Unhappy horse

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HelenBack

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Has anybody ever dealt with a situation like this? I moved my horse in July and he's just not been the same ever since. He's fine to ride and seems happy in the field with his friends but he seems to really hate coming onto the yard. Sometimes when he comes in on his own he gets really quite nervous. Usually he's just tense and I can look after him by not leaving him alone but a couple of times he's been so wound up he's been trembling with fear. A couple of times he's been so nervous that I've either had to hold his feed to encourage him to eat or turn him out and then go and feed him in the field once he's calmed down. Other times he seems relaxed on the surface but it's like he's retreated into his shell as a way of dealing with it all. He's eyes seem to be glazed over and he doesn't interact with me at all. It's horrible to see him in either state on a daily basis and it's really upsetting me as I want my friendly happy horse back.

It's a slightly strange yard in that nobody else really rides or ever bothers to bring their horse in from the field. However, my aunt moved her horse at the same time as me and he is now more tense on the yard too, although not as badly affected as mine. A couple of other people have also said that their horses won't be in their stables on their own and one girl says her horse refuses to move beyond the field gate. When I have seen horses in on their own they have mostly seemed to be quite stressed. So the obvious answer is that it does seem to be something about the yard that they don't like. Most of the horses are out 24/7 though and as I said they never come in at all so not a problem for them but it is a problem for me when I want to bring him in to ride and have to see how unhappy he is. The good news is that I should be able to winter him out so at least he doesn't have to be in the stable overnight.

We're planning on moving house in the spring which will mean moving to a new yard and I hope this will suit my horse better but has anybody got any thoughts on how we can cope for the next four or five months? I did think of moving him back to his old yard temporarily but I can imagine that moving for a few months and then moving again would just be really unsettling for him. I also have to work away a bit and would struggle to get livery cover for that at my old yard (which is why I moved in the first place) so I'm not really sure this is a practical option. My other thought was to just turn him away for the winter but I really hate the idea of being beaten by the situation.

My other worry is what if we move and he doesn't return to normal, or what if his trust in me is slowly being eroded by being in a place he clearly doesn't like? I'd be devastated if we didn't resolve it in the end as he's such a lovely boy when he's his usual self.

If anybody's ever been through anything similar and come out the other side I'd love to hear about it or if anyone can come up with any coping techniques for us I'd be really grateful as I'm finding all of this completely horrible.
 
HelenBack said:
Has anybody ever dealt with a situation like this? I moved my horse in July and he's just not been the same ever since. He's fine to ride and seems happy in the field with his friends but he seems to really hate coming onto the yard. Sometimes when he comes in on his own he gets really quite nervous. Usually he's just tense and I can look after him by not leaving him alone but a couple of times he's been so wound up he's been trembling with fear. A couple of times he's been so nervous that I've either had to hold his feed to encourage him to eat or turn him out and then go and feed him in the field once he's calmed down. Other times he seems relaxed on the surface but it's like he's retreated into his shell as a way of dealing with it all. He's eyes seem to be glazed over and he doesn't interact with me at all. It's horrible to see him in either state on a daily basis and it's really upsetting me as I want my friendly happy horse back.

It's a slightly strange yard in that nobody else really rides or ever bothers to bring their horse in from the field. However, my aunt moved her horse at the same time as me and he is now more tense on the yard too, although not as badly affected as mine. A couple of other people have also said that their horses won't be in their stables on their own and one girl says her horse refuses to move beyond the field gate. When I have seen horses in on their own they have mostly seemed to be quite stressed. So the obvious answer is that it does seem to be something about the yard that they don't like. Most of the horses are out 24/7 though and as I said they never come in at all so not a problem for them but it is a problem for me when I want to bring him in to ride and have to see how unhappy he is. The good news is that I should be able to winter him out so at least he doesn't have to be in the stable overnight.

We're planning on moving house in the spring which will mean moving to a new yard and I hope this will suit my horse better but has anybody got any thoughts on how we can cope for the next four or five months? I did think of moving him back to his old yard temporarily but I can imagine that moving for a few months and then moving again would just be really unsettling for him. I also have to work away a bit and would struggle to get livery cover for that at my old yard (which is why I moved in the first place) so I'm not really sure this is a practical option. My other thought was to just turn him away for the winter but I really hate the idea of being beaten by the situation.

My other worry is what if we move and he doesn't return to normal, or what if his trust in me is slowly being eroded by being in a place he clearly doesn't like? I'd be devastated if we didn't resolve it in the end as he's such a lovely boy when he's his usual self.

If anybody's ever been through anything similar and come out the other side I'd love to hear about it or if anyone can come up with any coping techniques for us I'd be really grateful as I'm finding all of this completely horrible.
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Does he have a field companion at the moment?
What's his usual routine?
Do you think (and it's very unlikely) someone could be mistreating him when you're not there?

When I bought one of my horses to a new yard he was completely stressed for the first six months. He wouldn't be on his own and would jog on the spot tied up, have flared nostrils all the time, look like a deer caught in headlights constantly etc. I found that groundwork really helped take his mind off being nervous and ended up teaching him a load of silly tricks to keep his mind active with 'positive' thoughts. Have you tried doing some groundwork to see if it helps?

Has he had a change in feed/grass/hay quality that could be sending him a bit crackers?

I don't think turning him away for a couple of months would be a bad idea at all.
 
Thanks for this. He's in a field with five other geldings and they're next to six mares so plenty of company. His usual routine is for him and his friend to come in for riding and tea every afternoon, that hasn't changed since the old yard but the big noticeable difference at this yard is the fact that usually there are no other horses in at all whereas at the other yard there was always somebody about. I could bring him in on his own before though and that wouldn't be a problem whereas now if he comes in on his own he's wound up.

I'm as convinced as I can be that nobody is doing him any harm. The yard owner and her daughter are both really kind with the horses.

I hadn't thought about groundwork but that does sound like a good idea and might help with me feeling like he doesn't engage with me so much at the moment. I did wander round the school after riding this evening and he followed me wherever I went which cheered me up a bit (although I'm not convinced he realised he didn't have to come if he didn't want to!).

You're right about the grass too. At the old yard we had a small field between three of us and we limited their grazing whereas as this yard they have full access to a big field with loads of grass on it. They went into a new field in November that hadn't been grazed all summer so yet more grass and I gather it used to be cattle grazing so probably quite rich.

It's reassuring for me that it took your horse six months to settle as it means maybe mine will calm down in the period between now and us moving again (although I hope we don't have to go through it all again when we do move!). It must have been pretty horrible for you though as I know how horrible I'm finding this right now.
 
HelenBack said:
Thanks for this. He's in a field with five other geldings and they're next to six mares so plenty of company. His usual routine is for him and his friend to come in for riding and tea every afternoon, that hasn't changed since the old yard but the big noticeable difference at this yard is the fact that usually there are no other horses in at all whereas at the other yard there was always somebody about. I could bring him in on his own before though and that wouldn't be a problem whereas now if he comes in on his own he's wound up.

I'm as convinced as I can be that nobody is doing him any harm. The yard owner and her daughter are both really kind with the horses.

I hadn't thought about groundwork but that does sound like a good idea and might help with me feeling like he doesn't engage with me so much at the moment. I did wander round the school after riding this evening and he followed me wherever I went which cheered me up a bit (although I'm not convinced he realised he didn't have to come if he didn't want to!).

You're right about the grass too. At the old yard we had a small field between three of us and we limited their grazing whereas as this yard they have full access to a big field with loads of grass on it. They went into a new field in November that hadn't been grazed all summer so yet more grass and I gather it used to be cattle grazing so probably quite rich.

It's reassuring for me that it took your horse six months to settle as it means maybe mine will calm down in the period between now and us moving again (although I hope we don't have to go through it all again when we do move!). It must have been pretty horrible for you though as I know how horrible I'm finding this right now.
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I think the combination of lots of new grass and new horses is completely enough to make him unsettled.

It really did take a very long time for my horse to calm down and not appear completely manic and panicked all the time.

I say keep him in a routine for now, avoid sugary treats and feed and just be as blasé as you can be around him. I'm sure it's nothing worth worrying about too much :)
 
Thanks for the reassurance and the sound advice, especially about being blasé. I've had horses all my life and used to be reasonably rationale but these days I seem to always be worrying about something!
 
Bobbly said:
Nothing like electric pylons around the yard?
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That was my initial thoughts too - anything electric at all, possible broken cables even, this can really stress out some horses, they can often feel/sense a current.

Also as said above, an infestation.

I wouldn't be blaming your horse, not if many of the others are same.

TBH, I'd be moving on swiftly if this is not just your horse having stress problems there.
 
Sounds llike its just a case of him coming in alone and it being a new place, One of my horses would be the same if she came into an empty stable yard away from her field mates, I would either just stick it out until you move just bringing him in just to ride then put straight out so his not being left alone too long and getting stressed, could you not bring yours and your aunts horse in together so they are both having company whilst in?
 
My horse, an ex racer never settled at a yard I took him to in the eighteen months he was there. I moved him back to the original yard (my children changed school) and immediately on arrival he returned to the relaxed horse he had been before. If only they could talk! My personal thoughts are that as an ex racer he thrives on a busy yard. He was gelded late and can be stallion like and tended to want responsibility for the four other horses on the small yard I took him to. He was very well looked after at both yards, and just his personal preference. Wish I'd known sooner how unhappy he was. His behaviour was hair raising! Good luck with yours :)
 
Don't want to scare you, but I once rented a cottage on a livery yard, both cottage and one of my stables was haunted, mucking out I always felt so sad, to the point of wanting to weep, my other two stables in the same block were fine, horses settled, this stable, horse box walked, stressed something rotten, I still have this horse and he is the most easy going lad ever, turns out a farmhand hung himself in that stable, horrible time, not even getting a priest in helped, so I moved
 
What feed is he on?
May be not the solution for all but my mare is very herd bound and a week of activated charcoal helped settle her tummy which in turn helped her settle better when she is away from the others. Mycotoxins in the grass and frozen grass can unsettle their digestive system. On the long term, a high spec vitamin and mineral supplements with magnesium and yeassac/probiotics should also help.

ETA: also I tie her on the yard facing her field so she can see the other mares grazing and follow the same routine.
 
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When I moved to the yard I am at now, the set up was about four different barns with two to four stalls each. For reasons still unknown to me, whenever my horse was in her barn by herself, she went bananas, screaming and high-speed box walking. I'd owned her for a long time and she had never made an issue out of being alone in the stable. So I was like, what the hell is this. I tried everything you are supposed to try in order to fix it, but she would not settle. I gave up and only rode her after 4pm, when all the horses were in, and she was completely fine. I could hack out alone or whatever. I would have moved yards, but at the time, they were in the process of building a huge, airy American-style barn; I wanted to see if her behaviour changed once she lived in that before I went through the hassle finding another yard, which she might hate as well because she does have strong opinions about yards, unfortunately for me. Indeed, I made the right call. As soon as the new barn was finished and all the horses moved into it, the separation anxiety shight magically went away and I could once again bring my horse into the barn by herself without her freaking out.

My point is that sometimes, the geography or the atmosphere of a place can upset them, and we might never know why. They are sensitive to things that we aren't. I don't think it will hurt your horse to move him now, and then move him in a few months. That will probably be less stressful than living in a place he doesn't like.
 
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Thanks everybody for all your thoughts and comments. Too many to reply to them all but I've found it really helpful and have some ideas now for things to try to help him.

On reflection I think it's a combination of things - extra grass, usually deserted stables that I think are scary for other reasons only the horses understand. I do think he's herd bound too and him and my aunt's horse have decided that they're in charge which I don't think helps either.

I really agree with the people who said that sometimes horses don't like stables for reasons we don't understand. The yard I plan to move him to when we move house has a few different stable blocks all of slightly different designs so hopefully there'll be something suitable for him there.

And yes, if only they could speak and tell us what's wrong. And if only they could understand so that I'm not completely wasting my breath when I tell him that everything really is alright!
 
I moved my filly on Saturday for the same reason as she just wasn't settled on the yard we were at.
She was fine in the field but was totally out of character in her stable tense and anxious.
We couldn't figure out what it was (had lots of theories) but nothing definite.
Within an hour of moving she was a different horse and now 3 days later she is back to her old self.
 
Sounds like this isn't that uncommon after all then. I think I've decided for various reasons that it's better to keep him where he is until we move house so now I'm just going to pray that all goes through quickly without any complications.
 
I think that a horse that is in charge is often on high alert. My horse was herd leader, and was always stressed, on the look out for whatever might be coming to get the herd, very tense on hacks etc. I never noticed him laying down in the field, he was always the one standing up, looking, looking...

When I got a new horse for my daughter which was more dominant, I thought there would be fireworks, but after a few sniffs and screams, the new horse took charge and my horse seemed to say, phew, thanks for that, I can relax now!
 
This is my experience too. He's only seven and too young to be in charge in my view. He was the boss of the group of three at the old yard and I really hoped that when we moved to this yard some of the older horses would take him under their wing. Sadly not, it has to be the most pathetic group of geldings I've ever come across!
 
I had exactly the same thing. It just got worse as time went on to the stage of not being able to bring him on the yard on his own (he was still very on edge when he was with his friends). He refused point blank to go in his stable.
After 6 months I felt we had given it a good enough go but it just wasn't working, it was obvious he was so unhappy.
I moved him and within 24 hours he was back to his normal chilled out self, then I felt guilty for not moving him earlier.
 
I'd also move him now. If he's already stressed it can't get much worse.

The fact that you said other horses seem to stress too gives me the impression that there is something on that yard which is making them all unhappy. We, as humans, may never know or understand what our horses sense or feel, but if our horse is clearly telling us something, we should listen.
 
flirtygerty said:
Don't want to scare you, but I once rented a cottage on a livery yard, both cottage and one of my stables was haunted, mucking out I always felt so sad, to the point of wanting to weep, my other two stables in the same block were fine, horses settled, this stable, horse box walked, stressed something rotten, I still have this horse and he is the most easy going lad ever, turns out a farmhand hung himself in that stable, horrible time, not even getting a priest in helped, so I moved
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I was going to say the same thing. We bought a haunted property years ago and neither the horses or the dogs would settle in the yard. Had a medium in to discover the problem (rather a grim story dating back to the civil war) and got it dealt with and the animals were all fine after that. Funnily enough soon afterwards my cleaning lady said 'what have you done'. When I asked her what she meant she said that the property felt as if a great weight had been lifted off it - so it wasn't just me and the animals that were feeling it. Animals always sense things more than we can and they are rarely wrong.
 
The only reason I'm sticking it out for now is because we're moving to a new area in spring which will mean moving him then. I can't move him to the yard in the new area now as it's too far away and it seems unfair to me to move him now and then move him on again in three or four months, especially given that he's okay in the field. If it want for that I'd definitely be looking for somewhere else round here for him now, and if our house move starts to look like it will be delayed and we'll still be here for several months then I will reconsider our options then too.
 
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