gillybgood
Member
Hi everyone,
I am looking for a bit of advice please. I have a 10yr Irish Pony gelding, he's my daughters. She does PC with him, lessons, general hacking etc. We are lucky enough to have a paddock and a stable for him at our house. He isn't our first pony, we previously had a shetland. Although he is kept on his own, there are horses round about us, he can see 2 horses in a field just seperating his own paddock by a single track farm rd, so they talk to each other etc, but none within touching distance. He goes out every morning, usually just for a few hours before he wants to come back in (he stands and neighs at the fence to come in). He loves his stable and comes in and has a lie down. He doesn't rest in the paddock, grazes constantly, and recently he has become more spooky at little things, like the wind on his tail! He is very attached to me, if I drive out in the car, he charges around the paddock whinning and my husband brings him in, he has waited before to see if he settled, but he didn't so thats why he brought him in. We work from home, so we are around all day, we also have chickens which he seems to like! Anyway, if he hears the other horses, he charges around the paddock, rearing, bucking, always coming to the fence to be near me, then eventually calming down (he won't calm unless I'm there, I've tried it). He gets very excited when we take him to pony club events with the other horses, and takes a while to settle. We took him to his first show last weekend and I gave him magic calm syringe and he was great, didn't seem anxious or really too bothered about the other horses, my daughter showed him in hand and came third. He loads and unloads great etc. I started to give him magic powder in his feed to see if it would help relax him. For the most part he is out quite happy grazing, settled etc, but when he sees the other horses, or they start running around, this is when the behaviour I mentioned before starts. So my question is, would an equine companion help? as I said before I have had shetlands, so that would be my first choice again, but I don't want to rock the boat, and maybe cause another situation, like separtation anxiety between him and the new pony, or what if he didn't actually like the new pony? He was kept in a field with 5 other horses before we got him, so he does get on with other horses, mares and geldings, and is a very sweet boy, if a little sensitive! I have asked my horsey friends, who say hes fine, he doesnt dislplay any signs of loneliness, boredem etc, he has us and the chickens for company (they all have more than 1), but I do know being herd animals they feel safer etc, and I wouldn't really know unless I tried it, I don't want to be cruel by keeping him on his own, I think he looks at me as his herd. His last owner said he was more of a people horse ( I said he would be on his own) preferring to be with people than other horses, but his excitement at being with other horses at the PC events etc makes me wonder if he had a companion, would he still be as excited at seeing the other horses when we took him out?
Thank you for reading, I know its rather long winded!
I am looking for a bit of advice please. I have a 10yr Irish Pony gelding, he's my daughters. She does PC with him, lessons, general hacking etc. We are lucky enough to have a paddock and a stable for him at our house. He isn't our first pony, we previously had a shetland. Although he is kept on his own, there are horses round about us, he can see 2 horses in a field just seperating his own paddock by a single track farm rd, so they talk to each other etc, but none within touching distance. He goes out every morning, usually just for a few hours before he wants to come back in (he stands and neighs at the fence to come in). He loves his stable and comes in and has a lie down. He doesn't rest in the paddock, grazes constantly, and recently he has become more spooky at little things, like the wind on his tail! He is very attached to me, if I drive out in the car, he charges around the paddock whinning and my husband brings him in, he has waited before to see if he settled, but he didn't so thats why he brought him in. We work from home, so we are around all day, we also have chickens which he seems to like! Anyway, if he hears the other horses, he charges around the paddock, rearing, bucking, always coming to the fence to be near me, then eventually calming down (he won't calm unless I'm there, I've tried it). He gets very excited when we take him to pony club events with the other horses, and takes a while to settle. We took him to his first show last weekend and I gave him magic calm syringe and he was great, didn't seem anxious or really too bothered about the other horses, my daughter showed him in hand and came third. He loads and unloads great etc. I started to give him magic powder in his feed to see if it would help relax him. For the most part he is out quite happy grazing, settled etc, but when he sees the other horses, or they start running around, this is when the behaviour I mentioned before starts. So my question is, would an equine companion help? as I said before I have had shetlands, so that would be my first choice again, but I don't want to rock the boat, and maybe cause another situation, like separtation anxiety between him and the new pony, or what if he didn't actually like the new pony? He was kept in a field with 5 other horses before we got him, so he does get on with other horses, mares and geldings, and is a very sweet boy, if a little sensitive! I have asked my horsey friends, who say hes fine, he doesnt dislplay any signs of loneliness, boredem etc, he has us and the chickens for company (they all have more than 1), but I do know being herd animals they feel safer etc, and I wouldn't really know unless I tried it, I don't want to be cruel by keeping him on his own, I think he looks at me as his herd. His last owner said he was more of a people horse ( I said he would be on his own) preferring to be with people than other horses, but his excitement at being with other horses at the PC events etc makes me wonder if he had a companion, would he still be as excited at seeing the other horses when we took him out?
Thank you for reading, I know its rather long winded!
