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Aggressive Mare. I am scared she is going to hurt one of the other boarders....


Hi Franklin.

I have a 5 year old mare and I have had her for about 2 years now. We have had our share of battles and challenges. She is very alpha and pushy on the ground but she knows she can't push me or other people around until lately. She goes out with two other horses, a 2 year old gelding and a 6 year old mare.

So I took her to the round pen and worked on ground manners. She listens and does exactly what she is suppose to do quietly and respectfully. Then after that I turned her out and went on with my day. When I went to get her for her evening ride she came at me with her teeth showing and then stopped and swung her butt around and kicked at me. I try to stand up to her but she is quick and I am scared she is going to get me.

I put her out by herself to see if that would change her behavior and she was her old-self. Perfect!

I don't know what to do...
Amanda

Hi Amanda,

Well, you are definately on the right track with a lot of ground play (work) to keep her manners on track. The more the better. The interaction with the other horses could be prompting her attitude which spills over to her interaction with you. A way to modify her behavior is to put her to a task (work) immediately when she exhibits aggression towards you. I think you probably know this. But you need to be setup to do it immediately, such as in the round pen. You could carry a 'flag', dressage whip, leadrope or something to shake at her if she looks to be aggressive at all in the pasture. She may just do better by herself. Some horses are like that. If she does not need to be with the other horses for companionship or because of space constraints, keep her on her own. If you need to put her with the other horses, be prepared to fend her off and somehow get set up to put her to work the moment she seems aggressive. Be careful and keep me posted.

Sincerely, Franklin

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