Getting horses out of the field!

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STBscotland

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Help! I can't get my two horses out of the field without getting run over by their rather large field mate!! Before I start she is pacing the exit and I try to chase her away but she has learn't to totally ignore me! She knows there is not a lot I can do about her. When I open the electric tape she sneaks up the far side of my horse and just pushes past at a really fast pace. She bolts off to the wooden gate further up and blocks that one. I then get one of my horses out, close the tape and have to go catch her, put her back and then try and get my other one out. She is getting harder and harder to catch and put back in the field and I am sure she is going to hurt me or one of my horses. I really don't have the time to bring her in then go back to the field and get my 2. Any constructive suggestions would be appreciated.
 
Is the said horse yours? If not i'd tell the owner to sort it out with some manners. If your on a yard ask yo/ym if it can be moved. Oh and i'd be taking a very long whip with me just in case and wear your hat. Is there any way you could section a bit off in front of the gate so you have a safe zone so to speak before you open the gate?
 
When you take your two out is she the only one left in the field? If so her behaviour is totally understandable.
I agree- talk to her owner but it might be simplist to get all three in and pop her in her stable while you do yours then turn all three out.

If she still has company - more tricky
 
Polos Mum said:
When you take your two out is she the only one left in the field? If so her behaviour is totally understandable.
I agree- talk to her owner but it might be simplist to get all three in and pop her in her stable while you do yours then turn all three out.

If she still has company - more tricky
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I agree with this statement but, getting all three in will be a hassle and you're not forced to have the time. Speak to the owner or YM and see if you can resolve it - maybe something a simple as chucking a slice of hay down for her will keep her happy?
 
Pearlsasinger said:
I'm not sure how any-one thinks that the owner can deal with the horse long distance. Can you tie the horse up to get yours out?
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I wasn't suggesting the mares owner does anything, only that the OP should speak to the owner about the problem. The owner might have a good suggestion or equally not want the mare fed/ hayed/ tied up/ chased with whip etc. for some reasonable reason. Can you imagine the thread "other livery has been gving my mare hard feed/ got my horse in/ made her whip shy without my knowlegde"
 
Polos Mum said:
I wasn't suggesting the mares owner does anything, only that the OP should speak to the owner about the problem. The owner might have a good suggestion or equally not want the mare fed/ hayed/ tied up/ chased with whip etc. for some reasonable reason. Can you imagine the thread "other livery has been gving my mare hard feed/ got my horse in/ made her whip shy without my knowlegde"
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No, you weren't, you made a valid point about the horse possibly being left on her own in the field. But the two posters before you certainly appeared to expect the owner to be able to control her(?) horse from a distance.
 
When I open the electric tape she sneaks up the far side of my horse and just pushes past at a really fast pace. She bolts off to the wooden gate further up and blocks that one. I then get one of my horses out, close the tape and have to go catch her, put her back and then try and get my other one out. She is getting harder and harder to catch and put back in the field


Surely the amount of time it takes you to do that is longer than just getting her in, it would be easier. Maybe speak to the owner about it and see if they can come up with other suggestions?
 
I'd carry a stick with me, I'm sorry but I think her behaviour is potentially dangerous. Or throw some earth at it, or flap the headcollar or something. Its up to the owner to teach her to be less bargy and to respect people's space, but in the absence of her doing so, you need to get your horses out unmolested.

I recently got kicked by someone's little darling, young horse, the owner is hardly there. It also kicked another person trying to bring their horse in, quite a painful one. Thankfully it has now been moved into a field with its equally young and untrained companion. If this is an older horse though it can be harder to deal with as the habit is more ingrained.

What you can do is try to improve the environment so that you can get through the gate more quickly - improve handles, gates, etc..

What you are describing is not a horse which is stressing at being left in the field on its own, but one which is bargey and bad mannered.
 
I deal with pushy types by driving them away, ie so they don't even get a chance to get near a gate, a swinging lead rope is good for the more confrontational.
 
STBscotland said:
Help! I can't get my two horses out of the field without getting run over by their rather large field mate!! Before I start she is pacing the exit and I try to chase her away but she has learn't to totally ignore me! She knows there is not a lot I can do about her. When I open the electric tape she sneaks up the far side of my horse and just pushes past at a really fast pace. She bolts off to the wooden gate further up and blocks that one. I then get one of my horses out, close the tape and have to go catch her, put her back and then try and get my other one out. She is getting harder and harder to catch and put back in the field and I am sure she is going to hurt me or one of my horses. I really don't have the time to bring her in then go back to the field and get my 2. Any constructive suggestions would be appreciated.
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Is there any way you can make a holding pen using tape, just inside the "real" gate? This is how we work with multiple horses - you get the horses you want inside the holding pen before you even think about opening the outer gate.

It also helps that the horse who is desperate to get to the real gate often doesn't make the connection with getting into the holding pen (although that's probably because we use the holding pen for things like separating one horse to be fed, or grooming, or checked, or tacked up, so none of them have a hard and fast association of "pen = immediately leaving field" ).

Having said that, if the mare is being left alone while you bring your two in, she will quickly learn to circumvent anything you do - her need not to be alone is likely to be stronger than any ploy you come up with.
 
I would either bring her in while you get your in or get someone to come and hold the horse to stop her getting out, sounds like she want in anyway she could be hungry hence fence walking.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
No, you weren't, you made a valid point about the horse possibly being left on her own in the field. But the two posters before you certainly appeared to expect the owner to be able to control her(?) horse from a distance.
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I never mentioned the horse owner could/should control his/her horse from a distance Pearl. I said maybe op should have a word with owner about him/her teaching the horse some manners. In this case would be imo very welcomed as then maybe said horse would have more respect from the op. I have had 3 horses in a field and none of them have ever displayed behaviour like this when 2 have been removed from field. Maybe a few mins of trotting or cantering up and down or a whinnie but never blocking or running through the gateway.
 
Can you have a chat with the owners of field mates to see if you can all come up around the same time to bring in?

I work miles from my yard and finish work later than the other owners in my field. To resolve this I put my girl on bring in a couple of days a week. My sharer goes down earlier than me one day and my friends sharer waits for me the other day. This way we can go down together and bring the horses back together.

We do have one "bolshy at the gate" mare in the field who occasionally causes problem by dashing out or jumping through the gap just as you close the gate. Luckily, my girl will mostly chase her away when she sees me but I have had to chase her round the filed and try to get her back in the filed a few times and it always seems to happen when I'm in a rush!
 
Just take an extra headcollar down with you and tie her up first before getting yours out. Then when yours are out safely and the tape back in place, untie her.
It's a bit of faffage, but better than horses charging around out of control.
 
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