help my 2year shire filly is bargy!

Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 10:18 am

Hi my name is Jan and I'm new to this forum, but wonder ifI can get some advice probably be asking you all loads of questions lol .. I have just bought a 2yr old filly Maisy from Mathew Burke who I want to show in hand she stands approx 17hands, shes lovely very freindly comes to call at a gallop!!! Have only had her 2 weeks started ground work ... but she is very strong and bargy..I know she only a baby but she will also kick out when i bring her feed..and she can kick high!!!! I already have a 15 year old Shire gelding Erik who is a star only one eye as had cancer at 4 and was removed but he is such a gentleman... and an Irish sport Herman .. Help!!!! any suggestions would be most grateful.......

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2012 12:21 pm

Hi Jan, I'm Lorna.

I bought a two year old (now gelded) last year and he started to try a similar thing, turning his back and kicking up his heels at me if he didn't get his feed when he expected me to give it to him. Scared me a bit I can tell you as his feet are like dinner plates.

He lives out at the moment so I managed to bring him to order by taking a lunge whip with me when I took his feed and moving him away from me for a few minutes when he started to barge towards me or turn his back on me - never actually touching him, just whipping the air and telling him firmly to get back - until I was ready to let him come towards me and take his feed nicely. He's responded well and has learnt some manners in this scenario.

If you're feeding in a stable is it possible to do a similar thing i.e. make her wait until YOU are ready for her to have her feed? Tie her up outside or something (out of kicking range). It's all about them trying it on I feel and it must be pretty essential to gain the upper hand with horses of this size.

Mine is very compliant as soon as his halter is on so don't have a problems at the moment with him being led. Have you heard of the Dually halter? It's a pressure halter with instant release when they stop pulling on it, thereby rewarding them when they walk nicely in hand. May be worth a try.

I'm going to begin breaking mine in over the next few weeks so I'm expecting a few more power struggles. Having never owned a shire before I will admit I'm quite a bit daunted by the size of him should he decide to disagree with me! He's still very immature in his outlook on life, but sharp on the uptake and very responsive to voice commands so I'm clinging on to that glimmer of hope. Very Happy

Friend for Life Joined: 11 Mar 2010 Posts: 1289

would rather back a shire than a shetland, velvet is right though use a whip/ crop just the noise is enough normally Smile

let us know how you get on

Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 12:13 pm

Thanks Lorna for the advice.. I will def give it a try will be going into field with lunging whip at the ready..... I now have a nautral horseman rope halter that seems to do the trick..Yes give me more control as you know with your young man Shires are strong!!!

Maisy has started to trust me and now actually calls to me.. I have started to stand on some steps when i groom her to get her used to me being higher than her as will have to start the pracitise of plaiting with mane rolls!!!!! and shes brill not fazed at all..

Will be introducing to my big boy Erik soon he will love her as she a real groomer.. i dont know if it a shire thing but erik also is a real groomer.. Herman my Irish Sport will groom but not to the extent Erik loves to.... He will groom anyone all day if he could same as Maisy!!!

Good with the breaking let me now how you get on.. No doubt i will be back for more help in the near future..lol..

Cheers jan

Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 10:48 am

Thanks whip noise does the trick cheers for the help from you both jan

Newbie Joined: 19 Sep 2007 Posts: 2 Location: derbyshire

hey jan. glad you getting on well with maisy we never fed in fields, all our paddocks have troughs on the fence lines so buckets are just tipped in, else had i known this was a fault with her i would have schooled her out of it, she should be good at been braided up i braided her myself when we showed her