Fence jumper - continued

[Ranyhyn]

Ok so we have no ascertained my horse will jump out, he'll jump out if he's with other horses, on his own, from nothing, into grass and out of a grass field onto the gallops - eventually ending up on the yard, whereby he puts himself away.

Would you just keep him in, with a clear conscience, until he stops?

 

[Paint it Lucky]

Sorry I haven't read all of this so apologies if I repeat what others have said. Could you raise the fence? Probably the best solution (although also probably hard to do), would be to find some way of having his stable opening directly into a field so he could choose whether to come in or not. Prehaps use electric tape to create a channel from his stable to the field. Although I'm not sure what yard owners might think of this!

 

[rascal]

How about putting a line of electric fence about 4 foot inside your fence?

 

[brighthair]

This probably won't help, but my old horse used to jump out, whether on his own, with others, if you shouted him from the gate......!!!
He jumped into other fields, onto the yard, back into his stable. I had him for 4 years and he never stopped it, being an ex chaser, even 5ft post and rail didn't stop him. I gave up, and made sure his stable door was open, with hay in, and nothing dangerous about. He once jumped through barbed wire and injured himself badly so I went with the school of thought better jump over something safe, than raise the fence and have him injured.
He only stopped it, when I brought him home for the summer on one particular yard - the previous 4 yards he's jumped out all the time

 

[Ranyhyn]

He's at livery, TBH he has jumped over some pretty meaty fences, some which to this day I still don't believe he did (however I'm told he did!) He does the 5 bar too if neccessary. The only other alternative could be the pens - big barn leading onto all weather pen. For the sake of turnout for an half a day.

 

[Ranyhyn]

He's jumped out, every winter at two different yards - I think he just likes to be in during winter - miraculously he doesn't bother in Summer

Same vein as you - being a hunter born and bred, he has absolutely no issues jumping anything really, but law of averages dictate eventually he will injure himself.

 

[Bowen4Horses]

oooh, the little monkey!

why do you think he jumps out? doesn't he like turnout? or does he link his stable with food/hay/comfort?

would it be possible to make 'out' time really nice? e.g. lots of hay, snuggly rugs. and 'in' time not so nice (hay in very small holed net)...

or is he just a little monkey?

poor you, ... i hope you get something sorted out! x

 

[brighthair]

ah mine jumped out even in summer - he could never figure out how to jump back though, and I got sick of trudging round farmers fields asking "Has anyone seen my horse today?!"
when he jumped out himself, he never got hurt, but the times he did get injured was when some *insert expletive here* left him on his own. After he jumped over a metal five bar gate, and my friends head while she was bringing her horse in, I gave up
I just had to explain to livery yards that he jumped out, and not to shut his stable door!

 

[Ranyhyn]

Oh he's just a monkey TBH, he has jumped into the rested fields for summer (full of grass) and he isn't even happy there. I think he just likes to be in - he's 14 this year and maybe he's starting to think he should be stabled more.

TBH what he's been used to in all his life is being in a lot over winter (being a seasoned hunter) and I wonder whether he's just not used to being out lots?

 

[brighthair]

could be - you could stable mine for a week, and then get on it and it was fine! He's raced for 11 years, so I think all the turnout was a novelty for him? Either that or he just likes going exploring!

 

[Ranyhyn]

I think once they know they have the ability to jump the fence - and do what they like, they make use of it

 

[paintsplat05]

my friend's horse only likes being out for 3 hours max, any longer and he gets really stressed; pacing, pawing thr ground, calling to the others and trying to escape. Other horse will jump out of any field even if he's got grass etc.- he jumps just for the fun of it, we had to put an extra couple of lines of electric fencing up so the total height was about 2 metres. Seems OTT but it worked, and his field was next to a main road so we had to go to extremes!

 

[Bowen4Horses]

[ QUOTE ]
Oh he's just a monkey TBH, he has jumped into the rested fields for summer (full of grass) and he isn't even happy there. I think he just likes to be in - he's 14 this year and maybe he's starting to think he should be stabled more.

TBH what he's been used to in all his life is being in a lot over winter (being a seasoned hunter) and I wonder whether he's just not used to being out lots?

[/ QUOTE ]

i genuinely think they can become so used to being it that it's comforting to them... raff isn't used to long periods of turnout (came from yard in london therefore minimal turnout). and whilst he likes going out to strecth his legs, have a fart and a buck... within half an hour he's pining to come back in...

luckily, he hasn't thought to jump out yet (touch wood)... probably because i see him by the gate and feel sorry for him and bring him in...

i don't know what advice to give i'm afraid... other than tie his little monkey legs together...

 

[Bowen4Horses]

p.s. better to have a little monkey than a horse with no character... IMO. xx

 

[brighthair]

[ QUOTE ]
I think once they know they have the ability to jump the fence - and do what they like, they make use of it

[/ QUOTE ]

have you ever seen him jump it?

Mine used to graze, lift head and look around, then slink towards the fence, pop into canter, straight over, then head back down to graze as though nothing had happened. Most entertaining - especially when he did it on sheet ice, couldn't stop, panicked and looked like Bambi on ice *was not laughing hysterically, honest*

 

[Ranyhyn]

Beat him bandy I think! My heart is in my mouth every time someone says "Ed jumped out"...

I think I'll just leave him in or in the pen for the time being, my heart can't take the stress!!

 

[Ranyhyn]

No, but I'm told he looks at it, goes into canter and pop - just like you say, almost making a mockery of the fence and also making the kids scatter and scream because they are scared of him lol

 

[brighthair]

I'm actually laughing remembering the terror I used to go through, after about 12 months I became pretty chilled out about it. That was until I moved to a yard with a field next to the motorway and found him grazing on the hard shoulder, watching the traffic. I had to dismantle the fence to get the sod back in

 

[JoG]

Leave him in....I had a mare who would not stay in any field for more than about an hour, she just wanted to be in (on her own) so she stayed in and became a lot easier to ride too