Q. I went to a show, and the pony I rode went crazy. The barn we were at wasn’t that great, and she didn’t like it much. At home, she’s almost bombproof, but there she was all excited and whacky! It’s not like her, and at the show today she was PERFECT! We placed high in every class. Help me please, because I want her to be good all the time, not every few days!
A. You have presented a problem that is nearly impossible to diagnose online. The best riders and trainers spend a significant proportion of their time attempting to determine the ‘whys’ of equine behavior in any given situation and circumstance. You can not hope to avoid having your mare react similarly ‘crazy’ to the way she did at the earlier show unless you can figure out why she behaved as she did. Perhaps if you think back to that show, you’ll be able to identify possible causes for her unruly behavior. I’ll offer a number of possibilities for you to consider. If any of them seem applicable to your mare, let me know, and I’ll see if I can make any helpful remedial suggestions.
Was she in season? (many mares have ‘silent’ heats when they are not physically obviously in season, but may behave in a most distracted manner)
Was she separated from a barn buddy with whom she usually travels?
Was there a tack change?
Could the footing in the arena have been making her legs or feet sore? Was the ring deep, muddy, dusty, hard, uneven, rocky, or wet?
Was she suffering from any sort of physical malady?
Were there vehicles, loud music or other noises, or lots of active foot traffic adjacent to the arena? Moreso than at other shows?
Was the audience seated in bleachers above the level of the mare’s head?
Was the P.A. system particularly loud or static-y?
Was she fed and watered at the same regular feeding intervals and times she experiences at home?
Was there an aggressive or threatening animal stalled next to her at the show?
Did she have a bad trailer ride coming to the show?
Was it particularly hot and/or buggy?
How and when did she act ‘crazy’?
These are a few of the most obvious questions/scenarios that come to mind. I hope they help you determine the possible cause of your mare’s poor behavior.