Horse acting weird..

[lacyloo]

OK the last 5 times or so that I have rode my mare, she has been really spooky,and jumpy.. She has even refused to go on the trail I normally take her on.. Yesterday was probley the worst of all of them.. I take her to the entrence of the trail and she STOPS I mean SLAMS on breaks and will not budge.. Soo I kick her and (smooch to her) and I finally had to get off and get a branch and use it like a crop to get her to just take ONE step... Then she turns around and bolts, kicks out,bucks, and starts makeing this really weired sound. But I got off and started to walk her down the trail and she calmed down enough I got back on and she slowly made her way down the trail... But she would flench at EVERY little bird or twig snap.. Once I got off I tied her kinds loosley to the hitch post and she freaks out, spins around kciks out , steps on my foot and knocks me to the ground.. I have no clue what happend. :huh: She also did the same thing today and broke the hitching post.

She has always loved going down the trail and we normally have a good lope or gallop down it. I have been wondering mabey She has seen or heard COYOTES around the pasture and she is freaked out..

Any suggestions? :cowboy:

[WashingtonBay]

Coyotes in the area shouldn't wig her out that bad, unless she's wigged out by dogs in the area. In my experience, the horses ignore coyotes, even as they hunt around the same pasture.

Bears or a big cat, yes. Even deer can spook them if they're seen or heard or smelled.

Ideas: Either there's something new and buggery there, or she's got your number and doesn't want to go, or she's having some trouble with her vision that is not as apparent at home but becomes scary in less familiar places.

[lacyloo]

I was told by A man that owns the land next to us that, he saw 2 baby bobcats last week. I killed a tom bobcat last year.. mabey thats the issue.. I have also been considering REteaching her how to stand to be tied :rolleyes:

[alittleoffkey]

I'd check her vision. If you haven't been making her go down the trail when she stops then, like WB said, she probably just has your number. ;) My horses listen to coyotes and a relative's in the mountains will stop and listen high-alert to big cats and bears... but they've never acted out like that.

[lacyloo]

I plan on riding her tommorow for a good while, since the weather is nice and cool...
so I guess we have narrowed it down to, her vision or she(doesnt wanna call) lol

soo ill post a hopefully good update. lol
wish me luck

[HeartofSteel]

My mare did this similarly sometimes when she was in heat but then it increasingly got worse and then better... we thought she has Ovarian Cyts, we were going to take her in to get checked but they she stopped acting so bad and then was almost 100% better. But I don't really think that is her issue, so maybe just work on some ground work, respect and maybe a vision exam if it continues.

[lacyloo]

UPDATE, well we just got back from riding and had no problems.. she spooked one time and a fallen tree branch but other than that nothing. I hope she continues to get better. :)

[WashingtonBay]

Well, good!

Maybe there was something there the other day... Sometimes you just never know.

[Harleys Owner]

My first thought would be she just doesn't want to work.
What I would do if you don't have the experience to deal with stubbornness is head her for the trail head, but turn her away before she thinks to stop, walk her away some distance then head back and go a step or two closer, then turn away again. Keep up this practice, you turning her away rather then she making the decision, going further and further each time.

I would also saddle her up and tie her up for an hour or so before you ride, and after you ride. Make sure you tie her safely with something that will not break. If she throws a fit tied, leave her till she is standing quietly.

Even tho she went nicely today, I'd still do the above the next time you ride, turning her away from the trail head a few times before she can think to do it.

[Tens Legacy]

Rreminds me of my friend who had a wolf in the area and her horses were spooky for about 5 days till it finally moved on, maybe this situation was similer to that in nature.

[Buckpoco]

Our quarter horse hurt his suspensory (so we were told). We stalled him for two months, and then when we rode him he acted like your horse. To make a long story short, this went on for several years, with the vet telling us to lay him up and then him acting up when we did ride. After numerous, expensive vet sessions, we moved and changed vets. The new vet went deeper, did x-rays and found serious navicular. AS it turns out, the horse was spooking and bolting and bucking because of pain. He normally was a very quiet, well behaved horse. I was sick that this had been missed, but our vet had insisted that it was the suspensory and he wouldn't x-ray. I loved this vet and thought the world of him...but he was wrong.:mad:
Make sure there are no pain issues. Good luck.