Yearling Advice

AmyMay

AmyMay

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Ok.

Scenario.

You have a yearling that is very well handled, and reasonably mannerd. It is being brought in at night for reasons that are unimportant - ie not medical or dietry. It has a stable companion (although not it's field companion).

It doesn't want to be in and is throwing a mega strop each night - verging on dangerous. Do you:

A. Continue to bring it in - it's got to learn sometime?
B. Decide to leave it out as it's not mentally ready to be stabled without its mates?

It is on day 4 of being brought in.
 
I'll be interested in the answers to this one. Royale could not be stabled or kept in the field on her own - ever - I had her for 17 years - she never did learn.
 
Yearlings are such a pain.
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I think you weigh the risks. It depends why you're bringing him in and what your options are regarding company for him, etc. Does he leave all his outside friends when he comes in? That's pretty rough on a baby.

Personally, I'd probably leave him out but then I'm a big fan of young horses being out as much as possible so that's my bias. I also worry a lot about a horse that age developing habits/vices if it gets too upset because they are in such a plastic stage of their development. I find yearlings are particularly "needy" and generally it's not worth upsetting them if I don't have to. Most get better about being independent all on their own. Even the ones that always find seperation difficult seem to do better if it's "taught" to them in stages. I have a young horse to work who used to be dangerous when brought in alone but he's gradually learned to cope with a thought out program.

I'm sure if you keep at it he will adjust but be aware - as you seem to be - that there are risks. So much depends on the individual horse and the situation, it's almost impossible to gauge accurately on the internet. All anyone can do is give you the benefit of their experiences and mine has been that long term, young horses are better off out until the start work, but I also understand that's not always preferable or even possible.
 
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Does he leave all his outside friends when he comes in? That's pretty rough on a baby.

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Yes, and I think that this is half, if not all of the problem.
 
Id bring it in - Its got to learn at some stage.

The two yearlings on our yard come in and are stabled away from each other at night, and altho they created to start with they are fine now.
 
Interesting - I thought that you would all chorus B!! LOL.

Obviously this is not my yearling - but belongs to a friend. She, like you all, has said that it has to continue to come in and will learn. I was all for chucking it back out again
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As an addendum, it's not comming in on a whim - and if it were not being shown would have been left out......

Thanks all.
 
I'm another who'll be very interested to read the replies to this topic, what with having the little fella and all
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Luke tried the mountain goat trick last week in an attempt to get out of his box. In his case he was just super nosey as to what was going on outside, but at some point he's going to have to become used to being stabled...although his field companion(ie Jelly) will be stabled directly next to him so that should help.

In your situation I'd be tempted to leave the yearling out, just bring it in for short periods during the day(ie to be fed if having hard feed, or just for some handling etc) and see how it gets on....I'm all for avoiding confrontation where necessary.

xx
 
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I'm all for avoiding confrontation where necessary

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I do think though that sometimes you have to meet it head on though. This chap is 15hh now, and I suppose if we don't crack the problem whilst he's still relatively manageable - how will we when he's a strapping 17hh-er.

It's been quite a shock to the system to me because I have been the one to do the majority of the handling - certainly all through the winter. And he was impeccably behaved the whole time. Of course now he's bigger, older and wiser - thinks he knows it all etc. it's all gone out the window
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He is in a barn, and has to have the top door shut otherwise he'd be out. He's not closed in though, as it's metal grills (too small for him to get his feet through.)
 
please be careful with those metal grills AmyMay, I have known 2 horses get their feet through (physically bending the bars), one of the horses was quite badly injured.
 
Yeah, I take that point. I guess you could say that Luke is in a similar situation in as much as he was stabled at JM's before he came here, and as far as I'm aware he didn't try anything stupid in order to escape, yet he comes here and decides he's jack the lad and tried it on. A full grill IS going on his door and then he can be left to get on with it, but until such a time as that is fitted he's been turfed out!
 
if its not in for medical reasons and its going to be likely to injure itself leave it out.
horses mature and he is highly likely to be less needy for his pals as he gets older and just be happy in any horses company
 
SD, if you haven't got one already, I would get a full grille for the top of your stable door. We were advised to get one with Beano, and have only just now swapped it for a weaving type. We got one from ebay.
 
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please be careful with those metal grills AmyMay, I have known 2 horses get their feet through (physically bending the bars), one of the horses was quite badly injured.

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Most grilles that I have seen have been way too narrow to get a hoof through. It is still probably a less likely scenario than a horse trying to get out over the top of the door!
 
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SD, if you haven't got one already, I would get a full grille for the top of your stable door. We were advised to get one with Beano, and have only just now swapped it for a weaving type. We got one from ebay.

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I'm definitely going to do that Soots as it was no joke watching him try to get out!!
 
We have always separated our two at night, mostly because Toffee prefers to stay out and is fat, Beano likes his sleep as he is still a baby and needs hay overnight. It is important with young horses, just like with young anything, to be in charge, and not let them decide that what you tell them is irrelevant.
 
In my personal opinion, i'd leave the yearling out....
Is it essential that its bought in? If not then why go through the stress? its obviously not mentally ready.. the owner could be doing more harm than good.
 
The trouble is whether we agree or not this lady has chosen to show this yearling and as it will have to travel on its own to shows then i think i would say it is going to have to get used to it.
Im not saying this is what i would do just taking the yearlings circumstances and owner into consideration.
I would perphaps and did when we showed yearlings bring its field companion into the stable next door that said its not a problem we have ever had as more often than not if we had one to show it went out in the field on its own with company the other side of the fence so got used to being on its own.
 
I would go for A as Im doing this with missy at the minute , she is out now on day 3 and has been brought in at night, the other 2 horses have been moved to a closer field so she goes down the lane to see them .


Although she looks behind her when i bring her in, she doesnt make much of a fuss as she gets her hardfeed .

They do have to learn but again it depends on the yearling .
 
I would go for B.
My yearling (who somehow grew older quickly and is now 8!!!) was a right pain when she was young, very difficult and dangerous when brought in. After a few months i got fed up and moved yards so she could stay out. She was much better and she continued like that until she was 5 and then i began bringing her in and she was old enough to accept it and now she is like any "normal" horse with regards to being in or out. Once she was broken at three she was in proper work and competed Young Horse Evaluations and Badminton Young Horse so it is possible to get them in competition shape even if they live out!
 
So if the owner is going to bring the horse in no matter what and there isn't the option of having a herdmate it actually gets along with close by then there isn't really a debate. If the horse is really as upset then I'd be looking to do damage control , I guess, and take whatever precautions I could to prevent the horse from injuring itself or anyone else, or developing a containment vice.

Horses are different. Situations are different. Saying one horse "should" react a certain way because another one did isn't really applicable.

I rode a three year old with half a dozen rides on it completely alone, having left his buddies in the field, outside in a howling wind today with laundry flapping next to the ring and the worst he did was shake his head when something crashed down next to the barn. That's not normal but that's him! I know lots of older horses who would have had a core meltdown in the same circumstances (in fact I had to go outside because someone having a lesson needed to go inside because their horse was freaking out) but I can't use this horse as a judge. He's left his buddies since he was two and never even called.

But I have another one that's six and has been showing, on individual and group turnout, lived in different barns, been well handled and still goes beserk when he comes in away from his friends, although he's okay to come in to work. Go figure. Could we shut him in a stall and let him get on with it? We have. He settles . . . until the next time. So we manage it.

So you do what you have to and hope for the best. But if I have options I'd rather give the horse the benefit of the doubt and try the easy way. It's all very well to say "just do it" and sometimes that's the answer but I'm a big fan of getting things done without the drama if I there's a way to do that. In my experience drama often doesn't end well and I'd rather avoid it if I can get the job done without.

All that said, was there a note that the horse in question is now not behaving? Because that's a different deal entirely. I don't care how upset the horse is the rules of acceptable behaviour ALWAYS apply. In fact I welcome the opportunity to test a horse's skills under stress because that's the only way to tell if they're solid or not. So long as the horse is around people it needs to behave. When it's alone, locked in it's own stall there's not much you can do but keep your fingers crossed.
 
Well the little lad was an absolute angel last night. No tantrums. Came in was fed, groomed and put to bed as happy as larry.

Thanks for everyones input. Always interesting to hear others views.
 
Thats good news if anyone knows what they are doing your friend does ,she has enough experience if its who i think it is.
 
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Thats good news if anyone knows what they are doing your friend does ,she has enough experience if its who i think it is.

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Very true Sally.
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