# My horse is now jiggy and anxious while trail riding



## annaleah (Jul 6, 2010)

Sounds to me like she is herdbound....and that can be an issue...and something I am not too familiar with...none of the horses I have ever had have been that way so I'm not much help, but hopefully someone will chime in that has some experience in this that can help you..good luck..


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## mildot (Oct 18, 2011)

San818 said:


> Afraid to correct her in circles etc due to the area and a lot of kids. I felt bolting and bucking was probably going to happen.


Hate to be a MMQB but here it goes anyway.

You say you felt unsafe in getting her attention by circling etc due to the area and kids around. Yet right after that you say that you think a bolt or a buck was going to happen.

Now which one of those presentes a greater danger to bystanders: 

1) A frisky, jiggy horse getting schooled and still somewhat under control of the rider.

Or

2) A bucking or bolting horse.

I'm gonna go with door number 2.

I don't have a cure for your herdbound problem. I just wanted to point out that your risk analysis could have been better. You were in a difficult position, and letting the jigginess escalate into a panic would have been bad news if you were already concerned for bystanders.


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## xxBarry Godden (Jul 17, 2009)

San
I am going thru similar problems with my own mare - maybe there is something in the air.

But if you are losing your confidence, as it reads you are, you need some on the ground help from an experienced horse and rider trainer.

A nappy horse that you think might bolt, might well bolt. 
And that would be no fun.


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## pintophile (May 18, 2011)

I don't know why she would experience a 'sudden' change like that after her layoff. It happens sometimes, but I've never quite understood why. 

I have found that bending them, sort of walking on a 45 degree angle with their butt pushed to the side, and letting them straighten out only when they stop jigging, works. Does that make sense? So if the horse starts jigging, for example take the head slightly to the right, and put your right leg on to push the butt to the right. I don't know why, but it has always worked for me.

I am going to tell you what my trainer taught me that worked for one of my mares that I had problems with trail riding. And I don't know if this will work for yours, I never met her and I've never met you, but it worked amazingly for me.

This mare I'm talking about is super brave and very willing, but just _super_ sensitive and with a little bit of 'go' when she gets anxious. 

I always wanted to give her more freedom, give her more rein when she got anxious. This was the wrong thing to do with her. She wanted to know someone else is in charge at all times, and I found that the easiest thing to do in dealing with her anxious behaviour is to not let her get into that state of mind at all.

You want to take the reins pretty short and really even, keep the head up and pointing straight (or wherever you want it to turn), and keep your hands around the crest of the neck. You want to make sure you are so square and tall and strong, so nothing can move you. Even if the horse did a 180, you'd still be in that tall, square position right over its centre. Basically, you want to give yourself as much control as you can.

I'm a western rider, and at first I was resistant to this way of riding. I wanted the horse to go along with its head down on a loose rein, and be able to neck rein...all that stuff. I was told that's fine, but when your horse is being an idiot, if it's actually wanting to buck and bolt like yours is, control is way more important than looking quiet and westerny. 

And you basically want to ride in a confident, strong manner. You probably won't want to gallop around out of control, naturally, but picking up a good strong trot, weaving, doing circles, even cantering if you're comfortable that (s)he's not going to buck or bolt...give the horse work to do, something to think about, something that proves that you are in control.

My horse improved by leaps and bounds (and so did I) when we both knew who was in control, and that the person in control was confident. Again, I can't say for sure if this will work for you, but it did for me, and it's worth a try.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

The barn came to represent a lot of security for her. Being too far away was beginning to upset her. Perhaps try working her hard near the barn, then walking her out. If she feels tense, walk her back and work her hard again. The barn will begin to lose it's appeal. Take the time to do this until she will go at least a 1/4 mi without tensing. When you get back, again work her hard, then tie her up where you can keep an eye on her. Leave her saddle on and let her stew. When you do put her away, don't feed her right away if that is what you normally do. The next time you ride, repeat this. She will test you periodically as that is what horses do, and that is why you will do periodic reminders.


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## Shropshirerosie (Jan 24, 2012)

It sounds like she's lost her confidence and has become nappy. Just a consequence of the period recovering from the injury. I'd say you need to do a lot of working her on her own - taking her away from the herd. Start off with only short trips out and build both her and your confidence back up. 

Each time you get back to the yard, she needs to remember 1) you took her where you wanted to go, and she had to follow your lead and 2) she survived and relaxed.


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## xxBarry Godden (Jul 17, 2009)

It was said to me yesterday by a vet, that since my mare is undoubtedly of the bossy sort, I must accept that she is alert. In the wild she would have been super alert, reacting to any strange phenomenon which might represent a threat to her or her group. Some mares are born for the role.

What's more the vet said that if she were allowed to have a foal, then my mare would train the foal to be alert also.

When put that way, I wonder if the reasoning behind a mare being skittish is not just hormones, or pain through some health issue but rather heightened alertness because that is her role in the (notional) herd.

I once watched a Welsh section C , herding a small feral herd of other Cs, when we, a group of 5 riders, encroached upon her terrain. The mare sent the stallion over to harry we riders whilst she moved the other ponies out of reach.
The stallion for a little pony gave us a hard time but when he saw the mare and the herd were far enough away, he turned away from us and went after his 'family'.

It all fits with my mare's behaviour.


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

Horses will sense how their riders feel and take cues from that. So, if you are anticipating a problem from your horse (because there was one last ride) then your horse will sense that and start anticipating a problem too because obviously you've sensed there is a problem. You feel your horse tense up, start looking around and generally spooky so you tense up more. Your horse feels you tense up more and starts jumping at the slightest bit of whatever because obviously every bush is hiding a monster. It's called a negative feedback loop and is rather common. I know someone who has taken several bomb proof horses and had them spooking at everything within a year by doing just that.

What you have to try and do is train yourself to ride relaxed, with confidence even when your'e so nervouse you want to puke. Now this might not actually be your horses issue but she will recover much faster if you do ride this way.


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## Shropshirerosie (Jan 24, 2012)

Barry Godden said:


> It was said to me yesterday by a vet, that since my mare is undoubtedly of the bossy sort, I must accept that she is alert. In the wild she would have been super alert, reacting to any strange phenomenon which might represent a threat to her or her group. Some mares are born for the role.


My girl is an ex-brood mare, and she can be very bossy, very alert, very nappy, very dominant, and very herd-orientated.

Which is why I felt qualified to offer my opinion to your problem!

Yes, I agree with what you and your vet have said; I've reached the conclusion that with Rosie I need to be THE ALPHA MARE in our little herd, and she comes a very close second. Sometimes.


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## Palomine (Oct 30, 2010)

One thing I would look at is what you are feeding her. As she is older, she may be getting feed/hay that is too "hot" for her now.

Take some of your hay in and have it analyzed by your vet to see where it is at.

And you might look into a feed with less carbs/molasses/corn, if she is getting that. And just because you haven't changed her feed, doesn't mean it is reacting same way now as it did years ago, OR that company didn't tinker with the formula and it is very different.

But feed/hay will cause some major changes in horses, and is one of the easiest things to fix too.

I've known TWH/Racking Horses that got like this on crimped oats, and a QH that would be hanging from stall rafters after one flake of peanut hay. Just climbing out of his skin.

Worth a try. Keep a notebook of what you are trying and what you are seeing with her, so you can have a record of changes.


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## bellagris (Dec 6, 2010)

Did she have a lot of time off? If you're not graining her up she definitely sounds her bound and barn sour (unless she is losing eyesight, then she could be nervous, have you had this checked?) If she is just being herd bound, I would put her in another pasture with other horses or alone to start to break that up a bit. I would ride her away from the barn and make her go forwards non-negotiable...as for turning around and the ride home, when she tries to run home I would turn her right back around and ride her in the opposite direction until she stops acting up. Then I would stop for a moment, turn around and start back towards home again...if she acts up, turn right back around and ride the other way until she is calm. Repeate, Repeat, Repeat lol...you could be in for a long ride, but if you go until she is tired of fighting or until she is pooped either way she will walk home slowly at the pace you're asking. 

When my mare tries to take off with the other horses on the way in or run away from something (rather than just run home), I spin her until she stops then make her walk. She tries to take off, I spin her and let her stop and calm then mpove out again. I find the repeat button very effective. :0 )


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