Posted 2006-09-23 2:03 PM (#48997) Subject: horse doesn't want to be left alone
Veteran
Posts: 225 Location: Urbana,MD
I have a terrible time with my mare.I cannot leave her in the barn by herself she goes NUTS!Spins in the stall won't eat or drink,and hollers!She also canot be turned out alone.Any sugestions on how I can get her over this?She is the top herd mare.
Posted 2006-09-23 4:20 PM (#48999 - in reply to #48997) Subject: RE: horse doesn't want to be left alone
Expert
Posts: 1283 Location: Home of Wild Turkey Whiskey
she needs to get over this by being left alone, let her spin, hollar and not eat or drink. Then she will be fine, you are the one giving her the relief she seeks by going to get her.
Posted 2006-09-24 1:58 PM (#49040 - in reply to #48997) Subject: RE: horse doesn't want to be left alone
Location: KY
If her mind is locked up, she will not learn. You might try putting a goat or a cat in with her. And, my personal favorite remedy is to feed lots of vitamin B1, the kind for humans, cheap at your local discount store.
Posted 2006-09-24 4:36 PM (#49047 - in reply to #48997) Subject: RE: horse doesn't want to be left alone
Expert
Posts: 2828 Location: Southern New Mexico
If you decide to try a companion animal, don't just put it in her stall. She may freak and hurt herself or attack it. Try them together in an open area first and if she is ok watch closely in her stall or pen. Some animals are very agressive to strange animals in their space.
Posted 2006-09-25 12:15 AM (#49065 - in reply to #48997) Subject: RE: horse doesn't want to be left alone
Member
Posts: 16
Location: Boaz,Ky
Why/when is she alone? You said she was boss mare,so you have other horses?
We go thru this every year when we wean our foals.We now,keep the mommas up and turn the little kids out with the herd( they have run with them all their short life.) And after a day or two,the mares settle down. We have also had to keep a horse up due to injury and they are not happy campers.But after a bit,they relax and acccept it. If your mare is left alone ,due to others being ridden or what ever,it is hard to watch.Horses being the herd /social animals don't like being alone,but as many a single horse owner can testify,they can cope.As several others have stated,just make sure her stall is safe and check on her .She will get better.
Posted 2006-09-25 4:28 AM (#49070 - in reply to #48997) Subject: RE: horse doesn't want to be left alone
Expert
Posts: 1205 Location: Danielsville Georgia
Hih line between two trees works good.Leave all day.Let them paw to China and move high line and do it somemore.Or stall or paddock etc.Break her to hobble and tie in the stall or highline with hobb;es on.Takes the fizz out of them.Lots of ways to do it.Take her in the round pen and work her and then the above.
Posted 2006-09-25 6:50 AM (#49073 - in reply to #48997) Subject: RE: horse doesn't want to be left alone
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 301 Location: Catoctin Mtn, Maryland
Was just wondering why she is being kept from the rest of the herd? Is this going to be permanent thing? If she's use to being top banana it's going to be tough going for her and you.
FYI: Keep "ulcers" in the forefront of your mind. It's more common than you think. Stress is the main cause. In my own personal experience, it seems that the symptoms can be similar to a horse with colic, not the rolling, but off feed, lethargic, pooping, but not as often........I've had 2 horses with this problem. One had ulcers from being seperated from it's mamma and another adult gelding had ulcer like symptoms also from being seperated from the herd. But in both cases it didn't happen overnight. In my cases it took several days to almost 2 weeks before real symptoms showed.
Posted 2006-09-25 2:55 PM (#49100 - in reply to #48997) Subject: RE: horse doesn't want to be left alone
Veteran
Posts: 225 Location: Urbana,MD
I have 3 horses ...all mares,and one is the daughter of the mare that has always givin me the problem.The problem mare had a tendon injury last year ,and the vet wanted her to stay stalled.I kept her in one night,and not once did she settle.She didn't eat or drink all night.So I ended up turning her out in a small lot with a pony I was borrowing.That did work.But now the pony is gone,and she is sound,but If I take the other 2 horses away for a ride she has a fit.Also if I turn the other 2 out and cross tie her to ride she has a fit the whole time.
The strange thing is when I weaned her foal...which I did through the fence line ...she could care less about her foal.
My other mare is a little funny about being left also ,but not as bad.The only horse that doesn't care is my filly.Maybe cause she is part draft.She must of gotten the draft brain!
Posted 2006-09-25 4:01 PM (#49105 - in reply to #49100) Subject: RE: horse doesn't want to be left alone
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 301 Location: Catoctin Mtn, Maryland
Ya see,,,,,,,,,this is just another reason why alot of us nutty horse people own so many gosh darned horses. You can't just own "THREE".........look at the problems it causes. You gotta have "FOUR" if your going to take out TWO to go trailriding. If you take out "THREE" to go riding, you gotta own "FIVE" and so on and so on ...................
Posted 2006-09-25 5:04 PM (#49109 - in reply to #48997) Subject: RE: horse doesn't want to be left alone
Expert
Posts: 1205 Location: Danielsville Georgia
To me it dosen't matter why she is seperated.Put her in a stall,let her throw a fit.She needs to get hooked on YOU.Few times a day take her out,walk and hand graze her away from another horse and put her back up.She'll come tp LIKE you after a week or so.I just did one I was selling(been a broodmare 14 years) and even started her BACK under saddle(thought she had died and gone to hell) She is 18 and never has been away from a group in I bet 14 years.She raised a stink for a while.Open stall door and get RUN OVER if not careful.Anyhow she came around(took a while) I sold her to a older gal doing 4h in south Ga. as a GREEN trail mount.
Posted 2006-09-26 12:31 AM (#49124 - in reply to #49109) Subject: RE: horse doesn't want to be left alone
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 385 Location: washington
I agree that you have to let her work it out in a safe place. My horse hates it if the other horses are taken without him. He will stand with his front feet planted and buck with both hind feet, like he's a rodeo bronc - it's a full blown tantrum. But, whatcha gonna do? He has to figure it out. I'd leave her with food, water and if not a buddy (dog, cat, goat, etc) or maybe the barn lights on and some music from a radio or something. Or, like hounddog mentioned, some hard work followed by a nice cool down and rub down before putting her in the stall. Give her something else to expend her energy on before stalling her. Tired legs and wet blankets make for really good horses :)
Posted 2006-09-26 7:02 PM (#49161 - in reply to #48997) Subject: RE: horse doesn't want to be left alone
Veteran
Posts: 225 Location: Urbana,MD
Luckily I have a really nice horse neighbor....who has said that I can bring her over while the others are away.Sounds good to me,but it really doesn't teach her how to be alone
Posted 2006-09-26 7:22 PM (#49164 - in reply to #49161) Subject: RE: horse doesn't want to be left alone
Expert
Posts: 2828 Location: Southern New Mexico
I wouldn't take her over. She needs to learn how to handle this and if she hurts one of your neighbours horses or tears something up you will be responsible. Leave her in her stall. She will eat when she get hungry and will settle down.
Posted 2006-09-26 10:26 PM (#49175 - in reply to #48997) Subject: RE: horse doesn't want to be left alone
Location: KY
Hi Terri: the B1 helps the body process feeds; and sometimes the sugars in feed aggravate a horse's disposition. High sugar can give a horse the out of control fidgets just like a sugar high in a child. When stalling a horse for separation purposes, it may be best to go with a good grass hay, salt block and water for a few days. A whole lot of problems can be worsened by diet.
Another point on the feeds is the high oil content of senior feeds and feeds for performance horses. The fat gives the animal controlled engery instead of the burst of sugar or carbs.
B1 is also a water soluble vitamin; it is not stored in the tissues; any that is not used by the body is flushed out in urine. It may help calm the horse or it may not. But the beauty of it is, that it will do no harm.
Posted 2006-09-27 6:41 AM (#49195 - in reply to #48997) Subject: RE: horse doesn't want to be left alone
Expert
Posts: 1205 Location: Danielsville Georgia
You mean folks letting them get away with such? trainers,ranchers and others don't worry much about such issues.They seperate them.Work them etc.B1,feeds and all that, just put her up,tie her out,tie her in the stall.Give her some hay and water,let her get over it.Several I had come here to get bred last year did the same such behavior.Biggest thing that gets to me is the mess they make of a stall.Poop and some is loose(nerves) everywhere and all walked into a mess.Can usually tell,the trailer pulls in with frantic hollering you can hear from the road.I ask folks if possable to get them off pasture/buddys a week or so before showing up.Most do not.My neighbor hauls part time.Goes to pick up a 2 or 3 year olds thats not even halter broke and of course never been trailered or gone anywhere.Yet the owners knew weeks in advance it was being shipped.Maybe they need goats instead of horses.
Posted 2006-09-27 7:12 AM (#49197 - in reply to #48997) Subject: RE: horse doesn't want to be left alone
Veteran
Posts: 143 Location: southeast U.S.A.
Purchased 4 of the five horses that we own at different times and each didn't even have a clue what a halter was,let alone loading.2 of these were 3 years old by the way and one of them had never seen a bowl of sweet feed from the way that she backed away from it when put on the ground. Have had pretty good luck with training each to ride but still have buddy soured horses after all these years! Sure would be nice if people that are raising these animals would at least pat them on the nose every now and then or something to in the least demesticate them from the wild state that they are in. I seriously dought that mustangs would have been much more wild than these where to start with! I know!,I know!,I should have bought some much more tamed but there seemed to be such a great challange to these.What was I thinking! But seriously they are good horses(now) and I wouldn't trade them for anything......sept maybe a boat, motorcycle,land,money,etc.ect....Just kidding!
horse doesn't want to be left alone
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