Back on track for a second… did OP or owner ever come back with a video?
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Not saying this is happening in your case! but sometimes when we’re relaxing with a youngster we fail to keep the conversation going, they check out and go on autopilot without us noticing and then, boom, something catches them by surprise and gets them out of their reverie in a hurry and we’re left thinking that their brain has short circuited. Again, not saying this is what’s happening with yours as I know and have ridden that type where everything IS in place and boom happens anyway. Then we’re left going, damn it, everything WAS in place. lol
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Oh it totally could be when we’re on a trail ride, I’m looking around enjoying the scenery or gabbing with someone. WHOOSH there she goes!
She just needs more miles, IMO. Ridden ones, because I can walk her anywhere (and have) from the ground.
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Hi all,
Sorry I haven’t responded. Work went insane with the new year.
I haven’t ridden the mare on the advice of the trainer. He suggested waiting until the vet/blood work comes back. If she does have a hormonal issue (ovarian tumor etc), it’s not worth it to ride her through pain/discomfort. He did come out yesterday to help me with some ground work/other anxiety exercises for her. He immediately saw things he didn’t like. (How she wouldn’t focus on him or chose to not engage with him and instead stay focused on the barn. She would do mini tests to see if she could assert dominance over him etc) .
He also suggested endotapping for her and suggested I look up the woman behind it. (Forgot her name) thinking it may help her to release some issues stored in the fascia.
Vet comes Friday so I should have some answers mid next week.
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This may not be possible, but is there large-ish herd somewhere she could join with a really good but dominant lead mare. She sounds really insecure-dominant and if she’s always on high-alert, it’s got to affect her hormones, physical well-being, etc. Does she sleep outside in the pasture or in her stall ever? For an anxious horse to feel safe enough to sleep is a good sign.
I think the trainer is a great idea and hopefully works out, but I’d also look into some R+ or clicker training. It’s a good way to really analyze how to breakdown a big behavior into smaller, repeatable chunks that build upon each other. It may help you figure out how to break apart the big issue of “getting too far from the barn alone and spinning” into very small steps that offer her a lot of reward early for the correct behavior.
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Ill take her! Can we see her conformstion? Has she had any dressage training? Sounds pike she is not allowing the ride to have access to shoulders or neck.
Sure it does. When a horse is fearful, they are using the reactive side of their brain. (fight or flight)
That’s what it means to try to control the switch, or at least be able to get the switch back to the thinking side as quickly as you can. As already said. Numerous times.
Maybe the 1,000 repetitions of “please give me your nose to the side” that you did while standing on the ground beside the horse can now be a tool that you use from the saddle in the exact same fashion. The only difference is now you are in the saddle when before you were on the ground. It’s a familiar move, a familiar cue, that can bring the horse’s mind back to you when you repeat the repetitions from the saddle. They might be freaking out about something (they’ve flipped the switch to reactive mode) and you go into muscle memory of asking them to “please give me your nose to the side” that all of a sudden, flips their brain back into thinking because now it is familiar to them on what you are asking, and you’ve regained control of the situation.
THAT is how it can help.
No, that is not what I said.
I said: " So in this example, if you cannot SEND them through the water ahead of you (and the horse will only follow you) then it’s a ground work issue that can be improved with training. Which will transfer benefits while under saddle!"
Ground work will HELP riding problems and gives you tools to help them.
Nothing is going to ever eliminate something 100% forever. But it sure can help when things arise.
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I am NOT giving away my mare to a random on the internet.
She is not for sale. She will never be for sale. I have a farm she can be retired at.
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Yes! I watched the videos and a friend of mine swears by the program. She used it on ALL of her horses.
I think this was a joke. It’s a thing here (and elsewhere on the internet) to offer to ‘take this problem off your hands’ when the problem is a lovely thing that the owner of said “problem” has no intention of parting with. All tongue in cheek.
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Hard to say it’s tongue n cheek when someone is asking for confirmation pictures and asking about dressage training……
Also, I, as BO, had mentioned selling, the owner has never said the mare was for sale.
Who would want a Neurological mare anyway? I thought you were convinced she had neuro problems ….
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Yeah thanks 
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Tongue and cheek and things like confo pics and dressage training help us understand the picture.
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I am not convinced of anything in regards to the mare’s health or training. Apart from a very few on this thread who may be convinced of one thing or another, you got basically what you asked for - suggestions and thoughts, no absolutes, no diagnoses, and all delivered with care and concern.
Perhaps all these requested and freely given suggestions and thoughts were received with a tad less grace than might be warranted. But that’s my opinion, maybe your replies were gracious. It’s hard to tell on the internet and all
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I’m not sure if you read my responses or not regarding her vet work or if you ignored them, but you did insist the mare get seen, even though she has been seen.
I’ve gotten good suggestions here as well as several PMs for trainers. (It’s how I found the one coming)
The suggestions were not taken in vain, including the ground work discussion, despite what you may think or want to imply. There is a lot of discussion privately as well.
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I didn’t insist on a damn thing. If you take suggestions and thoughts as edicts that’s your warp, not mine.
Seriously, I understand both you and your BO are seriously stressed about this, but, wow. Inability to see jokes. Taking suggestions and thoughts as commands. Repeatedly harping on people about reading/not reading posts. Yikes. I suggest a large glass of your favourite beverage a cat (or dog) or three and a good, funny movie this evening. <-- that right there? Also a suggestion. No-one is going to be checking up on either of you that you’ve completed the task.
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After my initial post, YOU said to seriously get a thorough neuro exam.
I’m not sure how much more thorough you wanted than New Bolton? (Or perhaps you didn’t know what NBC stood for, which if you didn’t, I apologize for the snark )
As I said before, a vet comes tomorrow and is willing to investigate the other suggestions given here. (Much appreciated)
The trainer, assuming she physically checks out, has a plan starting with simple ground work exercises. The plan it to get her relaxed and focused on the ground everywhere on the property. From there, it will move to mounted work near the barn slowly gaining her confidence and trust in the rider (from the saddle) instead of the emotional support human on the ground.
He is guessing 6-12 months depending on how she behaves. (Hence having multiple different plans)
I’ll keep everyone updated as to what the vet says and progress with the trainer.
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The mare had done some dressage. Most jumpers. When she does this, she braces the right side of her body so you can’t bend her right, throws her head in the air, and throws her shoulders/body left. This is where the other trainer would spin her in tight circles to left to get her to submit when it appeared to be a right sided resistance.
There are not enough rofl emojis in the world.
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Yeah, a dressage trainer can make that neck more soft and supple so she cant use it against you.
