Help- need advice on getting horse used to being in stable

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silverstar

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Has anyone got any ideas on how to get my new horse used to being in stable at night. She is in a dutch barn with another horse facing her but she still box walks and I cant go into stable with her as she pins me against the front of the stable nor pick her feet out. I think shes been out most of her life. Ideally I would like her to live out but grass livery is like hens teeth around here. Also she pushes against the front of the stable door (the stables are wooden frames not breeze block. She cant see any horses through the side as its wooden blocked out. Ive got a mirror so am wondering if that'll work but she has a horse opposite her and that doesnt make much difference. I may have to result to a calmer.

Helpp
 
Shes okay going in its getting her to calm down and stay there thats the problem. She wont finish her tea when shes in there either. Having to feed her whilst being tied up outside. Its a nightmare.
 
Can you leave her door open - a chain or bar across and sit on a chair or stand outside whilst she eats her dinner? I would also try some Rescue Remedy for her - put it on half an apple of carrot and also put some in her water bucket so she drinks it through the night. I'm sure she will settle down when she realises it is her new routine. Maybe try some apple juice on her food to make it a bit more tempting - is the grazing good when she is out? When my mare moved yards we came from hardly any grazing to relatively lush grazing so she stopped eating her feed when in at night and just had ad lib hay.

ETA - give her the Rescue Remedy when you go to get her from the field so she has the first'dose' before she gets back to her stable.
 
I had this problem with my gelding.

I'm afraid I'm a mean mummy and left him to get on with it. He ate no tea and only nibbled his hay for a few days and mucking out was a nightmare, but he had grass during the day to fill up on and now a week later, he's eating and the stable is looking a bit more normal!!!!!

Perseverance is the key. My boys issues were about moving boxes, but I had the same issues when I first stabled him just over a year ago. He was a 17 year old arab that hadn't been stabled and it took several weeks to get him used to the idea.

Good Luck x
 
I think it will take some time, my boy had never been stabled when I got him at 2 and half and he was very un easy being in the stable, you could see is in his eye as soon as he went in, the panic would set in and it was like you were not there, he's just walk over you if you were in the way, star gazing out of the stable door and pacing around.

I got him used to in short intervals, only going in when he was to be groomed etc rather than him going in for the full duration of the night, as your mare will feel vulnerable, safety in numbers and wont feel part or a heard, so its important that when she goes in the stable you spend quality time together so she feels relaxed just in your presence rather than the company of another horse.

Walking her in, giving her a pat and carrot and then taking her straight back out again.

Tie her up outside with a hay net and groom her, then progressing to doing it in the stable, but just for short periods of time.

Another good trick is (providing your horse is not scared of bags) is an empty feed back with some food still left in the bottom, horses love sniff and play around with a feed bag while your holding her,horses are naturally inquisitive, terribly nosey creatures, it will give her a distraction and in time associate her stable with nice things...food!

Hang her rugs up around the stable (over the wall if safe enough to do so) so she has some familiar smells or even of her field companions rug.

If she's in a paddock of her own, give her a snack ball so she can play around with it then use this in the stable, again a familiar object which she can sniff and roll around her stable.

I'm sure in time she will settle down into a routine.
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