claire
Intermediate Poster
Posts: 207
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Post by claire on Dec 24, 2005 17:08:20 GMT 1
I am after some advise about Midas. I brought him in September, he is a cob x tb type. 10 year old 15h 3. I have a few issues with him but the main problem is food!
I think, he thinks he will never eat again. He is used to 40 horses, as he lived at a stud farm. He has started kicking Yogi (TB x) and pushes him out of the way to get at his feed. Midas eats fast and is a good doer and Yogi eats slow and is a poor doer. I have been seperating them at feed time but Midas has learnt electric fences are weak! and this is not an ideal solution, so I have to stand and praise and correct him. I thought he was getting better until he pushed my husband over this morning.
They leave out 24/7. How can I teach him??
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Post by thistle on Dec 24, 2005 18:41:20 GMT 1
Give him loads of chaff to slow him down.
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Post by mellymoo on Dec 25, 2005 2:44:35 GMT 1
Can you take Yogi out the field ot eat? Mine is a good doer, so if the others in the herd are getting food they have to coem out to eat.
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anon
Grand Prix Poster
Posts: 1,014
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Post by anon on Dec 25, 2005 10:08:31 GMT 1
Out them in stables to eat grup
double electric fence
headcollar and hold them
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pip
Grand Prix Poster
Posts: 3,797
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Post by pip on Dec 25, 2005 21:55:41 GMT 1
Bring the slow eater out of the field and stand with him until he has finished.
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kermie
Advanced Poster
Fanatical about Fells
Posts: 339
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Post by kermie on Dec 26, 2005 0:08:35 GMT 1
I feed 7 ponies in the field every day but I tie up the bolshy/quick eaters so that the others can eat in peace.
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anon
Grand Prix Poster
Posts: 1,014
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Post by anon on Dec 26, 2005 8:20:19 GMT 1
Yes - you CAN feed horses together - sometimes.
Depends on how they behave.
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nimrod
Elementary Poster
My mare!
Posts: 76
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Post by nimrod on Dec 26, 2005 16:11:57 GMT 1
i find my mare needs to be in a routine and bringing her out the field to feed helps her to be more manageable. the discipline of being caught and tied up!!
i would separate, feed more chaff too.
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Post by clairabel on Dec 26, 2005 19:31:39 GMT 1
Thank you for the replys.
I must say that I have tried all your ideas, so I feel glad that I am not as stupid as I feel at the moment.
Midas knocked my husband over today and kicked Yogi.
It is a hard discision to be forced with but I have decided to return him or sell him to a better home.
I brought him as a confidance giver. I read on all the forums that horses are pleasure. I have enough stress in my life without fighting with an aggressive feeder and I have to think of Yogi.
I am really upset as I really love him but I don't want to lose my love for horses.
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Post by jor on Dec 26, 2005 22:50:57 GMT 1
Hang on, surely this can be solved by tying up the bolshy/aggressive eater whilst he eats?? If you have a fence post, put some baling twine round it and tie him to it and leave him alone. If you then take your other horse OUT of the field to eat you will have no problems.
Seems very strange to sell a horse because he is aggressive to another whilst eating? Its very common.
I have a dominant mare in my field who will push all the others off thier feeds, all i do is tie her up to eat her feed and then untie her once everyone else has finnished. Simple!
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Post by kas on Dec 27, 2005 16:14:07 GMT 1
Did he knock your husband over and kick Yogi at feedtime or not? If this feedtime thing is the only problem you have with him then I wouldn't sell him. Many horses develop some sort of challenging behaviour when they move home, but it can be a lot worse than this. You could sell Midas, get another and go out the frying pan into the fire. If however he isn't the confidence giver you need in other ways, like riding and general handling then maybe it wouldn't be the end of the world to find him a new home. It's quite possible that with a confident owner and a different management routine he could be fine. Just write down all his good points and bad points on a piece of paper before you commit yourself.
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varkie
Grand Prix Poster
Grand Prix Poster
Posts: 4,913
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Post by varkie on Dec 27, 2005 19:21:38 GMT 1
Agree with KAS here. If his only problem is at feed time, it seems a little extreme to return him. If however he has other issues, then he obviously isn't the confidance giver you wanted.
I have a number of horses, and I have made it policy to NEVER feed them in the field. They are nice horses, but the majority of horses will get competitive to some extent when food is involved, and I just don't want the hassle. The only feed they get in the field is hay, and I normally put that out either when they are in, and then turn them out, or I throw hay across the fence into many piles, as otherwise there tends to be safety issues for both me & them. And these are sweet horses, with no particular issues, but food in the field does bring out the worst in them.
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