We have an 8yo ex racehorse Thoroughbred mare called Diva. Interesting racing history with one win early on in 19 races - an increasing number of hoods and bits were used in the races. We bought her off a girl who was passing her on, but she was calm at both viewings although looked uncomfortable at canter - they would not let us have her on trial(!) She is a lovely well mannered mare until under any kind of pressure then she is nearly unmanageable. She rears and kicks, and although not malicious to her handler or rider, it makes her unsuitable as a riding horse. Her adrenaline starts to pump when taken out of her usual surrounds. We bought a pacifier hood and have the blinkers on the top so that stops her rearing, but she still gets anxious and hard to control at times. Under saddle she can go from calm to stoppy and difficult in a heartbeat and the same on a lunge line or long lines. Our only clue to the reason is the massage therapist we took her to for the canter problem recognised she has a migraine and he was not able to fix it. At his suggestion we have earth magnets on her halter behind her ears to help correct the headache.
I have worked with her daily, starting with a few successful join up sessions and can trot 2 circles with the hood on in the arena now, but it is slow progress. My experience with many horses over 50 years includes starting and riding horses, including many problem horses. The Dually is brilliant and we ride her in this also. She feels a bit awkward and uncomfortable under saddle. The question is how much time to spend on her before concluding she is best being only a brood mare. She is not a safe ride, and while the headache may be the cause it is a mystery how difficult she can be, especially when riding out of the arena.
Thanks for your thoughts on Diva - Sue
I have worked with her daily, starting with a few successful join up sessions and can trot 2 circles with the hood on in the arena now, but it is slow progress. My experience with many horses over 50 years includes starting and riding horses, including many problem horses. The Dually is brilliant and we ride her in this also. She feels a bit awkward and uncomfortable under saddle. The question is how much time to spend on her before concluding she is best being only a brood mare. She is not a safe ride, and while the headache may be the cause it is a mystery how difficult she can be, especially when riding out of the arena.
Thanks for your thoughts on Diva - Sue
I'm sorry your mare has such problems. Your experience with starting/problem horses vastly outweighs mine, so I doubt I can tell you anything you don't already know. But your safety and hers is the big point here, I think.
This doesn't sound like a thing you can train away, if a migraine causes it. (Didn't know horses could develop that, but why not?)
If she becomes safe to ride for you, will she also be safe for others?
The question I think I would ask myself in your situation, is if the mare really is good brood material? They say 70% of the mental mind set of a foal comes from the mare (since she raises it). What are the chances that you get foals with the same problems as Diva?
WHERE TO START: I would start with elementary movement exercises, spending 15-20% of my time on the exercise, and 80% on ways to initiate a conversation with her. Remember, a good conversation starts and ends with good listening skills. PRAISE AND PATIENCE will be your capital as well as TIME. Time, and genuine human relationship, has probably has been in short supply with this mare. This is where you will experience her confidence growing with your directed movement requests. When CONFIDENCE GROWS, RELAXATION WILL BE IT`S PARTNER. With your many years of experience with horses, you will be looking for the slightest try, and quick to reward it. This approach might catch your mare off guard, but that`s the point, to rewire her thought patterns. Your love friendliness will be directing her new journey. Horses learn by feel, and the absence of over- the -top coercion will be welcomed in her response.
I would also take off the hoods and blinders and allow the real horse to come through. She might surprise you. Also, if you have any experience with working horse at liberty, this would help you immensely as she would have the ability to refuse your request. To retrain horses with issues emotionally, I find that they need a NO VOTE as an accepted part of their dialogue. This small gesture on their part, at this stage, produces many YES~S down the road. THEY WANT TO PLEASE US SO BADLY. We just have to find a way to allow them a full circle of thought in that regard.
I believe that you could really help this mare out of her miss-directions. It will take you into a different direction than what most of us think about when training horse. I wish you the best and please keep all of us posted on your discoveries.
Kicki is 100% right with her saying about the mare as a mother and the emotional conformation of the resulting foal. The babies receive their CONFIDENCE LASTING BEHAVIOR from the mare.
Bud
Great to read your thoughts. She is a very likeable and intelligent horse, so we are interested to see whether she could get over some of her issues. She has good ground manners and is relaxed until she goes somewhere new, which is when she becomes hyper sensitive to sights and sounds and wants to run away.
Whether the headache is having an effect is hard to tell - she is not headshy, but when the Therapist applied any pressure in the right place she was flicking her head and not letting him touch her there. It was amazing to see - he said the bones can get out of alignment.
We hope the foal is a colt and that he learns from our homebred teddy bear gelding who will stay with him after weaning. It will be interesting to see if any behaviours are passed on, but we don't regard her behaviour as malicious and think she will not be concerned about us interacting with her foal. Hopefully the cross with a Connemara stallion is a good one.
Happy riding
Sue
I think you've made an excellent choice of stallion! The Connemara/Thoroughbred-crosses I've met are all excellent riding horses as the Connemara stability tends to outweigh the nerves of the race-horse. Fingers crossed you will have a wonderful foal from her! :)
Bud, I loved what you wrote about "...find a way to allow them a full circle of thought..."
Welcome to the forum! You have already received very good advice, not much I could add to that...
Let me just inspire you to keep looking for a way to free your mare of her headaches.
As you suggested, there might be some ill-alligned vertebae involved.
Find a chiropractor who can help her, she will thank you for it!
Training only starts after taking care of any phisical issues. It won't be easy, but.....
Stay safe and keep us posted,
Miriam
Your quick response to what was written about your mare has stirred some thoughts within me that might shed a little more light on the direction that you might take with her.
First of all, as you are probably noticing, you will have a whole lot of support from this forum. We, as horsemen and women, all strive for the same thing for the horse ie: "A GOOD DEAL". while trying to maneuver our way through much of the miss-information that has plagued our industry from the start. Monty has been our guiding light and inspiration to go forth into uncharted areas of thought regarding our beloved horses.
I am assuming that your mare has been bred with what was written in your response. As a long time breeder of Arabian horses, I know first hand how a baby can change the emotional direction of a mare. In my mind, the key to success with your new baby would be YOUR intervention with your mare for the 11 months+ one week gestation period. This will set the stage and probably will turn your mare`s entire thought process around. This will be a GREAT TIME to start your conversation with her. Build her confidence with transitions of the new [environment] then to the old and excepted and safe routines. This will raise and lower her adrenaline levels with you at the helm of leadership. My hope is that she will take on a whole new outlook with your leadership when she enters a new unknown as the confidence is built. This will transition over to you being on her back.
Regarding the therapist and the possible headaches that could be a result of the angst that horses carry in and through their neck areas from past traumas. It most certainly could be a result of miss-aligned vertebrae. I have learned through the years to stretch the neck [carrot stretches] and also to teach my horses to lower their heads [eventually with their nose touching the ground] by pulling down on their halters when relaxing in front of me. The stretch is vitally important to all horses, but especially a riding horse. It`s an amazing therapeutic exercise as it stretches them in the poll area and gives them a chance to release the gremlins that store stress
I wish much success and KNOW that you are doing. A GOOD THING for your mare.
Bud
Enjoying all your thoughts and encouragement - it is interesting as its the Arab that shows through with all the intelligence it brings to the Thoroughbred bred. Diva charges around with her tail up like an Arab and shows a lot of intelligence in her responses and fast learning. We are looking forward to her foal, as it will have these attributes but will have the good experiences we can bring to its education.
We will take her back to the therapist to see what he thinks about the headaches in the next month or so - to see if the earth magnets have had any effect.
Best
Sue