[Alley]

Hello,
I'm having issues with my mare and separation anxiety from me when away from her herd.
First off I got her a few years ago and this mare has come so far in this time from a over the top anxiety herd bound junkie to such a wonderful calm and relaxed girl.
It was almost dangerous when we first got her and a horse would leave the barn or arena. The steps I took that worked best were:
1. Simple ground work around horses of keeping her out of my space, how to move her body around with no pressure and learning to back up when I tapped her chest with the end of the lead rope. Once she understood that we moved to set 2.
2. In the barn or arena when a horse left her first instinct was to shoot forward towards the door. With a rope halter I would use my 'space' to move her back to where she was standing and if she didn't respond I used the end of the lead rope to tap her chest and move her. Once there and calm an stop in my pushing her back and relax. Once she adventually got to the point of doing things such has keeping her head low, licking and chewing she would get lots of praise and rubs. This was no over night success, but lots of practice and consistency.
3. Once we got step 2 down we moved to me being on her. Same thing as when a horse left the arena the high head and prance would start. I would halt her and relax (Slack in rein, keep my seat and body relaxed). If she started to prance away I would use the aids to get her back in her place and relax again.

She did really well with this and now horses can come and go without her noticing.
I hope by explaining all this that someone can get a feel for either what seems to work for her, what's been done or where I might have missed something.

Now the problem...
In my old barn barn, arena and all that was attached. I could tie her or put her in the cross tie and she would stand, but if I left she would watch me like a hawk with her head up. This would even take place when the barn was busy with the hussle and bussle of other horses and riders.
If I left her eye sight the pawing, swinging her hind end around back and forth and anxiety signs would start.

Now at my new barn we have to tack up outside and to tie her and walk away out of site she gets her anxiety going.
Now I don't completely leave her tied up, but to set away to grab a broome quickly causes her to act up. Even now if I just walk away to the poop pile about 25 meters from her where she has total site of me she is acting up. When tacking I have to make sure absolutely everything is there because I can't leave. God help us if she poops and I need to go find a wheel barrel!

Can anyone give me some ideas and pointers on how to work with her on this? Is she not confident in me? Or just not confident with herself being alone?
She loves ground work so anything that involves this would be great.

Thanks,

Alley

 

[Dreamcatcher Arabians]

Tie her to a 'patience pole' or some other really well fixed object and leave her there until she learns to calm herself down. She's holding you 'hostage'.

 

[lilruffian]

Many different methods could work here, depending on the individual horse.
First, you must make sure that she is completely calm when you tie her. Work her on the ground first, get her licking & chewing and lowering her head. Make sure that she will stand untied while you walk around her and not be all twitchy. If she's twitchy & alert when you tie her up, it is only going to get worse.. best thing I could suggest is to make sure she is good and calm or good and tired before tying and leaving her. This will take time, like everything else but eventually she will know that tying means relaxation. You could do this on the ground, or from the saddle, but make sure she is good and tired and wants to stop. Then tie her up and walk away. Come back and work her again, then tie and leave.
A patience pole might work, or it might make things worse, all depends on the horse. But the good thing is that there is a 50/50 chance of it going either way, and if one way doesn't work, just try another.
Or you can do the pressure & release method of walking away and coming back repeatedly, making each retreat a little longer until you can go out of sight. But don't come back when she gets upset, only come back when she stops and stands. Be sure that you have a good halter & lead on her, that she is tied with a quick-release knot and there is nothing for her to get her feet tangled in.

 

[Dustbunny]

What does/would she do if you walked out of sight but someone else was still standing there? Curious as to if the issue is being alone or without you. What does she do alone in a trailer?
It sounds like you have come long way with her.

 

[Smilie]

Tie her up, alone, regularly, and she will improve. For me, that is a basic training skill I always taught all my hroses
If a horse is only okay tied, while you are there, or another horse is, then taht horse really doe snot tie, and the purpose of being able to tie a horse in the first place, is so you can leave him tied up, at least in his comfort zone, alone.
if the horse gives to pressure , 100%, then pick a safe place and make tying that horse part of a daily routine
I have yet to have met a horse that does not get better, learn to accept being tied, if they are tied as a part of their training program, left tied, until they are standing there quietly.
It is nice to have a horse transfer his sense of herd security to you, when either handled or ridden, but that does not mean that you should not teach him to accept being tied up alone
I would not care if it was just me, or if the horse then tranfers that 'need' to any human or not-point being, a horse you can't tie up alone, has a huge hole in training