A bit odd - horse getting stuck on wrong side of fence?!

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kit279

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Our two have free run of two paddocks and a big barn that they can shelter in whenever they want where they get ad lib hay. Since the hard frost, the fields are completely frozen, including the poached bit by the gateway between the two paddocks. Their water trough is in the far field and this is the third day running now that my chestnut has got 'stuck' in the far field. He will happily take himself through the gateway to have a drink but he won't come back, not even for his daily feeds (which is unheard of for him). I have to go 'rescue' him with a headcollar and lead him in, but he seems quite happy to go through when led but seems to get stuck if on his own, goes up and down the fence, obviously wanting to come in but not seeming to be able to go through the gateway. He's never been stuck like that before and they've been in these fields for the whole of winter.

Am a bit concerned that he gets stuck in the wrong field and can't get to his hay. Can anyone suggest an explanation and what I can do about it? I have started putting water in the barn for him so he doesn't have to go out for a drink and therefore get stuck again!


Any thoughts?
confused.gif
 
Hm... Is there any water in the gateway - is it frozen??
Sorry, pretty hopeless answer!!

I was going to say maybe some grass has come through so he doesn't want to come in that side.. but if he's walking up and down I really have no idea.

crazy.gif
 
Odd. Do you think the gate had caught him going one way? Or is there something spooking him like shadows?
 
maybe habit is making him go up there, and he prefers the water for the trougth becasue it tastes different. Maybe section that part off and take a bucket of water from the trough to the barn for him to drink as it may just be he is used to the taste of the water in the trougth.
 
One of mine does this as he is a little bit more sensitive footwise. In the gateway, the mud has gone really hard and rutted with ice and he only goes through it if he has too!!
 
Did you say that the ground is poached and rutted in the gateway between the two fields?

I'd suggest that he finds walking over it slightly uncomfortable and would rather avoid it - perhaps if its hard he's a little footy, or if its soft he's a bit stiff or arthritic or something and finds it hard work dragging his legs through.

If your concerned I'd probably shut the far field off so the poor fella doesn't stay 'stuck' out there all day.

Incidentally I have known my horse to do something similar - she has a big phobia of jumping anything without a rider, won't even go near a jump when loose schooled and when the other horses in her field broke the fence and escaped into the next field, she ran up and down the fence line calling to them in a panic - all because she couldn't bring herself to step over a rail on the ground to go after her friends....
 
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