cinchy mare

Question
Hi,

We recently purchased a mare that is 15 years old and was used a lesson horse and is very cinchy.  She will stand perfectly still for grooming and her feet but as soon as I put the saddle pad on her she starts moving her feet and also with the saddle.  When we try to cinch her she acts as though she wants to bite me and lifts her hind leg as if to kick.  I try to cinch her slowly but it starts even with the pad alone.  Is there hope for her?  I just really don't want the problem to get worse.

Thank you!

Answer
Hi Staci,
Yes there is always hope for a horse. From what you describe the horse was a lesson horse. I would guess that she was cinched quite a bit then and used almost daily. I could be she had been cinched tight during those times without cinching slowly. It's hard to say at this point without a full history of the mare. First, I would make sure there isn't a medical back problem with her. I would suggest having your vet check her out to see if that might be causing the problem. I would also check for saddle fit. If you don't know how then get a qualified person to exam how your saddle fits your horse. If no back problem and the saddle fits then I would move on to correcting the horse. It would then be a matter of respect. If she acts as if she might kick out, stand at a 45 degree angle from the front shoulder. This will put you in the safest position to saddle your mare. You will be too far to the side to be struck by her lashing out with her front hooves and too far to the front for her to kick you. Remember, safety is first. You can't train a horse in the ER. Next I would place the pad on her back. Don't sneak it on...just casually place it on her back. Act like "nothing to it". If her head comes around to bite, have your elbow there for her to "run into it". Don't hit her. Just let her think..."I ran into her elbow..silly me". Then it was her that hit your elbow, not you hitting her. Next I would place the saddle on her back. Make sure it's in the proper position and not rubbing her shoulders. Cinch it snuggly. Not tight. Just enough it won't fall off. Lunge her for a minute or two. Then snug it up some more. Lunge her a minute or two more. Finally, tighten the cinch. If at anytime during the process she moves her feet, let her. In fact, make her. If she wants to move then make it your idea. Move her feet forward, back, left and right. Hustle her feet. Make her trot in circles, changing directions. This won't work by letting her just walk around. She has to move. Do you see a pattern here? If she wishes to move, make her change directions....alot. She will soon discover that standing still is MUCH EASIER. Moving means work. Standing still means relaxing. Make the wrong thing hard and the right thing easy. If not, then the problem will grow and sooner or later she will strike out and hurt you. Good luck and please feel free to get back in touch with me. Please stay safe.