*HELP! Panic in field. Any advice/insights appreciated????

Kellys Heroes

Kellys Heroes

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I have a 14.2hh mare called Kelly who has always been, every year in summer turn out, the top dog in the field! She is always the one who sorts the pecking order out. :p She is quite a fiesty horse and has never had any problems in the field (she does kick horses though when tied up outside her stable, showing or hacking).
However, this year she came down with lami :( in April and has been on box rest for 8 weeks, with only short daily walks for the last 2 weeks (this time last summer we were hacking out for a couple of hours at a time, so as you can imagine this wasn't a lot for her and she became quite a handful). The vet reexamined her last week and said she looked good on her feet now and with heart bars on, we can start to bring her back into work, including being turned out for a few hours every other day or so (obv with a muzzle on, as per every year).
She has now been ridden twice and turned out twice since she's been shod and when under saddle, she's perfect. However, when she is turned out she panics (paces at the gate, shows signs of distress, will not commune with the other horses)...this is so very unusual for her! :eek:
We also have a 16.2hh mare and Kelly cannot be put in the field without her now as she doesn't settle and works herself up. Usually she's not that impressed at being caught and brought in, but now she sticks at Pebbles' side and is at the gate within half an hour waiting to be brought in.
I know its very early days and she may still settle but I wondered if anyone had any ideas or advice on why she is so stressy about the field? (which by the way, the fields change round every summer but the horses stay relatively a constant group - it is the "temperamental mare field!") Is it that the other horses (who have been on summer turnout since the beginning of May) have built up a strong enough pecking order already, or is it simply the awe of being in a field with other horses after being on her own in a stable for 8 weeks?

Thanks for reading I appreciate it!! :)
 
She's no longer a member of the herd, and is being rejected by them.
All except your other mare, and she is desperate to stay with her, because a horse's instincts tell it not to be left alone, or it will be the one that predators attack.
To reintegrate her into the herd, I suggest you fence off a separate paddock for her and her 16.2hh friend, next to the other herd. If you observe their interactions with the rest of the herd, you should get some idea of when you can put them all back together without incident.
Hope this helps
S :D
 
I think you've probably hit the nail on the head with the last bit, she's probably just got so used to being in her own little bubble.

Edited to say - agree with Shils, if you watch them in the field you'll get a pretty good idea of whats going on too :)
 
Thank you!

I know I'm going to probably have to give it more time, but it's just so unusual to see her react like this as she's such a strong willed girl and nothing usually seriously upsets her!

It would be a fantastic idea if I could seperate them off from the rest but it's quite a large field and there's around 15 horses in (there's approx 50 on our yard)...problems, problems!

Also in reply to you both, we have observed them for a while after they go out and the other horses don't bother with them at all - a couple responded to Pebbles but not Kel so I can't even say if something has occurred with the other horses in there :(
 
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Herd dynamics are notoriously changeable if something upsets the status quo. In the wild, it would be essential for their safety to re-shuffle quickly and establish a new leader. There is always much squabbling in the lower ranks to avoid being the bottom of the heap and even in small groups where things have stayed constant, a decline in health will see that member shunned to the outermost limits without much argument from them. That can be really painful to see as in the wild it would mean far worse than exclusion from the main huddle.

It sounds to me like the new top dog has made it plain to Kelly she's no longer in charge and possibly she has become a bit institutionalised with all the box rest and nursing? If she isn't quite herself anyway, she'll be less than confident but as has already been said, she has been relegated to rank outsider and likely feels threatened and wants back to the safety of her stable.

Could you take her out on a leadrope and stay in the field with her to see if that helps?
 
We could do but she can be a little difficult to lead, especially in a field and I don't think she'd want to stay with us if our other was off down the field or not with us.
I think you're all definitely right, I think the new leader is possibly our other mare - so to think Kelly finds safety with her is viable! :)
I'd just love to be able to turn her out and not have to worry about her being stressed as she used to love going out to play, just wonder how long it will take for her to reintergrate back into the herd and whether she will ever become leader again.
From what I've seen, she hasn't really tried to interact with the rest of the herd - last year she would have galloped up to them and trotted round them all, almost challenging a few of them and this year she hasn't gone from the gate or Pebbles (who doesn't tend to bother too much with the rest). Is this because she's fearing the consequences??
 
i'm not sure i agree with the leadrope idea.... esp as she can be difficult to lead/has been on boxrest/isn't her usual self/is no longer top dog in the field/field filled with 'tempremental mares... i think it could be a recipe for disaster. also you won't be able to see any 'real' interaction.

i think Shils idea was a good one. maybe even section her a bit off in the field and put her and friend in there? perhaps reintroduce her when the new top dog is out of the field?

good luck! hopefully as she gets used to being out etc, she'll come back to her old self. xxx

eta: didn't read all the replies properly... can see that you can't fence bit off, and your other mare may be the top dog... i'd perhaps just keep turning her out as normal and hope things get better. if the other mares can sense she's poorly, it might be that they don't want a poorly leader... as she gets stronger this could change? xx
 
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This sounds like a case of seperation anxiety to me due to a really strong pair bond with your other mare.

Horses usually settle down in a herd situation within a couple of weeks and it's often very upsetting for the owner but is completely normal.

As long as your horse isn't at risk of injuring herself or being badly bullied I wouldn't seperate her with your other mare as this will just make her more anxious when left without her.

It isn't necessary for your mare to be 'top dog' to be 'happy' in a herd environment, it will just take time for her to settle back down into a new position.
 
Oh no its not essential for her to be herd leader it just that thats always the way its been and its odd not being so!
I watched them today while she was out and there was around 9 horses in the field - her, Pebbles and the rest of the herd.
Pebbles was on her own grazing and there was 5 horses chasing Kelly round (one in particular doted on her last summer), kicking at her and cornering her - whereas they didn't bother with her the first day, they have been actively bullying her the last 2 days.
However when I went to bring her in she was stood, still apart from the others, grazing near the top of the field without Pebbles. As soon as the others moved though she was gone, back down to her!! I think and hope it will just get better...she is still being perfect under saddle (she's usually more 'active' shall we say) and obviously very unfit from the box rest and we are hoping maybe as she gets fitter she will start to come back to her usual self?
 
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You have some good advice already - just wanted to add that my boy has gone neurotic after nearly 4 months box rest. He isn't interested in the other horses and gets panicked if left in his rehab pen for too long. If he catches sight of me, he's whinnying and stressing!!
This is a horse that was friendly and integrated with other horses and loved his turnout.

I have overcome the problem by sticking to a regular routine and using ACP to calm him down. I've gradually increased turnout time until he is now happy for several hours (without sedatives). This took about 2-3 weeks but was worth persevering with. I'm sure your girl will get used to turnout again too. :)
 
I certainly wouldn't use the lead-rope idea. That sounds positively dangerous, to say nothing of self-defeating. I would say that the others don't want a weaker mare in their herd, in case she attracts predators (they don't realise that we don't really have them here) and she knows that. She is still not feeling anywhere near 100%, so is clinging to your other mare, who fortunately is letting her. Herd dynamics change frequently, even in stable herds. Because your mare's turnout is still limited, every time she goes out/comes in that is another change. I think the best advice you have been given is to fence off a smaller area for your two horses, with electric fencing and wait until she is feeling much more herself and is able to go out for longer (if that happens) before trying to put her back with the main herd. This would be safer for her than allowing her to be kicked and cornered.
 
Well, a slight improvement today...
She panicked at the gate today for about 15 minutes (the other mare had gone out an hour before Kelly today) then cantered round the field, couldn't see Pebbles, came back to the gate, then cantered round again. As she spotted Pebbles the other bullies spotted Kelly! But today she stood her ground and they started to sniff her then she struck out with her front feet at them - then all of them includin Pebbles and Kelly (who were at the back but still, with the rest) started to run round.
Perhaps starting to reestablish themselves as a herd??
 
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