Hi all,
My pony has separation isses with another horse she has lived with for about 10 years. If you try and separate them then they both go absolutely crazy!
So my friend suggested putting my pony in the stable and leading the other one away. I was a bit uncomfortable with this but she insisted that it would be fine. So we put her in the stable and, in short, we took the other horse about 10 feet away. My pony could still see her friend but she was still distressed. We halted the other horse about 10 feet away and thought that as my pony saw that she wouldn't get separated any further, would then settle down a bit. She didn't. She cleared her 4foot stable door. She didn't hurt her self (thank the Lord) but now I am really stuck on suggestions as to how to separate them at all. I clearly didn't realise just how deep the bond was!
Please don't judge what I did, I know now that it was a bad idea but we're all allowed to make mistakes and I have learned something from it!
Thanks,
Abi
← back
My Join-Up® Experience
Ahhh! Jumping out of stable!
Rewards
Subscribe to Equus Online University and become a part of Monty's worldwide mission to leave the world a better place for horses and for people too.
Students automatically gain access to special rewards, such as exclusive discounts at the Monty Roberts Online Shop. Visit Monty Roberts Online Shop.
Hi Abi
We're not here to judge you, you gave it a try, it didnt work and you're willing to try something else, what more could anyone ask of you :-) I think you had the basis of the right idea its maybe the implementation that needs refining. I'm sure you will get many ideas but, to be going on with ....
1. See if you can introduce a 'third party' - doesnt have to be a horse, can be any other animal that they get on with (Monty in his book talks about parrots and sheep being companions!)
2. Continue with the incremental seperation but NOT in a stable for now, you don't want him learning to jump out again and develop a self reinforcing behaviour so just walk them out in hand and gradually increase the distance between them (its going to be a long process!)
3. As the distance becomes more comfortable start to have them out of sight of each other for VERY brief moments to start with and again gradually increase
If you have found a companion/third party keep this (whatever it is) with the one thats got sepearation issues so that when the other pony goes away the companion stays
Good luck, Im looking forward to seeing others ideas as well as Im sure there will be many
Oh Abi how could we judge you when you were trying to solve a problem like this? We all go through these types of situations no matter how much experience we have as our horses are so unpredictable. It is just so fortunate that your pony didn't hurt herself while jumping over the door. Who could have predicted that? Not me nor you so don't feel bad about it. Recently Tricka hit her knee on a nail. It was very scary as her knee joint blew up like her mother Pie's did and I was terrified that I was going to have another lame horse for life. I had to keep Tricka confined for two weeks while she was on antibiotics and bute. What a job that was as she was so naughty when yarded. I had to constantly make sure both my QH and my shetland were right next to her. I fed her far too much as that was the only way I could keep her quiet. At one stage she reared up and managed to catch her other front leg between the gate and the post of the small yard. It was so lucky that I was right there and was able to release her but how easily do accidents happen. After that I lashed the gate tightly to the post so it couldn't happen again. Now three weeks on it looks as if Tricka will make a full recovery. She is back out in the paddock with her mates and I can breath again. Next week I will try riding her.
Hi,
Thanks for your ideas :)
Im glad that Tricka is ok now :) and thankyou for both being so understanding!
I will definitely try those idea's of yours Vicci :) It will take a long while but i hope that one day i will be able to come on here and put a post up saying 'success! Misty and Babe separated!' (Misty is my pony, the one that jumped out and Babe is the other pony)
Thanks again for your advice :)
Abi x
Viccihh's advice as usual is great. My quarter horse gets very upset when I take Tricka out but my shetland now stays in the adjacent yard and that has helped him a bit although he still stresses. So a third party may help and incrmental separation periods but it will take time and patience when they are this attached.