Mare has become afraid to be in field after accident

Shellinch

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Hi guys just after some thoughts

My mare was in an accident where she spooked at something in the field and barged through the gate taking down the fence ran over the muck heap outer of the gate onto the road and fell on her knee exposing the bone, she then got up jumped the quad and ran a mile up the road before being shooed back and run into a spare field.

She calmed down as soon as I got up yard and she was amazing for the vet and travel to horsy hospital and been a darling to sort out her bandages.

She is a rescue horse 14.2hh Arab x mare 4 years old and she has joined up to me amazingly and trusts everything I do to her but she is still funny with new people and men.

She was in the her last week of breaking when the accident happened.

Her field is a 1 acre field to herself but next to another horse which she can see wen she wants to but has to walk to the top right to see him.

Iv been given the go ahead for her to be turned out and Iv tried 2 times but within 10 minutes she starts panicking and trying to get out of the gate again. The second time she had a real panic as she seen the other horse in the next field. But I think it's down to the accident as to why she is panicking and she knows she can get out the same way.

I can stick her out with other horses but am afraid that she spooked at another horse the other day will she stay out with company or will she run blinde again even in company.

She is amazingly calm in her stable she loves it! Wen she panicked last time she gets herself in such a state you need to get her away from the situation and I can't even calm her down so I took her strait back to her stable where as soon as I closed the door she was calm again.

If I even put her in a different stable she has a freak out and same if I was her legs and got hold of her she is fine as soon as I let go she starts being prancy and fidgety.

She seems to rely on me as support and her stable so unsure what to do as to next steps. She is a super sensitive horse anyway so am quite worried to how she will be for riding wen we start again as the fact she ran blinde with her knee open to the bone makes me wonder if she will do it again with me on her back.

Anyone had anything similar? Or advice.
 

vicky_sut

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The only thing that springs to mind is that horses tend to form strong pair bonds and it sounds like she has bonded to you. I would be tempted to put her in a field with another very quite horse that she could bond with or even out with a herd. As some horses settle very well in a herd as they feel more secure.
It a case of just trying a couple of different things to see what works best. I look after a very nervous rescue pony, but his best mate that he shares his field with is fine so he takes his lead from him.
Good luck
 

sj_xc_hannah_

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You could also try grazing her in hand so that you are with her, just to show her that it's not such a scary place to be, and work up in time, letting her off on her own, etc. It's time consuming, but it could be an alternative if you are reluctant to put her in with others.
 

WandaMare

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I agree that grazing in hand would be a good way to build up her confidence, and just give her plenty of time. Might be worth speaking to the vet about whether using some sedalin or something like that might help, then slowly reducing the dose as she becomes accustomed to going out again.
 

SpruceRI

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Have you considered that she may be scared of open spaces?

if she's a rescue with an unknown background she may have lived all her life indoors and therefore be scared of being outside, certainly on her own.

I know of one horse like this.... he did get over his fear but it took years :(
 
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