Help. Tips needed for insecure youngster

ABE

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Has anyone got any advice for helping my youngster become more independant? She is rising 5 and extremely clingy with her field mate who she is also stabled next door to. She isnt great to hack alone or tie up away from others so any tips for that too would be great. I hope to event this year and i am beginning to have visions of her never leaving the start box or napping with me half way round????
 
Stable her apart from her ''friend''. Get her a mirror in her stable - my gelding was extremely clingy to my mare, to the extent where he would try and jump out of the stable if she went anywhere without him. We got him a mirror and he was a different horse, he'd stand and stare at his ''friend'' all day
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Dont hack her out with her field mate, hack her with someone else. basically try to eliminate what you can of the situations when they are together, even try not to school together. I understand they probably have to be turned out together so thats fine. Just tie her away from her friend, take her on her own out in the lorry, just hire out an arena. little things like that. Thats what i did with mine. I dont event though so cant advise on the napping in the start box - however i would suggest a good few hard wacks and lots of pony club kicks. She'l soon learn.
 
me to - sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind and maybe tie up in teh stable and take the other horse away and just leave her until she stops throwing a paddy (make sure you have strong stables for this though x)
 
I own both of them so that helps since they never get ridden together. I will try taking each away every evening so they spend time apart. Thanks hopefully come time she will become a bit more independant
 
Like Tempi, my chestnut mare became incredibly attached to my Irish lady to the point where she was rearing and really cutting her head on the roof whenever she was taken away
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But my other mare was heavily in foal so needed time out on her own as she was not far from having her foal.

I bought her a mirror and made sure I did not give in to the paddies. When she was quiet and settled, I would bring my other mare back (that is the benefit of both being my horses).

They are both completely besotted with each other and go out together, are stabled next to each other and shout for the other one. But they can now be taken away and competed etc. I have even been able to take them both out competing and other than a few bangs and screaming in the wagon, we have not had too many issues
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Does she live with just her friends? Thats makes life really difficult.

I have two geldings and they become totally overly attatched to each other if living together on their own. As soon as I seperated them and they lived with a large group of other friends they were fine. Could you find other friends for them?
 
Is it just the two of them at your yard? Can you introduce a 3rd friend, even if just for a short while (e.g. borrow someone's shetland?). Ideally, see if you can send one of yours to another yard for a bit and borrow a friend, to give them some proper time apart?

Otherwise, it's the long road of just building up and up the period of time for which you separate them - just remember to do it in small doses and try to give them other things to take their mind off it (food?).
 
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