Horse needs to learn how to be turned out.... Any ideas?!

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Nutsaboutnags

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Hi all,
Anyone got ideas for teaching a youngster over from Germany about turnout?? She eats for an hour and then paces.... Can't put her in with others yet although her small paddock is along their fence line to be close to them. She has been injured so has to be restricted for the next month or so.....
Any and all ideas welcome!
Thanks
 
Nutsaboutnags said:
Hi all,
Anyone got ideas for teaching a youngster over from Germany about turnout?? She eats for an hour and then paces.... Can't put her in with others yet although her small paddock is along their fence line to be close to them. She has been injured so has to be restricted for the next month or so.....
Any and all ideas welcome!
Thanks
Click to expand...

Have you a street smart pony that could go with her? I've got a mini, whose job it is to keep anything that needs it company. He is very adept at reading the signs, and keeping himself out of trouble.I make him a fenced off corner, where he can seek refuge if he feels the need
 
Thanks auslander, I would love a little sensible field companion but I think I'll be divorced if we aquire another member of the herd. Unfortunately none of mine are quite quiet enough to go in with her at the moment....
 
I have a fence pacer, the only thing that has worked is for her to have access to the stable.....only took 7 years of ownership to achieve this!
 
my supposedly tough highland paced the fence manically all winter wanting to be in after a couple of hours being out (cue lots of grumbing from OH about the 'ploughed' look)
only thing that worked was gradually increasing the length of time he was out, so maybe try 1 1/2 hours for a week, then 2 hours etc. he seemed to settle knowing that he would soon be in but occasionally he was set off again if he saw me outside before his allotted come in time!!
 
I don't know if its possible at your yard but we had one who was very stressy in the field, paced and didn't settle. I made her a pen outside her stable down into part of the field. She actually spent most of the time in the stable to begin with then eventually did start to venture out for longer and longer periods. At my yard the layout meant I could stretch her pen over the yard and into one of the fields where the others were grazing. After a couple of weeks she would go and stand by the fencing in the field waiting for the others to come over and see her. Any strange noises and she would dash back up to her stable. I kept her on this arrangement for about 3 months then started turning her out with the others. I never managed to stop her pacing altogether but she did get confident enough to fit into a normal routine.
 
For the time being could you just limit her to one hour at a time? Possibly am and pm if you can manage that. I know it is a pain, but if she's supposed to be on restricted movement then it is better than her pacing and you don't want her to get the idea that turnout is something to be anxious about. She does sound like she just wants company though - hopefully she will be fine when she is allowed out with the rest.
 
I have taken several warmblood through this .
And did have one failure but the others got the hang of it .
My hints are don't leave her out too long try not to exhaust her patience and bring her in before she starts pacing and turn her out again later .
Could buddy her up with a existing member of the herd ?
Take time a year is a reasonable length of time for a horse to take to gets it's mind round this .
 
I would turn out and bring back in as many times a day as you can manage, with periods of 'respite' in the stable for herself. Is there a decent amount of grass available for her, or is she in a bare, or increasingly bare, paddock? If she needs to kept quiet, now is not the time to start trying to extend her comfort zone, so you will just have to accommodate her and make her time outside as interesting /enticing as you can. I have a Westphalian mare who has been over here about 10 yrs, she still expresses her displeasure at being expected to be out in inclement weather but does enjoy a sunbathe on a nice warm, still day: D
 
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