ADVICE NEEDED "YOUNGSTER TRYING TO GET OVER STABLE DOOR

1973horse

1973horse

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I have recently moved my two horses to my own place.we have been there around three weeks and my older mare settled quicker than my youngster which is understandable has he as never moved before .Anyway hes fine now apart from when he cant see my mare.I thought i would lunge her yesterday while my youngster came in and he was fine until we just moved out of his view and i heard oh shouting that he had his bloody front feet on the door,now he did have a episode on bouncing at the door when we first got there but i understood that.He his a big lad and he will be 3 in July and he has a heart of gold but hes a bit dense.We have some lovely hacking around but im unable to go anywhere with my mare as im very worried hes going to fret.If i was to leave him in the field hes going to panic also.Im thinking of getting another horse and this may help. but i would like to hear from anyone with advice on the stable issue and wondered if anyone else had had this experience sorry for the essay:confused:
 
Have you got a stable with a top door or a grille that you can use while you exercise your mare?
He just needs to be shut in somewhere safe (take the water buckets out etc) so that he can get used to being apart from her for increasing periods of time - 20min while you lunge is ideal to start with.
He will rattle around a bit, but you need to remember that as long as he is safe, it's better to get them separated.
Getting another horse may help - if you are on your own, three is better than two.
 
Ditto the others, get a grill up or the top door shut. It's not 'cruel' to shut the top door on him while he's learning, it's not going to do him any harm - coming over the door is quite likely to!
 
I have had my horse for arround eleven months and she arrived with her youngster of who isn't mine but he was turned out over in are out ponie grazing and we have a river and he used to jump down and up the bank just to get to his mum and through the rive! i definately recomend a grill as he will be able to see its just a matter of letting him get on with it he will soon get uste to it, so a grill would be a good idea im sure he will be unsettled but its a good option!
good luck hope you have sucess
 
Even just a rail across the opening would do on 2 kick bolt brackets to close the space off !! I m sure he will grow out of it
 
definetly get a grill, don't shut a top door on a youngster it will cause more problems. I too have just 2 horses on my own yard, it can become a pain as they become so bonded, if you have the room and the finances I would get a companion.
I tend to work mine 1st thing so the 1 that is left in stable gets feed the second before I mount the other, that way he is eating and forgotten the other has gone out of sight. In time he will become accustomed to it, you could start by taking the other out of sight and straight back again so that he knows its not gone forever, don't make any fuss when you return and don't let them nuzzle to say hello as soon as you get back.
 
Its very common

Ditto the others. My friend has just two as well and her youngster has the same issue. So she shuts the top door everytime even if out all day.

Personally I'd get a Shetland - you can get them for £20 I understand these days.
 
hi yes i have got a top door.And did think of this but with him being young i was worried that he might get nervous about being in his stable.or im i just being pathetic.grill sounds a good idea.i would like to add hes a bit of a door kicker times but he is getting better.i have had lots of different advice on this one.one being squirting water but if im not near him while hes doing it how can it work as by the time Ive got there he will have forgot:confused:
 
Upskyc said:
don't let them nuzzle to say hello as soon as you get back.
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This is very good advice. Don't take any notice of the other horse yourself either. I had a lot of problems with my mare becoming clingy when I moved her and I found that by completely blanking her when I returned she had nothing to respond to and just stood there quietly.
 
My yearling has to be left while I work his friend. I shut the top door, it may not be ideal but for 15 - 20 minutes won't kill him (I hope!!). He has haylage, which he only ever has in the stable, for a treat. He does neigh and poo a lot but isn't sweated up when I get back. I don't immediately turn them out when I get back, worked pony goes back in his box to eat his haylage for half an hour until everyone has calmed down.
 
i think maybe a Shetland or similar would be good as i have kiddies that are involved but dont have anything to ride.or maybe i could sell him has his grand sire was a grade a show jumper lol:D
 
I would shut the door too! I have never used a grille but I would worry if they could get their feet caught in them, having seen a pony break it's leg in vertical bars. You can also use the top door to break kicking it, if the horse is kicking the door close the top for a few minutes, open it but immediately he starts kicking then close it again. He will soon learn that if he kicks the door then his top door gets closed and we have dealt with several quickly like this. I wouldn't use this whilst you are dealing with the separation issue though. The main thing is that you can go and do your thing without worrying about what he is doing. He WILL get used to being left but until then you need to keep him safe. After the first few times of the door being closed leave it open with OH watching unseen to see how he behaves, any further signs of trying to get over the door then the top should be closed again.
 
Personally I would stop riding/lunging the other horse for a few days and work more on the seperation anxiety the youngster is currently going through.

I would bring them both in and then lead your mare out whilst your youngster is still in and then bring her straight back, then take her back out again for 30 seconds before coming back - keep doing this for 10-15 minutes a day increasing the time you are away from the youngster and he should get used to it quite quickly.

I find my aged gelding suffers from seperation anxiety if he has a change of routine (moves field, goes from being in to being out etc.) and it helps him if he can't actually see the horse he's become attached to, think out of sight out of mind!!
 
Shut the top door. NOW!

A grill is no use to a youngster, they don't understand and could easily get their feet caught. - I've seen this happen to a liveries horse, NOT nice. We managed to cut him free as she had only tied grille on with baling twint thankfully.

My rising 3yo used to be notoroius for trying to jump out of his box when we brought the youngstock in to be handled etc. But ignoring him and shutting the door so he could have his little tantrum, throw his toys out the pram and learn worked a treat.

It is not cruel to do this, working on seperation anxiety won't help much either because at the end of the day he needs to learn to be in his own space on his own for set periods of time.

Oh - it only took my chappy two weeks to go from a snorting, stamping, lunatic trying to climb out of his box, to being a lovely little chap who is happy in his stable now, and his new stable only has half height walls and door.

It really is the best way. It avoids injuries and actually teaches your horse what you want.
 
ace87 said:
It is not cruel to do this, working on seperation anxiety won't help much either because at the end of the day he needs to learn to be in his own space on his own for set periods of time.
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lol - bit of a contradiction there.

Working on seperation anxiety is a way of getting him used to being in his own space on his own for set periods of time

With some horses leaving them on their own with the top door closed can actually make them worse but with some it can work, the OP may just have to try a couple of different methods :-)
 
Wheels said:
Personally I would stop riding/lunging the other horse for a few days and work more on the seperation anxiety the youngster is currently going through.

I would bring them both in and then lead your mare out whilst your youngster is still in and then bring her straight back, then take her back out again for 30 seconds before coming back - keep doing this for 10-15 minutes a day increasing the time you are away from the youngster and he should get used to it quite quickly.

I find my aged gelding suffers from seperation anxiety if he has a change of routine (moves field, goes from being in to being out etc.) and it helps him if he can't actually see the horse he's become attached to, think out of sight out of mind!!
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Sunday was the second time we have been able to do anything with my mare since the move, first time he boxed walked, bounced at door and got very sweaty, so we thought we would give him longer to settle.we only lunged her for a short time on Sunday and he was fine until he couldn't see her.he is getting better, at his old home he used to door hug,gate hug and was a bit bargy but he is learning his manners and i supposes this his just another step in his education
 
My youngster did get over the stable door once, and cut his stifle, so we changed the plan. As ours all live out coming into the stables is a bit 'different' for them anyway, so we started to leave the youngster in the field. A bit different to the OP's situation as he'd been with us for over a year at this point. We made sure the electric fence was on, and took the other two horses for a hack, leaving him behind (with my husband spying on him). We left a bowl of feed too, and he trotted about a little, and neighed, but hasn't ever sweated up or panicked. Worth a try if yours are happier out than in.
 
ace87 said:
Shut the top door. NOW!

A grill is no use to a youngster, they don't understand and could easily get their feet caught. - I've seen this happen to a liveries horse, NOT nice. We managed to cut him free as she had only tied grille on with baling twint thankfully.

My rising 3yo used to be notoroius for trying to jump out of his box when we brought the youngstock in to be handled etc. But ignoring him and shutting the door so he could have his little tantrum, throw his toys out the pram and learn worked a treat.

It is not cruel to do this, working on seperation anxiety won't help much either because at the end of the day he needs to learn to be in his own space on his own for set periods of time.

Oh - it only took my chappy two weeks to go from a snorting, stamping, lunatic trying to climb out of his box, to being a lovely little chap who is happy in his stable now, and his new stable only has half height walls and door.

It really is the best way. It avoids injuries and actually teaches your horse what you want.
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Completely and utterly agree with this post, I have had to do exactly this with several youngsters. It only takes two or three goes and they soon calm down. It is NOT cruel but it IS a safety issue and it is far safer to just shut the top door and let them work it out for themselves in safety.
 
Spot_the_Risk said:
My youngster did get over the stable door once, and cut his stifle, so we changed the plan. As ours all live out coming into the stables is a bit 'different' for them anyway, so we started to leave the youngster in the field. A bit different to the OP's situation as he'd been with us for over a year at this point. We made sure the electric fence was on, and took the other two horses for a hack, leaving him behind (with my husband spying on him). We left a bowl of feed too, and he trotted about a little, and neighed, but hasn't ever sweated up or panicked. Worth a try if yours are happier out than in.
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he loves being out,we have posts with electric fencing,he also likes to come into be groomed and fussed.we are also in the process in doing another paddock to ride in so this may help
 
Single rail in the top of the door.

Closing him in completly might cause more issues but grills aren't always safe either.

Try giving him a dose od Magic, twenty mins before you take the mare away, you can gradually reduce this once he gets used to her being taken away.

You can always try putting him in but tacking her up and riding from the field so you are not putting them both in the stables then taking the other one away from him, some times they react different to being taken away rather than being left behind.

My gelding doesn't mind being taken away but doesn't like being left.

Also leave a radio on loudish on classical as it's relaxing and will prevent hearing any calls of other horse if she does this.

Hope this helps and makes sense.
 
thankyou for all of your help.just one thing if im at the stables on my own and i want to hack, shall i bring him in and shut top door straight away or leave him in his paddock on his own to prat around and possibly freak my other horse out
 
Bug2007 said:
Single rail in the top of the door.

Closing him in completly might cause more issues but grills aren't always safe either.

Try giving him a dose od Magic, twenty mins before you take the mare away, you can gradually reduce this once he gets used to her being taken away.

You can always try putting him in but tacking her up and riding from the field so you are not putting them both in the stables then taking the other one away from him, some times they react different to being taken away rather than being left behind.

My gelding doesn't mind being taken away but doesn't like being left.

Also leave a radio on loudish on classical as it's relaxing and will prevent hearing any calls of other horse if she does this.

Hope this helps and makes sense.
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hi oh was on the yard and so were the kids,they were all doing stuff around him so he wasnt on his own,also i can take him away from my mare easy enough
 
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