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Discussion on Incorrigible? or just being a three year old?
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Member:
Judyh
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Posted on Wednesday, Jan 3, 2007 - 9:46 pm:
My friend bought a three year old Haflinger filly. She was described as sweet, rides and drives, but green (of course, she's three). At first she was reasonably agreeable and pleasant to work with. She has become increasingly belligerent and almost aggressive. So, my friend has decided that this is not a good match and listed her for sale on Dream Horse. She received a phone call immediately from a woman who wanted to know if the horse went by another name when she bought her and when my friend confirmed that she had bought the filly under that name, the woman said that she had bought her a couple months earlier and that the filly had become so unmanageable that she had taken her back and demanded her money back. She described her as, "whacked." So now my friend knows that it was not just she who is a bad match. Both these women are fairly experienced horse women and have dealt with three year olds before. Now my friend is in a quandary - try to sell the horse; letting the buyer beware (certainly being up front about the filly's behavior); send her to the Haflinger sale which is coming soon; put her down (another point which I haven't talked about is that during the time she was looking for a Haflinger, an owner told her to avoid anything from the A line as they tended to be DIFFICULT.) This filly is, of course, from the A line. Have any of you heard this? She cannot, I didn't ask her why, take her back to the seller.
In talking with someone else, it was suggested that she have the filly evaluated by a trainer who specializes in behavior problems. Give this person a month to work with the filly to determine if she is a very strong willed filly who hasn't been given the necessary boundaries and discipline, or is she truly incorrigible. I think this might be the way to start.
What could you suggest?
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Member:
Alden
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Posted on Wednesday, Jan 3, 2007 - 10:50 pm:
Guessing from limited information I'd say this is a horse of above average in intelligence. The reason I say this is because she starts out sweet and willing, then becomes a handful. She's smart, takes a little time to check out the situation and then decides she can rule the roost. If she came off the trailer slashing and kicking then I'd say get rid of her, but in this case the right trainer can make her a very nice horse. A really great trainer can make a good horse of a 'slasher and kicker', but that's another post 
I personally like a spirited mare that makes me prove my worth, but many people don't have the time to spend on them. On the down side the wrong trainer could very well make her into a holy terror. I think some mares have to be handle a lot like stallions. I don't know what makes them like that but handled wrong and they will defend themselves.
So definitely find the right trainer, not necessarily a 'problem horse' trainer. I don't believe in 'problem horses' anyhow, only horses with people problems. If you don't agree put her out in a pasture and see if there's a problem, I doubt it, more than likely she'd be as happy as a bug in a rug.
Good day,
Alden.
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Member:
Maggienm
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Posted on Wednesday, Jan 3, 2007 - 11:02 pm:
Yup I agree with Alden. She is a good girl just being the boss.
The filly should not go to a trainer as a 'problem'. That can predispose even the best.
Lori
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Member:
Sjeys
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Posted on Wednesday, Jan 3, 2007 - 11:22 pm:
Absolutely send her to someone more experienced. Ask everyone you know for references; my filly made me think I was an idiot while my gelding (same age, same training) was a perfect doll...I sent the filly to an amazing trainer here in N. Texas who really turned her around without hurting her, scaring her or making it worse. She is now a thinking horse. One caveat, people will give you all kinds of references but dig deep and find out about how much the horse is turned out, how often (and how long at that age you probably just want 15-30 minutes a day) they'll be worked with, can you just show up unannounced to watch, what equipment do they use etc...otherwise this filly will hurt someone or be sent to slaughter and neither are her fault.
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Member:
Dove2
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Posted on Thursday, Jan 4, 2007 - 6:34 am:
Judy,
Can you provide a little more information please? How long has your friend had this filly? What does she do that makes her a handful? Can you check her "trainability" by doing some clicker training? Most horses love to get positive rewards and are eager to find the correct answers. Is the current owner a confident horse handler, or is she nervous around this horse?
Sorry for all the questions. I was just trying to get a better picture of the situation. My experiences with trainers has not been very good, mostly because many resort to punishment when they get frustrated. I think you may need a very patient, caring trainer to reduce the filly's anxiety level. Too bad Alden isn't closer.
Also, I know some breeds take longer to mature than other breeds. Is the Haflinger one of those breeds?
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Member:
Dtranch
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Posted on Thursday, Jan 4, 2007 - 8:05 am:
I agree with Alden. If she did not start as a handful, there are probably other factors at work here. The problem I see most often is that the horse is presented to riding before a good foundation is established. This is especially common with the "sweet" horse. They come along so nicely in early training, that many important components are ignored to get on with the riding, especially if wanting to sell the horse.
In my experience, I would take this horse back to a program of foundation and trust building and mastering basic maneuvers both from the ground and mounted. My guess is that in very short order, this horse would be a "sweetie" again.
In my opinion, the truly mean, aggressive, and incorrigible horse is extremely rare. Usually, only mishandled or misunderstood.
By the way, I have an opening in February ... LOL
DT
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Member:
Judyh
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Posted on Friday, Jan 5, 2007 - 12:08 pm:
Well, now I am embarrassed, but have to get back to those of you who were good enough to respond to my post.
My friend has decided to send this horse to the auction before she, the owner, gets hurt. My heart sank when I heard that, but I am not in a position to take the filly, nor am I willing to try and change my friend's mind. She is definitely afraid of her at this point and not willing to try and sell her privately as she doesn't want to be responsible for anyone getting hurt. She is hoping that she will go to an Amish home (we are located in South Eastern PA)and not to the killers. I cringe that I have to admit this to all of you, but had to be honest. Please don't think poorly of my friend. She has a couple hardship cases in her barn and just bought a horse from a man to keep him in her barn and away from harm. She is truly afraid of the filly.
Does anyone want her? I would be willing to buy her and give her to someone. I just can't take on the responsibility of caring for another horse.
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