Reasure me I'm ok to do this please!!

[popsicle]

I have 2 horses who share a field. I normally try not to leave one out, or in on it's own. The one doing the leaving is ok, but the one being left gets very stressed. Occasionally I will bring one in 5 mins before the other, just to let them know the other will return. Now sometimes my daughter or friend cannot ride the other one so would I be a very bad mother to leave one in the stable (no other horses in) while I ride out on the other with another livery for an hour or so?

 

[1275gta]

We have one that stresses when his mate goes out of the yard even though there are other horses in the yard with him. We genreally leave him in rather than put him out on his own.

 

[OneInAMillion]

There is nothing wrong with this
Its fine as it isn't like you have taken them apart for weeks on end. My horse has to go to camp and he will have no choice about leaving his mate

 

[Tnavas]

It's really frustrating when one can't survive without the other for more than a few minutes but it's definately not a problem to leave him in a stable while you ride. Give your horse a haynet or small feed with lots of chaff to keep him occupied.

 

[Peacelily]

Are they both as bad as each other? ie. could you take the most stressy one away for the hack and leave the other one?
Yeah I'd much rather leave him in the stable - provide as much as you can for him in terms of feed/water and then take the other one for the hack. Could you work it so that they've both stood in from the grass quite a while and so are getting hungry so you can throw hay at the one your leaving and hopefully he'll be hungry enough to eat and take his mind off it?
Could you borrow a small pony/donkey to solve the problem of leaving either on their own.

Sometimes you've got to just bite the bullet to separate them - if you do then do it regularly so they get used to it otherwise yes it's so difficult when you want to do "normal" things. .

 

[MrsMozart]

Stable mirrors can help.

If you haven't done it before, and if the one left behind gets very stressy, make sure someone is around just in case he comes out over the door!

 

[QUICKFIRE]

Can I suggest you get a stable mirror, they can be a god send for a horse thats gets stressed, worked wonders on our TB.

 

[Cliqmo]

I made a habit of leaving my 4yr old alone for short amounts of time from the first day I got him, and now (9mths on) I'm really glad I did as he is on box rest but not fussed about being along overnight at all

 

[stroppymare153]

Can you shut the top door on his stable? used to keep our stressy boy quieter while the other one tip toed past to the field! After 10mins or so, he was alright to stay in on his own, it was just the thought that he was being left.

 

[popsicle]

Thanks very much. They are out 24/7 at this time of year, but I don't feel happy about leaving one alone in the field. However, only Poppy could be left alone in the stable as Lolly would and has broken down the door if she is left alone in the stable. A stable mirror could help I guess, but the need to separate them only happens occasionally, as normally my daughter or friend rides the other with me. Poppy has been left a couple of times before in the stable, but last time she cut her eye through tossing her head about. Guess I should just bite the bullet though eh?

 

[TS_]

Depending on what they're like together and how you feel about it if you're only going for a quiet hack would it be possible to ride and leed? If not then the stable with someone there to keep an eye open would be the better option, rather than the field.