Why does she do it?!!!

[lauraheads]

Short story - My horse wont stay in the field alone, she gets very upset even if with others.

Long story - (includes her running into a friends car!)
I have a beautiful young mare. She was backed a year ago and is now going very well under saddle. She wasnt very well handled when I got her, so it has taken awhile for tack and rugs to not become an issue. However now she is getting better and better at being handled, and with a calmer she even had her first ever bath over the weekend

However, she has suddenly become a nightmare in the field. Last year she was fine being in a small group of mares. But she began to "herd" them up at getting in time so she had to be split up. She put alone in a field next to a donkey and surrounded by other horses, but became fixated with the donkey. She always gets wound up at getting in time and needs to come in first to avoid upset.

Anyway, today she brought herself in from the field, by jumping a huge hedge that must be 4ft, needless to sa she banked it. She ran into her stable and on the way she ran into someone car

causing a dent.

She ran into her stable and then ran out and stright to me. She is a VERY loving horse. Is it possible she just doesnt want to go out. She often runs through fences and hurts herself. I find it very distressing that she gets so upset she hurts herself to come in. So for her own safety I have had to cut her grazing down to 2 hours which I feel in unhealthy, but its all she will settle for.

 

[Ziggy_]

was she on her own when she jumped out?

the h erding behaviour is annoying (I know, my mare is the same and has to be caught first) but most horses hate to be turned out alone and I've found having one companion tends to make things worse as they get so attatched. couldn't she go back out with the herd?

 

[lauraheads]

Yes she was.

I have an older mare (cassie) who I like to turn out with the younger horse (shammer). My YO turned her out alone after I said I would like her to go out with cassie. They wont turn shammer out with any horses now. Cassie is besotted with shammer, so if shammer starts to pull a "silly" then cassie just hopelessly follows her around

I would even buy her a donkey or a goat if it would help her!

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

She sounds desperately anxious and worried. Is there any way you could try to get to the bottom of that? If you could strengthen her confidence the rest might slot into place. I would also say from experience Laura that the one thing almost guaranteed to settle any ned is routine, routine, routine. This is especially true of worried and anxious horses. Once they can relax into knowing what will happen next, at what time, with who, where they will be taken, who stands next to them and that the sun will rise the following morning, they find reassurance and peace. I know you've had to make some changes but is it possible that you could find a regular routine for her, with appropriate company, and get her comfortable with that while you concentrate on the detective work to try to find out what changed in her world that made her start herding the other mares?

 

[damsel]

She sounds like she is very stressed and her herding is a natural thing for a mare to do it is just her establishing that she is wanting to be boss. What calmer have you got her on? My mare was exacly the same and i spoke to my vet who suggested steady up and that she has an anxiety of being on her own. Even now she stresses when she is stabled and she will run at the walls to get out.