My horse paces the field

[JBM]

My horse paces against the fence line like an insane man but calms down as soon as she’s inside I bought her with the intentions of keeping her out pretty much 24/7 but I’m guessing she’s telling me she was made for indoors?
She’s a 20 year old mare and I only have the one horse
Putting her with the sheep seemed to help a bit but she started up again a day later

 

[Muddy unicorn]

She's probably telling you she's lonely and needs equine company

 

[AmyMay]

I’m not surprised if she has no other equine company.

 

[The Jokers Girl]

If she's on her own with no other horses she will be stressed and anxious.
No horses she be kept in solitary. She either needs a friend or to be moved to livery where she can socialise and interact with other horses.

 

[JBM]

I might have to sell her if I can’t find a sharer cuz I don’t have the budget for either really

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Is there no room in the field for a 2nd equine to join her? Perhaps a livery if you can't afford the upkeep of a 2nd one yourself?

 

[JBM]

Is there no room in the field for a 2nd equine to join her? Perhaps a livery if you can't afford the upkeep of a 2nd one yourself?

It’s a family farm we don’t have an arena or stables or anything so I’d find it hard to persuade someone else to keep their horse here. There’s definitely room for a second horse but I don’t know how I’d manage two alongside college as I’m barely juggling Judy as she doesn’t have a “set” field just fits in where she can to avoid the 200 cows we have about the place

 

[Meowy Catkin]

500 acres according to a post by the OP, so a livery could be the best answer.

ETA - just read the OP's post above. Surely it would be DIY livery so they would look after their own horse.

 

[Birker2020]

Mine has been doing this lately but also digging holes with her front feet. I know they dig for other reasons but with that and the pacing I've come to the conclusion her feet are hurting her as she has ongoing coffin joint problems.

Could your horse be moving around pacing due to other issues, such as loneliness or boredom, i.e. not enough grass? Some of us are putting out hay for our horses as there has been little in the way of grass growth recently.

The weather forecaster this morning said that temperatures are 8 or 9 degrees colder compared with this time last year.

 

[JBM]

Mine has been doing this lately but also digging holes with her front feet. I know they dig for other reasons but with that and the pacing I've come to the conclusion her feet are hurting her as she has ongoing coffin joint problems.

Could your horse be moving around pacing due to other issues, such as loneliness or boredom, i.e. not enough grass? Some of us are putting out hay for our horses as there has been little in the way of grass growth recently.

The weather forecaster this morning said that temperatures are 8 or 9 degrees colder compared with this time last year.

I give her big bags of haylage and a feed mix twice a day and she’s in a whole field of good grass but she won’t even look at anything but her mix and a mouthful of grass as she’s very determined to run tracks in every field I have ?

 

[JBM]

500 acres according to a post by the OP, so a livery could be the best answer.

ETA - just read the OP's post above. Surely it would be DIY livery so they would look after their own horse.

Yes but I’m not sure how my grandda would take this because of covid and he is generally just a cranky person and I don’t need him yelling at strangers

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Having read more of your posts I think that you should probably sell her. She sounds very unhappy and you are struggling to afford her in terms of both time and money.

 

[JBM]

Thanks for the advice guys
I’ll see if the sharer works out and if it doesn’t I’ll look about selling her

 

[Meowy Catkin]

The problem is that while getting a sharer may help in terms of time and money, it does nothing for the issue of keeping the horse with no equine company.

 

[JBM]

The problem is that while getting a sharer may help in terms of time and money, it does nothing for the issue of keeping the horse with no equine company.

If I was getting a sharer I would be keeping her at a livery so we could share the livery cost

 

[Meowy Catkin]

If I was getting a sharer I would be keeping her at a livery so we could share the livery cost

Thanks for explaining, that makes a lot of sense. I hope you find a wonderful sharer and that things work out for you and your horse.

 

[ponyparty]

Struggling to see how a sharer will help? She’ll still be on her own, stressing, all day, every day. Sell her to someone who has the means to provide her with the environment a horse needs. What a shame for her.

I’m not sure you’re understanding the enormity of how badly it affects horses, being kept alone. Essentially she is separated from her “herd” and is therefore (in her mind) vulnerable to attack from predators at any second. She is living in terror.

Edit - I see you mean that the sharer will share the costs of livery. But to be honest if you can’t afford livery yourself then you probably shouldn’t really have a horse right now. So my answer is still to sell her.

 

[JBM]

Thanks for explaining, that makes a lot of sense. I hope you find a wonderful sharer and that things work out for you and your horse.

Thank you very much you’ve been an amazing help!

 

[JBM]

Struggling to see how a sharer will help? She’ll still be on her own, stressing, all day, every day. Sell her to someone who has the means to provide her with the environment a horse needs. What a shame for her.

I’m not sure you’re understanding the enormity of how badly it affects horses, being kept alone. Essentially she is separated from her “herd” and is therefore (in her mind) vulnerable to attack from predators at any second. She is living in terror.

Edit - I see you mean that the sharer will share the costs of livery. But to be honest if you can’t afford livery yourself then you probably shouldn’t really have a horse right now. So my answer is still to sell her.

I understand you care about horses but I care about my horse too and I don’t think you need to be rude about it if I can provide her with livery with a sharer and Judy can have two people riding her a day and being happy in a livery what’s the harm in that? Plus two people can half the cost of a horse making it more affordable for both parties

 

[ester]

You will need some back up cash, the advantage to the sharer is less financial responsibility/ability to leave compared to owner, and you might not be able to replace them immediately

 

[JBM]

You will need some back up cash, the advantage to the sharer is less financial responsibility/ability to leave compared to owner, and you might not be able to replace them immediately

I’m hoping to get a summer job to help and I do have some saved up
Ideally I would have a contract in place with at least a month warning when they wish to stop sharing
If worst comes to worst I could always put her on full loan but I should get a job out of college as I’m in computing and then I can provide for her fully myself

 

[Havital]

Some horses are ok living alone. I sold my horse to a lovely lady who owns a farm and she’s quite happy being one of the sheep. In fact she grew quite attached to a cow once! But from what you are saying your horse definitely is in need of some company. I’d suggest getting her to this livery yard or getting a companion ASAP before she does any damage to herself or anything around her. Best of luck ?

 

[ponyparty]

I’m just being realistic. A sharer doesn’t usually contribute that much towards the cost of the horse, but I guess it depends on livery prices where you are and what you’re able to charge. Sharers can be (not always obvs) unreliable; it can be hard to find a decent one.

If you can make it work then good for you, but I’d be moving that mare to somewhere with company ASAP as she sounds very unhappy indeed. I’m sure this isn’t how you dreamt horse ownership would be (I am making a huge assumption here that she’s your first horse so apols if I’m off the mark). Bit of a steep learning curve!

 

[JBM]

I’m just being realistic. A sharer doesn’t usually contribute that much towards the cost of the horse, but I guess it depends on livery prices where you are and what you’re able to charge. Sharers can be (not always obvs) unreliable; it can be hard to find a decent one.

If you can make it work then good for you, but I’d be moving that mare to somewhere with company ASAP as she sounds very unhappy indeed. I’m sure this isn’t how you dreamt horse ownership would be (I am making a huge assumption here that she’s your first horse so apols if I’m off the mark). Bit of a steep learning curve!

Yeah makes sense thank you I had a loan before but she was happy as Larry by herself but yeah Judy is my first horse
Thank you for the advice

 

[ponyparty]

Yeah makes sense thank you I had a loan before but she was happy as Larry by herself but yeah Judy is my first horse
Thank you for the advice

Some horses don’t appear outwardly bothered by being on their own, but that doesn’t mean they’re not; they just become a bit shut down. There have been threads about this recently - a horse who genuinely doesn’t mind being on their own is a rare thing, although it does happen.

Anyway, I’ve just read some of your other threads (nosey knowing the back story helps though!) and I think moving to a livery yard will be a game changer for you, as well as the horse, to be honest - you’ll have people to ask for advice and who can help you (hopefully, if it’s a decent yard). And to ride with! If you’re able to get 30 EUR per week from a sharer and the livery is only 60 EUR, that’s pretty decent really. It’s just the matter of finding a good, reliable sharer which is the stumbling block. Will it be you paying the livery, or your family? I imagine a non-horsey farming family with 500 acres probably think it’s a bit crazy to then pay to keep your horse elsewhere..! So can understand reluctance to do so.

The only other thing is, you mention in your other posts that she’s 20 and you’re bringing her back into work, so I think she’s had to have her saddle fit checked? So just to keep on top of that regularly, especially if she’s being ridden by someone else as well so doing a fair bit of work; and also to keep an eye on that toe-dragging behind as that can be a sign of hock arthritis or other issues (which can then lead to a sore back as well!). Something to bear in mind is that a sharer might not stick around if she’s not up to the job or needs time off work due to being lame.

You clearly have the horse’s best interests at heart, but it’s rarely as simple as we’d like to hope, with horses..! Speaking from bitter experience ?

 

[Gloi]

Is she used to being fed in the stable? If so then give her her feed out in the field.

 

[JBM]

Some horses don’t appear outwardly bothered by being on their own, but that doesn’t mean they’re not; they just become a bit shut down. There have been threads about this recently - a horse who genuinely doesn’t mind being on their own is a rare thing, although it does happen.

Anyway, I’ve just read some of your other threads (nosey knowing the back story helps though!) and I think moving to a livery yard will be a game changer for you, as well as the horse, to be honest - you’ll have people to ask for advice and who can help you (hopefully, if it’s a decent yard). And to ride with! If you’re able to get 30 EUR per week from a sharer and the livery is only 60 EUR, that’s pretty decent really. It’s just the matter of finding a good, reliable sharer which is the stumbling block. Will it be you paying the livery, or your family? I imagine a non-horsey farming family with 500 acres probably think it’s a bit crazy to then pay to keep your horse elsewhere..! So can understand reluctance to do so.

The only other thing is, you mention in your other posts that she’s 20 and you’re bringing her back into work, so I think she’s had to have her saddle fit checked? So just to keep on top of that regularly, especially if she’s being ridden by someone else as well so doing a fair bit of work; and also to keep an eye on that toe-dragging behind as that can be a sign of hock arthritis or other issues (which can then lead to a sore back as well!). Something to bear in mind is that a sharer might not stick around if she’s not up to the job or needs time off work due to being lame.

You clearly have the horse’s best interests at heart, but it’s rarely as simple as we’d like to hope, with horses..! Speaking from bitter experience ?

Unfortunately I don’t think I’ll be able to afford livery as it will come to about 1400 a year and considering I have no job and my parents can’t help financially I think I will have to sell her. I want what’s best for her so I’ve contacted her previous owner as she had her for 9 years before me to see if she would want her back. If not I’ll have to find a suitable home for her cuz at the moment I can’t give her that ?

 

[JBM]

Is she used to being fed in the stable? If so then give her her feed out in the field.

I do both currently she’s in because she worked up a sweat running the field and was covered in muck so I thought it best for her to be in tonight

 

[ponyparty]

Unfortunately I don’t think I’ll be able to afford livery as it will come to about 1400 a year and considering I have no job and my parents can’t help financially I think I will have to sell her. I want what’s best for her so I’ve contacted her previous owner as she had her for 9 years before me to see if she would want her back. If not I’ll have to find a suitable home for her cuz at the moment I can’t give her that ?

Oh bless you. That’s heartbreaking for you, but it agree that it’s the sensible thing to do in this situation.

I really feel for you, but I think if she’s running around to the point of sweating up in her field, she’s really unhappy and needs other equine company, sooner rather than later. Well done, for having the strength to admit that to yourself! Not easy at all. I hope you can return her (or find a new home for her) quickly. It’s not an easy situation for you, but I’m sure you will have a horse again in the future - and you’ve learnt so much from this experience, you’ll be much better equipped.

Let us know how you get on.

 

[JBM]

Oh bless you. That’s heartbreaking for you, but it agree that it’s the sensible thing to do in this situation.

I really feel for you, but I think if she’s running around to the point of sweating up in her field, she’s really unhappy and needs other equine company, sooner rather than later. Well done, for having the strength to admit that to yourself! Not easy at all. I hope you can return her (or find a new home for her) quickly. It’s not an easy situation for you, but I’m sure you will have a horse again in the future - and you’ve learnt so much from this experience, you’ll be much better equipped.

Let us know how you get on.

Thank you so much! I’m hoping she will find a happy home easily as she’s an amazing horse. Hopefully I’ll get another horse when I’m older and have a stable income to spoil my horse with