How to keep my mare calm....year round?

Question

I have an 8, almost 9 year old american quarter horse mare named Bailey. I show mostly at our county fair in the middle of July. I don't really ride in winter, because I don't have a good place to ride other than the pasture, or fields around my house. During fair week, she is amazing, and does what I ask. She is an incredible contester, as well as reiner and dressage horse. We are starting jumping this year too. I've been riding almost ten years, have had horses for most of my life. My problem with Bailey is that she is so jumpy and psycho during off-season. Every year I have to pretty much re-train her. I know I need to ride more in winter, but what else can I do to have her calm all the time. Last year, in April, I took her to a clinic and the trainer thought she was a green young mare. Shes been ridden for 5 or 6 years, not green. I love riding her, we open up in the fields in fall and just FLY. But I went to ride the other day and couldnt get on her by our trailer.

please, I would really appreciate some tips and tricks in how to maintain peace and control with my mare. I lost my 23 year old wonder-arab mare chestara last month, and I loved how I could get on her in the pasture with no halter or bridle and ride. the other day, i got so upset i was crying, with tears freezing to my face, screaming how bailey would NEVER be as good as chester, and how I just don't know what to do anymore. now all the pain is rushing back, and i feel so awful. I just want that with bailey, riding bareback, feeling free but in control, and calm. horses are the biggest joy in my life, and I want to just not worry about keeping a tight rein and try to slow her down. also, any tips on training my 21 month old appendix gelding. he will probly be a hunter, and he is the most laid back horse in the world. i can probably get on him without him moving an inch, he doesn't care about stuff when i put it on the first time. anyways, thanks to all, and God bless!

Answer 1

Take her of all hot feed,she will quieten down.

Answer 2

If your mare is an Arab, or primarily of that breeding, make sure that you are not feeding her large amounts of feed with molasses in it. Molasses, which is a by product of sugar refining ( it's what gives brown sugar its color) tends to make Arabs and Thoroughbreds very hot and spooky. Most so called sweet feeds are usually full of this stuff, and there are some horses that just can't handle it. Otherwise, make sure you either ride daily, or find some other way to exercise your mare- longing would be useful, or you can let your mare live outside. You may also want to have your vet test your mare's hormone levels- they tend to be erratic in the early spring, when the breeding season is just starting, and that may be contributing to your problems. Mares can be put on therapy that will correct imbalances which may also help. Good luck !!!

Answer 3

Hello. I am an adult show competitor and board my gelding, Riley, year round with my trainer. He is 7 and has had this problem before. He does not spook, but is very unpeaceful and agitated at times. I use a product called Quiessence. It is all natural....using vitamin supplements to even out his temper. He shows during the summer and spends winters stalled and not worked. He used to have a lot of the problems your mare is experiencing. This product is great, its main ingredient is magnesium...a mineral. There are NO harmful drugs. It is legal to use within breed show rings, so you know it is not a drug. I can gaurantee you will love this stuff. I get it from www.smartpakequine.com It comes in individual packets, and all you do is open one a day and feed it to them. This makes it easy to get the right amount and stuff. It is preportioned, with your horse's name on it...all by the company. It is not at all expensive. It is $19.95 plus $6.95 shipping, for an entire month. You can choose to buy it every month or they will auto ship it. It is not a club to sign up or anything. You can also get their whole catalog free to look at all of their products. Just go to their website and search for it by name or under calming supplements. A lot of people speak out against supplements, but if they are not drugs, just vitamins...there is nothing wrong with it. This is great stuff and very cheap. You can use it year round, of course, because it is not a drug. He is now much more peaceful, accepting of situations and much more even-tempered.

Answer 4

This may sound strange , but the less you work her ,over the extent of the off season- the easier it will be to take the edge off at the show(she will tire more easily) .People tend to think the more you work your horse the easier he will be to handle-its actually the opposite it will make him more fit. I used this technique with my older mare and showed her for ten years!Believe it or not , sometimes horses act "high" and will be just plain naughty to get OUT of work because they actually hurt somewhere.Just be sure to do light work with her the week before and have your vet fully check to see if everything checks out.Also, have the dentist (if you have one) check to see if the bit is causing any pain in her mouth-this can make horses very stressed and hard to calm. As for your young horse, the best advice is to make their first experiences as pleasant as possible-pick and choose carefully where to show him. Think about it, a horseshow is alot for a young horse to deal with. Sometimes my trainer will bring young horses to shows to just hang out and get the feel of what it is all about before throwing them into the show ring. REMEMBER the first experiences a young horse has will shape how he turns out in the later years.Oh-dont feed your mare any high or "hot" feed (Platinum performance-etc.)Stick to oat hay and flax if you need a good supplement-Im so sorry about your loss - I lost my "crazy" mare whom I loved dearly 2 yrs ago and I still cry when I think about her..
Good luck-

Answer 5

Have you ever thought about aromatherapy? It's really great it's homopathy and I've been reading about it. Also there's something called Tellington Touch(t-touch) it really relaxes horses. You can massage oils into their skin and put certain things in feed and water. You need to find a professional though. But you should really try it. Go to google and search for some people or stables and they could walk you through it. Good Luck

Answer 6

a shot of JD could help. or a Valium? just a thought