Separation Anxiety!!

[Burnttoast]

Ok, so you have only ever owned one with separation anxiety, and that so extreme that whatever your attempts to resolve (no idea whether you tried the WHW, slow, incremental approach?) - you settled for management : with permanent company and complete social stability of all other horses in adjoining fields - and it worked for you for 8 years - all good, since that’s what you needed.
However on the basis of your experience, it isn’t realistic or helpful to suggest the OP never takes her Dartmoor off by himself, must always play with him in the field alongside the other, or ensure either another companion or complete social stability when that is simply not ‘do-able’. It’s not even desirable, nor necessary, as shown - not all horses with separation issues are like yours. Which is also good.

I have owned one but seen plenty of others and most people do not manage to 'cure' it, but find ways round it. As someone else posted, you can buy an entire extra horse if need be. Or you can throw welfare to the wind and make sure they never see another horse to feel separated from. Post 7 was not my only contribution (and tbh I would have made a different one anyway had the OP included all the pertinent information in her first comment). She seems not to appreciate how slow you have to go (as she said herself, she was making things worse presumably by not going slowly enough or observing his signals) and it's often not possible to manage other elements of the situation, ie other horses and their owners, at all, which is why many people, me included, aren't able to make enough progress towards a proper fix. That may not be pertinent here. The OP can put her NF in his stable and ignore the field issues, if that suits her, or she can do any or all of the options suggested in the rest of the thread. But there aren't any magic fixes, which is what I get the impression she wants, as she hasn't interacted with any of the posts from e.g. @smolmaus or post 23 describing the training process itself.

 

[dorsetladette]

Unfortunately the only way we fixed it was to get a 3rd so he isn't left alone. X

 

[Pidgeon]

Looking for advice and what has worked for others.

I have a New Forest and a Dartmoor that have been together since babies. My Dartmoor has now become more of a companion to my New Forest, apart from being taken out for walks a few times a week by a young girl and her dad.
My New Forest is becoming worse every time the Dartmoor is taken out of the field, he just cant cope on his own. He doesnt actually care that he is separated from his mate (he comes away from the dartmoor and doesnt look back) its more that he has FOMO and doesnt like the attention not being on him.
I cant always be around when the girl comes down to take my Dartmoor out so I cant keep an eye on the situation. We have tried putting a treat ball in the field, piles of hay in the field, feeding dinner so that he is pre-occupied.......but nothing is working and the New forest spends the whole time galloping round the field until Dartmoor returns :-/

Any advice would be much appreciated!

We lost my boys soul mate a couple of years ago. He suffers from severe separation anxiety, and doesn't cope even if my sisters other horse is out of sight on the yard. Even though he can see another horse it doesn't count as far as he is concerned. Basically just loses the plot and would hurt himself if left. Even taking her in yard to be shod, we have to make sure he can see her. Difficult as sister was still out competing. 50ml of Coligone liquid 30mins before taking her out, has transformed him. He is nice and chilled, may do the odd call. You wouldn't know he had severe separation anxiety if you saw him on his own. Huge weight off my mind as means we can still take sisters horse out, as I was at the point of no return if we couldn't find a solution.

 

[Exasperated]

We lost my boys soul mate a couple of years ago. He suffers from severe separation anxiety, and doesn't cope even if my sisters other horse is out of sight on the yard. Even though he can see another horse it doesn't count as far as he is concerned. Basically just loses the plot and would hurt himself if left. Even taking her in yard to be shod, we have to make sure he can see her. Difficult as sister was still out competing. 50ml of Coligone liquid 30mins before taking her out, has transformed him. He is nice and chilled, may do the odd call. You wouldn't know he had severe separation anxiety if you saw him on his own. Huge weight off my mind as means we can still take sisters horse out, as I was at the point of no return if we couldn't find a solution.

That’s a good discovery, well done! Quite often additional magnesium helps, too, along with obvious dietary adjustments

 

[Exasperated]

Unfortunately the only way we fixed it was to get a 3rd so he isn't left alone. X

Yep, a common resort, and if you need to take two off to do something, may then need a companion for the companion, and that’s not uncommon, either.
Aquiring another animal, like an elderly tup, goat, even seen micropig used, often works as a breathing, physical presence for the sufferer. Stallions travelling to competitions / races with their own pet sheep, for example.

 

[Exasperated]

I have owned one but seen plenty of others and most people do not manage to 'cure' it, but find ways round it. As someone else posted, you can buy an entire extra horse if need be. Or you can throw welfare to the wind and make sure they never see another horse to feel separated from. Post 7 was not my only contribution (and tbh I would have made a different one anyway had the OP included all the pertinent information in her first comment). She seems not to appreciate how slow you have to go (as she said herself, she was making things worse presumably by not going slowly enough or observing his signals) and it's often not possible to manage other elements of the situation, ie other horses and their owners, at all, which is why many people, me included, aren't able to make enough progress towards a proper fix. That may not be pertinent here. The OP can put her NF in his stable and ignore the field issues, if that suits her, or she can do any or all of the options suggested in the rest of the thread. But there aren't any magic fixes, which is what I get the impression she wants, as she hasn't interacted with any of the posts from e.g. @smolmaus or post 23 describing the training process itself.

There aren’t magic fixes; many owners and circumstances unintentionally conspire to compound the problem; but there are plenty of strategies to ameliorate and manage - as you personally found, although your level of control and micromanagement would be quite impossible for the average livery owner. And, as stated, unnecessary.
OP is likely to be able to operate with minimal adjustments, which is great.
You weren’t, but had sufficient control to enjoy 8 happy years, good.
I have never heard of anyone keeping a solitary horse for that specific reason, how do you think that works? How could you ever ensure the separation-stressed horse will never in its life catch sight or smell of any other equine and become distraught? Horses do adjust as singletons, generally better if there is other livestock and if they are very regularly worked / handled, and possibly prefer to live as a small herd - OP does not have that issue, luckily.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I had/have similar occasionally, used to be every time I rode now it just happens now and again.
I have to bring the non ridden horse in to ride the other.
I also have ponies so he is in fact never left alone really he just doesn’t seem to count anything under 14hh as company!
I have a bale of different hay. I use that only when I ride. I think the something different seems to help. I also give it to him the second before I get on the other horse so it takes his interest.
As long as he’s in an agreeable mood this seems to be working at the moment.
Could you maybe get a bale of haylage or something yummier that may help? It’s very much a pain of a problem to have and I sympathise.