My mare is in training right now. She is great with a saddle but once she sees something taller on her back she bolts and freaks out. l have been working with her with a dummy ( coverall stuffed with straw) but she freaks out). Ig ot to the point where l could put it on her back (after about 30min) and walk around for one circle. When l take it off and try again she freaks out. Any ideas?
no she is not at the trainer. l am training her myself.
Yes l have done natural training. l did Join - Up with her as she was very scared when l got her. Now she is the biggest suck!She reacted the same way when l tried to get on her as she did with the dummy. It is just easier and safer with the dummy. l don;t always have someone around to help, so this is a way l can work with her without having the 2nd person all the time. l am very gentle with her and stay calm.Thanks for all the advice everyone, keep it coming! : )

try to mount her in a tie stall this way they can not move around very much.

Or try blinder is that way she can not see whats coming. And when you or whoever goes to mount her say a word like ok or alright everytime so she asserts that word with mounting

well is she broken in?? im hoping so or you should not be around her

you could take her to a trainer

or even next time the fairegher comes to shod her get him to check

Xx

Are u from Idaho? l had a mare like this she was 4. l would go to get on her when l was first starting her, & she would bolt, she would give me a FREAKED OUT look out of the corner of her eye & just take off. The only way l got her passed this was to have a PROFESSIONAL trainer ( a friend of mine) hold her & comfort her at her head. My friend said when u go to get on u better just GET ON & hang on, because she is going to bolt & RUN! Well we were in a 50ft round pen & sure enough l go on her & she ran l mean RAN, around this pen, she would sit hard & roll back on the panels with no warning at all. She did this for about 10 minutes. Finally she stopped but would bolt again if l moved the slightest little bit. l went to my friends house for a week straight & did this every day. She would hold on to my mare & l would get on. NOT JUMP ON, but get on fast & was ready for anything. By about the second week l could get on her by myself, l just talked to her & really tryed my best to calm her when l was up there. The problem l had was when l got pregnant l let her sit for to long & not enough consistant riding & when l went to get on the third time back on she did the same thing. BOLTED! Finally l said F*** it, & sold her because l could not risk getting hurt being a mom now. The peole that bought her knew everything about her l told them straight up what she did, & they took her to a trainer.

Edit: Also u say she is at a trainer? So why r u the one working with her with the dummy thing? Honestly if ur mare is anything like the one l had that dummy would make her more paranoid.

DONT mount her in a stall.
if she cant move then she will either buck or rear and throw you off into the fence of the stall.
BADDDD idea

Dont stick her in a tie stall as the first responder said. Then she will be scared AND confined & shell freak & hurt herself.

It sounds like u r too inexperienced to do this ( l wouldnt know how to handle it either besides putting it on her back in a large round pen & letting her get her buck out) But l would take her to a reputable trainer who is experienced in handling hard to break horses.

You might have to come to the point that she may be one of those horses who just doesnt want to be ridden. (the whole adage u can lead a horse to water but u cant make them drink). She may be happier being a pasture mate or being used as a broodmare. l know riding her was probably the goal but if she never gets used to it & never likes it then its a taking her to a trainer, selling her, or leaving her out in pasture that r ur only options.

l would honestly go back into the sacking out process. If she can not accept something on her back then she is not trusting. l would have a trainer help u out. l have a 3 year old mare that l am breaking in myself also & i've taught her to saddle & bridle. But once l got to a point where l got stuck, l asked the trainer for help. She is not training my horse but she is teaching me how to train her. But l think it is time for ur horse to go back to groundwork basics. Good luck.

How much experience do u have?
l would not use any type of dummy. Just off had, do u know that is how they train bucking horses??
The first response is actually a good idea, if u have some experience. We start a lot of colts in our program & we always use a small pen for the first one or two mounts. Make sure & pull their head around when u get on, this will limit their mobility. You could always just hire aProfessionall for the first 30 rides or so. Their r many options, talk with someone in ur area & try & come up with a plan.
l would avoid using the dummy though. The dummy can not help you, it can not correct any bad habits that r forming while u put it up there. You need a real person to be up there & teach ur horse.

DESENSITIZING. aka-sacking out. look up articles & info on desensitizing horses with noisy objects, loud noises, random movements, etc. she sounds young and/or nervous or untrusting & needs to work on these issues first before anyone actually rides her. it takes some time, some horses more than others.

(first poster said to tie the horse to something? do NOT do that. this will only cause more problems & that person has been misinformed or simply has no clue.)

my horse is 10 & is very goosey about any thing put on or taken off his back. the winter blanket l got him this year conducts so much electric static, when l adjust it & it gets to sparkin' him, OMG. l think he gonna run through the wall.
i can never approach him with a blanket, he will bolt. l have to catch him & either put him in his stall or tie him to the wall to saddle or blanket. this has been going on since he was 2. l guess some horses r that way. he is a chestnut & they have sensitive skin. he dont like his body brushed either

Do not ever, EVER mount a horse in a stall, or even in a barn. If she takes off, & runs under a low hanging object, or through a door, u could seriously be hurt. Blinders r certainly not the answer; sooner or later u will have to take them off; u can not ride a horse with blinders on!! l am wondering if she is more frightened by the dummy by itself, & not just because u use it on her back. You say she allows it up there for awhile, & then u take it off, & when u want to use it again, she freaks out. l would just forego using that thing altogether. There is plenty of time to acclimate her to having weight on her back after she is totally adjusted to wearing a saddle. Right now she needs to learn that just before weight goes on her, there will be something taller coming up her side. l agree with the sacking out people have suggested. You might want to take that one step further, & try putting ur foot in the stirrup, & just pulling yourself up to standing height, & then back down. Do this over & over, rewarding her whenever she does not act out. She needs to get used to seeing a person ''get taller'' by mounting. If she does not allow u to step up in the stirrup, stand her beside a mounting block, & stand on it. If she does not stand by it, have someone lead her around to you, & then hold her while u step up & down. You will be taller, & she will see there is nothing to fear. Keep stepping up & down, & try to let her see what u r doing. Another idea is to use ur longe whip or a carrot stick, & tie a flag or piece of cloth to the end. Stand by her side, & bring the flag up, to simulate someone mounting. l would try this, & if nothing seems to help her acclimate, u probably will have to start repeating her ground work again, or hire an experienced trainer to give u tips.

Stop rushing her.

Take the dummy & put it on her back then take it away. Repeat that a bunch of times until she shows signs of ''boredom''

licks & chews
tips a hind foot
sighs
soft eye

Then ask her to walk forward & move her hip away from u (called disengaging the hip, means the back feet r crossing as her hip is moving away from you) & then add the dummy & take it away as u ask her to move her hip

What u r doing is telling her it is okay to be scared & it is okay for her to move her feet so she does not feel trapped, but u r controlling her movement & by directing her hip around in circles around her front end (her front end stays relatively stand still.while her back end moves around it)...and because she is constantly crossing over = this is harder = uses up more of her nervous energy = she realizes she is okay = she gets over it faster.

you put the dummy near her side, work up to putting the dummy on her back & take it away & put it back ..until u can leave it up there & ask her to move her hip over..

your rushing her & she needs baby steps. then once she trusts that she is not going to die (horses only think in terms of life or death when afraid. they r a prey animal)...then she will relax.

ever hear of natural horsemanship? that is this.

This is what l do to get every horse over their fear of anything. And it works every single time.

Approach & Retreat.

Lots of it.

Desensitizing.

Lots of it.

Take ur time!

DO NOT TIE HER UP.

she will pull back on what she is tied on & injure her self.

l would try, riding her in a round yard, not a cattle one but like one with rubber on the out side or an arena & just hoping on her & riding the bucks & if u fall off hope Straight back on.

and when she settles down, walk her around for a bit, then try a trot, & if she is good hop off her & un tack her etc.

Unless u want to get a proper trainer, someone that has done this a lot l mean, & get then to help u.

she l beginning to think, if l freak out she will take it off me, & so every time u put it on her she is going to freak out because she KNOWS u will take it off, do not take it off, keep it on her, if u do not want to hope on her ur self of course.

It maybe the only way, consult a trainer if u r in doubts.

hope this helped, Bye

just hire a trainer to do this for u l suggets u being the one to jump on her back whil talkign to her dont sit up tall on her simply put ur stomach over the saddle so ur legs r hanging down while having someone lead her

and if she doss anything u can simply slide off graduly u will be able to slow put ur leg over dont push this issue by going fast do it as slow as u can by being on a mounting block as this wont scare her as much

you should really be hireing soemone for this