problem with mare

[apple tosser]

My mare a 12 year old quarter horse seem's to get upset very easily. Any time I do any thig with her. All you have to do is saddle her and she breaks out in a nervous sweat. When I lunge her she watches every move I make If I move my hands the slightest bit she takes off Like I'm going to hit her or something. I've had her a year. When I first got her you couldn't catch her in pasture. You didn't dare get into stall with her she'd smash you against the wall, and you couldn't touch her head, face. She also would not lunge at all. She's much better about all that now. It's just when you ride or lunge her. She always acts fearful like she going to get hit although I've never hit her. Any suggestion to help calm her down .

[Cochise]

Well it sounds like over the last year, you have already made great progress with her! Just keep being patient and gentle with her. This kind of thing cannot be rushed with the poor gal!
Congrats on doing so well with her so far. It does sound like she has had a bit of a rough past, and will be quick to see if you will treat her in the same way. Keep up the patience with her, she will learn to trust you. Have you thought of any of those natural horsemanship type games etc? Might build up a mutual partnership between you two!

[apple tosser]

Yes she has come a long way she was very very ditrustful of people at first. I made the mistake of buying her because I felt sorry for her she was so beat up and thin when I got her you could see hip bones ribs and backbone. Since I got her I'll bet her tail has grown at least a foot it almost touches ground now.Her mane is also really long. She had some kind of skin problem at first Like rain rot her hair was falling out by handful. It just seems we have reached a stand still. I always try to be easy with her. But we just don't seem to be getting any where. I don't have a round pen to work her in. Like some people I know have suggested.I must admit sometimes I get really frustrated with her. I think to myself why did I ever buy her ? But then she looks at me with those big brown eyes and I'm hooked. I just thought Maybe I was doing something wrong with her still being so high strung and nervous all the time. I guess I just need to give her more time.

[VickiN]

Please don't give up on her, after reading your story I just had to write any say she sounds a lot like my Megan.
I bought her as a bolshie 2yr old, completely unhandled god knows what she'd been through in her 2 short years. Again I felt sorry for her, not because of her condition but just the people that were selling her! When they dropped her of at my place they just tossed her in the field ripping the head collar off then just left taking their money, poor thing wouldn't let anyone near her and 4 hours it took for the imprint of the head collar to fade. It took me 4 weeks to get a head collar back on her, but the second time I did it it was as if she'd never had a problem with it, and theres been no looking back since.

I really believe it's time, patients and bundles of love that makes the difference and gains trust.

You dont say how long you have had her but I've had Megs 10 months and in all that time I now have her picking up all four feet, she has had her feet trimmed by the farrier, she is a great companion to Sinbad my TBX and the way they play together I never seen two other horses play like these two.

The sad thing is she will never be really big enough for me to ride as she is only 13hh welsh section c, but I will never part with her.

Good luck
Vicki

[Big Ears]

What a sad story. You have done very well with her but some horses are so damaged that perhaps you can't get through to them.

I think all you can do is gently persevere with her, or, if you can afford it, retire him and keep her as a pet.

You have to weigh up how much she is stressed by trying to improve her compared to whether she would be happy if she could just potter about and live her life.

Not easy, good luck.