My Horse Needs a Friend

[hotdog]

After some advice really

Every time I take my horse to a competition he is always on the look out for a friend, and becomes a little bit of hard work when he is on his own.

Is there anyway I can encourage him that it's ok to be on his own?

 

[magic104]

Only by being consistant. The more he does the better he should be. When I first started taking my mare because of her lack of confidence at the time (new owner etc), I would take her in hand. Once she was settled then she started to be ridden at a show. Now she goes to sleep, I cant fault her attitude whether alone or in company.

You just have to find what works for your lad, every horse is different & what works for one may not work for another.

 

[Kallibear]

I suspect he may well be WORSE with a friend there. That often leads to severe seperation anxiety when they have to leave that horse to go into the ring, and loads of silliness.

My mare is perfectly happy on her own out hacking and working in the school. However, she is very attatched to my other mare, whom she lives in a herd with (her best friend) and gets on well with the others in the herd, but she is frightened of other horses.

At shows this really shows up, as she finds all those other horses stressful. We have taken her with her best friend a couple of times and it's a complete nightmare. She becomes unbelievably clingy and has a complete, dangerous, strop when made to leave her friend. My other mare, who is normally absolutly perfect at shows (been to plenty on her own) also gets very upset and stressed when her friend leaves her. She never shows the slightest signs of any speration anxienty at home either.

From now on (with a new trailer, yey) we're going to be taking just the first horse, os she has nothing to cling to. I suspect she'll be a bit stressy but fine, and get better with practise.

 

[wizzi901]

Continue without a friend if he is looking for one!! Having had a horse that suffered separation anxiety, continue until horse thinks its ok!!

 

[hotdog]

He does seem to be better if he goes out and none of his freinds (horses he does know) are around, however when I warm up he's constantly on the look out for a new friend to hook up with!