More interested in company than food?

JackDaniels1

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... Can anyone help me analyse this?

Horse use to be kept on own where she was absolutely fine. Then said horse went on loan and got quite attached to another horse.

Horse came back and was on own again - unsettled for quite a while (neighing constantly, cantering round the field etc etc) but did eventually settle down.

Horse then moved grazing and shared a large field with another horse and next to about 4 others. The problem started here - she was reluctant to come in, any opportunity would try and escape back to the others.

I then moved her back out and she is in a field on her own but next to the others which is a larger field so better grazing for her than the field on her own which is small. Now she is very reluctant to come in (won't walk forwards, very slow, i have to drag her!) when she is tied up she tries to pull back and escape. I put hay and feed down in her stable for her to eat but she will never come and eat it (she knows it's there and we leave the stable door open for her all the time so she can come in and out as she pleases and eat!) i'll lead her into the stable to keep trying to encourage her to come in and eat but she will just take a mouthful of hay and walk back out into the field next to the others.

Now... why won't she eat? She must be hungry as the little bit of grass there is is covered in snow! Do i have to cart the food/hay all the way up the field next to the others? (which is a complete pain as it's quite far away through mud!)

I really don't know what to do!
 
How long has she been like this, sometimes it can take a month or two to get into a new routine or get used to doing things on her own if she's got too clingy, sometimes you just have to get through it before you start to notice an improvement.

Is she in season by any chance?
 
There's not much to analyse here really! Horses are social creatures, they like company. Maybe going on loan and hanging out with chums made her realise what she was missing.

I say man up, chuck a haynet over your shoulder, pick up her bucket of feed....and make the trip through the mud. Your gal will get a full tum and your thighs will get a workout at the same time! ;)
 
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