Nealas halo has slipped,advice please :-)

mystiquemalaika

mystiquemalaika

Well-Known Member
Jan 7, 2013
4,293
1,998
113
Neala has been a dream since day 1 and ive waited on her halo slipping.
She came in over night about 10 days ago,was happy to be in and waiting. Tonight she didnt come to call,fine, she then made a half effort the last few steps.headcollar on no problem and pootled off down the field,next thing i know she has done a flying leap in the air,180 and took off back up the field to the other horses.anyway went to collect her and one very muddy leadrope and off we go again,i was ready this time and when she tried it again she didnt get away.got her down to the yard gave her her feed and put her back out.
Im a firm believer they tell you things and as far as im concerned she wants to stay out and thats fine.she will go back to a few hours in during the day as her feet need the break from wet amd mud.
My question is how would you guys deal with this?she may not do it again back to just a few hours in but she may do it again.my gut is she didnt want to come in as such overnight its longer in ect but also dont want this to become a napping issue,so advice,thoughts please? :)
 
I wouldnt treat it as her telling you anything, she is a youngster and she will change her behaviour often with the wind :giggle:

Although I would do as you did, go back and get her, even to just make the point.

My Dolly does the same thing, one day is fine, one day the wind is in her knickers and she wants to be with the others, one day she is fine being away from them.
 
What do you do nat when dolly does it,just go get and carry on?

She hasnt been overly keen on been in at night but has been hungry so has come down willingly so i do believe its abit of i want to stay out which i dont mind but not sure how best to correct etc?

I have to confess that when i found myself horseless and the normally lazy little toad flying up the field in the opposite direction i did take a fit of giggles but really its not funny if it becomes a habit so i pulled myself together before carrying on.
 
It depends on how you want to manage her going forward, if you want her to have the choice of if she comes in or not, then you could catch her and feed her outside the gate or in her stable and put her back out, or leave her to it when she runs off, but if you want her to come in when you want her to come in then I would go back and catch her and make her do what you wanted her to do.

It could let her think she is the boss, and it could translate to napping and into her older life, with Dolly she is made to do what I want regardless but I may bring another down with her to give her confidence/buddy.

It is nice to listen to them, but with babies its a thin line..:wink:
 
My out of racing TB's used to do this once a year.

They always came charging down to call, and then once a year wouldn't come. So I would leave them and not attempt to catch them.

They would then gather, gazing after me, feeling sad as there was no food coming.

They would only do it once, stayed out whatever the weather, and no food. I always used this with mine, before I had to do the whole livery thing. Never had a problem with horses coming in after this treatment!!
 
^^^^^ this is my concern that im going to get it wrong!!!she will always be brought in for her fedd and to let her feet dry but i if she is happier out at night and in less during the day then that is fine but she will have to come in one way or the other.
It was nice to see her show her confidence though as that has never been great around people but i think your right im at a point with her now i really need to set boundaries. Problem here is aswell i dont want to knock my confidence again on the ground,oh dear i think im way out my depth and feeling rather useless amd not capable :-/

Thank you nat for the advice i really appriciate it :) is dolly the same age?sorry you did say on another thread but cant remember!neala will be turning 2 at some point this year but not sure when unfortuantely.
 
I don't have a baby but this is behavior that I will not tolerate for a couple of reasons. Firstly because when she is older you do not want her dictating when she wants to come in for riding,vet, grooming etc. and another that what if you are not around for some reason and she has to be caught and brought in for her safety. I am confident with other peoples horses but if I went to catch her and she did this I would walk away as it can be dangerous or just not nice for the person doing the favor.

I would do as you did bring in and then turn back out. I am all for horses being horses in the field but the minute that head collar goes on or leading I am very strict.

My boys played up coming in in the wind the other night. I was so mad at them they are both 16h and far to big to be waving at me. After a very quick reprimand from me they walked in side by side.
 
You are not useless, she is saying she doesn't want to come in.

I always give my horses a small feed when they come in, whether they are being ridden or not, and I rarely have a problem catching them.

However, they do sometimes try it on, and they like the 'you can't catch me game'

Sometimes they have to learn that its worth their while coming in, and they have one shot at it.

But have not had baby horses for many years. My baby racing TB's were like puppies, and I had them from day one, so never had an issue with them coming in for food!
 
Dolly will be three in May, so I have just had what you are having, lucky us!.

DO NOT KNOCK YOURSELF - You are doing a great job, dont let one thing ruin your confidence or let you think you are out of your depth.

There will be more days like today, just over different issues..believe me! I had one myself today, Dolly was a nutter with the trimmer when last time she was a doll.. I think god..what am I doing.. but tomorrow she will be fine again and so on.

Youngsters are not consistent with their behavior, but we need to be. I realised today, dolly was a git and it was my fault, I changed the feet trimming routine and she didnt understand it.

Stay confident with her, decide what you want, and she will have to do it and get used to it, but I would agree with SJP, tomorrow may well be back to normal again...:wink:
 
Completly agree obc but not sure how to react in the actual field when she does it if that makes sense,she got away first time but not the 2nd i just clung on but this did then worry her and made her reluctant to come near me,she was extremely head shy when i got her and i need to find the best way to calm the situation and carry on,does that make sense?god im waffling. 12 months ago i wouldnt have though twice about this but i find i question everything these days with my confidence hence asking you guys :) its not acceptable behaviour and one way or another she will come down in the end but whats the best use of me when she first does it?

Thank you sjp,1 side of my confidence is building abit and another is slipping :-(
She has a feed for the same reasons you do i always have and she also needs a feed at the moment. She caught fine at first then caught fine again when i went to retrive her which i found odd!
 
You did the right thing, reacted in the right way, you went and fetched her back. That is all you do, make sure you have a hat, gloves and body protector if it makes you feel better, keep going and getting her back.

You almost have to forget about the head shy stuff and live in the today.

You did as we have all said we would do, so you should be happy with yourself:happy:
 
Thanks nat i dont think the change in routine has helped i should have left it as it was and the other horses were left out not just the usual 3.
Ive had youngsters before and had the tantrums etc but i was more confident then,it all seems new again and i question what i do when i know that is no good for her,your completley right we need to be consistant and i need to step up and be the leader,confidence giver aswell as just her friend which i admit is really all i have been doing.she has been so easy i have been too laid back :-(
 
I am enjoying the challenge for now, although Dolly is looking for a loan home at the moment so it wont be forever, which is a shame but I just cant afford 3 at livery at the moment. She will make a cracking riding horse for someone.. :happy:
 
Yeah i did go onto speedibeet,never thought of that :-/ mmm i wonder,i will see how she goes this week and if she has more of these vocal moments i will take it out and see if that makes a difference.
Hope it all goes well for you finding a loan for dolly :)
 
See how she goes, if it continues she could have to try something else:happy:

Thanks, so do I, I think she is lovely so could never sell her but she will not make big enough for me:redface:
 
newrider.com
Top Bottom
Back