Serioulsy need your help

[Kelly1982]

My friend says that she does praise her once she has calmed down and once your in there with her she settles and is as good as gold, its when your doing things with the others that she loses the plot.

I must admit when she was being naughty when tied up i used to praise her with treats but i made sure i didn't do it all the time so she wouldn't expect it. Now she ties up as good as gold and i can even leave her when i do my jobs. We sorted that in about a week but it was just me doing it with her no-one else. This problem just seems to be taking a bit longer. The first couple of days she also did it when she was brought in or the other horses got taken away to be ridden but that stopped and its just the turning out now so even though its getting worse in the mornings at least she has stopped it the other times.

She is absolutly perfect in every other way though.

 

[Kelly1982]

I have spoke to my friend and she has agreed to turn her out first before she does anything with the others so we will just have to see if that works for now.

If not then i will go down there in the mornings as she didn't seem to do it when i was there but maybe thats coz she knew i fed her first and wouldn't forget her, who knows, as Amymay said horses dont think like us so god knows whats going on in her head.

It just seems weird that she was fine when it was just her and Ellie on the yard but since the others have come back she is stressed again.

 

[Kelly1982]

Also i just like to add that when my friend went down there this morning it was pouring down so she kept the horses in. Senza played up at first but once she realised she was staying in she calmed down and was as good as gold so its definatly a turn out thing rather than a feeding thing.

 

[_jetset_]

That's good that she calmed down... take that as a positive thing!

I think it is a turn out thing. She doesn't want to be left in on her own! That's probably why she is worse now the others are back too... there are more horses to leave her. Just out of curiosity, is your mare turned out with all these other horses or is it just Ellie?

 

[Kelly1982]

No she is turned out with all 3 of them

 

[_jetset_]

Oh right... there goes that theory then!

 

[Ferdinase514]

Hi, Try this stuff rather than MDF. Very strong, I put it in my truck when I redid the walls. You can put just this on, without rubber matting over the top.

http://www.horseboxbits.co.uk/Catalogue.asp

(it's the 6mm stockboard - about half way down page. If you phone the guy he will explain what you need - very helpful)


XXX

 

[cheeky girl]

My mare used to do this when I first got her. She was an imported warm blood and I think she just couldn't believe her luck that she was getting to go out everyday all day. It stopped after about four months (and some wet days out in the field) and she settled fine.
I think she's just still settling in. Interestingly my mare was the same if the other horses were left out for the night, she didn't preform.
I'm sure once it all stops being so exciting she'll settle down.
Haven't read the other replies so apolgies if this is all repeated. It was slightly easier for me as our walls were concrete though so we just had massive grooves in them.

 

[Caritas]

Could she not just try shutting the top door and ignoring her until she is ready to turn her out??

 

[Kelly1982]

Thank you, i will take a look now

 

[Judie]

Oh no do that, that won't help to resolve the issue, might make it quieter on the ear drums but won't help the horse one bit.

 

[Kelly1982]

[ QUOTE ]
Interestingly my mare was the same if the other horses were left out for the night, she didn't preform.


[/ QUOTE ]

Funny you should say that coz 2 of the nights Ellie (horse i ride) stayed out in the front paddock and Senza was as good as gold. I thought she would really throw a strop coz Ellie was out and she wasn't but she was fine.

Your post has given me hope that it will stop though thank god!! I have asked loads of people and its totally out of character for her

 

[Kelly1982]

Do you know what page its on??

Sorry i cant find it

 

[AmyMay]

[ QUOTE ]
Could she not just try shutting the top door and ignoring her until she is ready to turn her out??

[/ QUOTE ]
Why would you even consider this to be a sensible suggestion?????????????????

 

[katelarge]

OK, first up your horse is NOT being deliberately naughty and your friend is wrong to think she can "get over it." I had a problem with my horse bashing his stable walls in. He did it out of frustration when other horses were turned out, because he was not allowed out.

Anyway, there were lots of things wrong with this yard so I moved himand now he is fine! I found that he much prefers stables with bars between rather than solid walls, it's the feeling of being cooped up that sets him off, in a more airy stable he is much better.

I don't know if moving yards is an option for you, but this seems to be to be a battle you should not have to have - your horse is telling you something and it's other people's problem that they can't be bothered to work around her!

 

[calon]

my mare kiscks her wall especially if there is a horse next door she doesnt like and when in season i have rubber floor mats on the walls has stopped damage to the walls and to her hocks which she kept knocking it also cuts the noise down too

 

[katelarge]

Oooh, just spotted the "shut the top door" suggestion! First up, this is terrifying - have someone shut you in a stable and see how dark it is. Now, this is what had happened to my horse at our former yard - when he got upset, over went the door, and bang went the walls! It's a good way to lose a livery, which is what I did - voted with my feet!

 

[x_Hannah_x]

[ QUOTE ]
Could she not just try shutting the top door and ignoring her until she is ready to turn her out??

[/ QUOTE ]

i really hope that noone on here would do that to a horse.. that is completly unthinkable!

Sorry Kelly1982, I dont have any experience of this kind of behaviour, mine have always been out 24/7 (lucky me, no mucking out!! hehe) just wanted to say good luck, she is a fabulous horse and for her sake as much as yours, i hope you can nip the problem in the bud before it gets out of hand

Hannah xx Could she not just try shutting the top door and ignoring her until she is ready to turn her out??

 

[harvgj19]

Get a big piece of old carpet and put a double layer of that on the wall.

We had a horse who did this whenever he was left till last to be turned out, or if the other horses went out for a ride without him. With him, it was a bit like kicking the door, he thought the noise would bring him attention. The carpet protected the wall, and dulled the noise too.

I would ask your friend if she can feed your horse first, then the others. Do you always feed her first when you do her? Maybe this is why she doesn't do it when you are around.

Hope you can sort this out.

 

[henryhorn]

I go with the rubber matting on the wall, that will firstly protect her and remove the noise element which is what then gets her the attention.
Horses do things like this, it's up to us to find solutions, and many a horse here goes mental when they are left last one in, they just have to get used to it I'm afraid.. We try not to leave just one in but neither will we pander to them, if they get silly they get a grill on the door or the top door shut and a window to see out of until they calm down.
Get thick rubber matting and see if that stops her, so long as she can't jump out over the door and has the matting she should realise it gets her nowhere...

 

[old_girl]

What happens if you just ignore and leave her? What if she needs to stay in, for example for the farrier, or if the weather is really appalling in winter?

There is a horse on my yard that does this, it just goes completely bananas, like nothing you have ever seen, if left in the mornings. I have never seen it settle, but I guess it must eventually because it can't carry on like that all day.

Deffo get rubber matting. my horse kicked concrete walls and knocked her shoes out of line on two occasions, giving herself foot abcesses and ending up very lame.
She stopped immediately when we moved to a different stable.

 

[Caritas]

Because she is getting attention when doing this, I dont mean for ages, just for a few minutes, possibly when she is eating her breakfast. Why is everyone so gob smacked at this, Im not sugesting being cruel to her, calm down!!

 

[Caritas]

It is just a sugestion, I didnt say it would definately work, for some it would. I cant believe how alarmed you all are. I keep my horse on a professional yard and on very cold nights in the winter all the top doors get shut.

 

[Peanot]

Hi Kelly, my horse is a warmblood and I have had her for 3 1/2 years. She is kept in a barn type stable set up where it is all open and there are 7 stables in there. When I first had her, she would rear and buck around the stable when the others started to go out. The doors are all the way across the stable and so wide, and it was frightening to watch. I hated to see her so stressed, and so I would get up there earlier than anyone else, feed everything, (as first one up there, feeds all horses in our barn) and then muck out or ride. I found that as long as I was in her stable, she was ok, but if I went out of view, she would start. She hates being the last one out in the field in the winter when all others come in, she hates being in on her own, if I bring her in, I have to make sure that there is something else in bed, and she hates to be left in alone!!!

So if other owners are up there early cos of work etc, they make sure that the pony next to her is kept in and I let it out. This works well. And if I have to bring her in as she is last out in the front paddocks, I can fetch in her pony friend if she isn`t already in. So me and my friends have worked a way around this. She is ok to bring out of field to be shod etc and will stand with a haynet or without, as long as I am in her view. I think that she doesn`t like to be alone, whether its another horse or me. Other than this, she has the most perfect manners when handling or riding her and she is very good to work on , ie clip shoe etc, so I have to put up with this niggly bit. There is always a way around it.
Now, she is better than she was and she doesn`t rear up at the door, and last week, by error all the horses had been turned out and she was in on her own, 3 days in a row, and she was as cool as a cucumber when I got there.
Perhaps she has chilled a little. If nothing is done to help your mare, then stress causes more stress, she won`t get any better.
So if I were you, I`d try and work a way around this to make her happier as like someone has already said, they don`t think rationally like us humans, and I`m sure in time, she will get a lot better as her confidence grows.

 

[Sal_E]

Caritas - you ask why everyone is so gobsmacked about your suggestion of shutting the top door. The answer is that it is a royally ignorant thing to do or suggest & people are horrified that, in this day & age, there are still people out there that understand so little about horses that they think that this may help.

Kelly - I think you’ll find that the horse is stressing rather than having a temper tantrum. With this in mind, you need to deal with her firmly but, at the same time, try to solve the problem for her. If she was just being a bit pushy (kicking the door for example), then it would be fair to think she may just be being ‘naughty’ & you shouldn’t let her ‘win’ – but she is currently not going to learn anything from anything that stresses her out further.

Don’t forget that horses learn from repeated behaviour – so the longer she does this, the harder it will be to break because she will ‘remember’ the stressful situation from previous days which confirms for her that there IS something to stress about (hope that makes sense!).

You need to try a few things (definitely rubber matting – that obviously won’t solve anything though). You could try trying her on the yard as soon as you (friend) gets there & feeding her whilst tied-up – possibly not practical in the depths of winter but you may be able to do it long enough to break the habit (i.e. long enough for her to learn that there is actually nothing to get upset about). You could also try tying her up loosely in the stable & letting her eat like that. Do be careful with tying her up (inside or out) – it will immediately stop some horses from stressing but for other horses, it makes them worse so don’t do it unattended – if she appears worse, untie her immediately & accept that that is not a solution for her, don’t try to persevere with it.

I know you probably already know this, but for the sake of people like Caritas, I’ll state the obvious, which is that that WORST thing you can do is try to discipline her, i.e. yelling at her or whatever – to humanise it a bit too much, it will make her think ‘see, there really IS something to get upset about, it really IS a horrible situation’.

In most instances of this sort of problem, the horse gets better & better with routine & consistent handle.

 

[AmyMay]

Perfectly put Sal - I read posts this morning and thought, 'what's the point?'.

Luckily you are more tollerant than me

 

[Caritas]

Thats absolutely right, I know Sh*t about horses, sad people seriously.

 

[Caritas]

Well as I know so little, isnt this forum about guiding people not ridiculing them??

 

[Sal_E]

You may know 'lots' about horses - quite possibly enough to ride a medium dressage test or jump a foxhunter - probably enough text book stuff to pass a good few stages of BHS qualifications. However, that's got nothing to do with UNDERSTANDING horses or handling difficult/quirky/complicated animals & bringing out the best in them. Quite different.

 

[Sal_E]

Hang-on a minute Caritas - that is most unfair. The last 2 comments made to you were AFTER you have read why people disagreed with you & you then proclaimed to still not understand why people were so upset by your opinion - I interpretted that as meaning you had no intention of changing your mind - apologies if that is incorrect.