Q. I recently rode a horse I haven’t ridden in a while, and she went berserk on me! She wouldn’t listen to any commands and she ran right out of the arena door while I was on her back! She galloped almost into a horse trailer. When I finally gained control and stopped her, I immediately dismounted! I, of course, got right back on and tried again! This time she ran down the alleyway. Another horse was in the crossties. There was nothing I could do but try to stop her. It didn’t work, so I did an emergency dismount to prevent a horse fight. Again I got back on. Similar incidents occurred. She’s even done it with my trainer! We closed the doors, of course, but you know, incidents still happened (even though open doors seem to trigger her bad behavior mainly). I know she hadn’t been ridden in a while, but is that really an excuse for such behavior?!?!? I thought not. I worked until she was somewhat under control, but still. I think she may be testing me and have too much energy. I was wondering if I rode her more often – her owner just hired me to do so – would she settle down? I also think that if I lunge her before riding it will settle her down a bit. What do you think?
This mare is 11 years old, bulky, and 15.1 hands high. I’m 5’4″ and 110 pounds. She’s normally an angel when she’s being ridden regularly, but she’s only been ridden sporadically in both western and hunt seats for a while. This was only the second time I’d ridden her. In the last session, I rode her walk/trot just to work her a little and ease her back into being ridden. She had other ideas. I worked her western. I ride hunt seat but I DO know what I’m doing riding western, so I do that sometimes.
I don’t know if she’s ever had any professional training because I’ve only known her for three months. This horse is low-key; she doesn’t run or play with other horses much. The girth and all equipment are fine, and nothing’s been changed; I DID check that! She’s not in season either. After my ride, she rolled, so I think she is physically fine!
A. A couple of points to bear in mind. Many horses will get a bit less responsive to aids and perhaps a little headstrong after a long lay-off, but few will become completely oblivious to the aids and unwilling to behave properly after just a couple of weeks of not being ridden. The fact that she’s usually very good but is only occasionally rowdy makes me wonder if she’s not possibly having a ‘silent’ heat. Some mares exhibit virtually no physical indications of being in season, but the behavior may still be affected. Secondly, don’t completely rule out the possibility of a muscular or neurological injury of some sort. Pain can motivate all sorts of nasty behaviors, and it’s sometimes very difficult to diagnose. It may be that she only feels pain when she’s bearing significant weight on her back. That would explain why you’re not seeing any indications of such when she’s out rolling in the field.
But let’s assume she’s neither in heat nor in pain. Let’s assume that she’s just full of herself and probably more than a little bored. First, the obvious. NEVER work this mare in the ring without ALL doors, gates, etc. closed and secured! You and/or the mare could have been very badly injured during her runaway escapes from the ring.
Lunging her to take the edge off before you ride is a very good tactic, but don’t do it for more than about 10 minutes total. Lunging is actually quite physically demanding on a horse. The constant circling can be very stressful on leg joints. Lunge for short periods only and make certain to spend equal time working in both directions at equal paces. You might want to lunge her saddled so you can watch how she reacts to light weight on her back. If she gives any indication of discomfort, you should explore the possibility of injury more fully.
Assuming you are using some sort of western curb bit, I would suggest you change to a mild snaffle. This will offer you considerably more direct rein control while protecting her mouth and chin from excessive use of the curb under emergency situations.
You are quite right to be working her lightly to give her a chance to regain adequate condition gradually. I suspect, though, that the *way* you are doing this light work may be at the root of your problem with this mare. I believe this mare may be bored to the point that she is finding it necessary to amuse herself in inappropriate ways (racing down the aisle). I’ve seen it happen many times, and the cure is simple. You must keep her physically and mentally occupied at all times. Keep your rides VERY brief (maybe 10-15 mins), and keep them action-packed every instant. This doesn’t mean going into the ring and racing around like a mad woman for 10 minutes. It means performing many, many, many easy transitions (walk, trot, halt, reinback) and many figures (circles, half-circles, reverses, changes of rein across the diagonal, riding the centerline, etc.) into your short sessions. Use many props – traffic cones, poles, tarps, etc. – to work around, through, and over. Don’t do ANY gait for more than 5-10 seconds at a time before making a transition into a different gait. I have never seen this rapid transition work fail to bring a rowdy horse back under control almost instantly. It makes them think and gives them something to occupy their bodies. It’s when an overactive animal gets bored that you’re going to find yourself in trouble again.
Do remember that rapid transition work is extremely exhausting for both horse and rider. It’s very intense and requires total concentration on both your parts. Short rides are the key – no more than 15 minutes at a time. And always quit on a good note. Don’t walk the mare out after your rides while still mounted until you are very confident that her attitude has calmed. It’s best to hand-cool her for a while.
Most importantly, if you feel unsafe or overfaced with this mare, don’t work with her. Pride doesn’t stand up in the face of physical injury, and getting back on after a fall or dismount is only admirable if you are not obviously foolish in doing so. Safety first!