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catherine22

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My gelding lives with 2 retired mares, one mine and one a friend of mines. They are both very good doers, my gelding is not! As such we have split their field in half for the winter so that he can have haylage ad lib and they can’t get to it. They have hay twice a day, 3 times if its cold.

However since my horse has been on his own (September) his behaviour has been getting steadily worse, both ridden and in the field and I’m sure it’s because he’s on his own. At the yard there is only these 3 horses that live out, all the others come in over night, and my horse needs to live out.

I am looking around for somewhere else to put him, but I have had no luck so far. I have thought about letting him in with the girls during the day and he can just have his haylage overnight, but will he then start getting difficult to catch in the evening when he has to go back through, or start playing up more in the morning because he wants to get to the girls. Do I just put him in with them randomly so there is no routine to it at all, sometimes he gets to be with them sometimes he doesn’t? Leave him as he is over the winter as hopefully it will only be another couple of months he’ll need it ad lib, then he can go back in with them full time?
Or any other suggestions? He’s rugged, has food and shelter so company is the only thing missing.
 
I'd be letting him spend the day with the others and fetching him through for his extra haylage at night. Once he knows the routine I wouldn't think he'll be upset about leaving them if he knows he's getting fed, or if he gets a bucket feed when he goes into his own bit.
 
Hes on Micronised Linseed already as it is fab for everything, I've had to cut his bucket feed (Wingery Conditioning) right down as it wasn't helping his behaviour!

Will give the new routine a try and see how it goes, he's not too bad for me but for my friend he can be a nightmare, keeps galloping off mid rug change in the morning and other suitable unhelpful things! Hopefully it will help as he can't keep on like this
 
Gloi said:
I'd be letting him spend the day with the others and fetching him through for his extra haylage at night. Once he knows the routine I wouldn't think he'll be upset about leaving them if he knows he's getting fed, or if he gets a bucket feed when he goes into his own bit.
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Yep, this is what I'd do.
 
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