My lad has become field shy

[Steppies mum]

Hi new to this,my 4 year old cob has become field shy.He is becoming more reluctant to go out in the field .then having to be taken back to his stable.I don't provide him with a meal on his return,but do replenish his bed and haynet etc.. He is one of 6 in my ward and it is only recent ,he appears to be otherwise we'll,any ideas?

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Has anything changed?
Is he turned out with others?
Does he have anything to eat in the field?
Is the weather bad where you are, and if yes, does he have decent shelter?

 

[Steppies mum]

Hi, thanks for your reply.He has been grazing in the field with 5 of my other horses plus 8 other livery horses in the winter field for the last 4 weeks,before that they all grazed in our summer field..same as last year.. Weather is wet,but warmer than this time last year..I can't put my finger on any change really.no.the fields are surrounded by trees.there is shelter same as last year.. They go out at 9.30 on a morning and are tucked up by 5 at night..earlier if weather is cruel or field is heavy going.where am I going wrong?

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Have they run out of grass?
Are you feeding hay/haylage?
Is he being bossed about?

 

[Steppies mum]

There is grass yes,field left to grow for winter months..I have stood and watched them all.he is quite well accepted in the group.he is popular with the mares and has no problems with the lads. They all been together for last 18 months. .as I say ,this is a recent thing last 10 days or so .they all get a brush down ,meal bedtime rug.hehe and check over every night and cuddle rug off ,kiss ,cuddle and an apple or carrot on way out to graze.

 

[Steppies mum]

He has hay over night .

 

[Steppies mum]

He is rescued. Someone turned up on my doorstep with him 19months ago..he was under weight and shabby..but he fed up nicely ,has canny temperament, if a tad naughty..but seems to be very low.am I doing something wrong?.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Well nothing stands out from your replies.

Maybe something could have happened that you don't know about? For example a loose dog could have got in the field and chased the horses. Out of mine, one is more sensitive to incidents than the others. She once saw a cow running about on the other side of the valley and was disturbed by it for days (genuine incident) and the others don't give a rat's arse about cows and graze happily while she paces and frets looking where the cow was.

 

[Enfys]

What does he do when you DO get him into the field? Stand around waiting to come in, settles, paces?

Is he running a bit of a fever or anything, any new horses in the group? Maybe he has picked up a bit of a bug and just prefers to be in, especially if the weather is horrible.

It is so frustrating when we know there is something not quite right and just can't put a finger on it

 

[ycbm]

A bit left of centre but last year I had to chase my mw 4 year old out of the yard to get him to go out in the field. He used to try to run back out of the field as I was closing the gate. This year I'm treating him for epsm, have him in a thicker rug, and he's going out willingly. I'm told epsm horses don't like to be cold. I know I'm looking for epsm everywhere at the moment because I have recently realised that I have two with it, but it may be worth a thought, because it's common in cobs.

 

[matt_m]

Field shy?? New one on me.

Think you might have to be cruel to be kind and let it ride out.