So my new mare is extremely buddy sour. It’s really distracting because when I take her out to work her, she’s super anxious and not really paying attention to me. So today I rode her in the pasture and as soon as she got anxious for the boys, I rode her over to them and really worked her, trotting her in pretty fast circles then after a while let her walk away. By the time we were done riding she wasn’t really so eager to get back to the boys, because she knew it meant she was going to have to really work. Does anyone else have any suggestions for buddy sour horses?
Routine. Routine. Routine. I would not really go with the “trotting in fast circles” type deal. Seems like maybe you just exhausted her and she gave up. If it were me I would consistently take her away from her buddies and not ALWAYS just to work. Groom her, just walk her, graze her. If she seems anxious then again, I would stray from any activity where you are going to create more of a sense of hysteria i.e. trotting in frantic circles.
I had/have a buddy sour horse. Somedays it’s just a lost cause, but usually I can get him focused by making him listen to me.
Make her work mentally and physically. Don’t just trot her in mindless circles. Do serpentines, figure 8’s, transitions, transitions and more transitions between gaits and within the gait. Change the flexion, lateral work, circles, leg yield (on a circle). Make her balance herself ad think about what your asking her to do. Don’t give her big breaks or she’ll just refocus on her buddies.
Well I wouldn’t say they were really frantic, I was pushing her a bit but they were controlled circles. I am also trying to spend a lot of time on the ground with her. I’ve been doing ground work in the round pen as well as just grooming, etc. I want her to trust me enough that she doesn’t need to be with her buddies. It’s hard for me to establish a completely concrete routine because my time is limited, but I’m doing the best I can with that.
I worked on this just last night with my young pony. He’s being ground driven, and at first was a little distracted by the big horses also riding in the arena. Then they left! So we did lots of transition, serpentines, driving around little cones, things that made him focus on what he was doing and keeping him moving forward. After starting to throw a fit when they left he pretty quickly gave up.
Something else pretty interesting happened…during one of the circles she just stopped. Like trot-halt, not moving an inch, no m’am stopped. And she would. not. move. I kicked and smacked her butt and tried to circle her (found out she’s a lot more flexible then she’d led me to believe) but nothing. My mom finally came outside and asked if I was okay and was able to get my whip for me. After a few good taps she moved forward. Anyone else ever have this happen to them?? I’d prefer to anticipate the halt so I can drive her forward before she’s actually able to put on the brakes. Sorry, guess that’s kind of a tangent…
I’ve learned that the mare/gelding relationship can get particularly strong and make separation difficult for both/either of them. The best solution, if possible, is to avoid mixed herd turnouts. It works for some horses, but others become hopelessly attached and can be difficult when apart. My mare and gelding developed such a relationship, and I had to separate them into different paddocks; eventually they were able to go back together, but I made sure they spent a little time apart each day-- different stalls, riding them individually, etc. In mare-only herds, or gelding-only herds, there is less chance of a super strong bond happening. Some of it is hormonal…in season, some mares get incredibly distracted by potential suitors and it takes a purposeful rider to keep her attention.
When horses spend 23hrs a day doing what they want with a best friend, it’s tough to convince them that YOU are their best friend. There’s no easy fix, it takes time and consistency. If at all possible, break up the mare/gelding relationship (it will be ugly in the beginning) and get your horse’s focus back on you.
[QUOTE=camilouwho;7202997]
Like trot-halt, not moving an inch, no m’am stopped. And she would. not. move. I kicked and smacked her butt and tried to circle her (found out she’s a lot more flexible then she’d led me to believe) but nothing. My mom finally came outside and asked if I was okay and was able to get my whip for me. After a few good taps she moved forward. Anyone else ever have this happen to them?? [/QUOTE]
Have her checked for pain issues - ulcers are always an “easy” place to start (they are very common in horses & if she’s prone to ulcers, the stress of a new home is all it would take), check saddle fit (with an actual saddle fitter 
)
Re the buddy sour:
I think you’ve not had this mare long, so I’d try to arrange for her to have some solo paddock/pasture time until she settles, switching up her turnout group may help as well - once she’s confident & established in her new home/new people, she may be more confident about leaving the herd …
[QUOTE=EventerAJ;7203695]
I’ve learned that the mare/gelding relationship can get particularly strong and make separation difficult for both/either of them. The best solution, if possible, is to avoid mixed herd turnouts. It works for some horses, but others become hopelessly attached and can be difficult when apart. My mare and gelding developed such a relationship, and I had to separate them into different paddocks; eventually they were able to go back together, but I made sure they spent a little time apart each day-- different stalls, riding them individually, etc. In mare-only herds, or gelding-only herds, there is less chance of a super strong bond happening. Some of it is hormonal…in season, some mares get incredibly distracted by potential suitors and it takes a purposeful rider to keep her attention.
When horses spend 23hrs a day doing what they want with a best friend, it’s tough to convince them that YOU are their best friend. There’s no easy fix, it takes time and consistency. If at all possible, break up the mare/gelding relationship (it will be ugly in the beginning) and get your horse’s focus back on you.[/QUOTE]
not true for all tho…my mare was a herdbound nutjob when she was turned out with other mares…now with a gelding she is a different horse. not herd bound even a teeny tiny little bit!
Unfortunately we’ve got one pasture and no option for solo turnout. She’s at my house while we wait for a spot to free up at my trainer’s. She was a lot better today though. I spent a lot of time grooming/tacking up, working on getting her to put her head down, doing some carrot stretches, etc. then worked her in the backyard near the boys at first which kept her relaxed and then we moved to the front yard where they were out of sight. At first she was really anxious but we did a lot of transitions and figure eights and some more stretching, this time with me on her back, and by the end she was a lot calmer.
Also, I don’t think the not moving thing was due to pain. She was showing no other signs of discomfort. Her topline is really lacking right now but I ride in a Mattes corrector pad so the saddle fits reasonably well. She’d stopped once before but I was able to get her moving again with a couple good kicks. I think it’s just a little bit of attitude. When she stops it’s a dead stop. I don’t feel anything other than the stop- nothing explosive, no fidgeting in discomfort, etc. If it becomes a real issue I will definitely have the vet check her out or take a closer look at the saddle.
