Please help - very worried about my horse at livery

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Trish82

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My horse is usually kept at home, but has had to go to a livery yard temporarily. She seems to be generally happy and is very relaxed in the stable. However, when she is turned out the horses all fight and she has got some very serious kicks to her rump. I am at my wits end worrying that one of these kicks is going to land on her legs and give her a nasty injury. She is a valuable horse and is my pride and joy; I'd hate for anything to happen to her. The yard manager has tried turned her out in an adjoining enclosure on her own, but she jumps out to be with the other horses. What can I do? I'm worried sick!
 
Can you put one of the other horses who is quiet in with her to see if the company stops her jumping out into the other paddock, let them all meet over the fence in a less frenetic manner then try to re introduce again a couple of weeks down the line.
Tbh it soumds like the herd settling, but understand your worry.
 
Unfortunately the other paddock is small (half an acre) and the yard owner doesn't want to put two of them in there as there will be no grass left...
 
Could you ask if you could just do it on a temporary basis and see if that helps to settle everyone down? i.e just for a week. That way they can all get to see each other the fence and then hopefully it will be a little less frantic when she goes back into a herd.

So sympthasise though. Ours go out in pairs or solo if need be. Old mare has only just found another mare she will allow in her field - she pretty much worked her way through all the others!
 
Two things may possibly help. Ride out a few times with the most troublesome of the horses, or if not possible, one or two of the herd that might be confident enough to babysit her in the field.
The other suggestion would ne to adopt the herd smell by rubbing her with a saddle pad or rug belonging to a senior herd member, or putting her in the stable of one of them for a hour or so.
Obviously the best option for a short stay would be separate grazing with a companion and I really feel that the YO should take some action to keep her safe while she is in their care or suggest alternative livery locally.
 
Thanks for the replies. I have been over to see her today and she now has a swollen hind fetlock joint. No heat in it, but she is lame on it and very subdued today (which is not like her at all!). I have already made the decision to move her pronto. The yard manager just kind of shrugged his shoulders about the injuries, I get the impression he thinks I'm being neurotic. He also told me that he'd "never known anything bad come from a kick injury" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
the YM's comment leaves me speechless. i've seen a broken leg (star fracture) from an unshod hoof's kick, and a compound fracture from a shod hoof. when the huntsman came to cart off the body (my friend's lovely sweet gelding, bless him) he had a go at ME (thought it was my horse) for putting shod horses in together, said that he deals with the results all the time, a kick on bone from a shod hoof breaks the bone very easily.
i'd have your mare kept in her stable until you move her. you're lucky she isn't badly injured.
i NEVER turn mine out together once they're shod, unless they are absolute best friends, and even then with extreme care. never ever ever in a herd situation, it is asking for disaster.
 
Unbelievable attitude isn't it? I have had the vet out today, all being well the swelling and lameness should have gone by next week. Looks a right mess on my previously perfect girl though :(

YM still thinks I'm over reacting and thought I was mad to have vet out. UNBELIEVABLE!!!

She is being kept in and leaving tomorrow :)
 
StarcatcherWilliam said:
Thanks for the replies. I have been over to see her today and she now has a swollen hind fetlock joint. No heat in it, but she is lame on it and very subdued today (which is not like her at all!). I have already made the decision to move her pronto. The yard manager just kind of shrugged his shoulders about the injuries, I get the impression he thinks I'm being neurotic. He also told me that he'd "never known anything bad come from a kick injury" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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You need to move yard, your yard manager is an idiot with a comment like that, a kick will break a bone if it connects in the right way.
Box rest for a couple of days while you look for somewhere or at best youre going to end up with a serious injury to deal with.:o at worst an injury that is career ending or worse.
 
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