Advice please

[Horseback Rider]

My TB has had most of the last 6 months off work due to injury. He is now feeling much better as I have found out recently but with help from a great instructor I have been lunging and riding him in the school. Previous to this he was behaving like a little ***** to lead, lunge and generally not nice to be around. I think him being out of work now feeling better and the spring grass etc - he only gets fed a handful of chaff and hay at night.

Anyway we have been at our current yard for about 9 months we both seem to like it and he seems to have got rather attached to the gelding who lives in the next door field & stable.

Yesterday he had to come in to be shod and in the 4 years I have had him he has always been very well behaved when being shod and I have had the same farrier all the time who is very calm and good with horses. Yesterday my horse was a nightmare to be shod, kept pulling back wouldn't stand still acting like a stallion. So as we were both pushed for time I went and brought his friend in from the field which seemed to help a bit. I wouldn't normally do this but didn't have the time to sedate or anything he was still a bit of a pain but it helped a bit. Everyone agreed he was showing riggy behaviour as I have seen him do this once before when he became besotted with a mare.

I'm just not really sure what to do, I don't want to move yards and can't really swap paddocks with anyone. I appreciate him being injured/ ill may have unsettled him but need to get him back to being ok on his own ?

 

[Meowy Catkin]

It's something that you can work on. My lot were confined to barracks for a bit and when I started to take one away again, they all got very upset because they weren't used to it anymore.

I just started by taking one away for 5 mins and then slowly built the time apart up as the days went by. Now I can take which ever one I like away, for however long I want and they all stay calm. They just needed to get used to it again.

I would class this as normal herd animal behaviour, not riggy behaviour (I have two mares and a gelding and they were all just as bad as each other to start with).

 

[celia]

It sounds as though he's just got a little bit too used to not having to do anything! I'd start bringing him in regularly for some short groundwork sessions. Nothing complicated - just making sure that he stands when you tell him to, backs up, moves away, etc. This should help him get used to being away from his friend for short periods and will also remind him of his manners and get him him listening and paying attention to you again.