My name is Nala.
Doreen Higham of New York State rescued me many years
ago. As you can see, Doreen has her own strange ideas of
dressing me up for a cold winter? Really, I don't think
the red gloves go with this hat, do they? But we won't
tell my Doreen, now will we!
YEARLING FILLY HAS NO
RESPECT
QUESTION: I have a
yearling filly that I raised myself. She is full of
herself and when I groom her, she swings over against me
and literally pins me to the wall. She also thinks that
kicking at me might be a good idea, but I did manage to
change her mind on that one. She also does not stand tied
very well as she doesn't have the patience for it. What
can I do to make her stop pinning me?
ANSWER: She has no respect for you. She is getting
into your space and misbehaving because she needs to learn
RESPECT.
(1) Make sure she is getting all the free exercise that
she needs. (2) Work her in a round pen. She needs to learn
to GO AWAY when told to and STOP AND STAND
nicely when told to. (3) When she swings into you, use your
finger to press on her middle rib section until she moves
away. This giving to pressure does not work if you push with
a steady pressure. The horse only pushes back. Instead with
your finger (some people use their Hoof Pick for cleaning
out horses feet), press and release, press and release until
she moves away. (4) Some horses, especially thin skinned
ones resent certain grooming brushes, etc. She may be
swinging into you to get you to stop. Many horses do. Try a
softer or different grooming brush, curry comb etc. (5)
Teach this mare to stand tied. Tie her up more often and
leave her alone for a few hours. This works big time in
teaching them patience, which appears to be another thing
she is lacking. Tie her up and walk away. And for two to six
hours, several times. Tie her to a sturdy, stout post. One
that will not give if she pulls. With a stout, strong
halter and lead rope. Higher than the top of her withers.
Approx. the length of your arm only. Patience and Respect
are two things all horses must learn to be a willing partner
in our lives.
