outline, I can't imagine it does them much good. But never used one, so can't really comment!

I lunge with the tack on, loop the reins round the stirrups to mimic a bit of a contact and then attach a very flexible bit of rubber round her hind legs which a horse physio gave me (does the same as the back part of a pessoa). It is tied to the girth and loops round and attach on the other side. It's flexible enough not to force the horses legs underneath but gently encourages her to get her legs under and work from behind. I don't leave it or the reins on for long though because it doesn't really encourage her to stretch down. So I usually start and finish with the reins tied away so she has a free head etc.

xx
 
On the spooking topic .... I find that my horse is spookier the less he is ridden.

Once he is on a ridden schedule and kept busy in his head, he is a lot calmer and less spooky.
 
Hi,

My horse is a bit of a tense horse as well. He's not so much now though. I did go through quantum savvy natural horsemanship level 1 with him, we'r enow starting level 2 which did help his confidence and my confidence with him. It also helps to get them soft. You get specific 'homework' and assignments if you want to do assignments. Have a look ...www.quantumsavvy.com

I also find the more I ride my pony the less spooky he is although when hacking I don't think he will ever be completely non-spooky. I also find the more I challenge my pony the better he is, as simple as doing transitions. He gets bored easily and when bored likes think of things to amuse himself.
 
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