Frustrated(long)

AnaBellesMoM · 11-03-2009, 03:18 PM

I've had Cookie for a little over a year now, she started becoming a problem in June, she started bucking and kicking out when I asked her to do something she didn't want to do. Had her checked out, checked tack, had her adjusted by the chiro, wormed her. I did everything possible to fix whatever was bothering her.

No good, my trainer (who's been training horses for over 20 years) has been riding her once a week for me for about three months and she STILL bucks and acts like a snot. Mostlyl this is only in the arena, out on trail she's pretty good unless of course you ask her to do something she doesn't want to, like lead, go up next to the horse infront of her, or go ahead of the horse infront of her. She'll buck and kick out and just act like a BUTT.

I thought we were getting through it until Saturday my ranch was having a fun day and she was a complete witch, bucking and kicking, it was so EMBARESSING! You'd think I was asking her to do brain surgery! So I got her in the arena by ourselves and made her canter... soon we were AIRBORNE and I mean like 'oh look there's the ground' she was bucking so high it was ridiculous. I managed to stay on cause I'm sadly used to her behavior and I can anticipate it for the most part. But DANG HORSE, she's never reared(knock on wood) but the bucking is just getting to be too much.

I don't know her background sadly because I rescued her from someone that knew NOTHING about horses and she was very unhealthy. Now she's in perfect health and were speculating that now she feels good enough to fight me. Has anybody had a problem horse like this before? I'm so close to cutting my loses and selling her. HELP ME!!!

I just wanted a horse to ride down the trail and possibly show and I got the wicked witch of the west.

Any advice for dealing with this before I give up and sell her? I greatly appreciate anybody's help. Sorry for the long post!

kanoo32 · 11-03-2009, 03:26 PM

Sounds hormonal to me......My mare Emma is that way....I have to keep her on Regumate to be able to train her, or she is a bitch, she kicks and bucks and is just generally aggressive....she has vetted clean, her bloodwork is normal, I have givern her time off, she has had the sun, moon, and stars, and still does it, so I put her on regumate.....she is a different horse, and it vastly improved her performance..

snwflk · 11-03-2009, 03:26 PM

TIME TO START OVER.. Sounds like she is a naughty girl and needs a refresher is PROPER MANNERS.. I am firm beliver in any time you get an animal no matter the age.. START FROM THE BEGINNING and make it immensly clear that YOU WILL NOT ACCEPT any disrespect or bad behavior.

GOOD for you for staying on .. but before she gets worse time to RESTART her w/ a firm hand and make it good..

FlyinSoLow · 11-03-2009, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kanoo32

Sounds hormonal to me......My mare Emma is that way....I have to keep her on Regumate to be able to train her, or she is a bitch, she kicks and bucks and is just generally aggressive....she has vetted clean, her bloodwork is normal, I have givern her time off, she has had the sun, moon, and stars, and still does it, so I put her on regumate.....she is a different horse, and it vastly improved her performance..

Good advice.

The KEY WORDS (IMO) here are

"my trainer (who's been training horses for over 20 years) has been riding her once a week for me for about three months and she STILL bucks and acts like a snot."

if you think your trainer is good at what they do, but you are still not seeing results then it simply cannot be training

(or JUST training)... but this only is possible if your trainer knows what he or she is doing and does it well

AnaBellesMoM · 11-03-2009, 04:06 PM

I looked it up on Valleyvet and it says you have to have a vet's prescription for regumate. Is this true? Should I call my vet and ask him for one or can I get it without that?

RockwoodDawn · 11-03-2009, 05:09 PM

If you have not, have a vet check her overies. If they have cysts it can make them very bucky.

AnaBellesMoM · 11-03-2009, 05:13 PM

See but she only really bucks in the arena when I ask her to trot or canter. Out on trail she's practically an angel unless I ask her to do something she doesn't want to but then all she does is kick out and I can get her to do it. So I don't even know if maybe it's something with the arena, maybe she had a bad experience when she was younger and now she's just arena sour... ::sigh::

Horselady44 · 11-03-2009, 05:25 PM

How old is she?
I agree with Kanoo...see if you can start her on that Regumate or something similiar and I also have to agree with snwflk, when ever I get a horse and I know nothing about its past I pretend that its a two year old that has never been handled. Its the best option. Treat them like they are 2 year olds. Start from scratch...maybe look at getting a different trainer, someone that uses a different method than what your trainer is currently using...because no offense but it just dosnt sound like its working for your girl. I would def get her checked over...another thing is her teeth...make sure they are good...make sure she dosnt have any pain in her back...I had a mare that would buck when asked to canter....come to find out my stupid cheap saddle had a nail sticking out of it!

OUT went that saddle...and was she a different horse now! So, check your tack also to make sure there isnt something causing her pain/discomfort. Just some ideas

Dont be dramatic and just sell her...theres a reason shes acting the way she does...it may be pain,lack of training,hormons,ect...rule some things out and go from there IMO

ahabarabs · 11-03-2009, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnaBellesMoM

I looked it up on Valleyvet and it says you have to have a vet's prescription for regumate. Is this true? Should I call my vet and ask him for one or can I get it without that?

Yes you need a vet script., if you and your vet know each other well, they will usually let you have/take med's without farm visit, although your may not, it is a little expensive, but often well worth it.

Slim Pikkens · 11-03-2009, 05:44 PM

Your horse is likely ring/arena sour. On trail rides horses have places in the line where they are comfortable or threatened. Some horses need to be out front, some bring up the rear but most like to be somewhere in the middle. Why not let her find where she's comfortable and she will be a nicer ride.

razorbackranch · 11-03-2009, 05:47 PM

I agree with everyone on the regumate.....there's also an herbal supplement in the smartpak or valley vet catalogs called "Mare Magic" . I used that on one of my girls who was getting witchy and it seemed to calm her down a lot !

AnaBellesMoM · 11-03-2009, 05:51 PM

Can you fix a horse that's arena sour? Starting over like she's a two year old makes complete sense how exactly would I go about doing that. I've only been riding for a little over a year so I don't know much about starting a horse from scratch. Hope that's not a stupid question!

Horselady she's about 12 years old.

Horselady44 · 11-03-2009, 06:02 PM

Starting from scratch is to go back to ground manners first. Touch her all over,work on her ground manners,whoa,walk, teach her to lunge(which she may know?) move out of your space, saddle and lunge her, work with her feet, work on saddling and bridling ect. and do all this in the arena! That will help her get over any fear she may have in there. Make it fun to be in there. There are alot of books and DVD's on training. And of course we are always here for support and to give you advice. But, beings you havnt been riding that long you may want to get a trainer out to work with you...thats your best and safest bet IMO.

jesterjigger · 11-04-2009, 09:57 AM

If you decide to try Mare Magic don't...find a place online that sells Raspberry leaves in bulk and buy them instead. I've been getting mine from herbalcom.com (I think that's the address), they're only a few bucks for a big bag that lasts a long time.

You also might want to look into ulcers, especially if you mostly walk on the trails, I've read that horses with ulcers react at the faster gaits because it irritates the ulcers moreso.

11-03-2009, 03:18 PM
AnaBellesMoM Weanling Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: San Diego,CA Posts: 257	Frustrated(long) I've had Cookie for a little over a year now, she started becoming a problem in June, she started bucking and kicking out when I asked her to do something she didn't want to do. Had her checked out, checked tack, had her adjusted by the chiro, wormed her. I did everything possible to fix whatever was bothering her. No good, my trainer (who's been training horses for over 20 years) has been riding her once a week for me for about three months and she STILL bucks and acts like a snot. Mostlyl this is only in the arena, out on trail she's pretty good unless of course you ask her to do something she doesn't want to, like lead, go up next to the horse infront of her, or go ahead of the horse infront of her. She'll buck and kick out and just act like a BUTT. I thought we were getting through it until Saturday my ranch was having a fun day and she was a complete witch, bucking and kicking, it was so EMBARESSING! You'd think I was asking her to do brain surgery! So I got her in the arena by ourselves and made her canter... soon we were AIRBORNE and I mean like 'oh look there's the ground' she was bucking so high it was ridiculous. I managed to stay on cause I'm sadly used to her behavior and I can anticipate it for the most part. But DANG HORSE, she's never reared(knock on wood) but the bucking is just getting to be too much. I don't know her background sadly because I rescued her from someone that knew NOTHING about horses and she was very unhealthy. Now she's in perfect health and were speculating that now she feels good enough to fight me. Has anybody had a problem horse like this before? I'm so close to cutting my loses and selling her. HELP ME!!! I just wanted a horse to ride down the trail and possibly show and I got the wicked witch of the west. Any advice for dealing with this before I give up and sell her? I greatly appreciate anybody's help. Sorry for the long post!

11-03-2009, 03:26 PM
kanoo32 Seasoned Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 4,517	Sounds hormonal to me......My mare Emma is that way....I have to keep her on Regumate to be able to train her, or she is a bitch, she kicks and bucks and is just generally aggressive....she has vetted clean, her bloodwork is normal, I have givern her time off, she has had the sun, moon, and stars, and still does it, so I put her on regumate.....she is a different horse, and it vastly improved her performance.. __________________ "Animals are such agreeable friends--they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms..." --George Eliot In Loving Memory of Spikey...My Best Friend...I Miss You RIP 1988-2009

11-03-2009, 03:26 PM
snwflk Started Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Colorado Posts: 2,469	TIME TO START OVER.. Sounds like she is a naughty girl and needs a refresher is PROPER MANNERS.. I am firm beliver in any time you get an animal no matter the age.. START FROM THE BEGINNING and make it immensly clear that YOU WILL NOT ACCEPT any disrespect or bad behavior. GOOD for you for staying on .. but before she gets worse time to RESTART her w/ a firm hand and make it good.. __________________ Suzie Q

11-03-2009, 04:06 PM
AnaBellesMoM Weanling Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: San Diego,CA Posts: 257	I looked it up on Valleyvet and it says you have to have a vet's prescription for regumate. Is this true? Should I call my vet and ask him for one or can I get it without that?

11-03-2009, 05:09 PM
RockwoodDawn Weanling Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Ledyard CT Posts: 296	If you have not, have a vet check her overies. If they have cysts it can make them very bucky.

11-03-2009, 05:13 PM
AnaBellesMoM Weanling Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: San Diego,CA Posts: 257	See but she only really bucks in the arena when I ask her to trot or canter. Out on trail she's practically an angel unless I ask her to do something she doesn't want to but then all she does is kick out and I can get her to do it. So I don't even know if maybe it's something with the arena, maybe she had a bad experience when she was younger and now she's just arena sour... ::sigh::

11-03-2009, 05:25 PM
Horselady44 Started Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Montana Posts: 2,437	How old is she? I agree with Kanoo...see if you can start her on that Regumate or something similiar and I also have to agree with snwflk, when ever I get a horse and I know nothing about its past I pretend that its a two year old that has never been handled. Its the best option. Treat them like they are 2 year olds. Start from scratch...maybe look at getting a different trainer, someone that uses a different method than what your trainer is currently using...because no offense but it just dosnt sound like its working for your girl. I would def get her checked over...another thing is her teeth...make sure they are good...make sure she dosnt have any pain in her back...I had a mare that would buck when asked to canter....come to find out my stupid cheap saddle had a nail sticking out of it! OUT went that saddle...and was she a different horse now! So, check your tack also to make sure there isnt something causing her pain/discomfort. Just some ideas Dont be dramatic and just sell her...theres a reason shes acting the way she does...it may be pain,lack of training,hormons,ect...rule some things out and go from there IMO __________________ A happy horse equals a happy rider!

11-03-2009, 05:44 PM
Slim Pikkens Seasoned Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 4,055	Your horse is likely ring/arena sour. On trail rides horses have places in the line where they are comfortable or threatened. Some horses need to be out front, some bring up the rear but most like to be somewhere in the middle. Why not let her find where she's comfortable and she will be a nicer ride.

11-03-2009, 05:47 PM
razorbackranch Newborn Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Immokalee, Florida Posts: 31	I agree with everyone on the regumate.....there's also an herbal supplement in the smartpak or valley vet catalogs called "Mare Magic" . I used that on one of my girls who was getting witchy and it seemed to calm her down a lot ! __________________ Always remember with riding or training..... You tell a gelding, make a stallion anddiscuss it with a mare

11-03-2009, 05:51 PM
AnaBellesMoM Weanling Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: San Diego,CA Posts: 257	Can you fix a horse that's arena sour? Starting over like she's a two year old makes complete sense how exactly would I go about doing that. I've only been riding for a little over a year so I don't know much about starting a horse from scratch. Hope that's not a stupid question! Horselady she's about 12 years old.

11-03-2009, 06:02 PM
Horselady44 Started Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Montana Posts: 2,437	Starting from scratch is to go back to ground manners first. Touch her all over,work on her ground manners,whoa,walk, teach her to lunge(which she may know?) move out of your space, saddle and lunge her, work with her feet, work on saddling and bridling ect. and do all this in the arena! That will help her get over any fear she may have in there. Make it fun to be in there. There are alot of books and DVD's on training. And of course we are always here for support and to give you advice. But, beings you havnt been riding that long you may want to get a trainer out to work with you...thats your best and safest bet IMO. __________________ A happy horse equals a happy rider!

11-04-2009, 09:57 AM
jesterjigger Halter broke Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: OH now, FL in April Posts: 156	If you decide to try Mare Magic don't...find a place online that sells Raspberry leaves in bulk and buy them instead. I've been getting mine from herbalcom.com (I think that's the address), they're only a few bucks for a big bag that lasts a long time. You also might want to look into ulcers, especially if you mostly walk on the trails, I've read that horses with ulcers react at the faster gaits because it irritates the ulcers moreso.