vicki bee
Member
Any ideas/help would be much appreciated.
I bought a Quarter horse mare about 4 weeks ago. She had been kept on her own as was a hacking horse for an elderly gentleman. I already have a coloured cob mare, and they're kept together at a livery yard. The coloured mare is the boss, and keeps the quarter horse in line.
However, I'm having serious separation anxiety problems with the quarter horse. When she is brought into the barn, she is only settled if I stand with her. If I leave, or she is left on her own, she will weave from side to side and neigh frantically. When she first arrived, she'd neigh constantly to the other mare, but this has reduced as she has replaced me as a safety blanket! If another horse is in the barn, even if she has no connection with it, she will panic and weave when it leaves.
When she first arrived, she would try and neigh to the coloured mare constantly whilst she was being ridden, but I have ridden her through it and she has improved. However, in the barn she has actually got more anxious. This is seriously off putting when I'm preparing to ride her as I always think she's going to be difficult when ridden.
If the coloured mare comes out of the field and the quarter horse is left in, she will neigh constantly the whole time the coloured is away, even if it is for long periods. She runs up and down the fence line and frets, even if the coloured is 100 metres away in the school and is in sight. The coloured doesn't neigh back usually and ignores her the majority of the time.
Separating them isn't a practical solution due to the livery yard organisation. Anyone got any experience with this or could offer some advice?!
I bought a Quarter horse mare about 4 weeks ago. She had been kept on her own as was a hacking horse for an elderly gentleman. I already have a coloured cob mare, and they're kept together at a livery yard. The coloured mare is the boss, and keeps the quarter horse in line.
However, I'm having serious separation anxiety problems with the quarter horse. When she is brought into the barn, she is only settled if I stand with her. If I leave, or she is left on her own, she will weave from side to side and neigh frantically. When she first arrived, she'd neigh constantly to the other mare, but this has reduced as she has replaced me as a safety blanket! If another horse is in the barn, even if she has no connection with it, she will panic and weave when it leaves.
When she first arrived, she would try and neigh to the coloured mare constantly whilst she was being ridden, but I have ridden her through it and she has improved. However, in the barn she has actually got more anxious. This is seriously off putting when I'm preparing to ride her as I always think she's going to be difficult when ridden.
If the coloured mare comes out of the field and the quarter horse is left in, she will neigh constantly the whole time the coloured is away, even if it is for long periods. She runs up and down the fence line and frets, even if the coloured is 100 metres away in the school and is in sight. The coloured doesn't neigh back usually and ignores her the majority of the time.
Separating them isn't a practical solution due to the livery yard organisation. Anyone got any experience with this or could offer some advice?!
