Help needed!!

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daisybe33

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I always seem to be posting about Ill or naughty horses at the moment!!

I have an 11 year old 17.2hh ID x TB I have had since a foal who has issues to say the least.

He is an excellent competition horse and I adore him to ride but ........................

I am struggling to keep him in a stable or anywhere really.

He has been out (over the door) of quite a few stables in his life time requiring stitching, physio etc.

For the last 5 years he has been at two differant yards and settled quite well into the stables (after trying a few) but I have recently got my own yard and can't keep him in. I have a huge (14ft by 20ft) stable which housed a stallion and I thought was strong enough to hold him and when he started rearing at the door I shut the top door believing him to be completely safe and he came through the lot taking the top, bottom door and door jamb (sp??) with him
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I've tried him in the other stables on the yard as he can be fussy about what stable he is in but he threatened to come out of those as well and I'm at my wits end with what to do with him. I would let him live out but he gets bored and jumps the fence and his field is down the road from the stable.

If anyone has any suggestions they would be most welcome as I really don't know what to do!.

I can't move him back to livery as I can't afford two places and the box he liked has been taken by someone else.
 
Very, he sweats up even his face so it's dripping off him, he has been like it since he was a foal but I've always managed it but he is worse than ever at the moment.

He's fine if no one is moving about the yard but as s oon as I bring another one out of the stable he panicks.

I've even tried putting a pony in with him but that didn't work!
 
Does he have a companion?

Is it possible to horse proof the yard so that he can wander at will and go in and out of his stable as he wants to??
 
I thought it was that they were lodden boxes with ggrills so he could see the others and I purposfully put those in or him in an indoor barn when we moved but no way was he staying in one
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I could horse proof the yard but I wouldn't be able to take any out to work as he thinks nothing of popping a 5 bar gate etc to follow
 
he is on hay ad lib and a handful of coolmix. He is a super good doer and I'm quite careful about altering his feed to suit his workload as he can get quite fresh if he gets too much

He is just coming back into work after injections in his hocks for arthritis. He is worked daily.

In all other aspects apart from being grumpy he is good, good to lead, groom, clip, farrier, travel. etc it's just this disregard he has for barriers which is a real issue.
 
Cut out the mix (perhaps) and give him hifibre cubes or pony nuts instead - ie' reduce the sugar.

As for the rest - sorry, apart from making all fences around 8ft hight (as you would a stallion) I'm out of suggestions. Apart from obviously ensuring he has company at all times.....

Does he do better in a box with a higher ceiling??
 
The ceilings don't seem to make a differance to him.

Thanks for your suggestions though. If he wasn't such a good ride I wouldn't put up with it!!.

I'll let you know if I manage to find a solution although lord knows what that will be !
 
We have had horses that won't settle in a particular stable. The idea of letting them wander in and out has worked in our situation.

We feed, water and hay in the stable so that, even if they chose to be outside, they must go in to eat and drink.

Good luck, I hope you find a solution
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Do you think he will settle if you can get him to stay in the box for long enough?

If so how about keeping him sedated for a while. We have used Horlicks powder instead of 'drug based' methods for several stressed horses before.

My current one was fed 10 mugfulls a day in order to make him calm enough to back. All he would do was sleep inbetween being worked. He is food obsessed and he couldn't even be bothered to get up for his haynet!

Since then I've used it in varying amounts on lots of horses for box rest, show excitement etc. One horse used to kick its way out of the stable unless it was turned out first. It was the only way we could keep him and our stables in one piece when he had to have 6 weeks box rest.

Seams to make them mellow and relax wonderfully.

Otherwise I think you are gonna have to go for the 8ft high stallion fencing.
 
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