Pining horse - driving us mad!

[Noodlejaffa]

I've got a horse staying with us for a while. He's only 4 and a real sweetie. However, he has become very dependent on our big hunter, after only 3 days of being with us. He's turned out with him, but screams and panics if hunter is taken in from the field without him. What's the best way of dealing with this? I've got other horses he could be turned out with, all of whom are very quiet with strange horses. Should I be alternating who he's turned out with, or should I just turn him out on his own?

Never encountered this problem before so any advice gratefully received.

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Is he left on his own, when the hunter comes in?? If so I would be putting a friend out with him, he is probably a bit unsettled/insercure from the change of home and may not be used to being on his own.

 

[JessPickle]

We have A horse like that, he is very attached to a certain horse, but usually we either put another horse in with him when his usual horses leave. Or move him in with another horse, he usually settles quickly

 

[Queenbee]

do you use rescue remedy? i would invest in some and put 10 drops in his feed or drinking water a day (it helps to calm them when they are stressed)

can he go in a field with nore than one horse? that way he may have company as much as possible and the chance of him developing such an intense bond with another horse is not so high.

what's the horse like if you take him from the hunter? can you bring him away easily and pop him in a stable for an hour or so each day? this may be a less stressful way of getting him used to being separated from him

 

[AmyMay]

We have a little race horse with us for the summer - to mature etc.

She became very attached to one of her field mates, and would get equally upset when it was removed from the field.

However, she was only fretting - and was not going to damage herself, so unfortunately just had to get on with it. But there are a total of 5 in her field. We wouldn't have left her on her own.