Possessive Horse!

[landymore]

Hi, just wondered if any one had any advice/suggestions regarding my 12 year old 5/8th Thoroughbred gelding. He is a steady chap at home, where he is kept with my daughters 13hh pony. If anything at home he dislikes the pony and will either completely ignore him or lay his ears back when the pony is led past his stable. They are not turned out together but can normally see each other. However we have started going hunting together and my horse has turned into a possessive lunatic if anyone other horse comes near us or if my daughter decides to wander off to chat with her friends he throws himself about leaping and once standing on his hind legs, something he has never done before. We have persevered but things have got worse and I have given up even trying to take him out with the pony. He won't stand on the lorry if the pony is out of sight and normally on his own he is lovely to take out and about and stands all day long. The pony is a gelding. A friend has suggested he is "riggy" but he never gets amorous, just possessive and it has got to the stage where I wouldn't put it past him to be nasty if another horse/pony got too close, hence the reason I have given up. He has had a squeal and raised a front leg once when someone let their horse sniff him and he is very funny about other horses droppings, sniffing them and then pawing them. Any advice would be welcome as I just want to be able to go out with my daughter on her pony and have fun. Is my only solution selling my lovely boy and getting another horse??????????

 

[Tickles]

It sounds like your horse leads a fairly isolated life. If he is usually turned out alone and only sees your daughter's pony he isn't getting 'normal' horsey interaction at all. What little he has is all centred on the pony so it isn't a surprise that he gets worried at the idea of the pony being 'stolen' by other horses.

Can you turn him out with another companion? There are plenty of people looking for companion homes at the moment so you should find something that would be happy to be left. That way he can focus some of his attention on the companion and the bond he has with the pony won;t seem as important.

Failing that can you try some less exciting hacking with horse, pony and just one or two others before taking him hunting again - that is an environment stimulating enough to upset plenty of horses kept on even the busiest of yards.