Tips for keeping my stabled yearling occupied?

Of course I will, I'm posting on my mobile at the moment because my laptop is in for repair. Hopefully I can get it back this weekend so I can figure out how to put on some photos. She is a beautiful girl ☺️

Thanks again x
 
twiggy2 said:
Really? you are about to turn a yearlings world upside down, take the world from under its feet and you WANT it lonely and bored, horses are heard animals and during times of stress NEED the reassurance of others, if she has never been stabled before then a calm horse to help her relax and accept the changes will be great, the same with being handled-if you fuss and feed the other horse she will come over to investigate when her curiosity gets the better of her.

the ideal set up is a secure turn out area, something with a good draining surface of about 1/4 acre so you supply the hay and she will notice you coming and going and it becomes a positive thing failing that a small field and do the same, please don't isolate her
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Yes, absolutely. Having another horse for her to bond with, whilst you're trying to get her to bond with you, doesn't help in thr the slightest. From experience, they show far less interest in a human if they've got a horsey friend and relying on their natural curiosity to overcome their fear in that situation could take months. And as AA said, you can forget catching a feral horse in 1/4 of an acre! It's actually far worse than a stable because it gives them space to start running, build up speed and get themselves into a compete panic.

It's not like the yearling will be spending. months on it's own. A couple of weeks at most and shell thrn have all the horsey friends she needs.
 
current owners says yearling 'is coming on well' does not indicate a feral yearling to me, nor does can get to within 3 ft but then yearling backs away, OP lots of people who have agreed to stable have stated they would offer turn out and bring to a stable to work with her-that sounds a sensible compromise, from personal experience i would still work with her in the field but possibly put a leather head collar on and leave it on
 
A yearling should be out in the fields as much as possible. It's okay to keep her in for a couple of days, but please, please don't keep her locked in for weeks! You can try using swedes for her to nibble on, or get on of those licks that you hang from the centre of the stable (and they have to lick it while it swings!) or get a treat ball, which has to be rolled before it disperses treats, but so long as there is nothing wrong with her, keep her out as much as possible.
 
And if you think you shall have problems catching her, leave her headcollar on (make sure it fits well!) and turn her out with a horse who is good to catch so hopefully she will come in as well if you catch her companion!
 
I think you may have misread the original question. The youngster is allegedly feral. Unless you have experienced this type of horse it is very difficult to imagine just how difficult it is to handle them - or not in my case last year.
 
madlady said:
OP I would keep in as well - if she is truly untouched and feral then a couple of days might not make enough of an impact.

I've dealt with abused and ferals and my first step is always to get them in. I put them into the biggest loosebox that I can - enough room for them to have enough space not to panic and enough room for me to stay out of the way of teeth and feet! I then park myself in the corner by the door (for a quick escape if needed) and load my pockets with chopped up carrot. As soon as they take a step nearer to me I chuck a piece of carrot until eventually I will get sniffed - the first time I make no response at all but will then give a tiny amount of food (even just chopped carrots) in a bucket to re-inforce good things. I gradually work up to a headcollar or slip halter and walk with them a good few times before I attempt taking them out of the stable with me in tow. When it does get to the stage where they are ready to go out it is always with just one other horse that will come to call.

Some come around quicker than others - the longest I've kept one in (with other calm horses in the stables and daily herding to and from a paddock for excercise) is 2 weeks - if I had turned that one out after a day I'd have never caught him again because he was so totally switched off - he didn't care about people or other horses but that is a whole other story!
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I've done similar. My welsh pony came to me as an untouched 4 year old who hadn't been handled since she was a yearling. In the stable we had to pen her in to a corner to get a headcollar on - took 4 people half an hour.
When she came to me she was put in a stable and got a leg stretch in the school morning and evening whilst she was mucked out. I would then spend an hour just walking up to her, giving her a treat and walking away, she very quickly came to realise that I was the food lady and within 10 days she was back out with her friend who we also took (old owner was in his 80s and lost his grazing). Within 2 months she was backed and being quietly ridden away.

I will say that she was always as bold as brass though so may take longer with yours if he is a nervous type.
 
I've done both, the first really was feral and he stayed in for 2 weeks and then went out with my uber friendly group of babies, who came to call at a gallop. Once he was ok with being touched and having his headcollar on and off he went out. The other had had very basic, not great handling, but he went straight out. Both were fine and ended up lovely well adjusted babies :)
 
Her current owner says she is coming on well,
AdorableAlice said:
I think you may have misread the original question. The youngster is allegedly feral. Unless you have experienced this type of horse it is very difficult to imagine just how difficult it is to handle them - or not in my case last year.
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I have dealt with feral, abused, down right rude, just naughty and truely ******ed up and have dealt with them all in the same way and always had a good end result, saying that I don't rush them and go at their pace not mine.

No where has the OP said this is a feral that I can see-correct me if I am wrong and if I am I apologise but comments like;

Her current owner says she is coming on well,

has been abused etc etc do not indicate a feral but one that has been handled badly
 
twiggy2 said:
Her current owner says she is coming on well,

I have dealt with feral, abused, down right rude, just naughty and truely ******ed up and have dealt with them all in the same way and always had a good end result, saying that I don't rush them and go at their pace not mine.

No where has the OP said this is a feral that I can see-correct me if I am wrong and if I am I apologise but comments like;

Her current owner says she is coming on well,

has been abused etc etc do not indicate a feral but one that has been handled badly
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Post 9 and 11, untouched, poor start.
 
Sorry if I have confused anyone. I heard about this filly through a friend of a friend word of mouth kind of thing. She didn't have good things planned for her for the future. She was an unexpected foal to an unexpecting owner. I went to see her, paid for her and the owner then transported her to a livery which I am paying for until I had got a stable sorted and some time off work, which is this weekend. The lady who's livery yard she is on, I have asked to just socialise with her on the field as she is currently turned out. She will be at my yard and begin some work properly, from everyone's advice, this weekend 😊
 
Lydiamae said:
Sorry if I have confused anyone. I heard about this filly through a friend of a friend word of mouth kind of thing. She didn't have good things planned for her for the future. She was an unexpected foal to an unexpecting owner. I went to see her, paid for her and the owner then transported her to a livery which I am paying for until I had got a stable sorted and some time off work, which is this weekend. The lady who's livery yard she is on, I have asked to just socialise with her on the field as she is currently turned out. She will be at my yard and begin some work properly, from everyone's advice, this weekend ��
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She is just a normal youngster then. Good luck with her and hopefully she will give you lots of pleasure.
 
Hi Lydiamae,
How is your girl doing? I found when my colt foal arrived he was pretty much wild! I went to see him at 4 weeks old, put a deposit down, then he arrived the day of weaning! my god i was nervous!!! but he took it all in his stride. He ambled down the ramp of the trailer, we gently herded him into our american style barn where there are three large stables all of which are open viewing so he could see my other two through bars....he went straight to the haylage and hay and started munching on it....totally calm!! i think it helped my big boy is quite laid back, and he just carried on muching on his hay. Anyway as he was wild i couldnt get near him....days of sitting in the stable while he ate and me reading him books with the radio on, he soon came to me and i managed to get a halter on him. Within a week he was out in the small paddock with the other two keeping him company. I think it is all about having the right horses around him/her and they will learn from them-Trust. I think it is a good idea to keep her in for a short time....it really wont hurt her, as long as it isnt for a long period, she will be quite alright. It worked for me....Mine is now out 12 hours aday and in during night, we lead him out weekly to get use to his surroundings...we have even walked him down to the beach... we have only had him 5 weeks...what a Star. Good luck!!! and have Fun!!!
 
Hi AM Gal! Thanks for asking!
She was delivered on Saturday morning and we created a sort of chute, at both ends of her journey both on and on to the box. This worked quite well to get her into the stable. Now she is in, similarly to your colt, she immediately went to the hay net and started munching. On Saturday I couldn't get near her, she would let me in the stable to muck out and do maintenance, but would keep a good distance. Not aggressive, no attempt to kick, nip, or put her ears back, just an uncomfortable and nervous shuffle out of the way. During the last 4 days we have progressed to a point where she will sniff my hair, nibble my gloves and eat out my hand, but stroking her is still a no no, and she has to approach me, not vice versa. I think we are making fab progress and bonding, but no luck with a head collar yet! I think because she is 16 months old it might be a tad more difficult that if she was a weanling, but I'm still very pleased and love her to bits already!!

Her hooves are unbearable and look so painful for her, so the vet and farrier are both booked for next Tuesday to get them trimmed under sedation.

Thanks again for your advice and interest! X
 
Lovely to hear she has arrived safely. Can I make a suggestion without offending you. Please remove the haynet and feed her on the floor until she is steady to handle.
 
AdorableAlice said:
Lovely to hear she has arrived safely. Can I make a suggestion without offending you. Please remove the haynet and feed her on the floor until she is steady to handle.
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Just incase there is problem and she gets caught, this way no danger!

How are you planning on getting the vet near her to sedate?
 
Glad you are making progress.

When I got Breagha at just under a year old, she had to go out into a paddock on her own due to quarentine reasons for 7 days, so for the first 7 days, I was introducing her to small feeds (wasnt in great nick) and sitting in the paddock as she wouldnt catch for me, I seen myself lying in the paddock just letting her come over and sniff me etc.

Once the quarentine was over, I took her into the stable for 3 days for some proper handling and grooming etc and then turned her out with my mare. It took a couple of weeks for her to want to be caught and if she didnt I found scratching her back end, stopped her in her tracks and you could catch her.

After a few months she was great, came to call and caught no problem.

Hope you get on ok, try not to rush. She will come right in her own time :D
 
AdorableAlice said:
Lovely to hear she has arrived safely. Can I make a suggestion without offending you. Please remove the haynet and feed her on the floor until she is steady to handle.
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dianchi said:
Just incase there is problem and she gets caught, this way no danger!

How are you planning on getting the vet near her to sedate?
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I agree with this too. You don't want to ruin what you done so far over her panicking over an accident that could of been avoided
 
Thanks for that advice, I have removed it and scatter fed :-) The vet has suggested sedalin before he arrives to try to get her able to be sedated. He has worked out safe quantities and prescribed it to me, fingers crossed.
 
Lydiamae said:
Thanks for that advice, I have removed it and scatter fed :-) The vet has suggested sedalin before he arrives to try to get her able to be sedated. He has worked out safe quantities and prescribed it to me, fingers crossed.
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How are you going to get sedalin down her if you can't get a halter on ? acp pills would be easier.
 
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