Seperation issues!

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bambar

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Hi All

I'm looking for some advice regarding a new horse I just purchased. I have a little section A who is 3 years old and I have had her for a month - I have also recently bought another horse who is 5.

I introduced them to each other and they are now insperable 2 days later!

I took my horse for a ride around the field yesterday but my pony called non stop to her which was unsettling my horse and everytime we got to the top of the field she would spin around and try to run back to where my pony was.

I had to lock my pony up in the stable as keeping her out in the field would have been a nightmare!

Any ideas how to get them both used to leaving each other?? I cant completely seperate them as they have one large stable/field shelter which they share so it wouldnt really be practical as one would end up going without shelter.
 
I used to have this problem. I got another pony then there was never one left in the field alone. Failing that, they will get used to being apart. You just have to do it a little at a time building up the length of time they are apart.
 
I've got two at home, and they will run round screaming if in the big fields. If we bring them in with a haynet, or turn them out on a tiny 20x30 grassy paddock next to the stables they seem perfectly happy alone ( the paddock has more lush grass than the field, so it's a treat!)

Your two are fairly new to each other, so it's the "honeymoon period". Put the pony in the stable, leave food, hack your horse out, be firm and praise them when they go, then see if you can section off a small bit of the field and try them in there. Three may work, although my mare hated our third horse and acted as though he wasn't there, so it doesn't always solve it, plus three seems much harder work than two!
 
eek i definitely dont want three horses - two is enough!

i guess i will just keep trying and get them used to it.... im just worried that as the fencing is only electric the pony might try running through it so im keeping her locked up for now but i dont want her to injure herself and stress out my horse when im riding her in the field...
 
3 is the perfect number - sorry but it's true. I've got 2 at home and am seriously considering a third to reduce dramatics...

The only way around it for me is to bring both in and leave the unbidden one in the stable with their feed in a treat ball - food sure does shut them up...
 
I'm afraid I aquired a third (mini shettie) to keep my other one who is left on his own in the field. The one that used to get left was awful, if i left him in, he box-walked the life out of the stable and stressed and sweated, if i left him out he fence walked and called incessantly. Now he's got a "friend" - doesn't bat an eyelid when i leave the yard, I don't even have to bribe with food. I agree with Fides, 3 is the perfect number for my situation and the shettie costs me peanuts each month but saves the agro I used to get. Well worth having a third. If you dont want a third, I used to with mine (although this didnt work as he simply doesnt "do" being on his own) I used to put in his stable, leave radio on, juge hay net, bucket of food and and a treatball, also installed a stable mirror. Like i mentioned, these made no difference to my horse but I've seen successes with friends horses in similiar situations.
 
Our horses have to be able to work singly when required, so we don't allow histrionics when they are separated. I regularly change the turnout and stabling arrangements on purpose so that they don't become too herd-bound, and also turn them out on their own now and again. They rarely even lift their heads when one or the other goes off to do a bit of work. If we do get one that gets all hysterical, then tying them up for 20 mins a day and going about our business with the others, leaving and arriving, seems to cool their ardour. Allowing horses to become "inseparable", which a lot of people seem to think is cute, is just setting the horses (and owners) up for a lot of unnecessary stress.
 
Cortez said:
Our horses have to be able to work singly when required, so we don't allow histrionics when they are separated. I regularly change the turnout and stabling arrangements on purpose so that they don't become too herd-bound, and also turn them out on their own now and again. They rarely even lift their heads when one or the other goes off to do a bit of work. If we do get one that gets all hysterical, then tying them up for 20 mins a day and going about our business with the others, leaving and arriving, seems to cool their ardour. Allowing horses to become "inseparable", which a lot of people seem to think is cute, is just setting the horses (and owners) up for a lot of unnecessary stress.
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Ok if you have a large herd, not so much if you have two at home. They will strongly pair bond, even if separated for a couple of days. Mine aren't 'allowed' to do histrionics but they do none the less. I will leave my boy out on his own on occasion (girl doesn't care) and he will settle down, I'd just rather not come back from a nice hack to a blown tendon. Stable + treat ball = calm :)
 
Agree with Cortez on this actually, keeping the two of mine seperated (before i got the third) and rotating their little paddocks and daily routine did actually help as they didnt become so reliant on each but horses for courses, they're all different and it didnt work permanently in my situation as one of mine simply doesnt like being left, however when I took the other to be ridden in the school (and he could see us in the school) he used to throw a tantrum even when he could see us but keeping them seperated did enable him to settle down when we at least went in the school. Have to agree with Fides that keeping in the stable lessens the chance of injury I think and if you can fill the stable with hay and a treatball, I would imagine most would be occupied enough and settle after a time. Maybe when you start to leave, leave for 5 minutes then come back, and gradually increase the time you leave the other on its own?
 
Fides said:
Ok if you have a large herd, not so much if you have two at home. They will strongly pair bond, even if separated for a couple of days. Mine aren't 'allowed' to do histrionics but they do none the less. I will leave my boy out on his own on occasion (girl doesn't care) and he will settle down, I'd just rather not come back from a nice hack to a blown tendon. Stable + treat ball = calm :)
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I have two horses that most often graze together, and a stallion who pastures on his own. They all have to be used to being left alone, and we work from the beginning so that they will do so. Never had one that didn't settle when required to do so, but plenty that took a little time to get used to doing so. It requires a bit of forethought and training, but it can be done
 
Cortez said:
I have two horses that most often graze together, and a stallion who pastures on his own. They all have to be used to being left alone, and we work from the beginning so that they will do so. Never had one that didn't settle when required to do so, but plenty that took a little time to get used to doing so. It requires a bit of forethought and training, but it can be done
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I'm sure it can - I just choose not to keep my horses alone as it isn't natural. Being ridden is unnatural enough, without enforced solitary periods. Mine cope for short periods separated but I wouldn't expect them to live like that
 
My horses do not live alone, they - apart from the stallion - generally graze together; however I take the time to occasionally (i.e. about once a month, or whenever work takes them away) rotate them into single paddocks, and thus get them used to the notion that being on their own is not going to result in mental collapse. If you take a thoughtful approach horses can be trained to accept without undue stress the many impositions that being a ridden, domesticated animal require.
 
I have three because im soft and stupid - have a riding mare who is and always has been relaxed about being separated from her companions - she hacks on her own and will graze on her own too (when i was stabling the madam would also from time to time be happy to be left out on her own for a time). My retired mare though gets quite upset being left (she was always fab when worked but now wants company). Before i got the third i started stabling my older mare and giving her haylage and she would settle (have you tried a mirror if you stable?) but then got the third to make life easier (as some of our fields are not close to the stables etc). Honestly three is harder work but i dont worry about my older mare at all now (she's very happy when left with just the little one). The little one though calls like an idiot despite the fact my older one is with her! Oddly if i take the little one away, the other two dont bat an eyelid!
 
We have 3. Two bigger ones and a mini. Works really well as shetland couldn't care less if left alone while others go out.

Another HUGE plus is that if, as has just happened with us, one of the horses has to go away to horsepital for a while you are not left with one on its own. I was very worried how my gelding would be without the mare around but he's hardly batted an eyelid.
 
We have two and also now have no stables to put the one left behind in as they blew down in the wind. Our two were inseparable but we got through it slowly. At first we just took one outside the gate, let it eat the grass or hay at the side. Then once the pony left behind stopped shouting, running about etc we put the other one back. We did this until the one left behind didn't bother when the other was taken out. I feel they learnt that when you don't put up a performance they come back. We then started just walking down the lane and back again, maybe 5 mins and gradually went a but further. This did the trick for ours. It took a lot of time and effort and had to be done every day at first and then once they were used to it we carried on regularly. It's no good taking one out for hours and then. Not doing it again until the next week. Hope this is of so e help.
 
I have 2 & the smallest 1 had to get used to being shut in a stable with hay (lovely) and on her own (not so lovely) when I went out riding.
The screaming & cantering round the stable eased off after a couple of days, now is happiest when I go out if she is left in as she knows if I pop her back out in the little paddock that she is going to be left for hours.... and hours (in her opinion).

Now if I go off in the lorry, I'll leave her shut in all day, or if going overnight, will get a friend to let her out later with a fresh net tied in the shelter. Apparently she does shout for a bit, ocassionally trots across the paddock but is usually calm when I get home :)
 
zangels said:
We have two and also now have no stables to put the one left behind in as they blew down in the wind. Our two were inseparable but we got through it slowly. At first we just took one outside the gate, let it eat the grass or hay at the side. Then once the pony left behind stopped shouting, running about etc we put the other one back. We did this until the one left behind didn't bother when the other was taken out. I feel they learnt that when you don't put up a performance they come back. We then started just walking down the lane and back again, maybe 5 mins and gradually went a but further. This did the trick for ours. It took a lot of time and effort and had to be done every day at first and then once they were used to it we carried on regularly. It's no good taking one out for hours and then. Not doing it again until the next week. Hope this is of so e help.
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That is a very sensible way of getting horses comfortable with being on their own. I wish more people took this approach rather than just pandering to a "my horse won't be left alone" scenario. I'm sure there are some horses which get to the stage where they cannot be separated, but if they were properly managed from the beginning it would not be such a problem.
 
I have a haflinger and a sec A as well who is the companion. They live with another horse that belongs to my friend now and are much more settled, but they do still call and run around. The haflinger is quite stressy, she will go out alone but recently she has been out of her mind stressing so I have gone back to basics and just take her for short in hand walks, just about to the point she gets a little bit worried, hang around sniffing and grazing etc then we go back.

I say keep doing what you are doing and incorporate in hand walks out or short hacks. I find they tend to be stressed while they are in earshot and then settle once they can't hear the other horse. I watched as my old neighbour took her horse out and my haflinger used to go bonkers until they were out of earshot, then she would do it when she heard them coming back.

The sec A has no care for our electric fences while I am charging the battery so she tends to jump in while I am schooling, I've given up now. She tries to chase us but the haffy is very much the boss of the two so isn't likely to respond!
 
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