[*BaRrEL_BaBE*]

I have a 4 year old mare, 15hh. Her previous owners bought her as a weanling, never broke her, but bred her when she was three. So now I have her and know that she has no prior experience in the riding arena. I saddled her up and free line her w/a saddle every other day. She never once bucked or reared or anything. I got on her one day; she was fine with me getting into the saddle. I shifted my weight a little and she was nervous, but didn't move. Then her foal, who wasn't tied or anything, went flying in the opposite direction we were facing. I gathered my reins and tried to steady her; this only made her more upset. She went into the worst bucking fit I have ever felt and threw me off. What puzzles me is that this mare never bucks otherwise..not even in the pasture. Should I wait until her foal is weaned or is there a trick to breaking a mare with a foal?

[emsNkeeper]

How long has she had the foal. If it's been a few months, than she sould be physically fit enough to start carrying weight. I would have someone hold the baby steady. You're mares natural instinct is to go to her foal when it's nervous or scared.


This may be a three person job... one to hold the baby, one to ride, one to lead you about. You should also not shift your wieght to much while on top... babies constanly worry about what to do, so the minute you change something, they get confused or nervous that you'll be trying something new. Take your time, go slow, you really can't do anything major until the foal is weaned.

[Simon Says]

if you can wean that foal do that now. you will never get that mares attention with that baby running around. then start slow with her, start lunging, and ground training, once you have that down, the start tacking her up and and lunging her, the start riding her. when i get on my newley broke horses i have someone hold a lunge line on them while i ride for the first week or two, the i tell them to take the line off and stand in the ring w/ me for another week then i just start getting on them by myself, then i work on the rest of the ground work on their back!!

[Blistering Winds]

Yikes, dangerous. Yeah, hard to do anything until the foal is weaned. If it is time to start, then take the mare into the arena for a few days, leave her there (with food and water) during the separation. Then about the 3rd or 4th day, of separation, saddle her up and start giving her somethign to do other than call for her baby all day.

Avoid doing thigns WITH the baby there as she w'nt be paying too much attention to you.

[*BaRrEL_BaBE*]

The baby's only three months old and I've seperated them before for very short amounts of time(i.e. put him in the arena so I can brush her in the barn) & the two would panic if they could not see eachother so even seperating them so I can ride is out of the question. I've been lunging and free-lining her with the saddle for almost a month now and she's doing great. Not to mention that I ground work & groom her every day. I've started quite a few horses before but never one with a foal. My gut tells me to have someone hold the foal and get back on her but my parents, who aren't much into horses, think I should totally wait until the baby is weaned. However here-in lies my problem: I'm selling her as soon as the foal is weaned. I was really hoping to get something accomplished with her, not that I haven't on the ground, but she'd make a lovely horse under saddle as well. I like the idea of someone holding her and another the baby; she does like it when someone is on the ground to tell her what to do. I'm not going to push for anything that's unreasonable though.....

[Blistering Winds]

Having someone hold the foal puts that person in danger.

AND YOU.

The foal will be distressed as the mare will be worked away, mare will hear teh foal, foal struggles, mare freaks, and barrels back to the foal.
NOT PRETTY

You need to start separating them where they CAN"T see eachother. Let them do their "panic" it will happen sometime. Might as well let them start it now, and then comfort the mare as you can for the first few days of this issue. Once she realizes that the foal isn't being hurt, and you do reunite them later in the day, she will begin to calm down some.

[*BaRrEL_BaBE*]

Lol Blistering Winds, you have completely read my mind. I've been wary of other people handling my colt; he's super sweet but he is still a baby. I'll consider the separation idea & in the meantime will continue to ground work her. Thanks for your advice. I was just feeling a little put off that she threw me and I haven't broke her since(after she threw me, and I regained my composure, I did get back on her just to sit on her for a sec and let her know that it was okay). But other than that, I have yet to actually ride her. I was just making sure that I wasn't being a "quitter" & was doing the right thing. I'm a perfectionist and exceedingly stubborn so if I don't get back on a horse, I want to make sure it's for the right reason.

[SyntheticTrust]

wait til the foal is weaned

[Cowgirl2135]

Usually I have the foal with me when I ride.

Well, I ride when the foal is at one month old. I had experince with mothers and foal. The foals always tried to ATTACK ME. SHe was seriously was going to kill me because she had no idea what I was doing with her mom. I first I thought this was funny, until she bit a CHUNCK out of me! I had 10 sticthes. One day I was riding, she tryed again, then I smacked her with my reins and she stopped. But since it is the mare first time riding, I would wait until the foal is weaned.

[*BaRrEL_BaBE*]

Cowgirl2135, lol I am so sorry to hear that the foal attacked you. I am not in the least worried that my mare's foal would do that. Her colt is the sweetest lil' guy I have ever known and loves people more than his own mother. Thanks for your advice~ I will definately take it.