Working with an anxious horse

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Penny_lane

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We’ve been having a problem with pigs for a while now. They come around at night and root all along the back of my horses’ paddocks. It’s really freaked out my one horse, and I feel bad because he won’t even use half of his paddock anymore because of it.

The pigs went away for several months, and he started to get a little better. But now they’re back again, and he’ll just stand there staring at the tree line like he’s waiting for them to come out at any minute.

What can I do to help him feel less anxious and more comfortable with his surroundings? I keep his hay net by the gate, which is the furthest spot from where the pigs are, and he’s comfortable there. But I want him to feel comfortable using his entire paddock and not feel confined to only half of it. I also don’t want him to feel so on edge and constantly on guard because of them.

My mare’s paddock is right next to his, and the pigs have gone behind hers before, but they seem to show up more around my gelding. My mare is also not as naturally anxious. I’ve wondered if I should try switching their paddocks, but I also want him to learn that he’s safe and okay wherever he is.
 
Thanks for the replies! I can’t put them together because my gelding can be a bit of a bully to my mare, but they get along fine over the fence. I would ideally like to put them together, but would switching paddocks be a good place to start? Should I also try walking him along the back of the paddock around the tree line and just let him hang out there sometimes? Without forcing or pushing him of course, but should I try and let him graze and offer some treats and try to help him associate it with something more positive?
 
unfortunately you may not be able to resolve this. Some just don't get it calm friend or not however many walks with treats you take them on. Pigs rooting around at night must be totally terrifying for your horse. I appreciate you may have accommodation problems but I would get a horse in that situation well away from pigs to reduce their stress levels. Partly to avoid an accident out of fear and partly to reduce stress on their digestive system.

I bought a Haflinger, we had our own very friendly and very sociable and calm pot belly pig. He was terrified from the day he came and that ended a few years later when the pig died. He had lots of company from horses that loved the pig but he could never get it. Even after years he always made a detour to get past the pig whereas the other walked up to it and the pig even shared a field with one horse.

I have had several problems with horses and pigs just neigbouring ones we had to ride past. The heavier, more cob like the more problems. The sec. D was a nightmare we never got past one he just fled flat out. The arabs however loved pigs as did some of the other more hot bloods.
 
We had a neighbouring house's pet pigs on the border with my paddock at 1 yard. The YO actually said to me she had horses she couldn't put in there because they never settled. We had a few riders who couldn't exit the yard that way because their horses would panic - & it made no difference if they had a calm companion, treats etc.

My mare was born on a small holding with all sorts of rescue animals so I thought she'd be fine. She was so happy with the pigs she'd lean over to lick them 🙄
 
I agree I feel it’s unfair and I hate thinking he’s scared, so that’s why I want to help him the best I can. I’m going to switch their paddocks tonight and see if that helps him feel more comfortable. My horses ignore each other for the most part, but when it’s around feeding time my gelding can get aggressive towards my mare over the fence and I worry if they’re together that it could escalate, and I would feel really bad if my mare ended up getting hurt because of it. I’m trying my best to think in both of their best interests. I was told when I bought my gelding that he’s a good horse, but he can act like a stallion with other horses.
 
Horses on individual turnout often are more anxious than those kept in a herd. If you wanted to out them together but are worried about behaviour around food there are plenty of ways round that; bring them both into a stable to eat, put one into a small pen to eat, tie the gelding up while they both eat, depending on what suits your set up. Always make sure that there are more pikes of hay than horses, to avoid arguments.
 
Penny_lane said:
Thanks for the replies! I can’t put them together because my gelding can be a bit of a bully to my mare, but they get along fine over the fence. I would ideally like to put them together, but would switching paddocks be a good place to start? Should I also try walking him along the back of the paddock around the tree line and just let him hang out there sometimes? Without forcing or pushing him of course, but should I try and let him graze and offer some treats and try to help him associate it with something more positive?
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If you absolutely can't put them together (or divide the paddocks into two sections with electric, etc) then yes, switching paddocks seems sensible. It sounds like in the current situation he's just overwhelmed by fear because the pigs are so close - he's definitely not going to settle in that situation so taking him a bit further away seems pragmatic. And as others have said, he may or may not improve a bit.
 
SEL said:
We had a neighbouring house's pet pigs on the border with my paddock at 1 yard. The YO actually said to me she had horses she couldn't put in there because they never settled. We had a few riders who couldn't exit the yard that way because their horses would panic - & it made no difference if they had a calm companion, treats etc.

My mare was born on a small holding with all sorts of rescue animals so I thought she'd be fine. She was so happy with the pigs she'd lean over to lick them 🙄
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Some just never get over it. I think the fear of pigs can be very deep rooted in some sadly.
 
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