Road work - chestnut mare syndrome

[Ashtown Honey]

Hi Folks

Have heard about this site on another site and just wanted to see if anyone had any experience with young horses with problems on the road.
Bit of history:

Bought mare from riding school where she had been broken and had ridden her for 6 months or so, then moved her down to a yard with a friend of mine who was going to do some work bringing her on as I work mad hours and wasn't getting to ride her during the week - in school all she had seen was a sand arena and a park (small journey on road in single file to get to the park, she wouldn't ever have been asked to lead)

First month went fine then she started to develop a rearing problem - whenever tried to get her out of the yard and especially on the road by herself - got so bad that my friend wouldn't ride her so it became a viscious circle, I was terrified to ride her and seriously thought about selling her..

Moved her to a new yard before christmas and have been coming on leaps and bounds, jumped in an indoor for the first time, she has been hunted a couple of times and all with no sign of going up on her back legs...

It's now two months later and took her out for a hack on Saturday with a cob from the yard, two of us riding abreast to try and get her to lead - she kept ducking to get back behind the cob and wouldn't travel in a straight line - on the way back however she led the whole way back (she knows the road as she is on it a couple of times a week) - then on sunday out with a young horse and she was even worse (which was distressing for teh other rider who is trying to school her baby and my brat wasn't helping)

Using leg and voice I can get her to go forward a little, but still she keeps trying to get behind the other horse - too nervous after all the rearing before to give her a smack... eventually turned back cos both her horses getting very stressed out and again she was fine leading the whole way back, even with the other horse staying a good bit behind her....

It's such chestnut mare behaviour and I realy don't want to take two steps back especially after everything we have achieved recently...

I try and get her to go a few more yards down the road by herself every time I work her in the arena and even after the hack on Sunday - just pushing her until before she stops herself but was wondering if anyone had any tips or suggestions...

[No_Angel]

have you tried leading her out? Or getting someone to lead you out? Maybe take her out in hand and let her eat for a while or ride her out and let her eat then take her back, do it a little further everytime. My mare used to rear and buck going out on her own but since taking her for walks she has improved no end.
Also doing parelli type work has helped build her trust in me.
Hope this helps
Tasha

[shandy84]

Long reining should help as well I have a similar problem in my BAY four year old whereas my chesnut is great

[Harry Hobbes]

...was wondering if anyone had any tips or suggestions... If you wish to train the horse to accept leaving the premises and travelling off-premises calmly without resistance, try the Cloverleaf Pattern (or a similar training procedure). It is desribed in this thread:
http://www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=39701&highlight=cloverleaf

The Cloverleaf Pattern is a procedure, not an experiment (test), so to be successful, one has to spend time and effort over subsequent training sessions, building acceptance and willingness in the horse.

But it works well.

Bet regards,
Harry

[Ashtown Honey]

Thanks Harry (and everyone else) - read other thread - really interesting and in fact something I have been trying to do myself (without knowing what it was called) when I ask her to go past the gate on the way back to the yard, or to go out onto the road after work in the arena - even if just a few yards down the road.
When she moved to this yard first I couldn't get her to go down the lane to the road but after a couple of weeks of asking calmly we made it (despite the chicken coop at the end of the lane!!!)

Part of me thinks that I actually need to concentrate on continuing to build her confidence by herself - it's very hard for her to understand why she shouldn't duck behind the safety of another horses bum when there's one there! If we build up her confidence gradually using the cloverleaf idea then leading shouldn't be such a big issue.

I guess my problem is I'm not there during the week to do this - I think I'll have a word with the trainer in the yard and ask that they start trying a bit of work on her in this way

Will keep you posted (if you'll pardon the pun)

Thanks again