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Post by Sophie on Jul 26, 2014 21:37:29 GMT 1
I'm moving house next month & not had a huge amount of luck finding a yard closer to home. I went to view a yard today & I can see us being happy there (although it's a big change from where we currently are) & it ticks most boxes, but Pete would routinely be left as the only horse on the yard - as the YO would take her two out competing/riding together leaving P behind.
Does anyone have any experience of doing this with 1 horse & is it an issue? Or is it something I'm expecting to be an issue, but won't be at all?!
At his current yard, horses in his block come & go & he's come in when his block is empty or been the last to turn out - but this is obviously different to loading up the two other horses & him being left totally on his own ...
I'm not at all sure how I feel about it?!
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Post by antares on Jul 26, 2014 22:08:01 GMT 1
I have been in this situation myself a couple of times and in all honesty it's not a position I would want to be in again.
The first time was when I had two horses at home, one was always left while I took the other out - it was always my retired boy left behind and I really think this contributed to his rather severe separation anxiety in his latter years. I then ended up getting a young horse and all was fine as I only ever took one out at a time. Then my aged horse became ill and then was PTS and I was left with 2 again - I didn't want my young horse to end up with separation issues so I bought 2 Shetlands so that I knew nobody would be left alone!
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Post by clipclop on Jul 26, 2014 23:22:31 GMT 1
It really does depend on the horse - I had a youngster who at 2 years old onwards was regularly left and even for weekends whilst I was away competing and was always fine, being happy to lie down on her own in the field etc.
However, in my current herd, whilst each of them can happily be taken away from the others alone, none of them would be left behind.
Sent from my GT-I9195 using proboards
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Post by Sophie on Jul 26, 2014 23:32:20 GMT 1
I'm not sure, which he'd be?!
He lived on the New Forest until he was 5.
Since I've owned him he has done small group/pair turnout before & was fine at being left if his pair went in, providing there were other horses about.
He's been on herd turn out for the last 2 years, so has never been left out on his own. When he was recovering from laminitis this summer, he did do a couple of hours turned out on his own - but there were still horses on site in their stables & he knew that.
I'm not sure how different having the only other two other horses being loaded up, with him left behind & him not being able to see, hear or sense another horse would be to him.
I think, he'd either not care less as long as he had food or, from 5 years of living wild, where being on your own = lion's dinner, he'd freak. I've just no idea which?!
Finding Pete a new home is proving harder than finding my new home was!
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Post by janwilky on Jul 27, 2014 7:22:10 GMT 1
It does depend on the horse. Out of my three, only Coco (retired companion) can be left on his own even for short periods. He can even be left for longer on occasion, as once or twice I've taken Lucas and Bambi out together to training days and even overnight once and Coco's been OK - he calls out a bit at first, but as long as he has a big pile of hay or a new bit of grass he doesn't mind too much. Lucas and Bambi are both really stressy if left alone in the field even for a few minutes, to the point where I worry they might hurt themselves or jump out of the field. Lucas would probably get used to it with time and incremental training but I suspect Bambi wouldn't. As Pete has had laminitis in the past and is presumably on limited grazing, could you get a small pony as a companion? A friend of mine has done that, she got the sweetest little Falabella x mini Shetland from the RSPCA and he's a fabulous companion and very cheap to keep. You'd have to make sure it could be left alone while you ride of course.....  |
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Post by rosemaryhannah on Jul 27, 2014 7:25:31 GMT 1
All of mine are fine on their own - I have four and in the past, it was common for three to be out and one left. They knew their companions would be back at the end of the day.
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Post by kafee on Jul 27, 2014 7:51:53 GMT 1
Has Pete ever shown any separation anxiety? You don't mention any. He must have changed companions in the time you've had him, come in first/last, gone out first/last, and left been on his own in the field at some point. If he hasn't, I would think he'll be OK, although changing yards is bound to upset him at first.
Would you be able to afford to keep another small pony as company? There are plenty of small ponies in rescues waiting for homes, (and Tor is looking for a new home!)
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2014 9:57:37 GMT 1
Like others have said it very much depends on the horse. Henry always tolerated being left while I rode Talin, although he was never exactly pleased, as long as he had food he coped fine.
Talin on the other hand doesn't even cope if Henry is lead to the field gate without him!
I had Talin on individual turnout before I got Henry and even though he could see the other horses he was never truly relaxed and content in that situation and would be beside himself if the others went in without him. It was only after I got Henry that I realised that it had led to a lot of issues in his behaviour and handling in all areas - not just when he was away from the others so personally I would always now try to avoid putting a horse in that position unless I already knew they cope fine with it.
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Post by jacksmum on Jul 27, 2014 10:43:51 GMT 1
I'd look upon it as a chance to get him used to being on his own. I have 2 at home and have had real separation anxiety problems which, hopefully, we've now cracked but if I'd have known at the start how difficult it would be I'd have definitely got them used to being on their own earlier.
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Post by portiabuzz on Jul 28, 2014 9:17:07 GMT 1
Not something i would want again, because Casper got so upset and ill being on his own  |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2014 10:21:48 GMT 1
See, to me it's normal and totally understandable for horses to be worried at being left alone and I don't think it's something we should expect of them. Having seen my own horse fence galloping screaming and shaking and then (according to the others on my yard) seeing him "settle down" was IMO nothing more than him swapping from running around terrified to standing still terrified. He didn't feel any less distressed by being made to get used to it, he just realised that I was being too stupid or unsympathetic to respond. The other liveries thought him ceasing all the extroverted stuff meant he was now fine with it and they were so very wrong.
Separation anxiety shown at a horse being removed when the remaining horse has other company is quite different IMO.
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Post by antares on Jul 28, 2014 10:46:51 GMT 1
See, to me it's normal and totally understandable for horses to be worried at being left alone and I don't think it's something we should expect of them. Having seen my own horse fence galloping screaming and shaking and then (according to the others on my yard) seeing him "settle down" was IMO nothing more than him swapping from running around terrified to standing still terrified. He didn't feel any less distressed by being made to get used to it, he just realised that I was being too stupid or unsympathetic to respond. The other liveries thought him ceasing all the extroverted stuff meant he was now fine with it and they were so very wrong. Separation anxiety shown at a horse being removed when the remaining horse has other company is quite different IMO. This - totally agree with Michelle. I wouldn't expect my horse to deal with it, not really fair. Sometimes it cannot be helped, another horse being pts or needing emergency treatment or something but I wouldn't knowingly put my horse in a situation where being alone was going to be a regular thing. I have learnt from my previous experiences |
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Post by lizpurlo on Jul 28, 2014 11:30:43 GMT 1
RH's post shows that it can be done with a settled herd at home and regular goings out and in. But it's not going to be nearly so straightforward on a livery yard, I wouldn't think, with a changing population and unexpected happenings over which you have no control.
I have one who has always been fine about being left, but I've never asked any of the others to do so - which is why I've ended up with four! When I rented a field for two, I used to borrow a yearling for the summer months so that I could ride out without worrying about my other one.
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Post by Sophie on Jul 28, 2014 23:09:10 GMT 1
I've decided against it.
I was uncomfortable at the time of viewing the yard with the idea - YO strongly believes he'd be fine - and the more I thought about it, the more innately wrong it seemed going against his natural instincts, despite most people agreeing with the potential new YO.
It is a shame, as I knew the YO and I think we would have gotten on really well & she was keen to have us both, plus it's closer to my new home and I'd have saved over £100/150 a month ... He might have been fine, but it was too big a chance for me to take, especially as he's so happy & settled at his yard currently in his herd, with oodles of company & the chance to just be a pony doing what pony's do.
Ce La Vie, we'll find somewhere, I'm sure!
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Post by portiabuzz on Jul 29, 2014 12:01:38 GMT 1
good for you going with your gut  |
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