Hey I am really desperate for some help
My horse is a 17.1hh 8 year old Oldenburg gelding (Three day eventing)and has extreme anxiety issues. He copes with any sort of change or stress by violently pacing in the exact same pattern. He gets tons of excercise (6 days a week, dream to ride) but always seems to do this no matter how tired he is. I have owned him for a year now, and he has gotten significantly better but there are certain things that trigger him. A horse walks by, his buddy goes into the barn, he sees horse in a field, he wants something on the other side and he still looses it. He is not alone... he has super gentle older horses stabled with him( in the same space) and around him.I have put him out in the field but he gets extremly attached to one horse and when a child needs to bring the old horse in my horse becomes dangerous to himself and the child. Otherwise he will pace up and down the field for hours until someone brings him in( to continue to pace inside till that horse is back with him. At competitions he paces in his stall unless the odd time, he is stabled in the middle of horses that are touchable on all sides then he is calm. I have tried barrels in the way and he will jump them to continue his pattern. Its almost like a stance and as soon as something blocks it he will snap out of it. He is causing so much stress on his joints that they are starting to make cracking noises now My coach doesnt know what to do anymore with him. She suggested maybe hobbles but im sure he would kill himself in those. He only cares for one certain horse, doesnt matter how many other ones are there unless it is that exact one. Im SICK of watching my horse be unhappy in EVERY living condition i put him in! field, in and out paddock, horses in with him, without horses. He becomes dangerous in this state of mind and strikes out and kicks out if you try to claim your space ( I do before i catch him when he is like this) I just want him to be a normal horse. ugh any suggestions?
My horse is a 17.1hh 8 year old Oldenburg gelding (Three day eventing)and has extreme anxiety issues. He copes with any sort of change or stress by violently pacing in the exact same pattern. He gets tons of excercise (6 days a week, dream to ride) but always seems to do this no matter how tired he is. I have owned him for a year now, and he has gotten significantly better but there are certain things that trigger him. A horse walks by, his buddy goes into the barn, he sees horse in a field, he wants something on the other side and he still looses it. He is not alone... he has super gentle older horses stabled with him( in the same space) and around him.I have put him out in the field but he gets extremly attached to one horse and when a child needs to bring the old horse in my horse becomes dangerous to himself and the child. Otherwise he will pace up and down the field for hours until someone brings him in( to continue to pace inside till that horse is back with him. At competitions he paces in his stall unless the odd time, he is stabled in the middle of horses that are touchable on all sides then he is calm. I have tried barrels in the way and he will jump them to continue his pattern. Its almost like a stance and as soon as something blocks it he will snap out of it. He is causing so much stress on his joints that they are starting to make cracking noises now My coach doesnt know what to do anymore with him. She suggested maybe hobbles but im sure he would kill himself in those. He only cares for one certain horse, doesnt matter how many other ones are there unless it is that exact one. Im SICK of watching my horse be unhappy in EVERY living condition i put him in! field, in and out paddock, horses in with him, without horses. He becomes dangerous in this state of mind and strikes out and kicks out if you try to claim your space ( I do before i catch him when he is like this) I just want him to be a normal horse. ugh any suggestions?