Stressy horse in stable

emlybob

emlybob

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Advice wanted but no stupid comments please.

Not sure where to go now. TB gelding has always been ok being left in when other horses are turned out. He has whinnyed a little but just carried on eating hay and waited to be turned out.

However oddly things have now changed. The other 2 horses on the yard have now moved paddocks and gone into the field about 100 yards in front of the stables. He now gets turned out with these horses as wouldn't settle on his own in the field.

But since they have been in that paddock he is really really stressed when they get turned out. He box walks, screams, scraps the floor, slams himself against the wall and ends up dripping wet in sweat within about 10 minutes. Even tho the paddock is opposite the stables there is the muck heap and a few other things in the way so he hasn't got a clear view of these horses.

The person that owns these 2 horses often turns them out VERY early and often brings in late due to work commitments.

Please don't say the answer is turning this horse out at the same time as this is not realistic due to time. Also he is now being extremley sharp to work, so bad that he is dangerous to ride as on the lunge he is a lunatic. He has to go back to being independent so he is safe to work, which was never a problem before

Even tho he was straight out of racing 18 months ago, he settled on the yard fine, came in and settled ok in his stable on his own and has ALWAYS been turned out at a different time to the other horses.

He is getting to the point where he is dropping weight and so stressed that he is upsetting himself as well as his owner and also the other horses.

It needs to stop for his own sake and others.

Any suggestions greatly recieved.

Owner is extremley knowledgable but at her wits end
 
I'd say the more you keep him confined and on his own, the sharper and sharper he'll get. As much turnout in company is what he needs. I know you don't want unhelpful comments but why can't he be turned out when the other two go out? Dangerous to be ridden isn't necessarily dangerous on the ground. Couldn't you take it in turns with the owner of the other two so you turn all 3 out one day and she does the next, ditto bringing in? easy enough to leave a feed and haynet ready. I think you're currently on a one-way slide into heartbreak. He's trying to tell you something and you're not listening or not seeing things from his point of view. Turnout turnout turnout makes horses LESS sharp, not more!
 
Is it a small or large yard? Can you change stables? I keep my horses on a large yard and my stables are in a quiet area around the back with a view across the fields. When foaling my mare was quite happy in one of these. But when backed and in work she got really stressed in the stable. A friend with a stressy ex-racehorse moved her horse from a quiet stable near mine to a busy area at the front. I couldn't believe how quiet and relaxed he became. So when a stable in the busy area became vacant I moved the mare - it worked for her too. It makes no sense to me. My gelding loves the quiet stable and so did my 3 yr old on box rest.
 
I would buy a stable mirror, so that he thinks someone is next to him and hopefully he will stop getting so silly when the others are turned out. Stable mirrors are relatively cheap and seem to help a lot of horses.
 
The main problem would seem to be that he can't see his field mates and is panicking because he thinks he's been left behind. Presumably he could see them clearly before.

Stable mirrors do work for some so might be worth a try and they're not that expensive. Box of Frogs suggestion is a good one re. taking turns to turnout. Or you could offer to bring all three in if the other owner turns all three out?
 
Turning out and bringing in all 3 morning and night is not an option. The other two horses often go out at 7am and need mucking out etc before owner goes to work. Time is the problem with that and to be honest it can become very tricky when u are always relying on someone else to help you out. It is only a little yard so no more stables. Also he has never been able to see them before not and they cannot move fields.

The issue is the horse never had this issue before. We are xtremly knowlegable people and know what we are doing just don't understand why this horse has changed like this

And to the person that said turnout turnout turnout, the horse goes out in the field every day
 
Box_Of_Frogs said:
I'd say the more you keep him confined and on his own, the sharper and sharper he'll get. As much turnout in company is what he needs. I know you don't want unhelpful comments but why can't he be turned out when the other two go out? Dangerous to be ridden isn't necessarily dangerous on the ground. Couldn't you take it in turns with the owner of the other two so you turn all 3 out one day and she does the next, ditto bringing in? easy enough to leave a feed and haynet ready. I think you're currently on a one-way slide into heartbreak. He's trying to tell you something and you're not listening or not seeing things from his point of view. Turnout turnout turnout makes horses LESS sharp, not more!
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I actully find your comments quite offensive and patronising, i know all this but the horse used to be fine, we all want to do our own horses like we always have done and not have to worry about relying on other people. this has never been an issue before
 
Tammytoo said:
The main problem would seem to be that he can't see his field mates and is panicking because he thinks he's been left behind. Presumably he could see them clearly before.

Stable mirrors do work for some so might be worth a try and they're not that expensive. Box of Frogs suggestion is a good one re. taking turns to turnout. Or you could offer to bring all three in if the other owner turns all three out?
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Tammytoo the odd thing is that before he couldn't see the other horses when they went out and now he can. I would have thought he would be happier being able to see them than not, however he used to be fne when they left him completely and stand and eat his hay, thats one thing we don't get!!!
 
Box_Of_Frogs said:
I'd say the more you keep him confined and on his own, the sharper and sharper he'll get. As much turnout in company is what he needs. I know you don't want unhelpful comments but why can't he be turned out when the other two go out? Dangerous to be ridden isn't necessarily dangerous on the ground. Couldn't you take it in turns with the owner of the other two so you turn all 3 out one day and she does the next, ditto bringing in? easy enough to leave a feed and haynet ready. I think you're currently on a one-way slide into heartbreak. He's trying to tell you something and you're not listening or not seeing things from his point of view. Turnout turnout turnout makes horses LESS sharp, not more!
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Well said Box_of-Frogs:)
 
You say he has to go back to being "independent". Another way of expressing the same sentiment is "happy to be on his own". As an experienced owner, you will know that this is not a natural state for a horse. You said he used to call before. Perhaps he was more accepting then because he'd never had a taste of the limited view of other horses that he has now. And I still don't understand why he can't be turned out at 7am? The stable doesn't need to be mucked out then, surely, as long as it's mucked out before bringing back in?

Anyway, didn't mean to be offensive in any way. Just responded to your question based on the information in your first post. But I have to say that if you think that a horse that is fine except for when other horses go out, when he turns himself inside out and climbs the walls in a desperate attempt to join them is caused by ulcers then I'm afraid you're barking up the wrong tree! As an ex-racer, he may very well have ulcers but you have to find a way to accept that he's unhappy with his current management. I suspect that's something you don't want to hear but please don't accuse me of being offensive.
 
I understand what u are saying and by the way he is NOT my horse. However the person that owns the other two has to muck out and get everthing ready in the morning as there is no time in the evening to do it due to work etc. And why should someone else be put out of what they do due to someone elses horse. They are happy to help when needed but does not want to be reliant on this horse.

Ulcers could actually be a very likely problem that we are looking into
 
Can't you turn him out yourself at 7am then when the others go out? There is a pony at my yard like this, every day he stands in his box, weaving, rearing, box walking etc for 2 hours until his owner comes up at 9am to turn him out. She says the problem is "unsolvable" & wonders why he is losing weight. I would say it was perfectly solvable if she got up & turned him out, 7/7.30 am is hardly the middle of the night! So in your case could you get to the yard earlier?
 
As already said this is NOT MY HORSE.

The peron that owns the other two should be allowed to do what she wants with her horses. So sometimes she leaves them in in the morning and rides, turns out at 7 or 8. I think its unfair to interfere with someone else horses when they have always got on and done them themselves and have an extremley manic full time job. That they want to do their own horses in their own way as and when they want to do them without anyone having to rely on them
 
Ok sorry, so can't THE OWNER turn their horse out when the others go out? I agree that the other lady should be free to do her horses when she wants, but can't THE OWNER of the stressed horse communicate with the owner of the other 2 & turn him out when they go out? Or could the lady with the 2 horses put this one out if she is riding & they will be out later & the owner of this horse bring them all in. I think some planning & team work is required.
 
Sounds to me like the owner of the stressy one needs to find another (bigger) yard. After all if the horse is so stressy that he is dangerous, he isn't rideable anyway.
 
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