Sassy mare & discipline?

[Thecowboysgirl]

Hey guys.

I am getting to know my two ponies now– I was told the mare could be a b#($* to the gelding and it’s true. She will bite him or kick him, sometimes for pretty minor infractions.
I have started to lay down the law with her that I don’t want to see that sort of crap. If she wants to boss him around on her own time that’s fine, but if I am there then she should keep it to herself.

I think I have made an impression on her, she has pinned her ears halfheartedly at him and I say something to her as a warning and she backs down so I hope I am being clear that I don’t want her to act like that when I’m there.

Anyone else have luck managing horse dynamics like this?

Furthermore, should I expect this to be a problem when making them into a team? They can be in each other’s space, I double lead them everywhere, tie them up side by side etc., and have just been taking a really strong stance with her to suck it up because I’m boss b#(%* when I’m there 🙂

How do you discipline your horses?

[Gabe Ayers]

Juliana-
I have not had much personal experience with putting together two horses who don’t seem to like each other, but I have teamed one of my horses up with another’s single. Generally, they seem to work things out if given a chance. I do think that you have to have firm and clear boundaries and be willing to reinforce them consistently. It is a bit easier when this is a boundary with me and the horse. For example, if I have a horse on a lead and he puts his head down to graze I kindly but firmly kick the end of his nose. They learn pretty quick not to graze in that situation. Horses look to us for clear and strong leadership, and when they don’t get it they push our buttons readily. Or, if one of my horses likes to rub his head on and pester the other when they are teamed I use the lines and my voice to check that behavior every time he does it. I have heard folks say that they have two horses who just can’t work together, but I think your approach is the right one – draw a line and stick to it! Also, the more time they spend together eating, tied, standing, etc. the better off that relationship will be in the long run, I think.

[Jonathan Shively]

I have had a mare like that. Bottom line, you have to be the boss, not her. She can be the boss in the field when they are loose, but make yourself the alpha when they are being handled. She will learn or if she doesn’t, she isn’t worth your time.

[Jay]

Ditto to both of the above comments. Jay

[Does’ Leap]

@Thecowboysgirl 32750 wrote:

Hey guys.

Furthermore, should I expect this to be a problem when making them into a team?

I have a “boss mare” who isn’t boss b/c of her size (half draft). This doesn’t stop her from challenging my full sized geldings, especially the less dominant of the two. Irregardless, they (the mare with either of the two) work well in harness together b/c the are under my “domain”. A few corrections like the ones mentioned above and they work with out fuss. With firm, directed leadership, I don’t think you will have a problem.

George

[Thecowboysgirl]

Okay, well I mainly wanted to make sure I wasn’t way off base to think I could take this mare and tell her she needs to behave while working even if she bosses him alot in the pasture.

These two have been together for a minimum of five years, so they do know each other well.

When they first came home I really didn’t see her being nasty so it wasn’t an issue and then one day the honeymoon wore off and she started getting after him in front of me.

It sounds like there is a good chance I can lay down the law with her and still turn them into a functioning team (for all I know, they already have been a team, they have been passed from owner to owner together for many years now)

The previous owner told me that they could not be handfed when loose together or they would fight (more that she would beat him). I hand feed them every day, I give them a vitamin supplement because they eat no grain and live on pasture. I let them know that they get their turn when I hold it out to that specific horse and I don’t want to be pushed and I don’t want any nasty faces between them either. They eat out of my hand 2x a day 98% without incident at this point. Generally a good fingernail poke in the muzzle will make them back off and wait their turn.

I also know the previous owner was a bit intimidated by them and they likely ran with that, I am a much more confident person than she is but I am really wary of thinking I can do something that isn’t realistic and winding up with a nasty injury to the gelding or myself because I got too full of myself and thought I could boss this mare around. So…I guess I will just continue to be consistent and very firm with them but keep some degree of caution…this mare has injured other horses and once, a rider of the horse she nailed so she is not making empty threats.

At this point I feel that what I am trying to do is working so I will move forward as if it is going to work until and unless she proves me wrong 🙂 I do have red hair… 🙂

[Big Horses]

We try to never hand feed. Sticking their hand out seems to be the first thing most people that don’t work around horses, do when they walk up to a horse, and hand feeding tends to set the situation up for someone that doesn’t know anything to get bitten… especially a kid. I also don’t want my horses to be expecting something good to come from my hand when I need to work around their head…. instead, I’ll put whatever treat into a bucket or feed pan.

[Jonathan Shively]

Unless your area/pasture is missing/lacking specific vitamins, there is nothing wrong at all with a team only being on pasture. Now a small feeding of grain so they come up daily or when they see you is a good thing. But I also don’t do any feeding from my hand. A couple of situations to show how I have trained some horses. As a kid I rode a QH mare that was a level headed mare. This was in the day of your horse had to do it all. If I put a mechanical hackmore on her she knew we were going to be riding hard and fast/contesting. With a curb bit she knew we were going to be pleasure riding. Gave her a cue before I ever stepped aboard what was expected of her from me. My mom loved riding this mare, but she was so pokey with my mom that mom’s leg would get tired from having to “gig” her to keep up. Eventually put the hackamore on her for when my mom was riding her and she wasn’t as pokey but nowhere near as “hot” as when I would climb aboard with it on her. Second example, used to have a percheron haflinger cross stud in my barn that we bred mares with as well as used in the hitch. When I would halter him in the barn if I put his collar on him he would walk past any mare in a tie stall regardless her willingness to be bred. Don’t put the collar on him, he was all stud and knew that field work wasn’t the reason he was being haltered. Like kids, they will most times live up to our expectations.

[Thecowboysgirl]

SW Florida pasture is notoriously crappy. Ours is better than most because we actually have some topsoil, most people just have sugar sand. But regardless, the grass is supposed to be very poor nutrition. It was a recomendation from the vet to supplement with some sort of multi…though I will admit it’s probably overkill, and I just like to fuss over my animals.

I know why people have reservations about hand-feeding, and I have been watching them for any behavior stemming from it that I don’t like and so far we’re good. They don’t hassle me or chew on me.

Another reason I am happy to have gotten into haflingers…anythign else could not live on my pasture but they are STILL fat lol despite it’s dry and the grass isn’t even really growing.

[Thecowboysgirl]

Jonathan,

You reminded me that I also worked with a stud who was very much like the one you described. Such a gentleman. He could walk past a mare in a 12 ft hallway and would never mount, even when he was being actively hand bred.

I’ve known other studs I wouldn’t trust half so much but they were generally the ones who were isolated and treated like monsters. The nice one was treated like a normal horse but only handled by experienced folks and expected to mind his manners.

Hopefully Daisy will be a good girl. We haven’t had any incidents recently. And there have been a few times that I saw her start to make faces and I warned her she better knock it off and she did.

[Author]

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