Horse is different after moving yards

[ZoeH]

Hello, we moved our just 5 year old from a busy DIY yard to part livery as felt she would benefit from a more stable routine and fewer comings and goings all day... She was having issues napping in school but was fairly chilled on the ground.

It's only been 2 weeks and when she is turned out or in her stable with her friends side by side, she's settled and fine, but when we are trying to tack her up, lead her in from field, groom etc she is being a nightmare. Dancing around, spinning, squashing my daughter between her and the stable door. We are both finding her pretty scary and she's taking advantage and napping back to the field etc. She also doesn't seem to like going in to her new stable.

The new yard owner has said she has to get used to being brought in and ridden if her friends stay out etc, and to just power through and give her a quick slap and say no... But it just concerns me that she was not like this at all at the old yard. It was much busier though and when brought in, there would always be other horses in the barn. Also as it was DIY they all came in and out at different times so it wasn't such a big deal to be brought in alone.

Just looking for any advice, thinking of trying a calmer for her.. I'm worried that the new yard is actually a bit too small and quiet... Will she get more used to it? As at the moment my daughter and I are just scared of what she's going to do

Thanks for reading!

 

[Pinkvboots]

It's only been 2 weeks so it could just be insecurities of being in a new place I would always try and make sure when coming in she has hay and tie her up when your grooming or tacking up.

When turning out and bringing in use a bridle and lunge line take some treats to distract her, if she is being silly in the school do some lunging and ground work to get her focused on you rather than what's going on around her.

 

[Gloi]

If she is on part livery and she's frightening you can you ask YO to fetch her in for you for a little while until she settles into a new routine.

 

[TPO]

Slapping her will achieve what? An already unsettled and stressed horse get hit for showing how worried she is.

I'd be thinking twice before consulting that YO for "help".

She's young and it's only been 2wks. Give her time to settle into a routine and start making a routine for her.

Don't be in a rush to ride when she's this upset. It's just stacking all her worries.

ETA a further thought. If you're on part and this YO is handling your horse can you be 100% sure she's not hitting, or being rough with, your horse? That could be adding to the upset and given that's YO go to (wrong) answer I'd be concerned

 

[Caol Ila]

Some horses can get anxious about about yard geographies where they feel very, very separated from the other horses when they're brought in whilst their mates are still out. My old mare was like this, a fact which I was unaware of until we moved to a barn with that kind of feng sui. She was like 18 years old, and I'd had her for a long time. She'd lose her mind and go from a nice, polite well-trained horse to a nutbar. She had other neuroses as well, but I was surprised to discover this one.

Moving worked.

 

[ecb89]

My gelding has separation anxiety. You can’t beat it out of them and make them ‘get used to it’. Horses brains don’t work that way.

 

[Mrs G]

I think we underestimate how much changing yards can upset some horses. I’ve moved my horse 4 times over the last 12 years. One move in particular was a disaster; he wouldn’t settle in his field, he started box walking in his stable which he’d never done before, also would try and kick and bite when being handled. He was like a different horse. The other moves went better but there was always a settling in period. Also your horse is still very young OP. I agree slapping her will not help and I don’t think I’d hold much confidence in a YO that suggested that as a solution! Where my horse is now he gets seperation anxiety because it’s such a small ‘herd’ but everything else about the yard suits us. I’ve found he is better if he leaves the others - if they leave him he can get upset so I try and make sure he’s turned out first/at the same time and I try to make sure I’m at the yard first to bring him in. If I do bring him in separately, he always has hay waiting for him and I don’t always ride - sometimes I’ll just give him a groom while he’s nibbling on his hay. Mine is very food orientated so hay/feed/treats/lick are useful distractions from being apart from his friends.
Re the stable issue - a friends horse caught herself on the doorway a couple of times (sliding door that either wasn’t opened fully and/or she had been led out at an angle so she caught her hip on the doorway), this made her very wary coming in and out of the stable - maybe a possibility?
Using a calmer won’t harm and giving her more time may help. Try and make leaving the other horses as pleasant as you can. As for handling/leading her - riding hat/gloves for you, use a bridle or a control headcollar of some kind. As another poster has said - I’d also keep an eye out for any rough treatment from the YO…

 

[paddy555]

Slapping her will achieve what? An already unsettled and stressed horse get hit for showing how worried she is.

I'd be thinking twice before consulting that YO for "help".

She's young and it's only been 2wks. Give her time to settle into a routine and start making a routine for her.

Don't be in a rush to ride when she's this upset. It's just stacking all her worries.

this plus if she is now coming in on her own, leaving her friends and having to go into a stable on her own then bring one of her friends in with her for a while. Once she is settled (ie in a few weeks) start leaving more gaps between her and the friend. She goes into the stable for a few minutes whilst friend comes in etc. She goes for her ride and friend is gone when she gets back for her reward feed.
Very slowly and carefully.
She is not a nightmare but a scared youngster struggling to cope in a new situation. How you train her now is going to make the difference between a calm reliable horse who can be left anywhere and a stressed nightmare who can't cope with separation. Think of this as much a part of her training as ridden schooling.

 

[h.coru.soph]

Sounds like she needs more time to settle. You say she was used to the lack of routine at the old yard so this should be easier but it’s almost the opposite. For these 2 weeks if she’s continually coming in/out as a group with theses other horses it’s very easy for her to become very attached, especially now she’s insecure and suddenly found herself in a new place with new handlers.
I’d say give her time, she’s only 5 and it’s only been 2 weeks. Keep yourself safe and get an instructor you trust if it continues

 

[TheHairyOne]

It sounds like the move has just compounded the issues you were already having if she was nappy to ride at the old place. The insecurities she was feeling there have just been heightened by the complete change.

I think you are going to have to go very slowly and steadily with this one as she is so young to build her confidence. Make coming in something nice, so a really tasty feed etc. and keep it short and sweet.

That being said i wouldnt be overly happy with a YO suggesting slapping her as an answer...

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I think I'd ask if I could return to the old yard and work on the napping, tbh.

 

[maya2008]

Time and persistence.

You need to have control (bridle and long line to lead, and for you perhaps whip in hand so you don’t get squashed - when I do this it’s with ponies who would not dream of getting too close to me so I don’t have that particular worry!). Then once you have control, you need to work on proving to your horse that they are safe with you and there is no need to worry. So lots of practice, lots of rewarding them for doing the right thing and not allowing them to run you over.

I would catch, pop bridle on and long line. Lead to gate with gloves and hat (and body protector if necessary). Leave field. Treat for standing nicely. Walk a little away. Treat. Walk back to gate. Pause. Walk away, and back and away and back, watching their behaviour and stress levels. You want to get slightly out of their comfort zone without ending up in full on stress, before you turn around. That way there should be no drama from the horse, just tenseness. Keep rewarding for being further away, keep calm and reassuring. Do for 10 min or so, pop back in field, wait a bit and do it again. The aim is to gradually be able to get further and further away without any panic or too much stress. You can use a bucket of feed or some treats, but food is a powerful motivator and will distract them so long as you read the signs right and are careful about how far you push them. Food also creates a positive association with being away from the field with you. It would take me a few days of walks up/down the track or round the next door field to get calm normally in a ‘new to us, recently feral’ pony. But it takes what it takes. If you mess up and then spin and run back, then you’re in an enclosed space so you just sigh, walk back to field gate, pick up the end of the long line and start again. They soon learn that running back gets them nothing and staying with you is actually fine. When you can lead them away and back and they are calm, you can start parking them further away for a brush and a bucket snack (chaff and a sprinkle of nuts!) then lots of fuss and back to the field. Gradually I make it onto the yard for the food (hay/bucket) and brush/cuddles, then tack up, then start going for walks off the yard. I’m obviously doing this with a not backed feral, but we don’t think of getting on until pony can go for walks in hand with humans and is relaxed and fine. The trust we build means that forever after I can get off and hold them if they are terrified of something we meet out and about and they will stay with me.

It’s time, and it’s not fun, but it works long term and you build trust that serves you well with future yard changes, at competitions, if they hurt themselves and need the vet…all sorts.

 

[Kaylum]

My boy went on loan wvtb he was the most quietest boy ever. The lady had been riding him at ours for months beforehand. She knew him well. He was totally bombproof. We went to hers and he flipped. Couldn't cope galloped up and down was a nightmare riding out napped reared turned. She brought him back in the end. As soon as his hooves hit the yard he was back to his normal self. Some just can't settle most do but it takes time but this situation was just dangerous. If I had sold him it would have been said I missold him.