Discussion on Unusual separation anxiety
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| Author |
Message |
    
KATIE DUNN (Katdunn)
| | Posted on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2002 - 9:49 pm: |   |
My gelding was the only horse for us for about 8 months, then my husband got a mare and they were best buddies. They had a separation problem that has gotten worse. We alternate them from our paddock to a field about a half hour ride away, with three other horses. Now he is more attached to the other mare, who is obviously the boss in the field. Tonight, we brought them all back from the field to our neighborhood and his mare went into a paddock across and down the road. He tried to rear up when they left and, even though he came back with my husband's mare, when unsaddled, ran at high speed through the paddock for an hour. At one point, before turning on the fence, he ran into the wire fence gate. If I take him for a ride, should I ride past the other mare and back and forth? I am worried that it will only make him more agitated when he can't go back with them. Meanwhile, our 3 year old mare just stands and watches with astonishment. I am thinking that I should do some heavy lounging with him, while near the others and let him get good and tired before taking him away. |
Holly Edwards (Hwood)
| | Posted on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2002 - 10:15 pm: | |
Katie,
One successful technique is to ride away, then toward the mare, going farther away each time. You could ride away in any direction, being sure to always come back just before your horse starts to pull you back or rear. It may take hundreds or thousands of times, but as long as you keep your focus, your horse will eventually get it. It doesn't have to be done all in a day. The psychology behind it is that the horse realizes that he isn't being taken away from his friend forever, but will get to see her after he goes away for increasingly longer periods. Also, the horse will start to relax after he has walked away and then gone back again hundreds of times and will realize that it's not a big deal to leave his friends because they will always be there and he will always come back.
Holly |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM (Dro)
| | Posted on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2002 - 7:35 am: | |
Lounging might be a good way to help establish better obedience Katie. Holly's suggestion is more appropriate for seperation of 2 horses that live together. I think you will find he will settle down in the next few days or weeks and forget his long distance love. But if you want to turn Holly's suggestion around, riding to the mare getting a little closer each ride and turning around before any serious misbehavior occurs this might keep you from getting in a fight with him while training him obedience.
DrO |
