Since my sister has broken her arm and I have got May, I have payed a lot less attention to Lady...

She is in an absolutely foul mood, she tries to take my head off when I did the girth up on the saddle and when I put the bridle on and when I tried to put her fly mask on and when I put her headcollar on... She is being very bargey on the ground too... (she is in for a few ground work lessons again if she continues...) So she is generally being a right grump!

I was tacking Norman up outside her stable and she saw that it was me and tried to take Norman's head off as well... when it was my sister dealing with Norman she was fine, but as soon as I was near Norman she went into "kill" mode! She threatens May over the fence too, when she sees me riding her.

This morning I couldn't catch her, normally she walks up to me in the field and says "hello" but this morning she just ran off! So I went over a stroked someone else's horse and she came galloping over to chase the other horse off! She let me catch her then...

I am fairly sure that she feels slighted that I am riding other horses, and not spending as much time with her... I don't quite know what to do with her, since my sister has injured her arm I have to help with Norman too, and I don't have enough time to devote to her alone.

work her first before the other horses?

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"there is as much horse sense as ever...... But...... the horses have most of it"

Could try that. Good idea.

Also, even with your limited time, could you spend maybe 5-15 minutes more with her, just to "be" with her? Maybe take a very short walk together (if it's not her turn to be worked), groom her, feed her treats, etc.?

Doran was the same when we first got Queops - she acted like she wanted to KILL HIM! But then, over time, they became inseparable & deeply bonded.

I'm sure things will work out in the end!

XX Rochelle

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"Our horses know our secrets...we braid our tears into their manes & whisper our dreams into their ears." Anonymous

I too would make a point of doing everything first with her for the time being and also spend 5 minutes on the ground with her in between working with the others? Have you also considered giving her a supplement in her feed? Stroppy Mare or similar?? Just a thought is all!

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She seems to have calmed down about it all today... so it could partly be her hormones playing up. She didn't even try to bite me today and was much less bargy, and was good to catch.

She got to play "riding school" horse today, since I was teaching and too many children turned up... So I chucked the best child up on Lady, she is so sweet with children.

There aren't many 15.3hh Dutch warmblood that you could let an 9yr old novice ride round on. The novice cantered her too. She didn't misbehave or play up once. Good horse!

I think it could be worth trying a hormone supplement to try to "even her out" abit.

Does sound like she is jealous, suggestions so far are all very good.

I find Jilly much more even on a hormone supplement. I don't ever notice her hormones on the ground but oh they are ever so evident when I am in the saddle!!! lol

I have her on Equimins temperamental - its £20 for a 1L bottle (liquid). My friend has her mare on the Naf Oestress, she has found her mare has really responded well to it.

The thing with hormone supplements is that one that works for one horse, may not work for another, so it is down to trial and error. I found that Stroppy Mare by Dodson & horrel didn't work so well as the one she is on at the moment.

I would say it would definately be worth trying.

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The Millie Monster!