Does your horse turn out alone?

[mattilda]

'cos mine won't!! I lost my old mare last week. Apart from the fact that I miss her sooo much, she was a nanny for the 2 boys. I could turn her out with either/both of them and they were all quite happy. Now we have lost her I'm struggling. If I want to ride one of the boys I have to bring them both in as they stress on their own. I turn them out one at a time and bring in the same way. Whisk will stay on his own for 5 minutes or so before he starts to get agitated. Olly manages half an hour if he can hear me on the yard.
Any ideas? I am working on a 3rd horse but OH is not too keen so that is a work in progress!!

 

[Cortez]

Sorry, but my horses just have to get on with it. I have 3; they all get some time "home alone" every week during which they have to man up and just be on their own. It's the nature of my routine and i don't have the luxury of pandering to silly stressiness. Suggest you all train your horses to grow up too.

 

[attheponies]

No is the answer! I lost my mare a couple of weeks ago, she was surrogate mum to my 12 year old needy gelding and we both miss her so much. Although he is on a livery yard with lots of horses around him it's a juggling act to make sure he has a friend either out in the field or in the stable. I am just hoping that he will slowly adapt as I really don't want to rush in to finding another horse (nothing could replace my dear Dazzle). Sorry not helpful, I think your best bet is to keep working on OH!

Oh dear, perhaps I need to man up to according to Cortez!

 

[Keimanp]

I only have 2 horses or more 1.5 and they are both at home. to go out on a hack I have to leave the shetland at home alone.

When i first got him he was fine and would stand stationary and just look with big puppy dog eyes as Prince walked away. Now he has lost some weight (he was originally the size of two minature shetlands, he's now about 1 and a quarter) he is more energetic and with trot up and down the fenceline for 10 - 15mins but will then settle down.

Prince will not settle if I take Sparky out of the field to brush/lunge/do a little bit with. he is a lot more agitated but he has not been left as much as Sparky has. I can turn either of them out onto a new peice of grass where they can't see the other and when turned out alone they will happily graze all day without sight of the other until dusk.

I need them both to be comfortable for periods by themselves and although this is not what would naturally occur and they may stress over it in the short term by practicing and slowly increasing the time appart they will settle and are doing. Both of them are turning into much more confident horses.

 

[mattilda]

Unfortunately my boys don't just stress they actually leave the field!! It's not a risk I am prepared to take. I am trying to increase the time they are on their own and it has been less than a week to be fair. I can see me spending a lot of time hanging around the yard this winter!!

 

[StormyMoments]

i am currently having to train taz in this too even with the 2 horses next door down there with him next door he will stress and pace and if left longer then 20 mins will jump the fence and he is even worse on his own down there but he starts stressing and panicking when i catch her i dont even have to leave the field and i really dont understand why so i have started taking her out of the field for a groom in sight of him (still panicks) for 5 mins and then returning when he has calmed down for a split second and im making it a longer and longer time each time i do this but he also causes her to stress through his calling and pacing :/ swings and roundabouts

 

[darkhorse123]

im very lucky - my cob could be left alone or in a huge herd - so long as he had grazing he doesnt care
so much so last year when other well meaning liveries worried abotu him beign last out id to pin a note up sayng leave him out - he doesnt bother!
He doesnt and i see this as a positive trait i dont want ruining - if im late up leave him- he doesnt care!

Turning out is different lol - he has to be the first out!!!!

 

[NicoleS_007]

Current mare doesnt mind being out alone but she doesnt enjoy it She'll stand all day by herself mooching around looking abit sorry for herself. My last boyo hated being out alone, it was just plan dangerous tbh!! He would gallop up and down the fence bucking etc I had to ask everyone on the yard not to leave him alone in the field but alas it eventually happened and he punctured his hind leg on the fence and through a splint.

 

[L&M]

Sorry to hear about your mare.

The problem that Cortez refers to as 'silly stressiness' can be quite a serious one, and if you take her route, you could end up with injured horses and/or trashed grazing and fences.

Horses are naturally a herd animal and feel insecure on their own - fact. Some horses can adapt and I am lucky to have one that can cope. However I have had ones in the past that coudn't and you just need to find the best way of managing the stress. My last horse would be fine on his own in the stable with a hay net, and for the minor inconvenience of having to bring him in, I knew he was relaxed, not pacing a muddy track, and annoying my neighbours with his hysterical neighing

I would tackle the problem in the summer as they create less mess in the field and have grass as a distraction, and start by separating for a few minutes each time. As and when the horse accepts that, you can increase the separation time.

If they still can't cope you then have 2 choices - bring them both in or get a pony companion. However as you only recently lost your mare you may find that they settle in time of their own accord.

Good luck as it is a common and frustrating problem.

 

[Megibo]

not at all, she'll run around constantly and stress.

if she does stop she's very on edge and whinnying constantly.

 

[Snowysadude]

Mine are just left they stress a bit but eventually stop and go eat! However one did jump out 3 times when every other horse left him and I wasnt there so people just kept putting him back in, however he hasnt done that since. Other one was fine and an arse to catch even when left completley alone but now hes out in a herd and hates being left, just shouts his head off - even when turned out alone!

 

[tallyho!]

Also sorry to hear about your mare.

No, mine will not turn out alone. He will gorge on grass for a little while and then realise he hasn't got anyone to play with so he will jump a significant obstacle course to find company... sometimes he will jump even if he HAS company!! We have now found a way of keeping him in... a field of hos friends bordered on all sides by hedges on a steep hill!

 

[Cortez]

What you need is very good fencing, and a hard heart! We start to train ours to be left alone from an early age. The nature of our routine is such that our horses need to be on their own at times, so they just have to deal with it.

 

[Allover]

What you need is very good fencing, and a hard heart! We start to train ours to be left alone from an early age. The nature of our routine is such that our horses need to be on their own at times, so they just have to deal with it.

Why, is it cruel?

 

[indie999]

Yes he is now ancient and his greed always kept his mind on being greedy. We got him a companion who would frantically call and run back and forth. We would give him some ie pony nuts and hay to distract him and do as you are saying do short breaks and build it up until he was ok being left. It did work just a few minutes and building it to longer.

The companion soon got use to being left. I would take it in turns ie bring them in seperately in view of each other for a grooming and then take one away ie for a short hack.

Perhaps I was lucky as we ended up with chilled ponies that were fine to leave but I do think ideally should be in a herd. I know its just luck for me that mine is ok he is even ok every guy fawkes too and he will be out on his own! All night! I worried when I first got him and would rush down the next day to check he hadnt had a heart attack but he was always just eating away.

 

[milesjess]

Mine never used to as each horse was in by 5pm... He's much better now though as he lives out so he's learnt it's the norm Unless he's going mad, I leave him or put some hay down to distract him and he has to get on with it.

 

[NativePonyLover]

Yes. He did stress at first, but kept building it up and now he is fine. He will come into an empty yard and quite happy to be stabled on his own too - as long as he has food, he doesn't overly care either way! Typical male and native pony!

 

[nosenseofdirection]

Mine won't! She tears up and down the fence line calling for the others. She's fine if she's got other horses in sight, but panics if she can't see any at all.

 

[bumblelion]

No!! Neither of them will! They're okay for 5 mins as long as they can see the other one either going or coming from stable! My tb just goes mad, galloping about, calling etc which causes my id to do the same in his stable to the point where he loses his head and I literally can't get in the stable to him without him bolting through the door (he has barging issues!) or rearing and spinning! My id if left out will just barge through anything to get in! He's taken out a five bar metal gate with electric over the top and last week galloped THROUGH a post and rail fence! They're a nightmare! I also have to take the id in first as he'll literally kick the ***** out of the tb to ensure he's in first! If on the rare occasion my tb comes in first, it takes me a good 5 mins of getting him through the stable door! (this actually happened tonight as my id was freaking out about a neighbours pumpkin in the window he could see and thankfully my tb had the sense to come up to me first, after they'd bitten a few chunks out of each other!).
I can't even separate them in separate paddocks as we have problems there too!!
By the way before I get jumped on! I'm not in any way soft with my boys, they just have issues which can't be resolved overnight! However they are slowly improving, and used to be far worse!!

 

[Vibella]

Mine won't stay in the field if you take his mate away from him but if you bring them both in leave him 5 mins and then turn him back out on his own he's fine!! Give that a go!

 

[FanyDuChamp]

Captain does and will stay out quite happily alone all day provided it is warm enough.
Fany will but screams her head off and hates it.

FDC

 

[RobinHood]

Mine will stay out for hours after all the others have come, even with the gate wide open. The grass is far more important than friends!

 

[rhino]

Sorry, but my horses just have to get on with it. I have 3; they all get some time "home alone" every week during which they have to man up and just be on their own. It's the nature of my routine and i don't have the luxury of pandering to silly stressiness. Suggest you all train your horses to grow up too.

Second time today I have actually been shocked by a post on here. Seriously? Do you have so little empathy with horses that you don't care if they are stressed. Grow up, silly stressiness, man up - anthropomorphising much? It isn't a case of growing up, horses are herd animals and several thousand years of evolution won't be ousted by your 'hard hearted' methods... I applaud your work with working with youngsters to be able to try and lessen the effects but it is in a horses nature to want to be with other horses.




OP - my horse is happy being the only one stabled, but won't be on his own turned out.

 

[ladyt25]

Do you know, I have no idea if my horse(s) will turn out/stay out on their own without stressing too much as haven't had to do it as always had a fair few horses at one time. We did have an oldie who hated being left alone. In fact he hated being left even with his two old pals if they were left in the far field - he'd gallop up and down the fence the whole time we were out and we'd get back to find him lathered up most of the time. God knows why we continued to leave him, I wouldn't do it now! he was happy in the field neaer to where he could see us coming and going though. He was a funny soul!

Some horse dodn't care - some do. I think my horse would be a bit miffed and would neigh but he wouldn't be frantic. It's not really his nature. The old TB has been left and he's fine. I wouldn't leave a horse if it did go frantic or jump out as not worth the risk to be honest. I would though get some high electric fencing if my horse had a tendency to do that as there couldn be situations where a horse may have to be left alone and you want to know it can't get out!

 

[Holly Hocks]

Second time today I have actually been shocked by a post on here. Seriously? Do you have so little empathy with horses that you don't care if they are stressed. Grow up, silly stressiness, man up - anthropomorphising much? It isn't a case of growing up, horses are herd animals and several thousand years of evolution won't be ousted by your 'hard hearted' methods... I applaud your work with working with youngsters to be able to try and lessen the effects but it is in a horses nature to want to be with other horses.




OP - my horse is happy being the only one stabled, but won't be on his own turned out.

Totally agree with this Rhino. If I followed Cortez's advice I would end up with a seriously injured horse. My old boy who I lost a couple of weeks ago would not be left on his own - he would run up and down the fence shouting. However I don't think he would have done anything particularly dangerous to himself. However my mare will not stay out on her own and everyone on the yard knows not to leave her on her own. If she is the last one out with theirs, they just bring her in and put her in the stable. It doesn't take any extra time. In fact everyone on our yard knows not to leave any horse out on it's own.
One of my friend's horses was left on it's own in a paddock - it ran into the fence so hard that the fence broke and the horse was speared through the chest with the fencing rail. Needless to say, it was a fatal injury.

OP - like Rhino's horse, my mare will settle in the stable eventually on her own, but never in the field.

 

[charleysummer]

When I first bought my mare she had to live on her own as the current horse who would be her friend left the yard- luckily this wasnt for too long but she was happy with the ram (after the initial half hour charging round the field bucking). She then had to move again and be on her own for a bit until horses came for company and she made good friends with the cows- never got on with the horses there though and had to separate them as they would fight every day and she got a few nasty kicks- came hopping up the field on three legs and that was the final straw, thought it was broken and about had a heart attack but was just a bruise.

She is now at a yard with turnout with a friend who occaisonally comes in and she stays out on her own as I prefer her to be out walking rather than get fluid filled legs- for as long as possible she will come in for the winter nights. Again shes happy to be a cow for the night (poor confused pony!)

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

No easy answers I'm afraid. My old boy had pairbonded with another horse, who had to be PTS, and bless him he really grieved after his friend, it was awful to see him like it. But I made the huge mistake of then (out of sheer desperation and because they were the only other horses on the place at that time) of putting him out with two young Arab horses which was a big mistake as (1) it didn't help his grief at all only made it worse and (2) two young horses hooning around an old boy of 20 isn't the most helpful scenario you could have. Think street-yobs tantalising an old man of 80 and it was the same sort of set-up.

Its so difficult when you lose a horse, and very tempting to just jump at whatever's available at the time in the hope that everyone will settle and you've done the right thing. Its very easy to panic and get desperate and then make a choice that isn't the best one.

Maybe time will be the healer; its just maybe worth pressing the pause button, for now, if you are able to manage the situation safely, and see how things go. TBH I'd be reluctant to bring another horse into the equation as having lost one, the herd structure has been dramatically affected and often bringing a new horse into an already volatile hierarchy can be the worst thing you can do.

I do feel for you though. This is always difficult.

Re. shutting in the stable. We had one here on livery recently that tried climbing over the stable door; so that's not always the best choice!

 

[mattilda]

Thanks for all the replies. The boys are perfectly happy turned out together and I can quite safely bring in and turn out one at a time. The problems start if they are left for more than 5 or 10 minutes at a time on their own!! They are also very happy in the stable on their own, they are both in at night and currently cannot see each other when they are in.
Yesterday I went out for a very rare, but lovely, lunch with an old friend and was an hour late bringing them in. My boy did not like this at all and managed to pull off a shoe!!
I am just going to keep trying them for a bit longer at a time and see how we go. As far as getting another horse goes. I do want to do that at some stage but won't be rushing out and panic buying! I am also fortunate in that I can turn out newbies in fields that are seperate but where they can see each other. Horses eh!