Horse scared of turnout..what to do?

Holly Hocks

Holly Hocks

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My horse came home from hospital last week after two months there in a stable with just being led out to a small patch of grass each day. I have brought her home and each day she is going into a turnout patch (about three quarters of an acre) with my old gelding for an hour in the morning and a hour in the evening. The first day, she had a hooly round the field and didn't want to be caught. However since then, she has become more and more unsettled about being turned out. My gelding plods off to eat, and she just paces up and down at the gate, waiting to come in, bucking and just acting like a caged lion. I think it's something to do with her being stabled for so long. She doesn't seem able to cope. I can't turn her out completely at the moment as still under veterinary instructions for just a short period of turnout. The only thing I can think of is that she knows she gets her feed when she come in, although as she is such a fussy eater, I didn't think that would be a problem. Has anyone else had this problem and how did you deal with it? I don't want to feed her before I turn her out as I am worried that with all the pacing and bucking she might get colic. Has anyone had this problem and how did you deal with it? Thanks
 
Glad shes home from hospital, it could be that shes used to humans for company now??

I would feed her out there and then bring her in?

Leave some hay out there if you can?
 
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I do know of several horses who just cannot cope with turnout at all. However your situation should be different because she was turned out fine until two months ago?

If you think her desire to come in is feed-related, could you perhaps feed her in a bucket outside, before she comes in?
 
Toffee - yes I know - I've not been at this yard long and it's apparently one of the "rules"....

Frodo - yes I will try that. She was turned out fine until two months ago and in fact wasn't the easiest to catch! She wintered out all last year at a racing yard on the top of a fell. She is fine being turned out in the mornings, it seems to be the evening turnout that's the problem...
 
My mare was on box rest for 7 weeks this summer, we moved yards in this time, she had been on the yard for 6 weeks before we were able to turn her out in a small area, she ahd never walked down to the fields before this day and was very unsettled for a couple of weeks, always in a rush to get back to her cosy stable where she obviously felt safe, took little while but shes now fine.
 
Thanks Magicsmum, that's reassuring. I'll just keep on going. I suppose she's warm and fed in her stable with ad lib haylage, so can't see the point at picking at a few blades of grass! Anyway, just been down to check on her and it looks like the illness is back anyway, so might even have to go back to hospital again for another session....gutted.
 
I am having exactly the same problem with my little mare following over 3 months of box rest, but she is OK as long as we just do short stints....the vet wanted us to turn her out all day but she just stresses!!
I think the idea of feeding her in the field is a good one, but other than I have no useful ideas, sorry!
Hope she is more settled soon! :)
 
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