ShouldHaveBoughtAGoldfish
Member
Hello Forum! I haven't posted in a very long time but could do with a bit of reassurance and maybe some advice...
I bought a youngster (not my first baby) following the death of my old girl last year. The baby is 2.5 years old and an absolute unit at 17hh already. He came from a yard with only two other horses and was turned out with one other young gelding until I brought him home. We are on a yard of 40 horses with 4 same-sex herds of 10 each. It took me a week to get him confident enough to turn out with the herd as it was a massive shock to his system, going from a tiny private yard with just two others to a big and busy yard with many horses and humans of all shapes and sizes. He was initially pretty nervous but it did give us the opportunity to put some good groundwork in. He was turned out with my little mare in a little paddock for laminitics for that week and he did really well.
He is coming along fantastically and we have gone from not being able to put a halter on without a fight to putting his head down to take a halter and even a fly mask, leading out quietly, long-reining for short sessions and tying up without pulling and breaking off, halting and waiting and taking commands such as over, back, walk on, whoa etc etc. We have done lots of groundwork and his manners are (almost) impeccable. He's a bit impatient at times and a fidget but then he is a baby, full of energy and intrigue and we are working on that and improving day by day! He's only been with me for 8 weeks. He lacks balance, co-ordination and spatial awareness (like, will turn around and take you out with his arse) I'm guessing because he's so big and spindly at such a young age and still looks like a yearling. It almost seems like he doesn't realise he's 7ft long and has a back-end to think about too. So we are actively working on the balance, co-ordination and spatial awareness as our priority and he is slowly coming along, with me being very cautious not to push him to far too fast or work him too hard.
My issues aren't with him stabled, tied up or being handled but with him being turned out. He has never been in a herd before coming to me and so has zero idea of horsey etiquette! He is quite boisterous and just wants to play, play and play some more. I have seen him nipping and even mounting some of the others at an attempt to play but he has never been corrected by older horses at a younger age, which he ideally should have been. He behaves like a foal and is coming in every single day with bites, kicks, lumps and bumps every single day. Thankfully, nothing serious but some bad enough to cause a lot of blood, significant swellings and inevitable permanent scarring. He's so immature for his age and more like a yearling than a two year old. Probably because he had such a sheltered life and no older horses to learn from before coming to me.
I do not want to move him. Apart from not wanting to, I couldn't as so many yards are closing in our area, yards in general - especially those with year round turnout are like gold-dust! So that's not an option. I don't believe in individual turnout without reason or even just with one other as to me, the freedom and ability to socialise is one of the most important things we can give our horses and it is especially important with a youngster. There is nowhere suitable I can turn him out 24/7 and leave him, and I wouldn't anyway as he is so immature, he would end up killing himself.
So my questions are...
Do I just need to stop panicking and give him time and hope that he learns to back off and start learning herd dynamics?
Is this quite normal behaviour given the circumstances?
What are your experiences?
Is there anything I can do to encourage him to change and chill out a bit?
Please bear in mind that as above, there is nowhere suitable to just turn him away until he matures a bit. Please tell me it will get better! I am on tenterhooks every day turning him out and I really don't want him to get seriously hurt!
Thank you so much for reading my long and drivelly post
x
I bought a youngster (not my first baby) following the death of my old girl last year. The baby is 2.5 years old and an absolute unit at 17hh already. He came from a yard with only two other horses and was turned out with one other young gelding until I brought him home. We are on a yard of 40 horses with 4 same-sex herds of 10 each. It took me a week to get him confident enough to turn out with the herd as it was a massive shock to his system, going from a tiny private yard with just two others to a big and busy yard with many horses and humans of all shapes and sizes. He was initially pretty nervous but it did give us the opportunity to put some good groundwork in. He was turned out with my little mare in a little paddock for laminitics for that week and he did really well.
He is coming along fantastically and we have gone from not being able to put a halter on without a fight to putting his head down to take a halter and even a fly mask, leading out quietly, long-reining for short sessions and tying up without pulling and breaking off, halting and waiting and taking commands such as over, back, walk on, whoa etc etc. We have done lots of groundwork and his manners are (almost) impeccable. He's a bit impatient at times and a fidget but then he is a baby, full of energy and intrigue and we are working on that and improving day by day! He's only been with me for 8 weeks. He lacks balance, co-ordination and spatial awareness (like, will turn around and take you out with his arse) I'm guessing because he's so big and spindly at such a young age and still looks like a yearling. It almost seems like he doesn't realise he's 7ft long and has a back-end to think about too. So we are actively working on the balance, co-ordination and spatial awareness as our priority and he is slowly coming along, with me being very cautious not to push him to far too fast or work him too hard.
My issues aren't with him stabled, tied up or being handled but with him being turned out. He has never been in a herd before coming to me and so has zero idea of horsey etiquette! He is quite boisterous and just wants to play, play and play some more. I have seen him nipping and even mounting some of the others at an attempt to play but he has never been corrected by older horses at a younger age, which he ideally should have been. He behaves like a foal and is coming in every single day with bites, kicks, lumps and bumps every single day. Thankfully, nothing serious but some bad enough to cause a lot of blood, significant swellings and inevitable permanent scarring. He's so immature for his age and more like a yearling than a two year old. Probably because he had such a sheltered life and no older horses to learn from before coming to me.
I do not want to move him. Apart from not wanting to, I couldn't as so many yards are closing in our area, yards in general - especially those with year round turnout are like gold-dust! So that's not an option. I don't believe in individual turnout without reason or even just with one other as to me, the freedom and ability to socialise is one of the most important things we can give our horses and it is especially important with a youngster. There is nowhere suitable I can turn him out 24/7 and leave him, and I wouldn't anyway as he is so immature, he would end up killing himself.
So my questions are...
Do I just need to stop panicking and give him time and hope that he learns to back off and start learning herd dynamics?
Is this quite normal behaviour given the circumstances?
What are your experiences?
Is there anything I can do to encourage him to change and chill out a bit?
Please bear in mind that as above, there is nowhere suitable to just turn him away until he matures a bit. Please tell me it will get better! I am on tenterhooks every day turning him out and I really don't want him to get seriously hurt!
Thank you so much for reading my long and drivelly post
x
I will say they seem to know their limits and fingers crossed I've never actually had any serious injuries - some geldings are just ridiculously rough with their play I think and you have to look away!
