DougalJ
Well-Known Member
(sorry this may be long..)
I have moved my horse a few months ago from a small yard where he was happy for 6 years. I have now moved him to another yard as I moved house which has a few more horses, but I have to walk through a footpath and a hilly field to his paddocks. He is very settled in the paddocks, and on the yard and in his stable. I have hacked him out on his own and in company which is fine. The only thing which I have done differently at this yard is met a friend a couple of times on a hack and then left her to hack up the short track back home which resulted in napping, rearing and calling. He was really unsettled for a few days after particularly on the walk to turn him out to his paddock.
This week he has been a complete nightmare, rearing which had me over, shaking and generally wanting to leg it when being brought in from turnout. I have taken him off any non heating food, put him on a calmer and use a bridle and lunge line to turn him out, sometimes pushing him into a circle before I see the signs of a rear. Its the minute he hits this hill he starts, so I have changed the route around the field to get to the top to stop it habit forming and tonight he has started again. Unfortunately there is no alternative but to get to his paddock via this large field with a hill. I'm sure it's not his back/teeth as checked a little while ago and I think its a psychological issue but how to break this behaviour is what I need.
I'm very interested to hear any views and any miracle solutions to this! I am happy there and he is happy too once he passes the hill doing handstands. (PS He is a 17.2 warmblood by the way so great fun when he is rearing in hand!)
I have moved my horse a few months ago from a small yard where he was happy for 6 years. I have now moved him to another yard as I moved house which has a few more horses, but I have to walk through a footpath and a hilly field to his paddocks. He is very settled in the paddocks, and on the yard and in his stable. I have hacked him out on his own and in company which is fine. The only thing which I have done differently at this yard is met a friend a couple of times on a hack and then left her to hack up the short track back home which resulted in napping, rearing and calling. He was really unsettled for a few days after particularly on the walk to turn him out to his paddock.
This week he has been a complete nightmare, rearing which had me over, shaking and generally wanting to leg it when being brought in from turnout. I have taken him off any non heating food, put him on a calmer and use a bridle and lunge line to turn him out, sometimes pushing him into a circle before I see the signs of a rear. Its the minute he hits this hill he starts, so I have changed the route around the field to get to the top to stop it habit forming and tonight he has started again. Unfortunately there is no alternative but to get to his paddock via this large field with a hill. I'm sure it's not his back/teeth as checked a little while ago and I think its a psychological issue but how to break this behaviour is what I need.
I'm very interested to hear any views and any miracle solutions to this! I am happy there and he is happy too once he passes the hill doing handstands. (PS He is a 17.2 warmblood by the way so great fun when he is rearing in hand!)