Ask The Trainer

I have a mare (Appy/QH cross). She and I have been together 12 years. She is now 18. she was quite green when I got her. the first four years were great, but we were a combination of green-ish and green-ish. (I grew up in England riding occasionally with my farm friends. I went in a few gymkhanas but wouldn't say that I was a hugely experienced rider.) Haida (my mare) and my husbands QH gelding have been happily living together for 8 years. The gelding has lollipop navicular and is no long rideable and hasn't been for three years. My mare became so attached to him that she started to misbehave really badly whenever I took her out. At about the same time a large movie complex was developed in our semi-urban backwater of Richmond B.C.making the roadways much, much more busy than they had been. I used to have at least two blocks to ride to and from our house to get to the trails. These two blocks became the danger zone where my mare would act up when she could see/hear/smell the gelding. The road was two single lanes with large ditches on both sides....no room for error and traffic traveling up to 80kph. I tried just riding in the ring and we developed as much as we could but the fun started to go out of things for me and I felt that that was reciprocated by my mare.

Ultimately, I just stopped riding altogether for two years. We have now moved and I am in a much better position to try to start again. I have started with my mare doing ground work (lateral lunge work based on the natural horse-man-ship book by Pat Parelli) I am starting to see some nice changes in our re-developing relationship but my mare is still very unnerved even when I only bring her into the barn where she cannot see the gelding. I have limited space for ring-type work since funds only allow for stabling at a local barn without ring riding facilities. The ground work I have done was in a large paddock and bareback riding in the field. Can you suggest some ways in which I can continue to try to address her deep seated attachment to the gelding (who has delusions of stallion-hood!) Am I pushing things to fast? It has been about 8 weeks since I started the ground work with her. Your advice is extremely welcome.

To help your mare deal with her deep-seated attachment I would continue what you are doing. Groundwork will help improve her confidence and trust in you as her supportive leader. Unfortunately at the age of 18 she will likely never completely get over being herd bound unless she is completely isolated. Older horses although not unwilling to learn, are slower to accept new things. She is obviously an insecure horse and she will probably need a firmer more supporting hand. If you pamper her and do not expect much from her, she will not give much. If she thinks you are too soft, she will not have confidence in you as a capable leader. She must see you as such or she will feel that you are not able to protect her should she feel threatened. She feels safe when she is with your gelding.

When you are working her, try to challenge her to think or work more than she is. If her mind is occupied, she will worry less about not being with another horse. Change what you are working on often. Do not have a strict training routine so she will not get bored or anticipate what is coming next.

With an older horse, it will take longer to achieve less. However, you can teach an old horse a new trick.

Will Clinging 2004 (c)

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