horses behavior

Question
Hi I have a young 9 month old miniature horse which is in with two other horses a big horse and another mini.  She is going well to lead and handle but everytime I separate her from the others she plays up rears and chucks a wobbly how is the best way to train her to be settled away from the others and for her to be relaxed on her own.  I thought if I put her in yard away from the others every few days until she adjusts that the right thing to do? and should I get cranky at her when she rears or try and calm her down Please any advice would be a great help

Answer
Your youngster is at the stage when it's all fun and games for her. Everybody is there for her amusement and if she is kept away from something she wants she is going to have a hissy fit out of frustration. Sound familiar? Well keep your cool, she won't be this way forever. She will settle down as she matures if you continue to handle her for short periods of time (20 minutes or so) a couple times a day EVERY day.
I don't always like to totally isolate any youngster from other horses at this stage, they need the social skills they gain from being a bratty kid around adults. Spend some time watching her interact with the others and eventually you will notice them setting boundaries on her behavior.
You need to establish boundaries with her as well. Do not expect her to behave as your other mature horses do, she isn't mature... she's just a kid yet. You can begin teaching her to respect you as Alpha instead of another playmate by giving her a sharp "NO" when she goes up followed by an immediate downward and back tug on her lead. Make her take several backward steps immediately when she rears. She can not rear when she is moving back. She is a miniature filly, it really shouldn't be too hard to control her direction of travel.
Keep your lessons short and focused. End on a good note always... Never give up on something you ask her to do.... change your objective if you have to but do not just say, "Ok then you don't have to step in the puddle if you don't want to" and then put her away...   Change tactics by approaching the puddle from a different angle, lead another horse through the puddle first and have her follow or turn her around and push her backwards into the puddle and lead her OUT of the puddle if you must but don't let her discover if she puts up a fuss she wins the round.
Youngsters are smart, they do nothing but learn, every new experience teaches them something. It's up to you to determine if what they learn will be good or bad. If you are having trouble keeping her attention for even a few minutes when you take her away from the other horses, try putting her in a pen or a stall out of sight of the other horses for 30 minutes or so... you leave too, just out of sight of course, she will raise holy hell trying to get back to her friends yelling and pacing back and forth.
Let her make her noise and then you return and pay attention to her for a few minutes, when she ignores you, leave her alone once more. Just for a while... then return and spend some time with her again. It doesn't matter what you do at this point... just being with her will make her see you as more then a playmate or a toy... She will begin to recognize you as the ONE who soothes her when she is frightened or upset.
Again always end the session on a good note, gradually returning her to her mates when she is calm again. Spend time grooming and fussing over her mates where she can see you and soon she will be eager for the same attention they are getting.
The key is to give affection and your attention when she is behaving in the manner you approve of. Do not fight her when she misbehaves, just tell her "NO" and put her to a task that you can enforce, such as backing up a step or two. If you get upset and try to slap her, she will quickly learn to evade you and it will become a game to her. You won't win that game.
Getting cranky isn't going to mean anything to her, calming her down isn't going to work either... She is DEMANDING something from you and you have to be unaffected by her tantrum and continue with whatever it is you are doing. Sometimes it is better to put her away in a "Time out" pen away from everybody for a little while until you are calm again. Just be sure the area you put her in is safe and secure.
Miniature horses can be wonderful pets if they are handled right. If you treat her like a dog or a child, she won't grow up and become a well adjusted horse... Train her now to be a well adjusted horse. Good luck...