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separation anxiety PLEASE HELP

3K views 9 replies 6 participants last post by  Flying B 
#1 ·
thanks
 
#2 ·
Well, i think i'm not the only one then cause just tonight, my horse went through the electric fence cables after i put the 2 other horses into the stable... he is just a charm when the others are around BUT as soon as they leave... that's it, he start to go wild and since i had to separate them cause this horse is new to me (it's only 3 weeks i have it), he started to go impatient and very anxious and you can see him running and jumping etc. etc. and i was almost at HALF of all the elctric fence cable door (that separated him with the others) and he decides to go trough it. I got really hurt at my hand since the cable was stock in my hand and he pulled all the connectors from the posts and he broke the cable at several places.

So guys, what can i do to fix this problem? i cannot continue having this horse like this cause he is too dangerous and i was thinking of selling him or giving him to somebody that will leave him loose with other horses...

Thanks

William!
 
#4 ·
Wow, I'm sorry for the trouble you both are having. I have never had one that extreme in that way. But, you're right about herd behavior being natural. The only thought I can come up with is to spend alot of time with the horse in the pasture. Go out there with a bag of carrots (but watch your safety if the horses are pushy, you might keep a fence between you until you're sure) or a brush and hang out with the herd until your horse sees you as one of them. Then maybe he/she will be more comfortable with you because you are part of the herd. Just a thought, I have never dealt with this particular issue myself! Good luck to you both!
 
#5 ·
This is natural herd behavior for horses. The reason she is so "herd sweet" is because she doesn't feel safe with you. Plain and simple. It's not something we want to hear, but it's something we NEED to hear. My horse used to be herd sweet as well, but not anymore. I've worked through that issue with him using Parelli and it's worked wonders.

Basically she is telling you she doesn't want to be with you. The things that are important to horses are safety, comfort, play, and food. They usually go in that order. If you're my horse, food is now number one lol. The herd provides that safety, comfort and play, and we need to do the same so that the horse will choose us over other horses. This takes love, language, and leadership.

This is a very complex issue to write about over the Internet, so I would suggest looking into the Parelli Seven Games. That will not only build trust, but also rapport, respect, and a language that is more natural to the horse. You can go to www.parelli.com and get the Free DVD, or order the Seven Games DVD they have available.
 
#8 ·
I made an account just to reply to this post, because that's exactly how my thoroughbred used to be.

Was she ever raced?

Racehorses are typically treated roughly at the track, don't get chances for form normal herds, et cetera. This leads to long-term mental damage, like your horse is showing, and mine was until recently.

I have an 11-year-old thoroughbred mare, who used to have a similar problem.
I bought her when she was nine, and she would be a nervous wreck whenever separated from the others. She would pace in her stall, and was terrible in crossties, would not stand, and spooked at the tiniest things because she was so worried all of the time.

She will NOT grow out of it, it will only get worse, unless you do something about it.

Parelli helps a lot. Your horse is more interested in the other horses than she is in you, and Parelli can help to change that.

Spending time in the pasture is a really good idea- in fact, it's step one of Parelli's level 1 program. Just go out to the pasture and sit there. Don't touch your horse unless she touches you first. Don't bring carrots, or bushes, just sit out there. Don't make 'eye contact' with the horse either. Just watch her out of the corner of your eye until she is calmer around you, and less worried about the other horses.
 
#10 ·
I get a lot like that what I do is move them in to a pen by themselves and work with them almost every day, it takes time but it can be fixed. You can never take the herd out of a horse but what you have is pretty bad. I have seen horses hate other horses, never with the herd always kicks and bites at feed time.
 
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