horse stress

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solfanali

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english living in forli italy
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got a bit of a problem and need some advice.
I am english living in italy for 8 years , got an ex racer of 5 years that weaves really badly. she has made trenches in the field from fence pacing and holes in the cement pavement of her stable.
riding her is terrible she jogs constantly, rears and tries to run for home , sometimes coming home sideways. I think the world of her and she is the sweetest horse anyone could ever find, this is ok if you just want a horse as a pet.
all i do is get up early, pick poo and do hard work for her and she stresses me with her weaving, i cant bear it when she weaves i have tried talking to my boyfriend about it and we end up arguing, his answer is to give her a good hiding to make her listen. ive told him that hitting her makes her frightened of me and doesnt risolve anything.
I dont agree with hitting animals!!!!!!!
I feel so alone and now i have realised that i cant talk to my boyfriend about my problems , i am alone dont know what to do.
i want this weaving to stop,will it ever stop? maybe with age?
selling a horse that weaves is almost impossible.
my boyfriend and i are planning on having a baby but my horse is stressing me out so much that we argue and i wonder what the hell i am doing in this country away from my family and friends with no one to talk to.
in a couple one should be able to speak about their problems, with him i cant.
if i have to be in a relationship and feel alone maybe its better to go it alone without a boyfriend. help !!!!!
 
Hi sorry you are having such a tough time over there, sounds as though you are as stressed as the horse!

Have you any idea why she's weaving? Does she have company, if not she is probably lonely and stressed because of this. Does she get enough exercise? Does she feel safe in her environment? Does she have plenty to eat? You are right that weaving is often a sign of stress so you need to try and get her as relaxed and happy as you can. Could you explain a bit more about her management/routine etc, then it would be easier to help you!
 
she is an ex race horse.i dont have other horses but she has goats chickens dogs and cats around to keep her company .
she is very well looked after food wise , grooming , passing time with her, she is treated very well.
lately we have had snow knee deep so she has had to stay inside, but i take her for a walk in hand when she cant go out in her field. and when she is in the field she just fence walks!!!!!!
if the dogs go in her field she is not very nice with them , its like she only wants me around but i cant be there 24 hours. i have to work. the time that i am not working or sleeping i pass with her. riding her lately has become a no no as really she is quite dangerous.
she has totaly worn down the rubber matting in her stable and the cement.
she is on a calmer but hasn't made much difference.the field is a mess where she has dug a trench. when it rains , the rain stays there for weeks. she has a weaving grill but now weaves behind.
i never have any enjoyment from her. she poos and i pick thats what its like everyday.
the weaving is driving me crazy.
 
I think ideally she needs another horse to keep her company, horses are herd animals so like company of their own kind the best. Is there anyway you could either get another horse as a companion or prehaps move her to a livery yard so she has other hroses around? I think this would solve a lot of your problems.

Alternatively if you really can't get her any equine company, some horses react well to having a mirror in their stable, you can get special horse mirrors which are safe to use, then the horse feels like they have a companion and many are much more relaxed. I do think that really she needs company though!
 
The most important thing is to try to destress youeself as the horse will benefit from you being calmer. It's also worth telling your bf that it's important to you to resolve this with his help, or without his help, and that if his opinion is different to yours (which he's entitled to) you should keep him out of it so as to preserve your relationship.
Was there ever a stage when the horse did not act like this and you couold ride him normally, and is there anything which has happened since which you can pinpoint as the cause?
I would try to spend some good quality time with him, but if time is short and poo picking is stressing you out to the extent that it sounds like then stop poo picking. Do you have the possibility of dividing your field with electric fencing with a strip in between each half and then borrowing a friends horse to be a temporary companion? if this showed that the behaviour changed you have identified the cause for his anxiety and if you can't get a companion horse , sompe people find a goat works well. good luck
 
hi again what i mean by poo picking is not in the field, in the stable.
all i do is muck out, clean and have no enjoyment out of her , she just is hard work.
she weaved the very first day she come so i think she has always done it in the past at the racing yard where she was from foal.
she has two goats but she's not interested in them.
at the racing yard she will have had companions but she weaved, so i dont think this is the problem.i am not in the position to buy another animal, i bought the goats and chickens and they haven't helped.
if she is in the field she paves the fencing for hours until all sweated up and when she sees me wants to come back in the stable, once in the stable not happy either.
its more the problem that she is ruining the pavement and fields with this behaviour,
from day one of having her she has jogged and had tantrums to get home.
i have just had enough really , i am tired . always trying to find a solution and then failing.
it would't be so bad if she was perfect in the stable and terrible to ride or vice versa good to ride and terrible in the stable but she is bad in all ways and its no longer a pleasant hobby for me.
i do everything for her and she gives me nothing back, hasn't since i had her.
 
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