New best friends - separating them!

[LHIS]

We finally moved into our new home after weeks of being on the cusp of completing, and I am thrilled to have my boys at home. Prior to this they had been on grass livery together and had just over 2 weeks in a field getting to know each other. They're very settled together, perhaps too much as now the new best friends unsurprisingly aren't happy being separated.
I knew having just 2 would likely present this problem, and it has. I have 2 stables and a third makeshift one, but I would like to solve this issue and have my horses be happy to be left for short periods of time than resort to getting a third, plus OH would go mad if I snuck in another.

One of them is more stressy than the other, but both aren't happy being separated. I removed one from the field yesterday in view of the other the entire time and the one that remained in the field crouched under the electric tape and joined us. Today I turned them out one by one and the less stressy one paced and called whilst I was putting out the stressier one.

I want to crack on and ride, but I need to go about this in the right way to minimise stress for them both but at the same time be able to ride and work them separately. I'm aware it will have to be a gradual thing but I'd like some pointers please.

 

[Pinkvboots]

Just bring them both in to the stables when you ride they are safer and soon learn the other one comes back, I have 2 at home and if I leave one in the field to ride the other one gallops around so they both come in neither stress when left now.

 

[Goldenstar]

It's always difficult with two .
Zero tolerance is the only way a minimum of twice everyday you need to separate them even if it's for twenty minutes you need to be matter of fact with them they do get used to it .
Get them into a routine at first if you can as if they know what happens when .
The worse that can happen is you need an old companion pony .
I would not wait long before riding out but I would leave a human at home to watch the first few times you go out .
It can take a while but most horses will accept being alone in time .

 

[meleeka]

Make sure they have something to eat when being left. I feed mine and then by the time they've finished that they realise the ridden one has already gone so it's not so bad.

Echo you have to separate them regularly for them to adjust.

 

[Antw23uk]

It's always difficult with two .
Zero tolerance is the only way a minimum of twice everyday you need to separate them even if it's for twenty minutes you need to be matter of fact with them they do get used to it .
Get them into a routine at first if you can as if they know what happens when .
The worse that can happen is you need an old companion pony .
I would not wait long before riding out but I would leave a human at home to watch the first few times you go out .
It can take a while but most horses will accept being alone in time .

This.
You really have to just get on and kick on. If you hang around waiting for trouble ... trouble will arrive! I have two at home and they will call out once or twice but I'm in the saddle and down the road within five minutes of dragging one in from the field and they just have to get on with it .. and they do, they get on with stuffing grass in their faces until I come back. I also bring one on the yard at a time, mostly without thinking about it now but in the beginning it was a very planned process with the new mare especially, she had to get fine with it immediately before any bad habits formed.

Here is how I think ... I have two horses and I can only ride one at a time so they have to be fine with being left alone. Thats it, they have to be fine so therefore they will be fine........No other way round it really so its the only way to think and be.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

just keep doing it-take them out to the field separately, in different order and ditto bringing them in. Vary the time between taking the next one out/in (needn't be very long). sometimes take one in-leave the other and put the same one back out and so on. takes a bit of time and effort initially but its worth it, just mix it up a bit and build up the times. I find a strict routine when you have your horses at home is more likely to lead to stress-if they know things are likely to change but none of the change leads to bad stuff, they get over it. I've had 2/3 geldings for the last 10 years now and never had any problems but whenever I introduce a new one, I do the above and keep doing it to a certain extent. I had one that would have to be stabled but was fine in there with some hay-others fine in the field.

stable mirrors are great too! congrats on getting in, must be great after the hassle you had

 

[LHIS]

Thanks all. I've just done a 20 min separation with them, stressy one stayed in the stable and slightly less stressy one went out. Lots of calling and the one in the field seemed to settle but stabled one kept calling which distracted him. Brought field one back in (it's chucking it down!) and have left them to their nets. I'll do it again later!

 

[SEL]

Food is a great distraction. I've recently moved yards and my 2 spend a lot of time yelling - until the pile of hay in the field is spotted. They may love each other but I think they love food more!

 

[Sparemare]

My companion shouts his head off and gallops up and down when I ride, but it's only for food. If there's enough to eat he forgets immediately

 

[LHIS]

I've been separating my boys daily and building up the time as I go. The stressier one still shouts, but it's infrequent and he's not working himself into a frenzy. The less stressy one worked really well today and they were separated for a good 40 mins. Stressy boy was stabled whilst I rode my other lad out of sight. It's working, slowly. Thank you all for your advice.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

well done!