Help with anxious gelding

L

Lu_equi27

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Hello

My mare of 26 years ( 36 yes old when lost her ) was pts on 24th June this year . My gelding is 31 and had been with her for approx 19 years or more. Always stabled together apart from 1 month when I moved the gelding then my mare follower later.

He sniffed her and wasnt bothered just pulled to eat some grass . He was OK for a short while. However now he is so stressed in his stable. He is stabled in a huge box , he lifts his leg all night long (like begging) . Constantly from the door, to window , then walking around barely eating his feeds and hay..

To.make.things worse I suspect cushings as before the loss of my mare he dropped alot of weight ..he has a blood test on Monday.

What he seems to do is look out his stable up to the top field which you cant see into and stares raises his head like he can hear/see or hes looking for something then stresses. Maybe my old mare. Its got worse since a new youngsters mare came but hes not that fussed about her when we walk past her etc.

He also lost 2 herd members out of 4 in the past 6 months .

I have him on mag ox calmer and low sugar feeds etc.

Tonight I walked him upto the field he was so stressed like holding a stallion once we got to the top he completely relaxed when see nothing in the field . Walked.down calm again . Then when back to yard again staring up the field stressing ! . I have him onncamera so.waych him. Its most the night.

He cant live out here and never has liked it.
He was fine at first now seems to have got worse.

He is stabled on his own round the back where he has always been with my.old.mare.

We have tried to.move him round the front yard with the other horses and he smashed the stable.door.off and was foaming with sweat. Dragged us back.to old.stable.

One.or 2.nights he is fine.
Its like once he is unsettled himself there's no calming down what so ever .

any supplemt suggestions. Or any other advice.

I cant get a companion for the stable as I can't financially afford 2.now. he has field.buddies.

Someone suggested a large teddy stuffed horse to put in stable next.to him..there's a middle window.

Any ideas welcome x
thanks



thank you for reading
l

Anyone else had tjis at all..any.help appreciated. Its making me quite upset every day as I dont want to lose him so.soon after my.mare.
 
Sorry for your loss.

Global herbs super calm worked wonders for my anxious cob, but he was anxious for different reasons.

Could you put another horse in the stable your mare was in? he may feel less isolated then.

Failing that, when I lost my old boy my livery ended up moving her pony as he never got past losing his best mate. You may need to move.
 
Lu_equi27 said:
What he seems to do is look out his stable up to the top field which you cant see into and stares raises his head like he can hear/see or hes looking for something then stresses. Maybe my old mare. Its got worse since a new youngsters mare came but hes not that fussed about her when we walk past her etc.



Tonight I walked him upto the field he was so stressed like holding a stallion once we got to the top he completely relaxed when see nothing in the field . Walked.down calm again . Then when back to yard again staring up the field stressing ! . I have him onncamera so.waych him. Its most the night.

He cant live out here and never has liked it.
He was fine at first now seems to have got worse.
Click to expand...
he may not like living out but he doesn't seem to like living in ATM either.

I think the answer is very simple ie he is grieving his loss. It is taking a long time maybe longer than usual but the period of grief lasts as long as he chooses. One way is to find him someone to pair up with. That is not always easy,, it may be a very kind leader who will look after him or, in my case, it was an arrogant youngster who he had to sort out. If that doesn't work and it may well not do, then, if you don't want to PTS, give him the opportunity to sort himself out and it will take as long as it takes.

If he wants to stay in the field she was in then find a way of letting him until he works it out that she isn't coming back. Each time you take him away from the field there is the worry for him that she could still be there. You go back, he sees she isn't and is calm. You shut him in a stable however big and there is still the thought she is up there.

I'm sorry you lost your mare and even more sorry for your horse. It is awful seeing grieving horses because there is so little you can do.
 
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