Horse looks so sad, I think she may trip over her bottom lip! :(

From another perspective - our pony lived with my donkey for 17 years, sadly the donkey was pts 2 months ago. Although our other 2 are in an adjoining field, I was concerned the pony was on her own (she can't go out with the others as has to be strictly managed due to Cushings), so I got a companion pony from a charity. The pony has been with me around 6 weeks, she is very sweet but from day one my pony hated her. It has gone from the new pony wanting to be friendly and mine moving away constantly, to the new one now chasing the old girl off her hay and not allowing her in the shelter. Sadly I think I am going to have to make the decision to return the new pony and accept that my old mare prefers her own company. :(
 
Maybe the charity would swap the pony for a donkey as if your pony has lived with a donkey for 17 years she may prefer another donkey rather than a pony - though they say donkey's can't be kept on their own they need to be with another donkey so you might find it harder to find another donkey than pony!

MurphysMinder said:
From another perspective - our pony lived with my donkey for 17 years, sadly the donkey was pts 2 months ago. Although our other 2 are in an adjoining field, I was concerned the pony was on her own (she can't go out with the others as has to be strictly managed due to Cushings), so I got a companion pony from a charity. The pony has been with me around 6 weeks, she is very sweet but from day one my pony hated her. It has gone from the new pony wanting to be friendly and mine moving away constantly, to the new one now chasing the old girl off her hay and not allowing her in the shelter. Sadly I think I am going to have to make the decision to return the new pony and accept that my old mare prefers her own company. :(
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I really wanted a donkey but there are none about in the charities. The donkey sanctuary will only rehome in pairs, and I would have had a pair at a push but they don't home to share grazing with a pony, not sure why. :( The only donkeys I could find were uncut jacks, not much good to share with a mare . I may try again for a donkey in the spring as I really my donk.
 
If she has others next to her then I think she is probably happy enough. Just keep your eye out for a donkey on the future. Horses take a long time to bond and if they have just lost an old friend, it will be even harder.
 
Jenny Wrenny said:
A few people being very OTT here! Amazing that people think they can judge the unhappiness of an animal without knowing or seeing it! I have not asked for opinions on whether my horse is happy or not or if cattle are appropriate companions. I do not think I am selfish and I certainly do not think I am cruel. Thank goodness some of you have actually bothered to read the facts of my thread - horse is turned out by herself but able to see her companions, she was stood in the sunshine, a droopy lip, yes she was resting a leg, grazed, ate all of her hay, ventured round the whole field, no mantling up and down, no calling, no galloping about and was not waiting at the gate to come in. Not a stressed horse by any stretch of the imagination and when I check on her from a window of my house, she is unaware that I am doing so! About 6 weeks ago, her previous owner (he also foaled her too) was in the area so popped by and saw Annie, he commented on how well she looked and what a happy character she is and always has been. I would consider that he, more than anyone, knows my mare best and I took his comment as a compliment.
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Now I'm getting confused - your thread is titled 'Horse looks so sad . . . ' but the para above says she's not - slightly contradictive don't you think? If you post that your horse is sad, and has been living with cows but is now on her own, then I think you are setting yourself up for what you call 'OTT' comments about your management. You'll also notice that several people, me included, pointed out that standing resting a leg and with a droopy bottom lip is not a sign of stress but of contentment. I'm really not sure where you are going or what you want to hear?
 
Jenny Wrenny said:
A few people being very OTT here! Amazing that people think they can judge the unhappiness of an animal without knowing or seeing it! I have not asked for opinions on whether my horse is happy or not or if cattle are appropriate companions. I do not think I am selfish and I certainly do not think I am cruel. Thank goodness some of you have actually bothered to read the facts of my thread - horse is turned out by herself but able to see her companions, she was stood in the sunshine, a droopy lip, yes she was resting a leg, grazed, ate all of her hay, ventured round the whole field, no mantling up and down, no calling, no galloping about and was not waiting at the gate to come in. Not a stressed horse by any stretch of the imagination and when I check on her from a window of my house, she is unaware that I am doing so! About 6 weeks ago, her previous owner (he also foaled her too) was in the area so popped by and saw Annie, he commented on how well she looked and what a happy character she is and always has been. I would consider that he, more than anyone, knows my mare best and I took his comment as a compliment.
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Not really sure what the point of this thread was if she's happy and you're happy?
 
FestiveFuzz said:
Not really sure what the point of this thread was if she's happy and you're happy?
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I think the OP posted in a quite jokey way, I didn't read that she was overly concerned about her mare, more sharing with us a slightly amusing moment. Think we all do it sometimes, whether with horses, dogs or cats.
Glad she's settled op, and that she can still spend some time with her 'friends' :)
 
I had a little mare as a teen who loved her herd of cows so much she jumped out of her 'horse field' with 2 equine buddies to be with her bovine friends on several occasions- in the end we left her with them and I happily grazed her amongst them for 3 years. She happily met horses for hacks and a day's hunting but loved her mooing cows!
 
smokey said:
I think the OP posted in a quite jokey way, I didn't read that she was overly concerned about her mare, more sharing with us a slightly amusing moment. Think we all do it sometimes, whether with horses, dogs or cats.
Glad she's settled op, and that she can still spend some time with her 'friends' :)
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Whilst I agree, you are probably right, the OP has posted in a light hearted manner about a situation which many horse people find cruel. The main reason she has not provided a friend for her horse is that having just one is 'sooo easy'. Some people, myself included find this attitude selfish. To some people, owners have a duty to provide a healthy, happy living environment for our horses, and sometimes that means putting ourselves out a little. It means making sure the horse has equine companions and is not destined to a long and lonely life. Cows have a totally different method of communication to horses. They are better than nothing as they would provide the horse with some sense of security, but to sentence a horse to a life away from other equines is unfair and extremely sad. I accept that there may be some horses that do not like others, for whatever reason, but this is a result of early conditioning by humans which have interfered with the horses innate social instincts.
 
Mine lives out 24/7. She has horses either side of her, but is in her own field. Every other horse comes in at night, and she is on her own. Today, all day she is on her own as it is raining, and she is the only horse on the yard who doesn't melt :D. Am I cruel because she will, by tomorrow morning, have spent approx 36hrs alone?
Even on a yard, its not always possible to have company 24/7.
 
I'm sure the horse is perfectly fine. She's going out for a few hours every day and then inside for the rest with the cows. I don't keep any horses alone but I have owned horses who would much rather be the only horse, and I also have a couple who literally adore cows!
 
smokey said:
Mine lives out 24/7. She has horses either side of her, but is in her own field. Every other horse comes in at night, and she is on her own. Today, all day she is on her own as it is raining, and she is the only horse on the yard who doesn't melt :D. Am I cruel because she will, by tomorrow morning, have spent approx 36hrs alone?
Even on a yard, its not always possible to have company 24/7.
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I don't see any problem with individual turnout where horses have company either side of them. However, leaving a horse out alone is not something I would do. I don't think it's right. However, I also don't think the other owners are fair keeping their horses cooped up all day and night either. In your situation I would get a companion so that my horse would never be out alone or move to a yard where others were in the same routine. That is just my personal standards regarding the keeping of horses.
 
smokey said:
I think the OP posted in a quite jokey way, I didn't read that she was overly concerned about her mare, more sharing with us a slightly amusing moment. Think we all do it sometimes, whether with horses, dogs or cats.
Glad she's settled op, and that she can still spend some time with her 'friends' :)
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Thank you, yes exactly - light hearted and slightly amusing! If I was concerned for my horse's happiness and state of health I would have been busy sorting out a solution for her, not posting a thread on here. Interesting though how people are so negative and immediately jump to dramatic opinions of cruelty, stress, depression and generally doing their best to find a problem rather than giving the horse the opportunity to settle, see how things go and take it from there. Makes you wonder how many horses and ruined due to owners looking for issues where there are none. It probably explains the number of horses that are stressy and over-complicated. As it happens, she was turned out this morning and got straight to grazing after eating her breakfast. :)
 
Wagtail said:
I don't see any problem with individual turnout where horses have company either side of them. However, leaving a horse out alone is not something I would do. I don't think it's right. However, I also don't think the other owners are fair keeping their horses cooped up all day and night either. In your situation I would get a companion so that my horse would never be out alone or move to a yard where others were in the same routine. That is just my personal standards regarding the keeping of horses.
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I think, with all horses, you have to take a view to each horse as a separate "person".

I hated the thought of horses being turned out alone, until I had a horse who genuinely was only happy by himself - went on hungerstrike in the stable block and had to be put in his own crew around the corner - it was an inconvenience to me if anything as I have more than one horse.

However, in my years with horses he has been the exception to the rule, and I do think people keep horses in a way that suits their own routines - if two horses are too much work for you, and your horse is not settling to isolation, do right by it and send it to a livery yard.
 
Wagtail said:
I don't see any problem with individual turnout where horses have company either side of them. However, leaving a horse out alone is not something I would do. I don't think it's right. However, I also don't think the other owners are fair keeping their horses cooped up all day and night either. In your situation I would get a companion so that my horse would never be out alone or move to a yard where others were in the same routine. That is just my personal standards regarding the keeping of horses.
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Firstly, my yard is perfect for me in every way, and suits both me and my horse. Secondly, I don't want another horse, or a pony, or donkey. I can just about manage time and finances for the one I have.
My horse is actually perfectly happy on her own, we recently moved back to this yard after a year away, because it suits us both.
 
I don't think its selfish. A 'herd' is ideal but not necessary..neither is being around other horses. My Gran's mini loves ruling the roost over our young heifers (and we have seen benefits in their behaviour), going to bed and lying down with them grooming/licking...it is lovely to watch, he's happy as theyc come.
 
Lovely to hear plenty of good experiences of horses being happy both by themselves and with cattle. Annie is boss of our heifers and bull and was lying down with them all from day one, it amazed me really. They too all groom and lick each other, the only downside to this is if the cattle have been licking their mineral lick before commencing Annie's grooming - it's rather sticky and brown! :)
 
Well Jenny Wrenny, I for one enjoyed reading about how your horse lives happily with cattle and have skipped the bit in the middle of the thread where things obviously went a bit, err, HHO crazy. Would love to see pics some time if you have any. Mine firmly believes cattle are the work of satan and no matter how much your mare told him otherwise he wouldn't listen.
 
Jenny Wrenny said:
Perhaps it's the noisy moooooing which offends him! :0 I have pictures but don't have a clue how to get them on here. Any ideas??
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Crikey, don't ask me, I am utterly useless with technology. It has something to do wtih photobucket I believe, but where one buys such a bucket is beyond me. I don't think its the mooing that's the issue, he doesn't normally hang around long enough for them to open their mouths to even start a moo! Mind, he hates goats, donkeys and dogs too and don't even get me started about the day he saw a wallaby at the local agricultural college. I got offered a job in Australia and part of the reason I turned it down is because my horse would have been terrified of the "natives".
 
When I read this thread I instantly knew it was light hearted so don't see why you have had some of the responses you have? Ah well.

Anyway op your horse sounds lovely and being called Annie she must be amazing! (My old ponies name too hehe)
I also don't think it's cruel the way she is living. If she's happy then what's the problem? Some horses don't cope but your mare is obviously really happy. I think we involve to many 'human' thoughts in horse situations and it can tend to cause disagreements with others. Oh well it's good we're all different! Not that I think you should of ever been labelled cruel. Keep enjoying your mare.
 
Thank you that's really kind and I certainly do enjoy her, she's a little poppet! From day one she's never been faffed with or mollycoddled and I'm sure that is the reason that she is so easygoing and happy so I'm determined to keep her that way. She's even happier now we have just started this year's hay, it's clearly much tastier than last years! I bet your old pony must have been a corker with a name like Annie!! :) :)
 
Wagtail said:
I don't see any problem with individual turnout where horses have company either side of them. However, leaving a horse out alone is not something I would do. I don't think it's right. However, I also don't think the other owners are fair keeping their horses cooped up all day and night either. In your situation I would get a companion so that my horse would never be out alone or move to a yard where others were in the same routine. That is just my personal standards regarding the keeping of horses.
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I do see your point. However, from another perspective, my mare, who has terrible separation anxiety in the field if a field mate is removed from her sight, has just spent all summer living completely alone, with no other horse in sight since she had no field mate. By removing her field mate and other horses around her, she simply accepted that she was alone each day and night, and lived calmly for over three months out 24/7. She now has two field mates back with her each day, and the separation anxiety has returned every time they leave her sight. She's stressy, sweats up, and gets pretty hysterical about it all. So from the other side of the coin, I feel that she in a way was a lot happier living completely alone, despite my views that no horse should live alone.
 
Moomince Pie said:
I do see your point. However, from another perspective, my mare, who has terrible separation anxiety in the field if a field mate is removed from her sight, has just spent all summer living completely alone, with no other horse in sight since she had no field mate. By removing her field mate and other horses around her, she simply accepted that she was alone each day and night, and lived calmly for over three months out 24/7. She now has two field mates back with her each day, and the separation anxiety has returned every time they leave her sight. She's stressy, sweats up, and gets pretty hysterical about it all. So from the other side of the coin, I feel that she in a way was a lot happier living completely alone, despite my views that no horse should live alone.
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I bet if she could talk she wouldn't agree with you. The whole reason she stresses is because she doesn't WANT her friends taking away from her. When she was alone, what could she do, other than accept it? My sister brought 2 of her 3 horses here for a week. The one that was left behind stressed for a day and then settled and seemed happy and calm. However, his delight when the two fieldmates returned was palpable. My sister has never seen him act so joyful. He thought they were gone, but they came back to him and he was over the moon. Just because horses have separation anxiety, does not mean they are happier alone. It causes us as humans all kinds of problems and horses are certainly more easy to manage alone, but it does not mean that the horse is happier alone.
 
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