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Horse Behavior and Training

Need advice please about buddy sour if that is what I'm experiencing or not

Hello!
Good day. 

I need some advice or tips please.

I ride my horse everywhere alone, I ride to other farms around town, leave him there with friends horses so we can ride out together or if they can't join I drive there and ride him out alone around the areas. I take him everywhere around our community. He has no problem leaving other horses to going out alone with me on new routes or even just our common ones.

My complication comes in here. 
When other friends join us he can't handle being more than 20 meters away from them, in front or behind. He knows every route so it's not unfamiliar territory and when we get back to our base there is no fuss when we leave to ride home, we happily head off like there was never a problem. 

It's literally only while we are out. It's so confusing for me and would appreciate any advice. 

Thank you all in advance. 
 
JoHewittVINTA
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Hi Kimberley & welcome to the Uni. I don't think your horse is sour or bad. I think he's a herd animal who likes the company of his own kind. He's happy to be with you when you are the only option but when there are other horses around, out & about the place, he's choosing their company. That's entirely natural. Cheers, Jo.
Kimberley
Hello!
 Hi Jo

Thank you for your feedback. I really appreciate your response, but today didn't end up that well because we always have one horse that doesn't have a rider. There were 4 horses including mine and 3 riders, we got to a turn around point and the free horse got extremely spooked and galloped off so sudden and unexpectedly so even though I was still with the other 2 horses mine ran away with me trying to find and then keep up with Sam and when Sam saw us he kept going faster. I had zero control, he is completely trained Monty Roberts way but nothing I was trying worked, we were on a thin trail path with low hanging branches and rather muddy in some sections so he needed to see where he was going while I was trying to dodge branches and stay on while he slid around. He has never done anything crazy like that, and what would perhaps cause him to not stay with the 2 and try horse race with one?

JoHewittVINTA
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Hi. To go hacking with a loose horse is irresponsible! He can end up in serious trouble- possibly terminal, so can any of yours, drawn in by 'the terminal' nature of our modern world. Horses are creatures of flight. Some have better brains & act incredibly wonderfully, like my Kirk, who choose,of his own vilification, having been sat on 30 times, chose to ignore his family/ herd who bucked, farted & acted out galloping off in which he would always previously joined in & chose to protect his rider - inexperienced & not instructing Kirk. He did this on two consecutive days! Some horses/ponies have great brains & should be respected for that. Seemingly, some humans have very small brans! Cheers, Jo.