Unsettled mare, what to do?

bellaboo

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My usually very dependable mare has totally changed since losing her pair bond in April last year. I didn't think it had affected her too bad untill she became quite depressed. I had a 'horse whisperer' to her and she seemed to settle for abit, but not to long after she got kicked in the field and suffered a fracture just below her stifle.
She really wasn't coping at home as horses and people were coming in the barn all the time, so she was sent away to horsey hospital/rehab yard to have 24hr company. Before last April you could leave her in the stable and field on her own and she would have been fine.
When she came back home she seemed ok, although was very loose, just put that down to being turned out again and re adjusting, a course of probiotics sorted her out!
Now she is getting worse than ever, it's not helping that the weather has been so bad so some days she's had to stay in all day as the field are more like lakes and has become more and more attached to my filly.
They were moving a carriage around in the barn the other day and she was stood in the corner of the stable shaking, this is not like her at all, normally she's in the way being far to nosey and trying to help! She now has become really loose again, gets very upset when people are in the barn or my filly goes somewhere, can't leave her anywhere on her own and it's getting worse,
What can i do for her? Do you think she is still missing her pair bond? I hate seeing her like this
frown.gif
 

Cluny

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Poor girl and poor you as I'm sure you are very worried. I should think all the changes put together have compounded her insecurity issues resulting in a very scared girl. Is there any chance you could get another horse/pony or even goat to keep her company and make her feel safe again. Trouble is horses are herd animals and feel very vunerable when on their own.

I would also go and buy some Bach Flower Rescue Remedy and put quite a few drops in her water, this helps to calm and reassure, I've used it for both me and my horses and find it really helps.

Also can I ask what you are giving her for short feed?
 

bellaboo

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Thanks Cluny

She's on a yard with another 7 horses including my filly so she rarely has to be on her own, it's just that she is getting so attached to the filly, all the horses can be in but if i take the filly away she gets really upset, she NEVER used to do this.

She is feed twice a day, 1 scoop of alfa a lite in the morning with her respiratory supplement and a scoop of alfa a lite with 2 mugs of lo-cal p.m plus her supplements. She was having a scoop of speedibeet am and pm but have cut this out whilst she is so loose.
 
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