Does Anyone Else Have a Filly that...

[MyMiniGal]

I'm assuming Halo is still a Filly. They are called that until they hit over 4, right? Anyway, Halo never plays, she won't play with toys, and even when I had her with other mini's, she wouldn't play with them at all. Just stands there looking at them, like they are nuts, especially if they are geldings. LOL I always said she is the older sister, who thinks she too "mature" for such things.

She mainly likes to walk. Getting her to trot can be something else, most times. Takes a lot to get her to do it. She absolutely hates lunging, which due to her age, being a little over 2, I have only done about 3 times in two months. If you push her too far, she has what I call melt downs, and starts rearing. I work with autistic children, at times, and she reminds me of one of them, when she feels overwhelmed. So I am learning to read her, and pull back and get her to do something I know she will, so we always end on a good note. But I had always thought horses loved to trot and run around. She has been this way, since the day I got her, so this is nothing new. I know she is healthy, it is just her personality. She loves to do obstacles, as long as you are just walking and doing them. The guy who cleans her paddock, keeps telling my husband, that Halo is bored, because she doesn't run and jump around. We, of course, know her better than he does and know that is just her personality. She is just one that loves to be loved on, most of the time, and enjoys a nice walk. I am hoping she takes to ground driving...walking at first, of course. But wonder if she won't, due to she just doesn't want to do anything. LOL My lazy girl. Does anyone else have a mare/filly this way, and if so, how do you get them excited to do things?

 

[happy appy]

Sugar only gets excited when she sees the cart! then you have to hold her back! She is 7 now and I have had her for 6 of those years.

 

[wingnut]

None of my girls "play" either. That said, in the cooler months, they do enjoy a round of "Let's see who can run the fastest!" in the drylot/barnyard. They give us a bit of angina when they do because the invariably like to do this when it's muddy and the charge right at stuff like fences only turning sharply at the last second to avoid a collision!

I love it when they do this and especially when the two sisters get tired and start cheating by taking shortcuts.

 

[MyMiniGal]

Well, may be there is hope, that she will love the ground driving and cart. I sure hope so.

 

[Helicopter]

It takes a lot of wind to make my lot move.

On the other hand my donkeys play heaps.

 

[chandab]

This morning, just as the UPS truck drove up, the saddle horses came charging in full tilt from the big pasture; including my APHA mare.

My minis, it depends on the day, some times the girls are full of themselves and race around, but most of the time they are content to stuff their faces.

 

[BeeBopMini]

Even my 18 yr. old runs around with the younger ones. You might want to check if she has any stiffness in her joints, especially if she is going to be put to cart. The grown mares don't go crazy (onless its windy or colder) but they do run around if all the yearlings & weanlings are on the move

 

[MyMiniGal]

I find it funny, as my mini does almost everything I ask, as long as I keep it slow. I have gotten her to trot in hand, and she acted like she loved it. Then the next time I asked...two days later, she would have no part in it. I didn't have my crop with me, and my lead line wasn't reaching behind me to get her going, so I guess, I am going to have to make sure I have my crop with me, to tap her hip, if she decides to not want to do it. One good thing, at least so far...she has never spooked and took off on me. She may startle and jump, but has never tried to run off.

I've had her checked, and she is fine. This truly is just her personality. She is just laid back, I guess.

 

[amysue]

Dont worry, every horse has their own personality. She is just mature for her age. She may have not learned to play as a baby either, that is a learned social skill. I have mares who play like class clowns and some are quiet old uptite biddies. Consider it a plus that she is so calm and focused. She obviously enjoyes her socialization time with you so use that to your advantage. Teach her to drive, navigate obstacles and maybe she can become a kids or therapy horse. Enjoy her just the way she is. A calm reliable horse is worth her weight in gold. The time to be concerned is if she loses her appetite or seems sore or off or has a fever. But it sounds like shes just calm and level headed.

 

[MyMiniGal]

Oh, I love her this way! I have always said, her and I were made for eachother, as I am not a runner, or anything like that either. I've thought about using her as a therapy horse, and I am so hoping she will love to drive. I was just curious if others had any that had this same type of personality.

 

[Max's Mom]

A relaxed, laid back personality is awesome, and will likely make her very good with kids. I do think that you can and probably should begin to work with her more on trotting when asked and moving on the lunge line. Relaxed and mature doesn't equal unwilling to work when asked. To be a driving or obstacle horse, she will need to learn to respond to your commands even if she doesn't feel like it, and just like people, it isn't healthy for horses to be sedentary.

 

[MyMiniGal]

Yeah, she can be a bit stubborn, at times, and we are working on that. I take her for several walks, a week, and we have just really started trotting in hand. She use to cross over in front of me, but she doesn't do that anymore, so we are making progress.

 

[HGFarm]

I agree they all have different personalities but I have noticed that the girls never play to the extent that the boys do. Because your filly is on the lazy side, lol, I wonder if her 'melt downs' are just to get out of doing stuff she doesnt want to do? I would try working her through some of that, or she is learning that if she has a fit, she can do something else, and then is done for the day?? I would try to work her through her 'melt downs' (I got a whole visual on that, LOL) and then end on something good. These little guys are so smart and I think quickly learn ways to get out of doing something, or ways of getting into stuff, LOL

 

[MyMiniGal]

We are working her through her melt downs. There is only one time she has a melt down...and like I said, we are working on that. I was just wondering if other's have filly's/mares that have this personality. I don't know if she is being lazy, when she has the melt downs. She is still very young, and if they keep having the melt down, over and over again, then I see it as either her mind has shut down, or we aren't asking things right. So, if we just keep getting the same reaction, to the same question, then that is when I decide to ask a different question, so she can succeed. Doesn't mean we won't come back to it at a later date. She doesn't "get away" with things, as I still make her mover her feet.

 

[Max's Mom]

You've obviously got a wonderful relationship with Halo and you have done lots of thinking about what will work the best for her! Please understand that the advice I gave/give wasn't/isn't a criticism. But I don't think you should write off HGFarm's advice. I know from your posts that you are new to horses. You've learned a lot, and it seems like you have some familiarity with natural horsemanship (move her feet). I don't know Halo, and it is hard to know what she is doing without seeing it. Horses do have melt-downs when pushed too hard and especially when they are fearful in the situation. Sometimes they have melt downs when they are in pain. But it does sound more like she is unhappy being asked to do something that she would rather not do, and that she thinks that by throwing a fit she will not have to do it. Horses are very quick learners, and it is easy for them to figure out ways to get out of doing work. I kid you not- I once worked with a pony that faked being lame as a way to get out of work. I have worked with a number of horses that have developed habits like bucking, balking, walking sideways, and rearing in attempts to get out of doing what is asked, and believe me, they are often quite effective because they intimidate their riders/handlers, and they are hard to eliminate once the horses get it in their heads that they can get away with it.

Don't put yourself in a position of getting hurt. That is super important. But be careful not to teach her that a meltdown means that she doesn't have to lunge. Horses are smart and will very quickly apply that principle in other areas- a meltdown means that I won't have to... Even moving her feet, while showing you have control, still means that she didn't have to do what you were expecting her to do. Good luck! I know you love Halo and she is lucky to have you!

 

[MyMiniGal]

Thank you, I always take what people suggest, and see if I can use it for Halo and I, doesn't mean I take and try everything, but I do take in a lot of what I read here and apply it. But I'm the only one that can see Halo and her personality, and why she may of reacted to certain things like she did. She's had one melt down in two months, and it was because I pushed too long and hard, and I'm not sure I was doing things right. So instead of just taking her back to her paddock, I decided to drop what I was asking and have her do something else, which she did. It was a decision I had to make at the time. I only did that one time. She basically does do what I ask of her, but I am still learning lunging, and I figure some of it, or all of it, was me. And I do plan on getting help, so I can figure out, exactly what I did wrong, as yes, I am new to horses, in general, as of this year. Halo and I have learned a lot. Just 4 months ago, I couldn't even walk her without having issues, all the time. Now, I am walking, trotting, and having her do obstacles and other things. My husband and I do not let her get away with things...other than that one time, because like I said, it went on for too long, and I couldn't figure out what to do...I just knew we couldn't keep asking for hours on end.

P.S. If I'm coming off as cranky, that isn't my intention at all.

I've been sick, all week, with a head and chest cold, and I am trying my best to word things, as just explaining stuff. Not upset at all. Really want this cold to go away.

 

[crookedhalo09]

NONE of my horses play lol. I have a Halo as well, she is a Quarter Horse. She used to play a little as a baby if I'd get out there and run around with her. Even now if I get out there and ask her to move around she'll run a little, maybe throw in a buck or two. Very rarely (like three times a year), I'll see her out there running a bit on her own. My yearling APHA filly is the same way, even as a tiny baby would not play. Even now she's the laziest horse EVER lol. My small ones are a 6 year old mare, yearling colt, yearling filly and two 5 year old Donkeys and none of them ever run around and play either. They prefer to just stand around the round bale and eat and be lazy lol.

 

[MyMiniGal]

LOL Crookedhalo, you have described my Halo. I do plan on teaching her to ground drive soon, as we have been working on commands for the past month. Nothing really big...just the halter and surcingle for now. I think she will like it...as I will keep her at walk for awhile.

 

[crookedhalo09]

Ground driving is so much fun! I started teaching my Halo when she was a yearling because I did so much other ground work with her I had run out of things to do at that point haha. At that time we were living on a back road with a store at the end (about a mile). We had Amish neighbors so no other cars on that road. I started ground driving her to the store every day, it was tons of fun!!

 

[MyMiniGal]

That sounds fun. There isn't much room, where I have her boarded, but there is a long driveway and around the barn and a couple access roads, that they use by the paddocks, for their gator. Going straight and doing some turns, is going to be much better, as there just isn't enough room to really lunge her...hard to explain...her paddock is longer than it is wide, so in there is hard, and has some super uneven edges, from big horses, that was once in there, pawing a lot. So, I needed to find something else to do with her, other than just taking her for walks. I think the ground driving will be fun. Having someone help me to get started, and then also my husband is going to help me too. He doesn't know what to do, so we will both be learning, but he can lead her, at first, until she knows what she is suppose to do. She's smart, so it shouldn't take her long, I wouldn't think. But I do plan on just ground driving her like that, for quite awhile. I'm excited. First lesson is coming soon.