Friends horse pacing in field

[emilykerr747]

Hello all,

Looking for advice for a friends horse who is in a field with mine which paces up and down the fence line.

My yard is usually on herd turnout however mine has been put in his own field with a friend due to him rehabbing from an injury which requires him to have a quiet time in the field. His friend has moved with him for company.

They are on a track system and come in during the evening during the winter.

The issue is, his friend keeps tearing up the ground along the fence line and gate while he waits to come in. Luckily my horse just stands and watches or continues grazing however the pacing is causing the ground to get destroyed.

We do plan to move the fencing every time it gets too bad but we’re only at the start of winter and will run out of field. There is plenty of good grass in the field so it’s not a grazing issue.

For more information:
- he usually only does it when he see’s you come up to get them in. He will be happily grazing then spots you coming and starts cantering up and down the fence, skidding and sliding into the gate.
- the issue with the mud is that my horse just had a terrible bout of cellulitis and needs to avoid being in a muddy field.
- I can’t switch out his field friend for someone quieter as they are bonded and will be very stressed if separated.
- the field friend used to do the same thing in the herd field so it’s not new behaviour, but the whole point in moving them from the boys field was for better field management as the herd field turns into a mud pit in the winter.

Has anyone ever experienced something like this? Are there any training or management tips to help prevent this?

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

It's probably because his hungry do they get hay out there?

If he only does it when you get there just go and get him in before he starts.

 

[Caol Ila]

Hard liquor. For yourself. For the horse, I don’t know. I had a fence walker for a long time, and it drive me completely batsh1t. I worked out some of her triggers, but by no means all.

Moving to a field/yard with better feng shui (for lack of better words) often helped, but I never knew if any given place would work until I tried it. I appreciate that this isn’t always an option and can be like Russian roulette because in some places, she got worse.

 

[emilykerr747]

It's probably because his hungry do they get hay out there?

If he only does it when you get there just go and get him in before he starts.

They don’t get hay sadly. Yard rules.

They do have so much grass in the field though. More than any of the other fields.

Yes I think I’m going to suggest that we catch in first before anyone else.

He only starts it once he see’s us but from seeing us to the field it’s another 5 min walk up the path and by that time he’s already cantered up and down and skidded into the gate multiple times. He’s 17.2hh so it doesn’t take much for him to tear up the ground!

 

[emilykerr747]

Hard liquor. For yourself. For the horse, I don’t know. I had a fence walker for a long time, and it drive me completely batsh1t. I worked out some of her triggers, but by no means all.

Moving to a field/yard with better feng shui (for lack of better words) often helped, but I never knew if any given place would work until I tried it. I appreciate that this isn’t always an option and can be like Russian roulette because in some places, she got worse.

That’s interesting! I know it’s very frustrating.

We won’t be able to move fields sadly but I might try catching him in first before any of the others around him come in.

 

[Clodagh]

Fence walkers are an absolute nightmare. I think the hard liquor suggestion is a good one. The trasher is obviously stressed already, so I’d really try to get your horse happy in his own. Can they see others?

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I would just get him in before he starts

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Hard liquor. For yourself. For the horse, I don’t know. I had a fence walker for a long time, and it drive me completely batsh1t. I worked out some of her triggers, but by no means all.

Moving to a field/yard with better feng shui (for lack of better words) often helped, but I never knew if any given place would work until I tried it. I appreciate that this isn’t always an option and can be like Russian roulette because in some places, she got worse.

This in gallons. As a YO I've had 2 liveries in who fence ran. I would never knowingly ever have another.

One I was warned about, the other not (however I found out very quickly that the gelding had history and owner was sent packing within the week).
The other I coped with through the summer as the owner was lovely. Some days he was fine for up to 8 hours, other days it was minutes! Helped her get him into a retirement herd, nothing left the fields, it took him about a year to fully settle.

OP, just keep in mind that when this horse comes in 1st, the time out in field can get shorter.... and shorter. Are you sure there isnt any other suitable horse for yours to be given as a buddy?

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

Could you put jump wings and/or poles at weird angles or some sort of obstacle in the way - the thinking being that they can't get so much anxiety riddled momentum/speed as they have to snap their focus to avoiding obstacles and it makes pacing up and down the more difficult task for them..
Only if its safe though - for something truly manic it would just be dangerous

 

[Caol Ila]

Could you put jump wings and/or poles at weird angles or some sort of obstacle in the way - the thinking being that they can't get so much anxiety riddled momentum/speed as they have to snap their focus to avoiding obstacles and it makes pacing up and down the more difficult task for them..
Only if its safe though - for something truly manic it would just be dangerous

I read about this trick but I’m not sure in what parallel dimension/universe it works. Not mine. My horse used to walk around any obstacles you put in her way. Added some nice wiggles to her WW1 trench.

It was almost as effective as tearfully screaming, “What the f**ck is wrong with you!?” Which I did many times. You go as crazy as they already are.

It’s most likely a stereotypy they develop as foals/weanlings linked to traumatic/early weaning, or otherwise being isolated as youngsters and not learning how to horse, combined with the usual genetic and other environmental predispositions and variables that lead some individuals to become alcoholics/heroin addicts/fence walkers while others, who have gone through similar sh1t, somehow don’t.

I wouldn’t put any money on fixing it. All you can do is try to find an environment where they don’t feel the compulsion to do it. And drink a lot or take up hard drugs yourself.

 

[Bellaboo18]

It's such a frustrating habit.

I would agree it's probably hunger but tricky to sort if you can't put hay out.

24/7 turnout, feeding out in the field or changing from day to night turnout can all help. I appreciate most of those might not be achievable. Basically anything that brakes the habit of sees you, charges around, gets fetched in. Unfortunately it's a hard time to try and train them out of it when the grounds rubbish.

 

[Caol Ila]

24/7 turnout was a terrible idea. I’m pretty sure that damn mare paced all night. The state of her the next day…. I stopped that sharp and then quickly moved yards because the one we were on didn’t let us keep them in at night during the summer.

 

[Bellaboo18]

24/7 turnout was a terrible idea. I’m pretty sure that damn mare paced all night. The state of her the next day…. I stopped that sharp and then quickly moved yards because the one we were on didn’t let us keep them in at night during the summer.

You've got to stick at it, one night isn't going to fix it but like I say not the time of year to be doing it.

 

[Gloi]

There was one where I was. Tried leaving it out in company 24/7 and after a few months thought that he'd stopped. However during some bad weather they were brought in for a couple of days and he was back to square one when they went back out.
He was a bit less frantic if he was in a back field where he couldn't see the yard or any people.

 

[Bellaboo18]

There was one where I was. Tried leaving it out in company 24/7 and after a few months thought that he'd stopped. However during some bad weather they were brought in for a couple of days and he was back to square one when they went back out.

Yep this has been my experience. Once the habit is ingrained it doesn't take much to trigger it again.

 

[Caol Ila]

If that had been your horse, and you saw how she was, and you knew the degree of her determination to do the horsey equivalent of shooting up behind the barn, you would not have stuck with it, either.

For us, it was like May.

You've got to stick at it, one night isn't going to fix it but like I say not the time of year to be doing it.

 

[Bellaboo18]

If that had been your horse, and you saw how she was, and you knew the degree of her determination to do the horsey equivalent of shooting up behind the barn, you would not have stuck with it, either.

For us, it was like May.

I'm not arguing about your horse.
I'm saying it's an option that *can* work but would advice not doing one night and chucking the towel in.
I know how frustrating it is, stop taking my posts personally.

 

[Hackback]

Is it possible to fence off (but leave an opening) the bit where the horse fence walks? That bit would get utterly trashed but the rest of the field would stay intact and hopefully your horse would stay sensibly where the good grass is.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Could you put jump wings and/or poles at weird angles or some sort of obstacle in the way - the thinking being that they can't get so much anxiety riddled momentum/speed as they have to snap their focus to avoiding obstacles and it makes pacing up and down the more difficult task for them..
Only if its safe though - for something truly manic it would just be dangerous

In my experience, its damned dangerous even if they are walk pacing. They are so fixated that anything in the way gets trodden on or is a major trip/crash hazard. OP I strongly advise you do not do this.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

In my experience, its damned dangerous even if they are walk pacing. They are so fixated that anything in the way gets trodden on or is a major trip/crash hazard. OP I strongly advise you do not do this.

My experience of this advice is the one at the yard that started it and this fixed it, I have never come close quarters with any other fence walkers, hence my caveat of don't do it if you think it will be dangerous.

 

[Amymay Again]

If your horse would tolerate being alone I'd remove the companion and put it back in it's herd.

 

[shortstuff99]

One of mine can be funny in the field. When she has decided she has had enough she will stand and give you a 1000 yard stare and then a neigh, and if you haven't got her by that point you will get a pace. So I get her in before then . She will get to a certain point in spring where when I come to the yard she will stay grazing and that's when I know she has decided it is time to live out. I just go with it or I would go mad

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I think it can be linked to cushings nearly every horse I have known to do it had cushings and they got worse this time of year when levels are at there highest.

Even Louis who loves being out will fence walk or weave at the gate if I put him where he doesn't want to be and he has cushings his on prascend but he still does it.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Would your horse be ok on his own for the length of his rehab? Is there another willing owner that would lend you a companion?

 

[dorsetladette]

I'm assuming the pacing starts as soon as horses sees humans on the yard. Can you either bring in first? have stables ready AM so you can grab headcollars and bring in before horse has had chance to see you or get stressed about it.

Or can you pop a bucket of chaff each in the field to buy you some time to do jobs on the yard before bringing in. Again an assumption that the pacing is food based as no hay in field.