HELP!!

[mickysgirl]

I have a very beautiful Welsh section D filly Brackerns Jeannie, she is rising 4. She's out of Tynybryn What's Wanted and Cathedine Daphne.
Right I really really need help and advice. I know she's good, BUT she has a lot of issues, she's constantly in season, in the field she is obsessed with my shetland boy, wont let anyone near him, stresses if she cant see him, attacks anyone who dares to play with him, will happily drag us across the field when we're doing her rug or something just to get back to him, then as soon as you catch her and bring her out of the gate she starts, eyes on stalks, does not walk, wont tie up, pulls back, wont tollerate sprays or water near her and constantly shouts for the shettie. We've taken her to 2 shows, she creates in the trailer and arrives sweating, will not stand still, runs circles around us, rears all the time, has been loose on both occasions as she has broken her white halter, she's been pulled in 1st everytime after the first trot round, but then gets pushed down the line as her behaviour lets her down. PLEASE ANYONE WHO HAS ANY IDEAS PLEASE GET IN TOUCH AS WE'RE AT OUR WITS END!!

[sarahp]

First off talk to your vet as she obviously has hormone issues somewhere, and work on sorting out those first.

I'd stop trying to show at least until she is more sorted, she needs the hormones sorting and lots more basic handling before she's ready for that.

Do you know her full history? Obviously lots I'd have done with mine by her age hasn't been with her.

[mickysgirl]

I've owned her since she was 9 months old. When I got her she was barely handled, its taken her this long to trust us.
Her good points are that she loads beautifully and does love a brush once you've got her calm enough to stand and have one.

[sarahp]

Oh dear, now I feel bad, no offence was intended, I just assumed from your OP that she was a recent acquisition. So I'll just tell you what I do and expect from my own weaned foals then and you can see if anything I say gives you any thoughts. I do stand by the hormone/vet bit though. Was she like it last year?

My foals are unhandled until after weaning, when they come in at night, out in the day and are fed in the box twice a day. They start off wearing a headcollar with length of string attached to help catching, but are worked in a rope halter on the ground using a pressure/release system, learning to be light in hand and come forwards, backwards, and do turns on the forehand in both directions on command. I expect and exact obedience, good manners and respect for my space at all times when being handled, what they do when loose in the field in their own time is up to them! Even a few minutes every few days when being brought in or put out, depending on how busy I am, is enough to instill these basics. They are not allowed to jog, but have to walk - if they jog they are halted, reversed and then led forward again, repeating every time the jog until they get the message. The aim is to get over to them that I am to be respected as their herd leader, but that they can have total trust in me and nothing I ask them to do will harm them.

They will be handled all over, brushed maybe (although one only had his first brush last week and was angelic) and will be taught to tie up, something I regard as very important. I have a concrete pad outside the barn, used for bathing and foot trimming, which has a post concreted into it with a thick 18" long rubber bungy attached at a height of about 4 - 5' off the ground, which is hooked onto the headcollar back ring - never a halter for this bit. Stick around, and if the pony pulls back, encourage him forward into the pressure from behind - they very soon learn that that is the way to lesson the pressure, pulling back won't work. Don't weaken and let them off it until they stand quietly and accept it! The bungy will break under extreme stress, so is safe. The advantages of this are various - first they are then safe to tie up because as far as they're concerned they can't get away, so leading is much safer too, all they will do is bounce at the end of the leadrope because they can't get away, second they are not panicked by pressure on the head, they just move into it to relieve it. If you have seen, as I have, ponies panicking and fighting to the point of which breaks first, their neck or some bit of equipment hence letting them loose because they have been taught to tie up by relaxing the rope if they pull back so have never been actually held by the head, you will see the point of this. Safety and the welfare of the horse.

They will at some point learn to pick up their feet and have them trimmed, I can't do this any more so a friend comes in, and I have a very good farrier - this year they had two sessions before he trimmed them. They will at some point learn to load in the lorry, usually not a big deal once the early leading has been done. Again, what you are aiming for is to get over that it is no big deal, but they do have to load and very importantly - nothing dreadful will happen to them if they do.

As for water - if I had one like yours I'd put her on the bungy and put the end of the hosepipe on the concrete pad so that water runs around on it, fiddling with it so that to start with it doesn't go round her feet, then does. Just leave her and the water to it, if you make a fuss of her she will think she's doing what you want in fussing as she is being rewarded, she will get fed up of protesting eventually and stand quietly, which is when you go and turn it off, tell her how good she is and put her back in her box, or out in the field, or whenever.

Must admit, it's all easier when they are small and not 4yos! Good luck with her.

[cloppy]

Think i would delete the first line of your plea. You may want to sell her one day and even when she a world beater with the powers of google it will go against you. x

[catkin]

I must admit that I either like to buy a young pony thats been very sensibly handled (as per SarahP) or not at all. The not at all's seem to come round quite quickly and we would then follow the same regime as SarahP, pretty much to the letter! Its about trust and discipline, exactly the requirements that translate to a ridden pony. So, has she always been like this? What has her regime been for the last 3 years. You need to get the basics right at home before you attempt to go public! Perhaps you could go back to these very usual requirements, leading quietly, tying up (agree, this is paramount), standing still whilst handled etc? Then go from there.

[vikki85]

I didn't experience any of the problems you've described with my sec D mare, I've had her from 7 months old (she's 11 next month). I was only 16 when I got her and had never had a foal before. Luckily for me, I had common sense and she had an exceedingly good temperament lol. I think getting her checked by a vet as suggested by sarahp may be a good idea, her behaviour seems quite extreme and as you've had her for so long I'd have thought she'd be further along with her basic handing/training than she is. A girl on my yard had a mare with hormone problems and once it was diagnosed and treated she was much improved. It was before I moved and I can't remember the specifics, but something to do with her ovaries? I think she had a really large cyst or something? Is this the sort of thing you were thinking of sarahp, as you seem quite knowledgeable anbout this kind of thing?

[sarahp]

I'm no vet, and certainly no expert on reproductive problems but yes, I'd say there could be something of the sort and only the vet could tell you one way or the other. I had one years ago with an ovarian cyst and her behaviour did get very difficult, certainly not saying it's this of course, no way of telling, but it does sound as if her hormones are out of kilter for some reason or other.

[brindlerainbow]

I agree that she sounds hormonal and needs to be checked/tested by a vet. I also feel that part of her behaviour could be her taking the mickey.As you've had her since 9 months and she is now 4 she should be able to be led without dragging,tie up and should also tolerate being washed down. It shouldn't really take 3 years for a pony to trust you if it is being correctly handled on a regular basis. The basics should be taught at an early age and that includes manners!!!

[lulah]

agree with the above about the vet, thier are also supplements available for hormonal mares - although i cant say ive tried them as ive always had geldings.
maybe tie your shettie up next to your mare, just to get her more used to handling and have someone else to follow you with your shettie and work on her groundwork. then gradually build her confidence up so she can be tied up alone.