Seperation anxitey - How to over come it?

lialls

lialls

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Iv just bought a yearling and want her to be able to be left in the stable/field by her self while i ride my other mare. How should i go about this? She is of cob type, level headed and has been handled well. Is being alone in the field/stable something that can be taugh? or is it built in to some horses to tolerate it?
 
Some cope better than others from the start. tbh i'd start by leaving her in the stable, ideally make sure a person can stay with her while you take the other horse away, to make sure she can't do anything daft and report on how she behaves.
if she's the sort who might try to jump out, put an anti-weave grille up or even shut the top door.
if you make sure she's a bit hungry, and leave her with some hay, she should stay calm and start munching, hopefully.
one of mine could be left alone as a weanling, the other (same age) has taken 4 more years to be able to leave alone...
 
Thanks Kerilli. We dont have proper stables, they are an old cow shead with sort of partitions seperating the inside in to 2/3 stables, there is a small gate at the end of each partition to get through to the next stable and a big barn door at the back which opens out. If you can see this is how it is http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000877924137#!/photo.php?pid=156610&id=100000877924137

Im so worried that she might try and go over this partition though? Is she dos panic or have a paddy about it, how should i handle it? For example when a puppy crys and you go to it, your kind of telling it that if it crys it gets attention. Dont want to encourage my youngster to learn that if she makes a fuss she gets reunived with her horsesy friend.
 
my sisters horse is a nightmare on his own.. he just gets so stresssed. He is getting better now but we've taken 4 years to get this far (but then he was 12 before he was ever ever left on his own :eek:). The main problem is when I take Ron hunting, or to an event (i.e. when I'm away for most of the day). When we go for a hack we have to go out of the drive way one direction not the other to keep him calm.

1) we tried leaving him in with food for distraction - he trashed the place and ignored the feed!
2) we tried someone turning him out once we'd left - he panicked and fell over in the field
3) we tried turning him out before we left - he was better but he'd stand by the gate and scream
4) we tried 'sedating' him with a large dose of calmer and turning him out - better still
5) we tried turning him out and giving him hard feed in the field shelter/barn with a dose of calmer in the feed - spot on!

slowly over the last year or so we've been reducing the calmer in the feed and he now doesn't hang around to shout when you turn him out, he goes straight up tothe barn and stands there!

I think, starting as young as you are, he'll probably be fine if you can give him enough time to get used to the idea, and if you're not away for very long at all to start with.
 
TBH looking at the layout of your barn with those low partitions and gaps, I would be worried about any horse with seperation anxiety issues ( I have one!) doing themselves an injury or escaping. I would need something much more enclosing and secure before I tried her on her own in there. I don't know what to suggest, with what you ve got there but looks to me unsafe as it is.
 
Jenhunt what calmer do you use?

Storminateacup yes i do know its not idea but we dont have much choise round here and with it not being owned by us i can't make many changes to it.

There is a small concreated yard, it is walled on 2 sides (barn walls, so very high) the 3rd side to this area is the door to thoses stables/barn, and the 4th side is a wall that is about 7ft with a barn door on it for a gate (like the doors on the stable/barn) Do you think this is more suitable?

The field is huge but i dont fancy her hanging herself on the fence either. Just trying to work out the safest, most panicfree and best way to move forward with this.
 
I left my boy in the field as a yearling when I have the other 2 out.....he fence runs a bit, but he has never done anything daft....

....2 years on, he only really calls occasionally and isnt really that bothered....

My older girl, however, is another story....she jumps 5 bar gates to get out if she is left on her own, so I just dont do it!! I have just bought some stable mirrors to see if that helps her, as my pony is going out on loan so there will be times when she has to be left on her own!!! I am hoping that a nice haynet along with the mirror will be sufficient (and the fact that she is hopefully older, and wiser, than the last time I tried!!!)
 
hmm, i'd worry about that set-up too. tbh i think you need to have a good capable responsible person to leave her with and give it a try... carefully. take your other horse out of sight, and see how the youngster is. if she panics, bring the other horse back. maybe find a companion for her, if so. could even be a goat or something, doesn't have to be an equid.
tbh it's not like a puppy etc. a horse on its own in the wild is very vulnerable, so many of them have a very strong herd instinct. some are calm about it and mature beyond their years, others get panicky. with the latter type, it's all about stopping them from injuring themselves if they do have a panic attack. they aren't rational - if they do panic, you're a bit stuffed, they can really hurt themselves.
fwiw my panicky one was left in a very strong stable with 8' high partitions and i put a board over the top of the 4' high stable door too. i wouldn't have left her in a less secure enclosure, she'd have killed herself to get out and find her friend... she learnt to cope, very gradually. if the walls are high and secure, you can afford to let them have a paddy and a scream for their friend and gradually come to terms with solitude... but if the walls aren't high, it's can be really dangerous.
 
lialls said:
Jenhunt what calmer do you use?

Storminateacup yes i do know its not idea but we dont have much choise round here and with it not being owned by us i can't make many changes to it.

There is a small concreated yard, it is walled on 2 sides (barn walls, so very high) the 3rd side to this area is the door to thoses stables/barn, and the 4th side is a wall that is about 7ft with a barn door on it for a gate (like the doors on the stable/barn) Do you think this is more suitable?

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I d be worried about the concrete floor, if she went mad running about and slipped.

Its a major dilemma is'n't it?
My boy is a big 16.1hh and my fencing only about 2ft 9 high in places, yet you'd be surprised at the number of "friends" that have tried to press me in to just taking my old horse out for a hack and just leave my youngster inthe field to "get on with it" DUH STUPID IDIOTS - do I want a dead horse, a fooked horse and a huge vet bill - or both.

I am stuck with my situation for now as I try to gently wean youngster off the old horse and to find comfort with me, so at least someone will be able to take old horse out for a change of scenery. Failing that I will have to get a shetland.
 
I would just leave her in the field take both out then put her back in with some hay don't go out for long I started by just even going round the village at first she winnied and he winnied back but they are used to it now good luck .
 
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