Barn Sour Horse...

Quick question (well maybe not so quick) for you horsie people.

Ava, my horse, is 9 yo and an Appendix QH mare. She was probably started out English, but she has been ridden western and in western gaming for a few years now. She can side pass, leg yield, do all kinds of lateral movements (some of which I have yet to learn ;) ), flying lead changes, the works. She can do barrels, poles, etc too. She was gotten from the rescue next door. She will NOT accept a bit. A month or two before I got her she had JUST gotten her wolf teeth pulled, and I guess the memory of the pain just sticks with her. Once it's in, she's fine, but getting it in and out is a struggle. I don't have access to a round pen, I wish I did, maybe I could break her of it if I had one (I've tried rubber bits, plastic, bits with honey on it, a lead rope-nothing will go in).

I had gotten a rather harsh hackamore that came with her, with the metal shaft that digs into her throatlatch. She head bobbed too much with it, so I was using a side pull, but she was too strong in it. Maybe after some much needed work we can drop back into the side pull, but for now I have wrapped the metal shaft on the hackamore with vet wrap, and she has taken to it great. About two months after I got her, she started to get worse and worse about being "barn sour" in the arena. She would put on the brakes when we got to the side by the barn. I tried everything recommended, dismounting and untacking away from the barn, just trying to keep forward motion through the part she was bad in. She would just stop and spin around to face the barn, almost throwing me off. I would try just to ride in far side of the arena, away from the barn, but she almost always would stop and try to head towards the barn anyways. I tried taking her out to the fields, just easy riding and relaxing mixed in with some arena work, but it got progessively worse. To the point where I was getting afraid of her. The second to last time I rode her, she just stopped and wouldn't move. I tried as hard as I could, all the tricks in the book (I have tried with crops and longe whips too), and it didn't work. I dismounted and lead her to the back field, where she had been okay, I mounted and she tried to take off towards the barn. I kept her halted and tried to turn away, and she would just fight me. She has used rearing on the ground in response to fear and unwillingness (the bits, worming, etc), and I really am not happy on a rearing horse (that's the only kind I DIDN'T want, and I made it clear, but I guess not clear enough). She started coming up off her front feet when I tried to make her move any way she didn't want to. I managed to face her the other way, and I dismounted. I cleaned her up and left. A few days later I tried again and no response, I even tried to go bareback to see if it was the saddle, and she didn't care. I know I shouldn't get off when she is 'winning' but honestly I didn't know what to do.

She had a bad fly allergy, and after that she started getting bumps and sores on her girth area, and I decided maybe she should take some time off, so I haven't ridden her in about two months. She's healing up pretty good with the cool weather, and it's about time to get back on her. My feeling is that she will be fine at first again, and then start back with the behavior. I'm at a loss for what to do. I talked to the people of the 'rescue' a little bit, and the only thing she could say was that sometimes she would bring ava over to do barrels, and would run out of the arena towards the barn. She said that she hadn't seen this behavior in her before. However, Ava was her personal barrel horse and once she sold her to me, she bought a new barrel horse. So I don't know if there's an underlying problem that they didn't want to tell me. They didn't even say anything about the allergy. I'm sure I could do another trade, esp if I said I was afraid of her (I'm making payments) but I don't want to give up. I really like her when she's not acting up.

So thanks for reading my essay :cool: . I really need some help. If not, I'll probably go to a specific horse forum and post this. If all else fails all I can think of is a trainer. :confused:

If she is stuck like that I would recommend, if you have access to a round pen or fenced in arena, to do join-up with her. So she submits to you and then she may be more willing to listen to you aids and pay attention to you while you are riding. It is easier to get her submissive on the ground as you can push her more.

I feel you pain about the fly allergy, my mare is allergic as well and will break out in hives if she gets bitten. She wears a flysheet and fly mask whenever she is outside during the summer.

Unforunately I don't have access to a round pen. I wish I did. I've tried in the arena, but the arena's just too huge. There is a smaller square paddock on the side of the barn, but it is attached, and there are open stalls without doors that I can't block off, and she goes in there and stays there. :rolleyes:

Fly allergies are just horrible, I felt bad for her. I stayed pretty diligent about the fly mask and sheet, but sometimes the lady I board with forgot to put it on. It didn't help too much anyways. I think the holes are too big on the sheet. I had a fly "collar' on her, that seemed to help her face, but they just bit her on her body instead. I tried cortisone shots and stuff but it didn't help much.