Help with turn-out problems!!!!

KBRITT10

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I need help!!!! I have owned my nearly-7 year old TB for a year and a half and up until we moved house and yards in september we had problems but nothing i couldn't handle. He is an ex-racer, he is a darling to handle (most of the time!!) and fantastic to ride (tho like most of them has his extremely exciteable moments!). When i first bought him i turned him away with a group of geldings for six-months to 'chill-out'. I then brought him back into work slowly in the summer and started with dressage and show-jumping which he seemed to really enjoy. He ended up being on his own through no fault of his own at the old yard for the majority of the summer but seemed to have no problem with this and there were horses next door which he didn't seem too fussed about anyway.
The we moved to West sussex in September and my problems started. I turned him out in a field next to 2 geldings on his own as there was no-one to put him in with and every time one of them went away he just went mental and galloped up and down the fence line getting himself in a white lather! Eventually we were asked to vacate the field and moved him into a smaller field next to three older geldings (again no-one to put him in with) and again every time one of them was taken away he went mental. As i am at Uni i tried to get someone to ride him for me and eventually found a lovely lady who fitted the bill perfectly and i thought the work may make him settle a bit...... but then he hurt his back and is now off work for 6 months!! Arghhhhhhh!!!!!!! He is supposed to be on 24hr turnout and that isn't possible at my current yard so we moved him to another one about 100m down the road....that lasted 3 days and then we were asked very politely to remove him as he was nearly getting the yard owners clients thrown off their horses. We tried a racehorse rehab yard, they couldn't take him. Tried a racing yard with youngsters, they couldn't take him. So now we are stuck with this arrangement: Turnout at 8 (hope that no-one rides any of the 3 geldings in the morning), bring in by 1.30 before the geldings come in (they are old and prone to laminitis/colic etc etc so only spend the morning out), return at 4.30 to feed!! I need to get a full-time job when i finish uni in May and that clearly isn't going to happen with the situation as it is. Please someone help cos i love him to bits but am at my wits end!!
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I will just add that my Mum takes care of him while i am away and he has to be at the same yard as her mare for her to be able to do this (he can't go in with her mare as he is a bit riggy, tho not an actual rig -had the test done and came back negative)
 
Its a tricky one with exracers and their separation anxiety but it can be over come.

If you cannot get him a small pony or shetland to live with him then you will need to get a trainer in

I can recommend Lewis Blackburn

http://www.blackburnnaturalhorsetraining.com/

He even works with the horses at Shadwell stud as well as many other TB in and out of racing.

Good luck
 
Hi there,
I have a similar problem with my mare, in that she cannot go out in a field / paddock on her own. Even if there are horses in the next field, she just goes mental, gallops around and screams her little head off until one of her friends gets turned out with her.
I was at my wits' end because I have to turn her out before work at 6:30 and bring her in after work at 17:00, and most of the other horses on our yard only go out after 8:00 and are brought in at 15:00.
So the yard came to an arrangement with me that if I turned out one of her friends with her, they would bring her in for me in the evening when they got the others. This seems to be working ok.
Could you not maybe do that at your yard until your boy settles a bit? Turn out one of the old boys, in return for a bring-in at lunchtime? It is a short-term solution, but maybe one that will at least mean you don't have to go up there three times a day.
Sounds to me like your lad has a bit of separation anxiety. Maybe the move stressed him and just needs the security of the others until he settles in properly.
I hope everything works out for you two!
 
how about looking at a retirement home there are a couple advertised in the back of the horse and hound, most do 24 hour turn out and he could be with a herd until his back is better?
 
Thank you for the ideas. I will give that trainer an email. Am a bit reluctant to recruit a small pony as he tends to bully things smaller than himself (he's 16hh) plus the owner of the yard would make me pay for anything extra staying there which i can't really afford. I have tried to get the cooperation of people on the yard with some kind of arrangement but to be honest i think that most of them are a bit nervous of him as all they have seen is this psychotic TB running up and down the fence line!! I keep trying to tell them that he is actually lovely but they don't seem to believe me!! I looked into a retirement home near me but they were unable to offer me a place as they were full up. A friend has given me the name of an equine psychologist which i am going to try too. I will try anything once!! Thanks again guys x
 
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