nervous mare

Question
QUESTION: hi I have recently bought an 8yrs old cob cross hunter standing at 15.1 hh. She has only ever been used as a brood mare or so I have been told. She is very nervous and does not like to be touched, groomed and will not let you near her legs. she is also ear shy. Having said all this she has got a very sweet nature and has shown no aggression either in the field or in the stable. I feel she does want the attention because only after 3 days of owning her, she started coming up to me in the field and allowing me to put her head collar on very slowly with a treat.She leads really well and has not been spooky at all,infact she seems quite confident and relaxed while leading. she has even started putting her head over the stable door when Iam there and allowing me to stoke her head. But in the stable she just backs away I have stood in the stable for long periods partly ignoring her but giving her a treat when she comes to me and lets me touch her neck.Should I carry on with what Iam doing or Iam I doing some thing wrong.

ANSWER: Hi Paula

Thank you for the question and I will try  my best to help

Firstly   you have done everything  by the book, shown patience and understanding and not pushed her at all, THANK YOU!  Now carry on doing what you are doing  as  its the right way............. slowly gaining her trust is the key to all of this.  

She  might be one of those   mares who take along time to let people into her space, at least  she  hasn't tried to kick or bite you, one of my mares  as the same and its taken 18 months of patience to  get her to accept me in her space and  be happy about it, just take  things as you are doing.

You  could introduce some games into the   her day as well, just getting her to follow  you about the stable will do for a start, just gently walk round (if its safe to do so)  and get her to follow you, reward her when she does, but don;t force it.

Just keep on the path you have  started things will come with patience.





---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi just wanted to say thank you so much and to let you know I followed your advice and started gettting her to follow me around the stable and WOW after only doing this for a week she has allowed me to pick out all her feet and gently put her rug on. I did have some one holding her in the stable for me as she is still nervous but fantasic improvrment.Once again thank you

Answer
Hi Paula

Thank you  for getting back to me and letting me  know how things are going with you and your mare.  Often  its the time we spend at the start of  the partnership that determines how things will be later on.  Time spent quietly now will pay huge dividends  later.

Just continue to build on her trust and she will come  round to you and you and her will ahve the most  fanstatic  partnership where  trust and co-operativeness are the two main things  in it.