Izzwall
Well-Known Member
Hi everyone, normally I have an idea on what to do but this time I'm a bit drawn 50/50. Gut is saying one thing but head is saying another!
I have 3 horses at 2 different yards. Two are up on the moors in a field I rent with access to a small barn for shelter and is an extremely quiet set up. It suits my homebred to a tee as she's EMS and, also recently discovered, has PSSM too so I can manage her however I wish. The hacking is outstanding and she's going the best she's ever has, especially now I have her EMS and PSSM under control. She shares the field with her dam who is now in her late twenties.
I work at a lovely livery 10 mins away and in November last year I bought an ex racer straight from training who I keep at said livery. I rode him for a bit and turned him away, just bringing him in at night and turning out in the day and that's it. This has switched to out at night and in during the day for the past 2-3 months. I started bringing him back into work since April/may with just in hand walking exploring the countryside and a bit of pole work once a week in the school inhand. He's a really nice lad and is genuinely calm and cuddly with not much in life bothering him. He's a yard favourite for sure! He turned 4 years at the beginning of May. I've been doing a little bit of bareback riding around the livery/farm yard and down to the field with him and he's been calm and relaxed.
However for the last few weeks he's been getting more and more stressy and reactive which just isn't him at all. I had a few people around me saying it's because he now needs a job and the walking in hand isn't enough for his brain anymore and in some way I agreed with them. So last Thursday we had a little hack out, he was fab and looked very pleased with himself when we got back. Two days later we went out with two other calm horses where I lead inhand at first then got on half way. He was not a happy chap at all and was very tense though he did have moments where he relaxed a bit. He's genuinely a slow walker and struggled to keep up with the other two horses though they did stop regularly for us to catch up.
Two days later I took him out with one other quiet horse and he was very spooky and tense again but did semi relax on the last 5 minutes home. I took him in the school inhand the day after and he just couldn't do anything without a mini explosion and biting (extremely unlike him!) Even worse, the next day I got on him bareback like we've done a load of times now and he threw an absolute paddy about being asked forward resulting in him rearing up. Thankfully OH was there and I asked him to grab him to encourage him forward, he did and we rode down to the field gate with no issues.
He's normally such a calm and steady chap so all this change in behaviour is very unusual for him. He's also started chewing the wood in his stable.
He had his teeth done a few weeks ago and has had the physio who couldn't find any issues a month ago. I also put him on Ronfields as I have my suspicions he has ulcers. He's not even enjoying his inhand walks anymore.
I think the step up to riding and the current busy yard environment is just too much for him and I'm considering taking him to my field on the moor for a 6 week holiday to just chill out completely with 24/7 turnout and an occasional groom and taking my homebred to the livery so we can develop our schooling more and have a play on the local xc course and gallops. We also only hack alone and she's rubbish in company so we certainly can work on that at the livery. However managing her EMS and PSSM will be difficult and I'm not sure what she'll be like in a busy yard environment as she's always been out 24/7 in a field with shelter with one or two companions. My gut is saying move the 4 year old, he needs a complete break and move homebred to the yard for a short trial and move back if it goes tits up, the 3 of them would be fine living together though will have to make sure thoroughbred won't lose too much weight on their moorland style grazing and soaked hay set up. Or my head is saying just keep the thoroughbred there but just leave him again.
So options are
A) move him to quiet field for 6 week holiday and hope that calms his head down, move homebred to livery.
B) move him to quiet field and keep homebred there too but would mean I would potentially lose some work at livery as no point going all the way there to bring in 2 horses! Work as a freelancer has really dried up due to covid so every little helps currently.
C) keep everyone where they are and just hope the thoroughbred chills back down again with minimal work.
As you can tell I tend to waffle ?
I have 3 horses at 2 different yards. Two are up on the moors in a field I rent with access to a small barn for shelter and is an extremely quiet set up. It suits my homebred to a tee as she's EMS and, also recently discovered, has PSSM too so I can manage her however I wish. The hacking is outstanding and she's going the best she's ever has, especially now I have her EMS and PSSM under control. She shares the field with her dam who is now in her late twenties.
I work at a lovely livery 10 mins away and in November last year I bought an ex racer straight from training who I keep at said livery. I rode him for a bit and turned him away, just bringing him in at night and turning out in the day and that's it. This has switched to out at night and in during the day for the past 2-3 months. I started bringing him back into work since April/may with just in hand walking exploring the countryside and a bit of pole work once a week in the school inhand. He's a really nice lad and is genuinely calm and cuddly with not much in life bothering him. He's a yard favourite for sure! He turned 4 years at the beginning of May. I've been doing a little bit of bareback riding around the livery/farm yard and down to the field with him and he's been calm and relaxed.
However for the last few weeks he's been getting more and more stressy and reactive which just isn't him at all. I had a few people around me saying it's because he now needs a job and the walking in hand isn't enough for his brain anymore and in some way I agreed with them. So last Thursday we had a little hack out, he was fab and looked very pleased with himself when we got back. Two days later we went out with two other calm horses where I lead inhand at first then got on half way. He was not a happy chap at all and was very tense though he did have moments where he relaxed a bit. He's genuinely a slow walker and struggled to keep up with the other two horses though they did stop regularly for us to catch up.
Two days later I took him out with one other quiet horse and he was very spooky and tense again but did semi relax on the last 5 minutes home. I took him in the school inhand the day after and he just couldn't do anything without a mini explosion and biting (extremely unlike him!) Even worse, the next day I got on him bareback like we've done a load of times now and he threw an absolute paddy about being asked forward resulting in him rearing up. Thankfully OH was there and I asked him to grab him to encourage him forward, he did and we rode down to the field gate with no issues.
He's normally such a calm and steady chap so all this change in behaviour is very unusual for him. He's also started chewing the wood in his stable.
He had his teeth done a few weeks ago and has had the physio who couldn't find any issues a month ago. I also put him on Ronfields as I have my suspicions he has ulcers. He's not even enjoying his inhand walks anymore.
I think the step up to riding and the current busy yard environment is just too much for him and I'm considering taking him to my field on the moor for a 6 week holiday to just chill out completely with 24/7 turnout and an occasional groom and taking my homebred to the livery so we can develop our schooling more and have a play on the local xc course and gallops. We also only hack alone and she's rubbish in company so we certainly can work on that at the livery. However managing her EMS and PSSM will be difficult and I'm not sure what she'll be like in a busy yard environment as she's always been out 24/7 in a field with shelter with one or two companions. My gut is saying move the 4 year old, he needs a complete break and move homebred to the yard for a short trial and move back if it goes tits up, the 3 of them would be fine living together though will have to make sure thoroughbred won't lose too much weight on their moorland style grazing and soaked hay set up. Or my head is saying just keep the thoroughbred there but just leave him again.
So options are
A) move him to quiet field for 6 week holiday and hope that calms his head down, move homebred to livery.
B) move him to quiet field and keep homebred there too but would mean I would potentially lose some work at livery as no point going all the way there to bring in 2 horses! Work as a freelancer has really dried up due to covid so every little helps currently.
C) keep everyone where they are and just hope the thoroughbred chills back down again with minimal work.
As you can tell I tend to waffle ?
