Shire power!

[arcane]

hello. I have a very insecure 4 and a half year old at 17 hh! ??? He is pair bonded exceptionally well and has learned to break out at every available opportunity and happily nibbles electric fencing posts and wonders through the wire if it does not tick! Now despite constant wreckage he is forgiving, friendly and a perfect obedience champ - follows you every where! i got him broken professionally and in a group of horses he is confident, relaxed and could be hacked out alone. This last year, causing the aforementioned, he has been away to the vets twice and each time comes back an anxious wreck only wanting his pair bond. Is it possible to restore his confidence about being alone? he just doesn't eat, sweats up and stares at nothing. Otherwise I fear the consequences of his insecurity and believe selling him to a home among several other animals maybe my only option to prevent him becoming an unpredictable powerhouse. I love him but our ridden work is already turning to his advantage :o and my instructor can get good results from him. Any ideas would be very much appreciated.

[rosiesfriend]

My horse loves to chew wood.... ex race horse vice I am told. Does it in the paddock, and wherever else she can sink her teeth into some nice post.

Apparently she ate through the bottom of a post one day, and the wind blew, and it fell over!

Anyway... the point of this is that I've started using Stockholm Tar, and she won't touch posts with it on it!!!

May not help with your's if his desire to be free outweighs the foul tast in his mouth! But worth a try I recon, as its not all that pricey. and apparently it works on cuts too!

[Jen]

Have you tried using a high voltage electric fencing unit. I know a friend brings his cattle one when we go to shows and we stay over night as I am paranoid my chap will get out and cause havock in the night!


Or like I used to at home with my normal electric fence unit - clip their chest out if particually hairy, so they can feel the shock!

[arcane]

Hi, thankyou for your advice on the stockholm tar - we had a hunter the habitually chewed but he came with it - if they get into the habit of doing it, its self reinforcing - like chewing your nails! To be fair to my shire - it;s not the fence twanging and wondering through wire that gets me - it's the fact i cannot seem to get him adjusted to being alone. being fair, generally now he does stay in the field now when i ride the pony out. But when i ride he tries to canter towards him, always listens for him and generally really needs firm focus to listen and pay attention! and the breaking out of stable! got a new lead rope but it's a horrid colour so don't mind if he snaps that one!

[rosiesfriend]

I wish I could say something helpful there - but I don't know enough - and I imagine what ever the fix it will be a long term one, rather than a simple one!

My girl is very horse focused - but has been paddock-mate-less for most of her life. I'm working on my ground work skills, first undisturbed, and then when she is a little distracted by nearby nags (friends/unknowns it dosent seem to matter!) I go through some actions that demand attention (backing and the rest). I'll let you know how we go.

I'm looking forward to someone in the know putting up a usefull post on this thread - as what ever helps you will help me too!

[Jen]

If it is a stress type of worry, could you try a Homeopathic remedy...?

[lovelylace]

the problem basically seems to be that he is very insecure without his friend...
can i ask a few questions?

is he in the field with just one horse or is he in a herd?

has he had any prolonged periods of isolation, ie perhaps box rest when all the other horses are out?

what are the ridden problems that you mention, what does he do?

I have a mare that is very insecure without her friends, or indeed any other horses...she is very horse orientated.
I have started having a mixed herd so that I can break up the pair bond slightly, and i will advance to having her in her own field for a small period of time but so that she can see other horses...and then increase the periods she is turned out on her own...but trying to keep it short and frequent so that she hopefully learns that the company will come back, and she wont be hurt if alone.
Also i try to build up her confidence in other areas, loading practise, hacking out on her own etc and hopefully she will gain confidence being without her friend.

your lad is still relatively young, so you need to build up his own confidence and perhaps turn him out wioth a mixed group of horses that sort of come and go independently so that he breaks up his dependance on one particular horse

[arcane]

Hello, thankyou for all your comments, in relation to groundwork we do a bit of that going for walks and practising etc. I hope your work pays off, ours has to an extent!

there is only the shire and my pony in a field. he has only ever been on complete box rest for 24 hours! I believe he is insecure but when he goes out he is very forward going and wants to see it all! I don't take him far as his training is dire! we had a professional trainer break him but with 6 months off and two visits to the vets without his friend - he has not had much ridden work - and with my overly soft or strong hands - he is understandably defensive and i dont settle into a contact with him easily. He has learnt to charge forward, i can't decide if its when he sees my legs when his ears flick back or if it's me clamping on tension. when he panicks that is when he tries to seek comfort towards my pony. On the insecurity thing, when he went to the vets they said he was fine - but he was eyes where every and not 'normal' fine. when he came back he was like a shadow, shouty and took ages to settle. we both have a long way to go, it sounds like you have a good idea there regarding separation gradually.