Advice/suggestions with managing ponies at home please

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Spudpud

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This is really worrying me so any suggestions are welcome.
I have one pony in work, a two yr old and my retired warmblood. All are at home and currently things are fine as they are all out 24/7 and I just bring the one in to ride as and when. No stables yet as have moved farms this year but they'll be ready in a couple of weeks hopefully.
The problem is the warmblood has never been left on her own. I will soon want to start doing a bit with the two yr old (just walking out in hand, leaving the others etc) and then next year take them both out to some shows and later when I've backed her, ride and lead and even ride out with my daughter if she shows the interest to want to.
As it stands I have 3 to ride 1 and I am definitely not having 4 to ride 2. I find 3 too many but that's where I am. There would be no worries if it was just the 2 & 5 yr old.
The warmblood is pretty irrational if she thinks she's going to be left. I have at one time turned her out alone when her mate at the time needed to be in for recovery from an injury, she settled to that but the problem here is i would be taking the others off the farm which would involve passing her so she would certainly hear them and could possibly see them.
Has anyone experienced similar and found a solution? My husband has suggested we keep her on ground further from the farm with some sheep and a cow or two (which she is used to) but that would be without horse company. I think she'd settle but don't know if it's fair. It would offer a long term solution though which is what I need. I'm losing sleep over this now so would be grateful for any ideas to help. Thank you.
 
She might run about a bit at first but most settle once you are out of sight and then run about when you return they sem to get better the more you do it as they realise you are coming back
mine are restricted grazing and I have found a new strip of grass as you leave soon settles the issue
 
If this is all you have to worry about you are doing well! Presumably when you take the two year old out 'soon' the others will be together? I'd spend the winter just getting them used to the fact that one (or two) might go but they will certainly come back.

Your OH's idea about putting the one left out in a field firther away might work well if there's plenty of nice grass to occupy them. Id start doing this for short periods long before you actually need them to stay there so it becomes more of a treat. When the time comes, turn the horse out in the other field before you need to take the others.
 
This would be long term i.e. Not just when I ride, she would live apart from the others about a mile away. She would live out and come in just for farrier, if needed but otherwise be separate.
 
I just fear what she might do to herself, she fly bucks in the stable if she thinks she's being left behind (never has been). Smallest fields are only fenced with single strand wire (electrified) along the cow tracks. Stock fenced fields are fairly big which I would have thought may mean extra speed.
 
I would just leave her in her stable if she is to be left on her own, I have 2 at home and never leave one alone out in the field they both come in together even if I only ride 1, I have tried to leave them out alone but they just gallop about screaming and I can't have the worry of them injuring themselves it's just easier to know they are safe in the stable.
 
If this is all you have to worry about you are doing well! Presumably when you take the two year old out 'soon' the others will be together? I'd spend the winter just getting them used to the fact that one (or two) might go but they will certainly come back.

It's not no but something that won't get better unless I'm proactive and I'm thinking the winter would be a good time to start to introduce whatever plan I can come up with!
Starting with taking the young one out may be a good plan as they're in together whereas the other is alongside them and he won't fuss at all.
 
Spudpud said:
This would be long term i.e. Not just when I ride, she would live apart from the others about a mile away. She would live out and come in just for farrier, if needed but otherwise be separate.
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WTF! you cannot be serious leaving the pony all on her own (oh the odd cow or sheep nearby) SORRY not the same as having horse company whatever anyone says here IT IS CRUEL! sell the horse if you are going to do that-the sadness of that horse will be insurmountable-husband does not sound like he has a clue either- #give horse a better life or sell
 
Spudpud said:
This is really worrying me so any suggestions are welcome.
I have one pony in work, a two yr old and my retired warmblood. All are at home and currently things are fine as they are all out 24/7 and I just bring the one in to ride as and when. No stables yet as have moved farms this year but they'll be ready in a couple of weeks hopefully.
The problem is the warmblood has never been left on her own. I will soon want to start doing a bit with the two yr old (just walking out in hand, leaving the others etc) and then next year take them both out to some shows and later when I've backed her, ride and lead and even ride out with my daughter if she shows the interest to want to.
As it stands I have 3 to ride 1 and I am definitely not having 4 to ride 2. I find 3 too many but that's where I am. There would be no worries if it was just the 2 & 5 yr old.
The warmblood is pretty irrational if she thinks she's going to be left. I have at one time turned her out alone when her mate at the time needed to be in for recovery from an injury, she settled to that but the problem here is i would be taking the others off the farm which would involve passing her so she would certainly hear them and could possibly see them.
Has anyone experienced similar and found a solution? My husband has suggested we keep her on ground further from the farm with some sheep and a cow or two (which she is used to) but that would be without horse company. I think she'd settle but don't know if it's fair. It would offer a long term solution though which is what I need. I'm losing sleep over this now so would be grateful for any ideas to help. Thank you.
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is this the mare that need medication? from your other thread? so ill and now want to dump her in a field?
https://forums-secure.horseandhound...me-period-young-horse&p=13209235#post13209235
 
Spudpud said:
This would be long term i.e. Not just when I ride, she would live apart from the others about a mile away. She would live out and come in just for farrier, if needed but otherwise be separate.
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What all on her own? That seems a bit mean...

We have three all in work, two often go off leaving one and they eventually settle with plenty of grass, if not we stable the one and they just get used to it. Yes there was a mess and noise at first but their herd always comes back and I think they've just got used to it. If you want to start doing things with your youngster over the winter, then just wait for your stables to be built maybe?
 
I would take it step by step, take the others away for short periods and give older one nice bit of grass when you do, have some sedative/calmer to hand just in case. Increase time apart gradually , I would leave older one where she is in a familiar environment. I may well be needing to leave one alone in the near future and this is what I will be trying although I am lucky that there is another horse over the hedge next door.
 
sunshine100* said:
is this the mare that need medication? from your other thread? so ill and now want to dump her in a field?
https://forums-secure.horseandhound...me-period-young-horse&p=13209235#post13209235
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That is VERY offensive. You have absolutely no idea of what we went through last year and the medical situation other than a forum post. she absolutely doesn't NEED medication, only if I needed to keep riding her did she need surgery and then ongoing joint medication which I decided I wasn't comfortable with. She has a life and everything she requires and is content and comfortable without drugs. She is not ill, how dare you imply I would keep an ill horse and dump it.
I did not say I had decided to keep her without other horses, I will not post again on this or any other subject due to the judgmental response I have received.
 
The OP said she didn't think putting the mare on her own was a good idea so calm down Sunshine! OP wouldn't ask if she didn't want suggestions.
OP, I would shut her in a stable, close the top door and let her deal. I know a lot of people won't agree with that. You could put a mirror in?
 
Good grief Sunshine, you are very rude.

OP I'd carry on with what you're currently doing, taking one out at a time, and then when you get your stables sorted, do a bit of experimenting with taking them out/round the corner/leaving her in while the others are out sort of thing.

At the start of this year I didn't think I'd ever be able to leave my horse without his companion. These days he quite often chooses to stay in the field by himself (shock horror) while I do something with the other one, simply because I've been playing about with separating them for short periods of time.

For anyone about to berate me, they are generally together 22 hours out of 24 and the rest of the time they have sheep. I do know that sheep are not horses :D
 
Hang on, the OP did say:

This would be long term i.e. Not just when I ride, she would live apart from the others about a mile away. She would live out and come in just for farrier, if needed but otherwise be separate.

There is no misunderstanding. The OP wants to move her horse that gets anxious on its own, a mile away to live completely alone.
 
Leo Walker said:
Hang on, the OP did say:

This would be long term i.e. Not just when I ride, she would live apart from the others about a mile away. She would live out and come in just for farrier, if needed but otherwise be separate.

There is no misunderstanding. The OP wants to move her horse that gets anxious on its own, a mile away to live completely alone.
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No, in the original post OP says that her husband has suggested this but OP doesn't think it's fair. She hasn't said this is what she's going to do, just one of the options on the table.

OP - good to plan ahead. Start mixing it up now with who you take out and when so they all get use to comings and goings. If possible I would shut mare in the box as I think it's preferable to running around and getting into a state
 
Leo Walker said:
Hang on, the OP did say:

This would be long term i.e. Not just when I ride, she would live apart from the others about a mile away. She would live out and come in just for farrier, if needed but otherwise be separate.

There is no misunderstanding. The OP wants to move her horse that gets anxious on its own, a mile away to live completely alone.
Click to expand...

No, read the OP again - as Catroo says, it was one of a number of suggestions, which the OP herself wasn't comfortable with, and she was asking for advice, not to have people like Sunshine be so darned rude to her.

FWIW I don't think moving the mare to be permanently by herself would be at all fair, but there are ways of saying that and suggesting alternatives without slating someone asking for advice.
 
Good God this forum can bring out the worst in people.

OP - good luck finding a solution.

Sunshine - you're incredibly rude, if you can't be bothered to read the original post properly then I would suggest not bothering with your idiotic responses.
 
You might not have anything to worry about. I worried with my retired competition horse that he would pace about when I took the other 2 away to the odd show together but nope he's never seemed concerned. He is a stressy type too and adores my mare but he's never gone crazy, I guess he's used to each of them going away to regular events and hacking out seperately and he knows they come back so yeah he's absolutely fine on his own. I just make sure he's got lots of hay to amuse him. He's better left out rather than put in the stable (which I tried to begin with as I thought he'd gallop about). You might find the one left is perfectly ok, or at least will settle the more he gets used to it. As you have access to other livestock, Id possibly consider adding a pet sheep into their field which could act as a good companion for him for when he is left for the day. I wouldnt consider keeping him totally seperate, I dont see the point, just making things difficult and not very nice for him when its uneccessary.
 
Actually some horses are fine with other company, so long as they have something. When I had mine by himself as unbroken 2 year old he was fine when there were cattle out in the adjoining field, but when they were housed in winter he did get anxious and I had to find him a companion. Now he gets stressed out if his companion is out of sight for 5 minutes, so I can appreciate how the OP is feeling about this. You don't want to get the old horse stressed but you can't get another one.

All I could suggest is start slowly and for short times and see how it goes.
 
Rowreach said:
No, read the OP again - as Catroo says, it was one of a number of suggestions, which the OP herself wasn't comfortable with, and she was asking for advice, not to have people like Sunshine be so darned rude to her.

FWIW I don't think moving the mare to be permanently by herself would be at all fair, but there are ways of saying that and suggesting alternatives without slating someone asking for advice.
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Post 4 says exactly that which I've already quoted in my post.

Quote Originally Posted by Spudpud
This would be long term i.e. Not just when I ride, she would live apart from the others about a mile away. She would live out and come in just for farrier, if needed but otherwise be separate.
 
Leo Walker said:
Post 4 says exactly that which I've already quoted in my post.

Quote Originally Posted by Spudpud
This would be long term i.e. Not just when I ride, she would live apart from the others about a mile away. She would live out and come in just for farrier, if needed but otherwise be separate.
Click to expand...

Yes, and Post #1 says "My husband has suggested we keep her on ground further from the farm with some sheep and a cow or two (which she is used to) but that would be without horse company. I think she'd settle but don't know if it's fair."

Therefore I think post #4 should be taken in the context of what was written in post #1. Which is what many posters did, and gave sensible advice. But I think the OP has, probably wisely, given up on this thread.
 
Oh fgs, just leave it alone, let her do what she wants. We've all done our best to share our experience on the matter. Stop falling out over other peoples problems.

Oh wait hang on... thats why were here :p:cool:
 
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