Cant believe what he has done now

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I would love to be able to turn him out 24/7 it would make my life so much easier

[/ QUOTE ] If you are determined to persevere with him, perhaps now is the time to start looking for somewhere that this is possible and work on building up the time he's happy to stay out from half an hour to 24/7?
 
You started the post saying how he escaped from his stable, now you're saying he prefers to be in? If he prefers to be in, then why do you even need to shut the door?
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My horse stands at the gate year round if there is someone there, when there's a possibility of a carrot etc . but as soon as I get in the car and go, he eats grass. I am sure if you left him long enough, he would get hungry and just eat.
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Also agree with this ^^^

It used to piss me right off when people would call me at work saying 'Monty's weaving like mad by the gate. We've taken him out of the field and given him some chaff'

Why do you think he was bloody weaving!!
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Leave him alone!! I used to hide round the corner and spy and about 5 minutes after I left he would stop weaving and pacing and just munch!
 
RIAL, with the greatest respect, this is why people are getting so exasperated. If he is happy being in, and being stabled 24/7 isn't an issue for him, then why is he behaving so badly? It seems a new poster is the husband of the person he cornered. Had this happened to a member of my family I would be looking for some sort of resolution, to put it mildy. Yet whatever people suggest, you say it won't work. You might get some pride or comfort by being the only one able to handle this animal but its not making him a nice animal to be around and some one could have been seriously injured today. Some thing is not right, he's clearly not happy, and you need help to find out what it is. There is no shame in admitting that. I've always been told that its not possible to know everything about horses - they always teach you something new, even if you;ve kept them all your life. This guy is a real challenge - its time to get some help.
 
Hope your husband has got over the shock of this morning. Whatever you may have read on here , no way should DIY owners be expected to deal with any horse on the yard. If you have chosed to purchase horses with manners, and have maintained that behavour, why should you have the experience to deal with a large extremely stressed horse.

It is normal to leave buckets by stables in DIY yards. It is also normal to double check the b***** door is shut when you leave
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I'm yet another one who would be having a chat with the YO. I really think the OP has failed to grasp the gravity of her horse's behavour (sp).

Dixieandfinn, hope your hubby gets a nice cold beer to calm his nerves this evening
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It is normal to leave buckets by stables in DIY yards. It is also normal to double check the b***** door is shut when you leave
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Oh hang on a second - perfection walks among us!!!!!!!
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Obviously I have not seen the state on your yard or walk ways to fields but...

I live in Norway we have had the same 70cm thick snow down for 4 weeks now, the main farm road we use to get to the paddocks has been ploughed flat and IS just snow compacted and is basically a sheer ice road. The rest of around our barn in 70cm of snow inc the fields and sand school.

My horse is shod, no snow pad or studs (they rust stuck and are a pain so I don't use them) and he is turned out everyday come what may. He is fully clipped so has an under blanket and a heavy Rhino on top.

Yes he slips a bit as I do, but in the years of living in these kind of conditions and over the years having up to 10 horses on the yard at any one time I have NEVER seen one of mine completely fall or had a slipping injury.

I have had some incidents where Ollie has had to stay in for long periods and he was more more of a danger to us and himself in those times.

My advice is quietly turn him out, lead him calmly and slowly over the ice, I think this is the best for both him, you and other people who have horses on your yard.
 
On occasions my friends will say one of my horses has done something unhelpful. I often say shoot it then. It isn't always an order, as I didn't see the poster's (tinkerbee?) comment as such right at the beginning.
This horse sounds a handful. And i'm glad the owner feels she can cope just fine. Personally, I wouldn't have a horse that only i could manage to keep under control, just in case something happened and I couldn't see to it. I'd work at finding a way of getting it on my side and basically handleable by anyone competent. If he likes being in, then great. All horses are different. We can only offer our advice, its up to you to decide whether to take it or not.
I'm sorry to say it, but the owner sounds like one of those drama queens who actually likes having a problem horse, and doesn't really want it to become a run of the mill type. I know lots of owners like this. Sad for the horse maybe.
Whatever happens, i hope this horse finds himself a bit more settled soon. And don't shout at us RIAL, just ignore us, it's your right, as ours is to reply!

And is the snow making us all grumpy?!
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I think this is a horse which has grown up like a spoilt child, with no respect for its owner. I also think a change of ownership/rider does most horses good occasionally, after all familiarity breeds comtempt!

I know of a mare which was hand reared and has always tried to boss its owner around, but then again it is by a stallion which usually throws stock with a bossy aggressive streak in them. People say no horses are born bad, but definately some of them naturally have a bad nature regardless of how they were brought up or handled.

Also am wondering if this horse is really unhappy. He may be very happy if he knows how to get his own way and is pandered to!

I also once had an arab which was dangerous and would attack you. If you took a whip to him to defend yourself, it made him worse as he saw you as a threat and he would come straight through any lunge whip put accross his face to get you. The only way to deal with him was not to make eye contact and to keep a muzzle with feed in it to put on him when he came to you.

There is no way I would want to keep a horse in a yard where feeds are left out. Dont care how well doors are locked/bolted, there is always a chance of something climbing/breaking out and killing itself with colic. I knew a horse which used to undo his own door, even with 6 clips on top of each other on the bolt, and then he let all the 30 odd others horses out too! His door bolt had to be padlocked ALL the time.

Am afraid though that this horse has no chance of being disciplined or retrained untill the owner wises up. There has always been an owner like this on most yards I have been on, so I am glad I am on my own now!
 
My cob is very aggressive towards strangers when they enter his personal space and for this reason I would never put him on a public yard, no way would I even consider him being handled by anyone else other than myself or experienced people who knew him. If he's hungry, he will look to escape from his paddock so he has electric fence within his electric fence and his stable door is bolted and double bolted. If he got out and into the public and hurt someone, I would never forgive myself. You have GOT to have your wits about you when you own horses like this.

He is being sold but he is going to someone that is trusted and respect and will know how to deal with him, in fact they will probably do more work with him than I ever have done and with hard work his behaviour does improve. I would have no hesitation in "having him shot" if this home hadn't had come about, not only for his wellbeing but for the safety of any future potential owners.
 
Chestnut cob, I agree with you, let the horse show you how he is after he's been out for a few days, then plan the next step. If he's still a handful and aggressive (which normally originates from fear and/or stress) then get professional help.
 
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He goes out through summer sometimes in if he is getting to standing at gate and trying to get out and in all winter i know you dont believe me but he is actually much happier in than out as long as he is in there alone.I would love to be able to turn him out 24/7 it would make my life so much easier

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If he's happier in then why was it only last week that you were posting about how dangerous he was to handle in the stable due to his being confined? I think you're either utterly stupid, or are yanking our chains. The incidents you describe are NOT the actions of an happy horse....can you not see that?
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In your last post about him ( a week or so ago) you said he was "quite a dangerous horse anyway", and that he'd tried to double-barrel you in the stable. To be perfectly frank, I think you need to turn this horse out whether he likes it or not. He is a danger to people while he is stabled.

Otherwise, what are you going to do? You say he won't stay out, but he clearly doesn't enjoy being in, either. Its not a satisfactory solution for any of you, including the horse.

Are there absolutely no other yards AT ALL in your area which would allow him to have more turnout, even just for a few months while he remembers how to be a horse? I know people do say that there are no other yards in their area, and maybe i am just spoilt living where I do, with yards down every lane (it seems), but surely not every horse in your area lives on your yard.

PS. Miss Perfect I am not, seeing as i turned my mare out the other day and forgot to do up the surcingles of her rug but surely if your horse was dangerous and aggressive in his stable, you would ALWAYS check his bolts before you left?
 
I think if you can, you need to get a couple of strong people, one on each side with a lead rope, hat and gloves, and turn him out. Use food to distract him if you need to. I know you have said about turnout, and I understand about the weather, but this behaviour will only get worse
On the other side - I had a horse which was very much like yours sounds. She was bargy, rude, kicked me, bolted etc etc. It took me over a year to come to the decision that she wasn't right for me, and I had her since a 3 year old. I felt so relieved when I finally decided, but no matter how many people tell you to shoot/sell him, it won't make any difference until your mind is made up
 
Christ almighty.... I know I'm coming into this thread very late but I'm gobsmacked!!

OP you don't seem to be able to grasp how dangerous your horse is. I'm surprised your YO hasn't asked you to leave already because I wouldn't want a horse like that on my yard!! It sounds like he could easily kill someone... how would you feel if that happened as a result of the way you are keeping him?!!

Your poor horse is clearly very unhappy with his current situation. Happy, well rounded horses DO NOT behave the way you describe. I have known an extremely aggressive horse who would come over in the field and attack you - a girl I used to work with has a big scar on her head where he reared up and kicked her in the head for no apparent reason... she's very lucky he didn't get her particularly hard and all she needed was a few stitches. I have a big lump on my arm with no feeling (maybe I have nerve damage or something, I dunno) from where he lunged at me over the stable door, picked me up and actually threw me across the yard. This was at a dealers yard, eventually he was sold (he was a poppet to ride) and hey ho, change of management and I'm told he's a totally different horse now. My own mare is a handful but I'm VERY firm with her (people who don't know her may think I'm too hard on her - I literally don't let her put a foot out of line - but when they get to know her they understand why!!)

Much of the way horses turn out in adulthood is down to the way they are handled as youngsters and you've owned this guy since he was a foal... to me it sounds very much like you have created his problems and now you are unwilling to try any means of solving them. So many posters have tried to help and you've pooh-poohed all their suggestions. You've created a miserable horse who is trying to communicate his distress in the only way he knows how, and you won't listen to him. All the while claiming that you love him and that no one else can handle him any better than you can. I think you're deluded.
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Hi! My horse is also rather challenging and I understand why you are not turning him out. Couldn't get mine out either so everyone smashed up the ice and put down hay etc down and everyone put their horses out, could you do that? My horse is not safe enough to lead so I waited until the road from the stable to the field was as safe as it was going to get in this weather and put him in a trailer and drove. (Less than a min!
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Hope you can yours out!

EDIT: I just read the rest of the posts. Maybe you should try winter turnout? I also sympathize with you somewhat, I hate people judging me for my horses behaviour, especially online!
 
ah Well, might as well chuck in my ha'pennys worth - I kept my mare in for two weeks due to the snow and (current) injury, but then found her in the stable alternating levades with canter pirouettes . Walked her in hand (didn't help) for a bit then chucked her out straight away, in stable rugs. She trotted about a little and then settled to eat the hay that was out for the others. she's been out daily since and had no probs. Doesn't come in til 6, doesn't care, and is sound!

How many times have you lead a snorting, passaging dragon out the field, removed its headcollar, and its dropped its head down and started eating instead of galloping off. Typical behaviour from mine.

TURN IT OUT

and as a ps, had a horse here which, when it came was not turned out as it had come from a comp yard and 'didn't like it'. It's now out, with my mare, til 6, every night, and commonly has to be sought out from the far reaches of the field at this time.

They are what we want them (or allow them) to be
 
My horse has an aggressive streak. I fostered this when I got him, because he was in very poor condition, and I was stupidly soft with him as a result. He bit me twice, my Mum twice, and would lash out at any horse coming round his back end - no matter how far away. He would deliberately back up to do it. Whilst I cannot control or dictate his position in the herd, I accepted full responsiblity for his aggressive attitude during handling. So I changed the way I managed him - taking a much firmer approach to put him in his place. He still sometimes will have moments where he will challenge my leadership, but I continue to be firm & consistent with him.

Now, compared with your horse, my horse is actually angelic. However - the principle is the same. Something is not right so change the management of him. When I took a firm line with my horse, of course he wasn't happy with it - he doesn't know what is best for him. Neither does your horse accept that turnout is best for him. I sincerely & honestly believe that this is the best step. He might not like it to start with, but he will get used to it. He needs to learn to be horse.

I am really worried about the fact that you are the only one that can handle him. What if the next time he double-barrels you, he gets you? Who will care for him in your absence should you, god forbid, have to go to hospital? The relationship between the two of you rests on a knife edge. Please change it for the good of both of you.

I really wish you best of luck, but you have to understand that even prior to the snow and the upsetting of his routine, his existing routine is hardly ideal in the long term.
 
Do you have 3rd party Liability insurance for his- cause if he did manage to injusre someone- with his past track record your going to end up forking a lot of money out........ and living with the guilt of it. Yurn him out so everyone is safer.... horses just arent worth the risk to life.
 
Some sanity here.
1) get him out during the day as being in is sending him round the bend and this is going to make him worse than ever.
2) If he does injure somebody or horse then you and YO are libal for damages.
3) take him to Richard Maxwell or some one like him to sort out said Loony. sounds like he doesn't know his boundry lines.
 
Has your yard owner asked you to move him elsewhere then?

If this is the case, I am sorry for the added stress, but this could be just the thing he needs. Perhaps take the opportunity to get him in a different routine?
 
Perfect opportunity to send him straight to bootcamp then, to learn some ground rules. Then you need to have some training in how to keep up the instilled manners. While he's away you have time to hunt down a yard that will help you and your horse's situation.

Best of luck.
 
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