Stuck between a rock and a hard place

Mrs G said:
He was exactly the same on a much bigger yard unfortunately, we have tried most types/sizes of 'normal' livery over the years - he genuinely seems to just hate winter and winter comes to every yard!
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Have you had him on full livery? I know it's costly, but a bit like retirement livery that stable at night all the horses would be in the same (or at least very similar) routine.
 
is it always the same horse that comes in first?

would that owner bring yours in too (as presumably he's not THAT wound up by this stage) if you paid them?
 
The only difference with the full livery yards we were at, was he was left to get upset - thats why I took over all care for him. I appreciate some yards might be different but I don't think I could trust anyone else now - he's never going to be someone else's priority as much as he is mine iyswim . This thread has been helpful though - I think a retirement yard is what Im aiming for, hopefully one close enough that I can see him daily still and do as much of the care as I can.
Its 'usually' the same horse that comes in first, but by the time they've got brought in and got sorted, to come back out to get him - he would indeed be wound up! Especially in bad weather - its got lost in the thread but the weather causes him to kick off too - even if the other horses are still out undisturbed!
 
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Mrs G said:
The only difference with the full livery yards we were at, was he was left to get upset - thats why I took over all care for him. I appreciate some yards might be different but I don't think I could trust anyone else now - he's never going to be someone else's priority as much as he is mine iyswim . This thread has been helpful though - I think a retirement yard is what Im aiming for, hopefully one close enough that I can see him daily still and do as much of the care as I can.
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Have you had a look on Livery List? There might be something on there. It might sound mad but have you tried someone who does energy healing or communication? I've had some interesting responses when my horses have had Reiki or similar.
 
Chianti said:
Have you had a look on Livery List? There might be something on there. It might sound mad but have you tried someone who does energy healing or communication? I've had some interesting responses when my horses have had Reiki or similar.
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I'm tired and stressed (not just by my troublesome beautiful boy) but that's made me so sad - I would desperately love to know what he wants me to do, how I can make him happy.
 
Mrs G said:
I'm tired and stressed (not just by my troublesome beautiful boy) but that's made me so sad - I would desperately love to know what he wants me to do, how I can make him happy.
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I feel so sorry for you as I've had some very bad times with equines. I would put a post on your local Facebook group asking for recommendations for someone for healing and or communication. It's cheaper than a vet's visit and you never know something may come up that you hadn't thought about. I was very skeptical when I had my first horse treated until she laid down - flat out. She never did this when I was there. The next session she stood in front of me and every nerve in her face was twitching like mad.
 
Mrs G said:
I worry constantly about injury, ulcers, colic. He gets stressed by any change in routine, by the weather, by other horses coming and going. If hes out in the field and he gets upset, he fence walks/runs to the extreme, if hes stabled and one of the other horses goes out he digs up his bed, box walks, and stress poos. Once he is riled up hes then bargy, and very hard to handle. In summer hes a different horse but right now Im not sure if both of us will make it till then. Its the same every year but its getting harder for me physically and mentally and i dont know what else i can do. If he does get injured and needs rest/ box rest he would climb the walls so a serious injury would likely be life ending so i cant just leave him to it but equally i cant spend all day every day hand grazing him (which he will do happily for hours in wind/rain/on his own with no horses in sight).
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Has my old horse regenerated into your horse? A lot of this sounds exactly like her, and I hear you...it drove me completely crazy, for years. I once asked my vet for Prozac (for the horse, though I could have done with it as well), and he just looked at me.

The severity and frequency of her neurotic behaviour was very yard dependent. We found a few yards over the years where she didn't fencewalk at all, many where it was completely out of control no matter what you did, and some where it could be semi-controlled with careful management....mainly me or someone catching the horse before 2pm (when winter turnout was between 7am and 4pm). She'd always kick off by 2/230, unless it was raining, in which case she'd start earlier, and on weekends, when there were more owners catching horses at random times. It was a full livery yard, but the YO refused to bring her in early or even first. In fact, he'd leave her until last to 'prove a point.' :rolleyes: Helpful. So I always arranged for myself and a couple friends to get her in.

I knew some but not all of her triggers. I could guess when she was definitely going to fencewalk, but sometimes she'd start on days where there were no obvious triggers (to me).

The last yard she was on before I PTS (age 28...she had a good inning despite all that) was one where she didn't walk at all. It is a large, busy livery yard (my current horses are still there). She was worse on smaller, quieter yards, and the staff knew to bring her in first when they brought in the horses who stayed in the strip fields. Unlike previous YOs I've had, the grooms at the big yard aren't out to prove points or that they know more than you. They're just doing a job, and if told, 'get that one first,' they do.
 
It is somewhat heartening to know that my lad isnt the only one like this - or that Im a neurotic, over-obsessed owner who cant just ignore him/leave him to it. Ive put some feelers out re yards so we'll see. Thanks all.
 
Mrs G said:
If I went the retirement yard route it’s doubtful I could pick him back up after 6 months - retirement yards don’t usually have riding facilities or horses coming and going (which is precisely why I’m considering one), and I’m not moving him every 6 months. I think it would be all or nothing, that’s why it’s so hard to know what to do.
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I had my lot spread over several places, most of them were just a field, and I had a stable on a livery yard which I used if I needed it. As soon it was March I would bring two up which meant moving them nearer home, so they could be worked in the dusk, the idea they would be ready for Easter. I didn't have a school ever at that time but then when you are getting things fit its mainly consists of slow work, and if you have mechanical problems straight lines are always easier. I know this method works because I did for over thirty years, even with youngsters that I had from four. Even the old slightly cranky TB was turned away for the winter.

IME they are better out with company. The TB had been used to being stabled but had separation anxiety to the point that he but holes in the wooden wall, and sweated so much we thought he had colic on a busy livery yard. He was just double rugged in winter and had plenty to eat and turned away until spring. Of course if you want to keep riding your horse regularly its going to be hard or expensive to find a yard that has turnout and a horse or group who go in and out with yours.
I think with horses sometimes you just have to work out what really needs to be done, and what works for you. If its not working for the horse or you as it is trying something different such a risk?
 
Mrs G said:
It is somewhat heartening to know that my lad isnt the only one like this - or that Im a neurotic, over-obsessed owner who cant just ignore him/leave him to it. Ive put some feelers out re yards so we'll see. Thanks all.
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You get terribly desperate. I even consulted a horse psychic once. Didn’t help but you get to that state.
 
Some retirement places might let you still ride. The larger farms usually have several separate herds, so the very old retired horses who need a very peaceful life would be in a herd themselves, while there are the younger more active horses in other herds.
Many state on their website that there’s no riding, just so the herds stays stable and undisturbed, however if you in the winter just ride at the weekends or sporadically anyway, and they are one of the larger yards, knowing your situation they likely could accommodate so your boy could be out on ok land with a herd over winter, and you can ride.
Field shelters are a feature of many retirement places, or natural shelter.
Many of the larger yards doing retirement also tend to do RS lessons and/or and have diy/full livery functions too - so they would be more equipped to suit your winter needs….and likely summer too.
 
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