Help with my chlostrophobic mare

Mmk so I've got this here problem with my mare that I've had a problem with for the past year and a half or so... It seems that she's chlostrophobic and:
A) doesn't like horses comin up behind her
B) doesn't like horses passin her

so when this does happen she usually either speeds up and goes incredibly too fast or bucks... either way it screws up our class and I'm kinda gettin tired of it... does anyone know what I can work on to keep her from doing this? Please!

Our Arab mare does that too. I don't know why she feels threatened by that. She's not afraid of other horses in any other way except that and it's frustating! Our solution probably won't work for you though!! We made her my 4 year old leadline horse!! I'll tell you, there's NO passing going on in that class and it's just Classy's speed!! Plus my 13 year old still takes her in showmanship and trail sometimes. She excels at these classes because it's only her out there. Somebody must have some suggestions that will help you though.

Do any of your friends have horses? My gelding used to hate someone passing, and even though he's generally pretty friendly, he'd pin his ears, speed up...the works.
We used an old mounted drill team exercise to get him over it. You and a friend ride one in front of the other, then say "switch" and the person in the back comes up and rides as a pair, next to you. Then "switch" again, and they go to the front. "Switch", and you move to the side...etc. Hope that makes sense...it really helped with him. I really focused on keeping his head set too, maybe even tilting his head a tad to the outside, so he couldn't look at the other horse.

Thanks guys! My dad and another trainer at the show suggested going and catching my other horse and just turning him loose in the pen while I was riding her... but where my riding pen is we've got our stud pony on the other side of it and it doesn't seem to phase her when he runs up behind her... only at shows... so Idk how turning my other horse out in the pen with her will help since she acts like a perfect angel at home anybody else got any suggestions?

Spend a lot of time in a crowded warm-up pen. If she gets goofy then stop her and back her up and make her go off quiety. Then take her to a small show where you don't mind blowing your class. Take a hold of her and really get after her if she tries anything silly, just make sure you don't get in the way of anyone else in the class.

Good luck. Clara does this too sometimes to a lesser degree, I know that it can be frustrating. Unfortunately it's probably something you will have to deal with at a show, but hopefully after a few times of getting your point across, she will figure out how to be a good girl.

Nat, I had a mare that'd darned near kick at somebody if they came running up on her. I showed her once in WP at an open show, ears were slicked back and tail swishing the whole time... she was not a happy camper. We went on a trail ride one time, with a ton of people, and she liked to have drove me crazy... finally, I got to the front of the pack, and by GAWD, that heifer fast loped all the way back to the trailer. I was the first one back by 15 minutes! Aggravating as all get out.

Thus, we did trail - nobody to deal with! ARGH!

Your mare is definitely showing her aggressiveness, of the... DON'T YOU GET NEAR ME kind of thingy... a lot of alpha mares do that. And mine definitely was the herd boss... whew!

Sounds like some pretty good suggestions there... let us know how it goes!

I am certailny no one to suggest anything. But, what I do know is the having someone come up behind you and switching back and forth sounds like goo pratice.. Horse are smart people and when she learns this is non threatening and not a race she will ignore that.. I cannot believe how smart these animals are.. And, if she has to stay behind the passing horse for awhile that is even better....

Did you show at Sturgis?????

Snoopy is exactly how you describe your mare. Its a total pain in the booty, LOL!

Ponying them and off of them is your best bet. They will get used to te sounds behind them, and beside them. They will get used to horses bumping into them. Ponying off of them builds confidence around the other horses by dragging/pushing them around, LOL! My gelding is actually getting reminded this week about ponying, after his behavior at the show this weekend. He seems to just get aggravated at the other horses and loses focus

I hope this helps you a little bit!

Give her incouragement. When at home or the work area at a show, Spend time on the ground. Stand in the middle of the arena, Brush her rub her, lounge her, and comfort her some more. Make her time of being crowded pleasant. Talk , brush, rub. Feed her treats. Rub her withers. Back her in the corner, let the horses lope by, with her facing them. Get her to relax. When on the rail if she acts up. make this time uncomforable, back her. Dont kill her or get on to her, just back her and lope the other way. Each time she speeds up, back a couple of sets and lope the other way. If she is good, rub her and keep loping, Turn her to the rail. Even if you go only 20 feet and you feel her getting fast. stop, back 2 or 3 steps, turn and lope the other way. It takes time and you will spend alot of time on the rail but it does work. If this doesnt make since its because as 7 Ceders says, I took to many drugs this morning..

Thanks guys... yeeaah sorry for being gone so long... end of school really killed me ha!

Triple J yess I showed at Sturgis only on Sunday and only in a few classes cuz she started doing her stupid deal again... didn't wanna ruin somebody else's class ya know

so here's the deal... this past Saturday we had all of the 4-H kids come over and ride and such... That was like 8 kids with horses and a pony and a mule... me and my friend were loping circles and such and I was loping to the right on the inside and she was loping to the left on the outside... Sophie didn't even act like there were other horses in the pen! So frustrating! so hopefully maybe that was her "oh so this isn't that bad!" day and then hopefully she'll be just fine for District in a week!

Thanks again guys!

Where is your district show held.

It's at Bowling Green, KY at the WKU Expo Center... I think that's what it's called anyway haha!