Help Please Before I Kill Him!

[TheresaW]

Mac started living out at the beginning of June as he was diagnosed with arthritis and I thought I'd see how he coped. Since going out, he hasn't had a days lameness and has seemed really happy.

However, he is being such a git at the moment. To ride and handle, he is absolutely fine, laid back and chilled and just perfect. But!!!! He keeps escaping from the field. Have no real idea why, other than to eat grass that isn't in field. Three times this week he has broken out. We keep making repairs to the fence line, but it isn't working. What can I do? He isn't hungry. I go in early every morning and give him breakfast. He is in his stable for a while during the day and has hay, he has a feed every evening, and because the grass is rubbish now, hay is put out in the field every night. During the day when he is in, he is fine, but he is always happy to go back out in the evening. My own feeling is that he is bored. But what can I do to make life more interesting for him? He is out with 3 others at the moment, one of which he sticks to like glue, so I don't think it is lack of company issue.

OH is going to actually rebuild a proper fence tomorrow to replace what he has damaged, but I am worried that he will just make his escape elsewhere.

Edited to add: On a couple of occasions, have had to keep him in overnight and he has been sulky the next day. He has been kept in tonight because I couldn't trust him to be out until fence fixed.

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Would probably get a better response in NL, but could you run electric fencing inside the perimeter fence?

 

[TheresaW]

Sorry, just realised this is totally the wrong forum. It is late and I am tired.

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Doesn't bother me at all, just thought you might get more help over there.

 

[TheresaW]

You're right so have re-posted it in NL Has been a long day! lol. New bit of fence that OH is building tomorrow is going to have electric run through it, so hopefully he will stay off it. Electric is the only thing he respects. Where he got out before, we patched up with electric, but he just went through the really dense bramble further along the side. He is a stubborn git and so determined when it suits him.

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Is he a cob aka bulldozer?? My cob only respects electric fencing, anything else gets flattened!!

 

[TheresaW]

Suffolk Punch cross. People think they are thick, but he is very shrewd. He bulldozes things without even meaning to. He was rubbing his bum on fence once and snapped it. He has caused me lots of embarassment.

 

[SpruceRI]

My Shetland is the miniature version of yours! Spend my whole life repairing fencing!

 

[katie_and_toto]

To make life more interesting for him, you could try things like stable toys or a swede rolled into his field so he can play with it, or a likit.

 

[MissDeMeena]

I'm really sorry i can't help.. but i had to read your post out to mum, as it made me laugh so much!!!

Sounds like he's feeling well if nothing else

 

[ISHmad]

Is there enough shelter in the field he keeps breaking out of? Just wondered if with him being arthritic he is perhaps feeling the cold a bit. We have an arthritic mare and she has definitely been a little more stiff these last few days, so must be feeling the effects of the cold nights now. So she decided to bring herself in last night... Winter routine begins for her today. Luckily the others are still out!

 

[Calli]

Oh so familiar. I had the same problem with a 2 yr old colt....Theres a lot of black trakehener half breds round where I used to live. Had to move as it became sooo embarrassing...