Free Lungeing

[areias]

Hi everyone, I'm new to the board and I have a question. :)

I work at a small private barn, feeding, bringing the horses in, working with them, etc. When I was talking to the owner, she encouraged me to use her round pen and just play with the horses and stuff. So the other day I took out a mare and put her in there, and tried to free lunge her a little, and all she would do is stick right next to me. She would just stand there, or walk right next to me. I had a lunge whip, and tried to encourage her out on the rail, but she ended up kicking out/bucking at the whip. We tried unsuccessfully the whole time, and eventually I just gave up. What I found a little peculiar was that when she followed me, she would push her head down on my shoulder. She is 19 years old and is pregnant, and spends all day out in a field and gets very little work. I don't know much of her background. could she be "over round-penned"?

She goes out with one other gelding, and she is the more submissive horse. When I'm letting them in, the owner says to just open their stall door and let them go in by themselves one at a time. While I'm letting her pasture buddy in first, she gets frustrated and gallops around the field, and then when I let her in I make her wait a minute but when I open the gate for her to go down the aisle to her stall, she canters pretty fast and nearly trips going into her stall. :rolleyes: I do plan on working on leading her in myself when she comes in, but I'm afraid she will get frustrated and just go. She's a very pleasant horse to work around in her stall or on cross ties. Any suggestions would be very helpful. :D

[Lucy J]

my old horse was like that, even when you tried to lunge him he just stood there and said 'and!' i had to give up in the end. was useless!

[Lovecat]

My horse sounds very similar re. the lunging thing (although 19 and pregnant? I'm not sure I'd even be trying, to be perfectly honest...), he is an anxious, submissive horse and has 'joined up' with me so well (not through anything I've done!) that he will not go away from me, but will walk at my shoulder or stand with me when I'm trying to send him out. The only way I can 'free lunge' him (which is a bit of a misnomer for what I end up doing!) is to run around the paddock in circles and he follows me at a brisk trot - the trouble is I can't run fast enough for canter!;)

He gets very, very upset if I try and use a lunge whip to send him out, he really doesn't like it at all. At first I thought it was my inexperience, but several other people at the yard have tried to lunge him with the same result. As it happens, the YO has recommended that I don't lunge him, as the arena is too small for a horse of his size to be able to canter the circles in sufficient depth, so I have given up and am not stressing about it anymore.

As for the other issue, I'd be concerned about her tripping, especially in her condition - is there no way you could lead them up together in hand, or get someone to help you so they can both go up together and she'd not get so stressed? It sounds a bit like she's anxious about being separated from her companion and wants to catch him up. Or could she be led up first?

[areias]

Yes, I was considering giving up, but she really dosen't get any exercise and is fed a higher protein feed because of the pregnancy. If anyone has any other suggestions on how to stimulate her a little bit, I'd be very grateful. :)
On the other issue about letting her in, she does this even when shes the only horse in that field, and the first to be let in. I'm also worried about her tripping, expecially when entering her stall because she slams on the brakes right before she goes in. When the other horses pass her stall, she'll also pin her ears back and lunge at them, and even buck at them in her stall. Perhaps I should bring her in, and then feed her, as I usually put the feed in before I let them in. I think today I will try to lead her calmly in, and keep you posted. Thanks for everyones help. :)

[Lovecat]

Good luck, Areias, let us know how you get on:)

Welcome to NR, by the way!

She sounds so similar to the part-TB I used to share until I bought my own boy - Pride used to almost drag people into her stable, got very distressed if you tried to make her walk there calmly, I'm certain if you'd left her to find her own way she'd have bolted in there too. She also did the 'ears back, teeth out, buck & lunge' to any horse with the temerity to walk past her box...

With Pride, she was always led up in hand, I used to make a habit of stopping before we got onto the yard and let her have a nibble at the grass verge so she didn't fixate on rushing home to where her dinner was. I also found singing something with a slow, steady rhythm in time to our walking helped stop her from rushing off (although I got some funny looks!;) ). This took a while to sink in (about 3 months!) but she was much improved. She still had her off days though, as she was a school horse and so got led back & forth by any amount of people as well as me!

[areias]

Very good news! The last couple days, I've been waiting awhile until Goldie calms down before taking her in. Standing there and petting her, letting her relax before opening the gate to let her in. It's slowed her down to a trot, and sometimes even a fast walk. She's still lunging at horses passing her, but it dosen't really hurt them. So I think a few more days of working with her slowing down will help her.

And today, I actually got her free lungeing! I had a friend come down with me, who's not very horsey but she wanted to see the barn, and I had her help me. I had her stand in the middle and I walked on the rail with her. Eventually I was able to scoot into the middle and use the lead rope to encourage her to go, and she did! And I had her come in after about 3-4 laps at a trot, I gave her a treat and I could immediately see the wheels turning in her head. Then I had to do the whole thing again to send her back out, but every time I had her come in it got easier to get her back out. And at the end I got her to canter a few strides and I immediately gave her some treats and brought her back to the barn as a reward. It was a very productive day :) .