At 11:55:17 on 20.09.10, Connemara Kid wrote:
Hey, I have a 7 year old green broken mare who I'm working with, but she's really head-strong and wont respond to any of the methods I've tried. At the moment, I can only work with her in the paddock, as my arena is still in progress.... does any one have any tips or pointers for me? Thanx, Connemara Kid

At 12:30:52 on 20.09.10, Flicka wrote:
Can you tell us a bit more about her, what you've tried doing with her and what she will and won't do?

At 11:13:25 on 21.09.10, Connemara Kid wrote:
Yeah... she was drugged when I bought her as a 4 year old, so we sent her to a friend for a while. We're not sure what they did there though, the husband works at a race track and is fairly rough with horses, and she came back to me scared as anything, but the wife said that she was scared of halters and lead ropes now, and that was two years ago, I've got a halter on her now, and have been lunging and grooming her rugularly. But I always do it in her paddock and never tie her up, so she's quite good just on the ground and stood for about 30 minutes or so for me the other day, but it took me a while to get her used to the lunge rope and I've slowly been introducing new things to her. I gave her a hanging feed bucket two days ago, and she's quite used to it now, but she's still scared about lead ropes, if I have to move her, I often use a lunge rope. She's really agressive and pushy with adults, but with teenagers like myself and the friend who works with her and me, she's an angel. She let a 4 year old pat her the other week! But the main problem is that we have two geldings and my next door neighbour has three mares and she can be really tearty with my boys and angry with the mares, so it makes it difficult to work with her, and because my boys show off it makes it worse, and if she cant see them she pines and starts up a sweat and gets really stressed...

At 23:55:51 on 21.09.10, ToriSilverson wrote:
awk she sounds like one unhappy horse :( maybe try join up? and massage her when she gets nervous. you could also try an obstacle course of things she would usually spook at...

At 10:58:00 on 22.09.10, Connemara Kid wrote:
yeah, i cant do join up at the moment cos my arena is being fixed, but the obsticle course could work, thanks. I've been massaging her a bit but she's really jumpy. I'll go out and set up the paddock now, then take her in. If anyone has more suggestions, glad to hear them!! ;)

At 21:15:30 on 22.09.10, NMH wrote:
Sounds to me as though Parelli games would really help her- it gives such confidence in YOU, her leader, & in THINGS that scare her, like lead ropes, in a measured, gradual way & builds on your good start in forming a trusting relationship

At 08:55:03 on 23.09.10, Connemara Kid wrote:
yeah, i'm thinking of them... i gave her a hay net, a hay manger and set up a few ropes and poles and things today after school, and she was fine. a car back fired while i was in with her, she looked at it, but other than that, didnt flinch

At 09:08:12 on 23.09.10, Flicka wrote:
It's terrible what people do to horses isn't it but at least she's with you now :) Even though someone has been aggressive with her you still have to be firm to give her confidence in you. Look at the Parelli games-but I also recommend you buy 101 Horsemanship Exercises by Rio Barrett-she was trained in Parell (see video)i and look at Klaus Ferdinand Hemphlings "Dancing with Horses.There are videos of him in Horse Training and Training The Natural Way groups. I would also give her a supplement to help with her marishness-I have too mares so I know how difficult it can make them. Frisky mare by global herbs works for my two but sometimes you have to experiment with different brands to find the one that works for you.

At 09:11:33 on 23.09.10, Flicka wrote:
Ha ha I particularly like playing this vid because the song is by a group called Air and I have their album playing in my car all the time :)

At 11:46:42 on 23.09.10, Connemara Kid wrote:
Thanks Flicka, but i cant do some of that stuff, she hasnt been ridden for 2 years and she'd bolt if i did that, but i'll try just leading her on the lungeline with some of that stuff, and thanks for the names of the books, are they sold in Australia? cos thats where I am. do you want to know anymore about her? I have a bit of info, and I'm gonna take sum pics of her this weekend when I have time? she's obsessed with my cat, but they're arguing at the moment, lol, she tried to eat the cat cos she was sitting in her hay basket, poor Rahni, she didnt know what to do :)