A horse on our yard has taken to field hopping :-(

georgiegirl

georgiegirl

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and not a fat lot is being done!!! Not sure why its started happening but one of the horses on our yard is field hopping. Its not the company as we have tried her with pratically everything and shes also not hungry as getting LOADS of hay put out into the field.

The owners have now put it into the field next to mine where it has appeared twice in the past two days and broken the fencing and they seem very confused as to why im pi**ed off and have asked them to try something else.

My two have their own paddock and are very happy together and a) I dont want my field getting trashed in this wet b) I dont want either of them getting injured and c)my gelding is very protective over my mare so god knows what will happen.

Plus my two were going like looneys when said horse has jumped into my field and seeing as my last horse is unridable at the age of 6 due to a similar incident I think I have a right to be slightly paranoid!

The other horses owner said 'well all horses run round in the field' to which I replied 'yes they do, there horses but if there is a known risk factor you should try and stop it?'

Surely I have been reasonable enough letting this carry on when its already happened twice this week? I dont know how the situation is going to be resolved and I do feel sorry for them but at the end of the day I want mine to be safe!

any thoughts?
 
How about speaking to y/o and see if they can put up some electric fencing or as above double fence? Would def tell the y/o your worried incase your horses get injured.
 
How long has the horse been stabled at the yard? Is there any reason for the recent behaviour eg. horse being out too long and wanting to come in?

I don't think there is a great deal the owner can do except putting up a row of electric fence to try and prevent the horse attempting it.
 
As the owner of a 'fence hopper' i can understand where you are coming from. My 4 year old started jumping out last Aug, the first time into the field of my 6 yr old, kicking him in the stifle and meaning I had to withdraw him from a large Working Hunter competition. I have no idea why he did it. This winter he has done it another half dozen times, luckily into an empty field. He jumps wire, so he's not fazed unfortunately.
When it was frozen/snowy he would jump as soon as he had finished his haylage, within an hr of being out.
I have remedied this by putting him in a paddock closest to the stables, and using wide white electric tape on the upper fence that he would jump (back to the direction of the stables) and also not leaving them all out all day, they go out at 8am and come in at around 2pm. They have all had enough by then anyway (4 year old stands by gate from 12 noon)
Strange really as he lived out all summer 24/7 and last winter lived out in Ireland!!! Just goes to show not all horses are happy out.
 
what fence is it post and rail/electric? if there are solid wooden posts in the ground then maybe get some electric posts and strap them onto the wooden ones to make it higher and then put electric tape round them. (at the owners expense though).
 
Yes our fields are plenty big enough, have suited my horses for the last 16 years! Think that once they start unless you can find a field that they are happy in or put them off with certain types of fencing they will always think about it. I don't know if mine has done it before he came to me, but like i said he lived out with a group of horses in Ireland. He is in the field alone as he plays rough (hence stifle injury to other horse!) but then so are my 5 and 6 yr olds too.
I would suggest OP puts the ball in the owners court and suggests they do something pronto as their horse could be injured by one of hers and she wouldn't be liable for any damage as she has made them aware.
Luckily i own all the horses at my yard so only have myself to blame!
 
My horse used to do it, he would be turned out on a tiny paddock as I had stipulated all yr turnout or I wouldn't have moved there. I think they did it to prove some sort of point, well, he used to jump out, on the search for grass. He would take all the fencing with him, as it wasn't working. I would get phone calls to which I would say... put him in a paddock with grass then! I moved in the end as he wasn't fed properly, they couldn't be bothered to change and fill water buckets and in the end he looked like a hat rack. He hasn't done in for a few years, although the yard I am at now has chopped all the fields into small paddocks so I will never say never....
 
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