Overly bonded mares

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Splash2310

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Looking for some advice about my mare. I got her in June, and she was based at a small yard with 4 other horses. She was turned out with two others, absolutely fine, no issues and was very independent.

We moved to a new yard at the end of October, and she is now turned out with another mare, who she also lives next to.

This mare is known to have issues with separation anxiety/becoming too friendly with others, she’s on regumate, and now the two have bonded.

This is also not helped by the fact the staff won’t bring them in/out of the field separately, so they are always together. If one is taken out of the stable block whilst the other is in there, they will scream their heads off and the one left in will run around. Thankfully my mare at the moment is still fine to ride etc, but I’m worried she will gradually get worse rather than better.

I’m at the point where I don’t want this to escalate any further, so wondered if anyone had any experience or advice!

I have tried her on some agnus castus yesterday, so will see if that has an impact, but I’m wondering about asking the staff to put them into two individual fields, though they still will live next to each other in the stable block and we’d still like to hack out together etc.

I just want my horse who didn’t care about others back!
 
Is there anyone else in the stable block/field, or just those two?

I moved a horse who'd never showed any sort of separation anxiety in the 12 or so years I'd owned her (at that point) to a yard where she was in a block with one other horse, and turned out next to that horse, and the other horses at the yard were in separate blocks. My horse went mental whenever her stable block buddy wasn't in the barn at the same time as her. Box walking, refusing to stand, almost unhandleable. Drove me crazy. Previously, she'd been in large yards where there were many horses under one roof.

The yard was in the process of getting rid of their higgledy-piggledy stable blocks and building an American-style barn for all the horses, so I stuck it out. Once the American barn was complete and everyone moved in, that mostly solved the problem. If that had not been the case, my only option would have been moving.
 
my 2 are quite bonded even though lily is a cow to diva - they’ve been turned out individually but next to eachother (rehab/“box rest”) and it didn’t make a difference. neither of them give a monkeys about the pony turned out next to them, even though diva used to be field buddies with her, and they’re always in/out at the same time.

would moving stables be an option? my 2 are next to eachother whereas field neighbour is a couple of stables down. ours is a block of 4, the 4th pony in there whinnies for the one turned out next to mine, even when my 2 are in - i can only assume it’s because they’re neighbours, as they’ve never been turned out together.
 
There are four others in the stable block, however they are the only two in the field together and can’t see any others.

She was better yesterday, whilst her friend was still calling for her she was able to be taken away and have her feet washed off etc without World War 3!
 
My 2 mares were bonded but they got used to one of them going out on a ride or being brought in separately, it just took time - a gradual building up from taking one out for 10 minutes of grooming to riding one where the other could see up to being able to go out on long rides. There were other horses close by so they were not alone. Horses sometimes have little enough pleasure in the lives we allow them so I don’t think splitting them up is the kindest answer, maybe just patience. I know it is hard when you don’t own both horses and are in a livery yard as you are not in full control, I was fortunate to own both of them and the land, so a bit easier.
 
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