Opinions please 3 horses 2 stables 1 with mud fever?

EffyCorsten

EffyCorsten

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I'm in a bit of a pickle really as to what I should do.

I've currently got two stables. Usually have the haybarn to use but the sheep are in there for lambing and one of my 2yr olds has mud fever. I've had all 3 boys in the yard with access to the stables all day but can't keep them all like it all night.

One of them is going to end up alone and I don't want the other two year old turned out alone he's not confidant alone.

Do you think I should just keep Dexter in and turn the other two out and hope he copes ok? My other 2yr old doesn't like to be stabled for too long. But Dexter has never been stabled alone.

He is a confidant horse and will walk out in hand alone but I've not done any other work with him to get him happy being alone.

Should I just turn the other two out and see how he goes?

Sorry if that's all confusing.
 
Going to be a rough one tonight, could they all just stay on the yard, saves anyone getting upset, and cover the mud fever leg in lots of creams and vaseline as a barrier and see what the morning brings.
 
There is nothing more annoying and inconvenient than a horse which "has" to have company, so many seem to have a problem with clingy, herd-bound horses and their separation anxiety. My horses have to be able to work alone, so we make a point of teaching them from the beginning that they are OK on their own. A stable with a top door is useful, as is the ability to ignore hysterics.
 
It's not really secure enough. I have two rows of ticker tape to keep them on the yard but it's not connected to a ticker. They haven't gone through it but I'm too paranoid to leave them. Hmmmm I just don't nooo!
 
Cortez said:
There is nothing more annoying and inconvenient than a horse which "has" to have company, so many seem to have a problem with clingy, herd-bound horses and their separation anxiety. My horses have to be able to work alone, so we make a point of teaching them from the beginning that they are OK on their own. A stable with a top door is useful, as is the ability to ignore hysterics.
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OP - just leave them overnight same as you've had them during the day.

Cortez - how do you teach a horse that they are ok on their own? I have one who is perfectly happy hacking alone; going out competing alone etc. He will stay on his own in the stable if I go out competing with the other one. But will NOT stay on his own in a field to the point where he runs through fences and injures himself. (ex-racehorse) Would be interesting to hear how you'd approach this. I have done all the usual taking other horse away for 30 seconds out of sight and gradually building up. After 9 years of owning him have given up 'teaching' him to be on his own in a field and just put him in his stable.
 
Cortez said:
There is nothing more annoying and inconvenient than a horse which "has" to have company, so many seem to have a problem with clingy, herd-bound horses and their separation anxiety. My horses have to be able to work alone, so we make a point of teaching them from the beginning that they are OK on their own. A stable with a top door is useful, as is the ability to ignore hysterics.
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I have a top door also cctv and the ability to ignore hysterics. so perhaps it could be good for him to gain some independence from the other two. My house is on the yard I'm close by if anything was to happen.

Thanks cortez you have made me snap out of trying to wrap in corsten wool
 
Nicnac said:
OP - just leave them overnight same as you've had them during the day.

Cortez - how do you teach a horse that they are ok on their own? I have one who is perfectly happy hacking alone; going out competing alone etc. He will stay on his own in the stable if I go out competing with the other one. But will NOT stay on his own in a field to the point where he runs through fences and injures himself. (ex-racehorse) Would be interesting to hear how you'd approach this. I have done all the usual taking other horse away for 30 seconds out of sight and gradually building up. After 9 years of owning him have given up 'teaching' him to be on his own in a field and just put him in his stable.
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My 8 yr old will stable alone and be in the field alone but annoyingly it's one of the youngsters grr
 
Nicnac said:
OP - just leave them overnight same as you've had them during the day.

Cortez - how do you teach a horse that they are ok on their own? I have one who is perfectly happy hacking alone; going out competing alone etc. He will stay on his own in the stable if I go out competing with the other one. But will NOT stay on his own in a field to the point where he runs through fences and injures himself. (ex-racehorse) Would be interesting to hear how you'd approach this. I have done all the usual taking other horse away for 30 seconds out of sight and gradually building up. After 9 years of owning him have given up 'teaching' him to be on his own in a field and just put him in his stable.
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If it runs through fences, I wouldn't have it; simples.
 
I have 3 horses and only 2 stables and am on a farm with all sheds full of cattle or sheep, my 2 youngsters share a stable and they are fine,their field is a quagmire so they all need to come in at night and let feet and legs dry off.As long as they have 2 haynets and no food in the stable it seems to work well.
 
Cortez said:
There is nothing more annoying and inconvenient than a horse which "has" to have company, so many seem to have a problem with clingy, herd-bound horses and their separation anxiety. My horses have to be able to work alone, so we make a point of teaching them from the beginning that they are OK on their own. A stable with a top door is useful, as is the ability to ignore hysterics.
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interesting, but horse are not build to be alone. yes I know they were not build to be ridden and stabled etc either........
i just find it a bit silly to think that horses 'should' be able to stay alone, they are herd animals and there is nothing more natural that that!
 
I'd leave all three on the yard with access to the stables. If you don't think the fence is tough enough and you're worried, buy a roll of plain wire and some posts and fence around the yard this afternoon so that it is secure enough for you not to be worried.
 
Do you think that 2 of them would share a stable without any arguments? My friend has 2 of his (both 15.1hh)in a large stable and puts haynets in opposite corners and they are pretty content with the arrangement...a little odd when you see 2 heads poking out the door! Or can you not fence off the yard, secure the 2 stable doors open and let them pick where they go, as long as you have haynets tied outside they can all be eating.

The only thing that shifted my cob's god awful mud fever last year was a weekly leg bath, thoroughly shampooed, over night in a stable so he's dry and fluffy the next day. Thick layer of sudocrem around his heels and over the worst bit of damaged skin and then a paste made up of baby oil, sudocrem and zinc and caster oil and his legs drowned in that. I didn't touch his legs, hose his legs or brush his legs at all until his next leg shampoo. The less I interfered, the better his legs got and the hair on his back legs grew back within a month.
 
That's the haybarn it's nice as another stable but we are limited for space and my landlord insisted on having some sheep (to get single payment scheme I'm sure) so the sheep are in there lambing. He was fine. He's been on the yard alone before jus Not over night and had the sheep opposite him. Happy to see his buddies this morning of course. Thanks for the replies everyone.
 
Keep them all in during the day until their legs are dry then liberally cover with neem oil before letting them get wet again. HAs worked for mine - the neem oil is not only a barrier but antibacterial and antifungal as well. There are also one or two products on the market which might suit.
 
Kikke said:
interesting, but horse are not build to be alone. yes I know they were not build to be ridden and stabled etc either........
i just find it a bit silly to think that horses 'should' be able to stay alone, they are herd animals and there is nothing more natural that that!
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This tells me why so many horses struggle to be alone for periods of time. It is down to the breeders, producers, owners to teach a young horse (the earlier the better) that it is ok to be alone.

Teach them, train them, help them to become well adjusted horses and lead a useful life.
 
AdorableAlice said:
This tells me why so many horses struggle to be alone for periods of time. It is down to the breeders, producers, owners to teach a young horse (the earlier the better) that it is ok to be alone.

Teach them, train them, help them to become well adjusted horses and lead a useful life.
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This^^^
 
Agree with others re wash and then leave alone lather with creams, esp anti fingal and bacterial, lots of shampoos affect the PH balance and therefore the mud fever becomes more common, i wash with water to remove excess mud, towel dry, put in stable and leave, tomorrow i will wash, add 7 day mud away and wash and towel dry again, never had mud fever on 6 legs with feathers in my time of horse ownership over 7 years, whilst one YM lathered legs in gold blend then just chucked horses in the box covered in wet mud and suffered nothing but mud fever in both her horses black legs all four of them, yet she made a point of moaning at me about washing off the mud. Each to their own i prefer the route where it works
 
Thanks everyone although treating mud fever wasn't actually an issue I have my tried and tested methods. Swelling heat and redness all gone and all three out again now. Still no sodding lambs though..
 
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