Scared of horses coming along side

[CarolynRoss]

Has anyone experienced this before? I have a 5 year old cob who had been backed and turned away when I got him. I don't know his history but was entire until 4 and I believe was not particularly well cared for before this.
I started him off in the school, then around fields at home with the horse he is stabled with. Not too many issues other than being tense. We started riding out and when he was behind the mare, threw his head up and really backed off if there was a swish of the tail or a movement of the hand from the other rider. He has become more and more difficult to ride alongside the other horse, (have tried with a different horse as well) to the point where he would rather walk in a ditch/ walk into a vehicle than walk alongside.
I can lead them on the ground side by side without any issue and he is the dominant one in the field. The mare completely ignores his behaviour.
Any ideas about how to overcome this would be greatly appreciated. I have given up on hacking out at the moment and am just trying to ride/stand along side another horse in the school at the moment!

 

[Midlifecrisis]

My friends and I who hack out in pairs have often seen and discussed this - we don't have many of our horses who although they know each other well will hack side by side. One theory is that they need a lead horse to suss out the way ahead and a back stop horse who monitors what is happening behind them. We have watched the ears of the horses - pricked forward and alert to the front in the lead horse and the sentry at the back has ears turned backwards listening to what maybe creeping up behind. So when we ride we try to swop positions to lead horse and back and sometimes we manage a short while actually next to each other.

 

[Celtic Fringe]

Young cob is also 5 and was backed last year then in very light work over the winter. We have been hacking regularly for 3 or 4 months now. We hack alone, intitally we had someone walking alongside, but we often go out with his uncle - they also live out together so know each other very well. It has taken quite a long time to get my youngster reasonably happy to be alongside. I agree with Midlifecrisis that horses usually prefer to be in a line with a lookout and a back-stop. We try and change positions very regularly - sometimes alongside, more often with one in front and one behind. Young cob is quite nosy and is quite happy to go in front to find out what is round the next corner! If we need a mental break then following behind gives us both a few moments to chill out. We sometimes play a game of 'tag' where the one behind trots to overtake and then walks, the other person then trots past and so on. This took patience, determination and time to get right and we don't have the issue of him climbing into a ditch or over a car to avoid the other horse.

I can't really offer any advice except to say that in our case it has taken a lot of time and patience with tiny improvements on the way, as well as some set backs. If you can manage it then hacking alone might be worth trying. I think my horse is more confident in me, and in himself, because it is often just the two of us. When we do go out in company he is less reliant on the other horse and not quite so likely to take cues from them. Uncle spooked very badly at some cattle recently and ran backwards crashing into young cob who was just quietly admiring them!