Help with a stressy horse - please!

Kat

Kat

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 January 2008
Messages
13,168
Location
Derbyshire
Visit site
I just typed a really long post but the forum ate it, so I'll keep it brief!

Any tips, hints or suggestions for getting a horse to settle into a routine and when it is getting stressed?

My horse is getting herself worked into a right state in a morning at feeding and turn out time. She's on livery so is done by the staff. She is dropping weight because she's winding herself up into a state and box walking.

All the livery horses are on the same routine, but she seems to get "set off" when the first person arrives on the yard and then continues until she gets out in the field.

She is calm and sensible ridden, and generally calm in the evenings, although she will pace or bang a bit when I first arrive and when i leave.

She has only just started coming in overnight having been out 24/7 over summer, so I hope she will start to get better as time goes on and she gets more used to the routine but any suggestions for how to help her would be gratefully received!

Thanks!
 
This is a difficult one, and I guess it does depend on what her routine is - does she get fed and then left til you get there to turnout? Are things happening to other horses all at different times? I woudl hope that she would settle one she gets used to her new routine, as it is a big change going from being out 24/7 to stabled.

Saying that, my friend had a TB on loan, he was fine for months and months. Then one day he started stressing in the stable in the mornings and at night - his bed was walked into a circle of mush and he was constantly 'looking' out over the door or the back window as if he had seen something miles away. It sounds harsh but she ended up sending him back over it as he was so distracted and stressed all the time she could do nothing with him. Sorry thats not very positive!

Was she like this last winter?
 
Can they not do her first, I know the yard has to have a routine but it would be in their interests to get her fed and out as soon as possible, she would then always need to be first out but for some it is never going to get better.
A smaller yard or just moving to a different box may be other options as she may settle with less going on.
 
Her routine (and that of the other livery horses) is that the staff feed at about 8am when they first arrive, then they bring in the school horses before turning out the livery horses at about 9am.

There are some DIY horses though and some of their owners are up before the staff.

She is sensible to ride and fairly calm in the evening.
 
She sounds like one of mine.

Several things mayhelp:

1) Ignore her, and her behaviour will most likely improve over time, as she adapts to the daily routine.
or
2) Have the first person on the yard chuck some hay over her door, while she waits her turn to be turned out. However if you start this, she will expect it every day, and the other horses on the yard might start kicking their doors too.
or
3) Ask if she can go out first, so she's not left in for too long.

My horse (who has the same bahaviour issue) is lucky, as I ride before work, so I'm usually first up, but on the odd days where he has to stay in his box later than usual, he's a nightmare, and sometimes starts bucking and rearing in the box as soon as the the others start being turned out, although haying him will help stop his worst behaviour as he's quite greedy!
 
Last edited:
amymay said:
I'd have her fed, then out by 8.30am. If they can't do this for you, then I would recommend doing her yourself.
Click to expand...


Agree. If this is possoble. My mare is the stressy type and allthough I am not on a big yard I make sure she gets fed and or turned out first. Allthough what I generally do is give her a handfull of nuts while I change her rugs and then put her in the field with her breakfast. however she has a paddock to her self so I appreciate this may not be possible in your case.

As long as she has a friend in the next door paddock, when bringing in, i fetch my gelding in first and then my mare other wise she will kick up a fuss about being in the stable on her own.

She has such a good routine now that I am able to vary it without her getting too upset as she knows now that she will never be completely on her own where ever she is. This sort of behaviour mostly stems from insecureties, but after 3 1/2 years she knows me well enough by now!

Your mare may be one of those horses that needs to be attended to first and there is nothing wrong with that as some one has to be first. How long have you had her and how long has she been on the yard? Maybe the yard routine doesn't suit your horse but if you can compromise you may find she improves.
 
Last edited:
Just to clarify, they are turning her out first. She starts to agitate as soon as the first person arrives, they feed their horse who doesn't go out. The staff have to bring the others in for safety before she goes out, but they give her breakfast before they do this.

I can't really do her myself as I have to get to work.
 
KristmasKatt said:
Just to clarify, they are turning her out first. She starts to agitate as soon as the first person arrives, they feed their horse who doesn't go out. The staff have to bring the others in for safety before she goes out, but they give her breakfast before they do this.

I can't really do her myself as I have to get to work.
Click to expand...

Does the first person on the yard only feed their own horse? If that's the case - then that will be the cause of the problem.
On our yard first person on the yard in the morning has to feed all.
 
Right, thanks for the constructive advice :rolleyes: that assumes that there are a wealth of suitable yards in the area doesn't it :rolleyes: I waited to get a horse until I could afford part livery because I knew my work commitments would not allow me to do DIY. She is on a yard that are flexible and understanding with good facilities and support. There is not a lot of choice in the area. I think moving yards is a bit drastic when it has been less than a week of stressing, a yard move would be far more stressful.
 
KristmasKatt said:
Right, thanks for the constructive advice :rolleyes: that assumes that there are a wealth of suitable yards in the area doesn't it :rolleyes: I waited to get a horse until I could afford part livery because I knew my work commitments would not allow me to do DIY. She is on a yard that are flexible and understanding with good facilities and support. There is not a lot of choice in the area. I think moving yards is a bit drastic when it has been less than a week of stressing, a yard move would be far more stressful.
Click to expand...

Fair enough - and really sensible.

So, what exactly is it about your work commitments that prevents you going up in the morning? It may just the the perfect solution to helping your mare through this stressful time.
 
No it assumes that your horse's wellbeing is your primary concern - above facilities etc. If the routine does not suit her to the extent you imply (and she doesn't adjust to it quickly) and you cannot change the routine, unless you have another suggestion (which posting on here implies you have not) your only remaining alternative (assuming there is nothing wildly amiss in her management at the moment, other than the routine not working for her) is to find a yard which will suit her better (regardless of inconvenience to yourself) and to allow her to get over the temporary stress of the move, which would allow her a much less stressful long term future.
 
I have the same problem - it's very difficult for me to get to the yard prior to starting work!

Kat, have you tried asking the yard to give her a haynet when they do feed her - or a treat ball? Something to distract her when the other horses are being brought in? :)
 
I understand it's not always possible to get there yourself....it's not always about how early you get up! Once I get my new horse, I'll be a 40 min drive each way (and no, I don't think there are any suitable yards closer, I live in London), and to drive that and get back in time to go to work at 7am - to turn a horse out? And how does the OP know she'll be the first one there every day, if the DIYers are on a different routine?

Is she food driven? I find a section of hay chucked over the door with breakfast oftens quietens the stressy ones down. Treat balls can work although if she's really worked up and is prone to prancing around, I don't think you want something rolling around on the floor to make matters worse.

Have you had her prior to this winter? Hopefully she'll settle given time.
 
If it's only been a week, then she's still geting her head round this new routine and the likelyhood is that in a few weeks she'll be a lot happier.

What type of horse is your mare? Most horses I know who are a nuisance in the stable are quite greedy types, and I would bet, that by giving her a haynet after her breakfast would stop her playing up so much in the stable.

You say that she has started losing weight since she's been in. Is she getting enough hay overnight?
 
6 am amymay ? Try 4.50 that's particulary grim ( only have to do it 1 day a week though ;-) )
As a useful idea have you tried rescue remedy ? It's a bit ponsey, so I thought as don't really 'believe' in that sort of thing , but sometimes ( and only sometimes) really helps my stress head out in times of need
 
JFTD said:
No it assumes that your horse's wellbeing is your primary concern - above facilities etc. If the routine does not suit her to the extent you imply (and she doesn't adjust to it quickly) and you cannot change the routine, unless you have another suggestion (which posting on here implies you have not) your only remaining alternative (assuming there is nothing wildly amiss in her management at the moment, other than the routine not working for her) is to find a yard which will suit her better (regardless of inconvenience to yourself) and to allow her to get over the temporary stress of the move, which would allow her a much less stressful long term future.
Click to expand...

My horse's welfare is very important to me, that is why I'm worried about her. But at the moment it isn't just normal work and commuting it is having to manage with one car in the house rather than two which makes things additionally hard. If I thought that going up was just a short term thing then I would do it but I can't do it long term and I don't want her to get into a routine of going out mega early if it isn't sustainable.

If she really doesn't settle then we will adjust things. As I said the yard are flexible and understanding. If needs be she can got out 24/7 or out at night and in during the day for as long or as short a time as we want. But she has been settled in this type of winter routine before and this is the routine that suits us (and her workload) best so I would like some helpful suggestions for helping her to settle to this routine.

PooJay said:
I have the same problem - it's very difficult for me to get to the yard prior to starting work!

Kat, have you tried asking the yard to give her a haynet when they do feed her - or a treat ball? Something to distract her when the other horses are being brought in? :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for understanding and not assuming that I am too bloody lazy to get out of bed to see to my horse. :)

I think the bit about hay got lost when the forum swallowed my original post! The yard have started to give her extra hay overnight, to try and make sure she has food while waiting to go out. She has ad lib hay, normally two big nets overnight is enough to ensure she has a bit left in the morning but they are now putting three in to see if that helps. Leaving an extra one for the first person up to put in is something they will try if this doesn't help.

Twiglet said:
I understand it's not always possible to get there yourself....it's not always about how early you get up! Once I get my new horse, I'll be a 40 min drive each way (and no, I don't think there are any suitable yards closer, I live in London), and to drive that and get back in time to go to work at 7am - to turn a horse out? And how does the OP know she'll be the first one there every day, if the DIYers are on a different routine?

Is she food driven? I find a section of hay chucked over the door with breakfast oftens quietens the stressy ones down. Treat balls can work although if she's really worked up and is prone to prancing around, I don't think you want something rolling around on the floor to make matters worse.

Have you had her prior to this winter? Hopefully she'll settle given time.
Click to expand...

Thanks, for the understanding response. She's a warmblood x. Treat balls are something I wondered about but I wasn't sure whether it would help much so thanks for posting that. We are considering giving her an extra haynet in the morning to try and quieten her down.

We bought her at the end of last winter she is getting MORE turnout now than she was with her old owners or during the first month we had her. She was better in the mornings last March/April.

Misinterpreted said:
If it's only been a week, then she's still geting her head round this new routine and the likelyhood is that in a few weeks she'll be a lot happier.

What type of horse is your mare? Most horses I know who are a nuisance in the stable are quite greedy types, and I would bet, that by giving her a haynet after her breakfast would stop her playing up so much in the stable.

You say that she has started losing weight since she's been in. Is she getting enough hay overnight?
Click to expand...

Thanks I am really hoping it is just temporary due to the changeover. I'm just worrying about her. As above we are upping her hay to see if that helps both the stress and the weight. We didn't want to up her hard feed in case it resulted in excess energy.

hobgoblin said:
6 am amymay ? Try 4.50 that's particulary grim ( only have to do it 1 day a week though ;-) )
As a useful idea have you tried rescue remedy ? It's a bit ponsey, so I thought as don't really 'believe' in that sort of thing , but sometimes ( and only sometimes) really helps my stress head out in times of need
Click to expand...

Thanks for a useful suggestion, how do you give your horse rescue remedy? I'd be willing to try something like that.
 
I have a horse with a really similar problem and he is kept at home not on a big yard; as soon as he 'thinks' it breakfast/ going out time he starts box walking and getting agitated. He worries if he can't see the pony with her head over the door (even if she's in her stable next door relaxing).

I put up a cheap stable mirror and what a difference - he just stands in there looking at himself for hours. He definitely gets considerable comfort from his reflection/ new friend. TBs who would have 'em.
 
Interesting, she has neighbours both sides, who are calm, and can see a couple of others. The walls in the stables don't go all the way up, and she used to be able to touch noses with her neighbour, but now he has moved and she has smaller horses each side I don't think they can actually touch. I could look into a stable mirror, although she isn't the sort of horse that needs company, she is quite happy if she is in the field on her own and will happily hack and school alone.
 
Well all I can say is give her time. I remember the first time I put my mare in her stable she nearly climbed over the door to get out. As I said before, make sure she has a consistant routine and eventually she will realise where she fits in.
 
TicTac said:
Well all I can say is give her time. I remember the first time I put my mare in her stable she nearly climbed over the door to get out. As I said before, make sure she has a consistant routine and eventually she will realise where she fits in.
Click to expand...

Thanks that is why I'm reluctant to start going down myself or getting other people to feed her. I want it to be consistant, and I hope that with time she will realise that the owners of the other horses are not coming to feed her or turn her out and she will start to ignore them. It is hard to hear that she is stressing though, and to see that she has dropped condition as a result.

How long did it take your mare to settle? Was there anything that helped her?
 
It comes in a pipet thing, I just fill it up and squirt it in , you can't give too much , it's only made from flowers! You can buy it from most chemists or health food shops. I'm sure she will settle down when she adapts to the new routine. I'm lucky enough to keep mine at home but can still have problems with the stress head when the routine changes, such as coming in at night , I try to build it up gradually, coming in for short periods of time but appreciate this is not do able for most people. He also was busting a gut to go out this morning ( first night in) but was standing at the gate by 2 to come in !!!!????? Don't no how he knew he was ? Horses who'd have them? !
 
Do you squirt it into feed or their mouth?

Hope she will adjust, we did start bringing her in for a haynet in her stable for a month or so before she came in overnight.
 
What was she like living out? Can you not move her somewhere she can live out 24/7 if she's settled in the field? Otherwise, perhaps she is just adjusting to her new routine with the recent change.

I agree with the advice of others, first out, same routine every day...
 
milesjess said:
What was she like living out? Can you not move her somewhere she can live out 24/7 if she's settled in the field? Otherwise, perhaps she is just adjusting to her new routine with the recent change.

I agree with the advice of others, first out, same routine every day...
Click to expand...

She was relaxed and happy living out over summer. But apparently she was out 24/7 for a period last winter up to roughly christmas time and dropped a lot of weight. When we got her she had been stabled overnight with limited turnout during the day for a couple of months, when she came to us she was on the routine she is on now, except that for the first month she was on solo turnout on an all weather surface (initially for quarantine reasons then she had an injury) then she was turned out with the others. She was apparently calmer in the morning during this period than she is now.

She could stay out 24/7 at the current yard if we wanted her too, but she is getting to the stage where she needs to come in to eat because she is starving hungry. It is also problematic because I can't get to the yard during daylight hours in winter. So have the difficulty of trekking up the field in the dark, plus the difficulty of trying to dry her off sufficiently after riding to put a turnout rug on.

If she really doesn't settle we will try her out 24/7 or out at night and in during the day (as this would be a shorter period inside). But I am hoping that she will settle and I would like advice on helping her to settle into this routine.

As I said above, the staff have been turning her out first but they have to get the horses in that need to come in before she goes out.
 
KristmasKatt said:
Thanks that is why I'm reluctant to start going down myself or getting other people to feed her. I want it to be consistant, and I hope that with time she will realise that the owners of the other horses are not coming to feed her or turn her out and she will start to ignore them. It is hard to hear that she is stressing though, and to see that she has dropped condition as a result.

How long did it take your mare to settle? Was there anything that helped her?
Click to expand...

If you can make sure that other people dont panda to her fidgeting, then hopefully she will settle. Sometimes the more attention a horse gets the more it wants.

My mare can still be a pain when she first comes in for the winter but settles quite quickly as she is so used to her routine now. We know each other so well. I guess it took her a few weeks to settle initially as she had lived out 365 with her previous owner.

To be honest all you can do is make sure that she has what she needs and that her routine is more or less the same each day as far as it is possible. Calmers wont do her any good and will only waste your money. Your mare is obviously insecure at the moment. However some yards just dont suit some horses no matter how convenient it is for the owner. So bare that in mind if she still hasn't settled in after a month or so.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top