Hey all I have a question for ya's. I am looking for a beginner horse for my partner and I found one the other day I looked at and she is a really nice horse. I'll give some details on her at the end. The owner allowed me to take her for a ride and she did great until...she couldnt see the other horses. Then she started to get very anxious and yelling for her friends in the pasture. Basically, she ignored me and the bit the entire time.
I did some research and was reading where alot of the times the Herd bound issue comes from not feeling safe with the person/animal they are with. If this is the case then could Join Up and some major ground work be a "cure"?
Info on the horse.
Mare
TB
17 years old
She was a track horse for about 3 years then had a few babies and used as mainly a trail horse (which is what she will be used for with my partner.)
Was only ever trained with traditional methods. (Poor thing)
Oh id also like to add that when we do bring her home she wouldn't be without another horse.
This is not a beginner horse Trev, leave it alone - my Dd had a great saying when I was looking for something "Don't worry, where there's one there's another" . TB's if they are ex racers in particular rarely do well on their own as they are used to being part of a string when out training and having others around them (sadly not always in a field but at least in a stable). As a trail horse she probably went out in a group. A beginner rider would find it disconcerting to be on a horse that is calling out and totally disconnected from the rider which makes the rider anxious etc etc. I'm not saying this horse cannot be reeducated but she is 17 years old and raised traditionally, the odds are heavily stacked for future problems. The most important thing is to think about a horse that is 'fit for its intended purpose' - there are much better options out there for a beginner horse. When your partner is confident and more experienced then you can move on to 'project' horses. Hope that helps :-)
Hi Trev,
I'm totally with Vicci, this is not a beginner's horse!
We had several questions about "nappy" horses here on the forum, if you type in "nappy" in the search-area above on this page, you'll find some answers to those questions. This doesn't mean you should solve the problem by yourself, but it might help you in the process of deciding, what could be done to cope with an item like you have on hand.
It really seems too big a task for a beginner, please listen to Vicci's sound advice!
Miriam
I agree with Vicci wholeheartedly, and good horses for novice riders are really quite hard to find! Take your time to find the "right" one. If possible ask the owner if you can come over and " loan it" without taking it off their place for maybe a week so you can get an idea what it's like. A friend of mine offers this to buyers so they can be sure they get on with the horse and it's suitable for them, at least then the horse has a better chance of not being pushed from pillar to post!
Alright thanks guys! I appreciate all the feedback. I will discuss all of this with my partner. Thank You All! :D
Lonely MUSTANG ! I adopted a Mustang at a Mustang Makeover event two months ago. He had a wonderful trainer (4 months of training) only good experiences, he is well behaved, affectionate, very smart. While he was in training he stayed in a box stall only. I did join up with him when I brought him home (in small pasture btw) and it worked great. He follows me around like a dog and loves to hang out. We ride everywhere mostly alone, and he really enjoys going out exploring the world. I ride very day. He is in a pasture by himself next to two other horses and he hangs out mostly by the (electrified)fence where he can see them. I put him in the pasture with the other horses but I could not catch him (normally he walks up to me). When I finally did he was really hard to deal with walking away from the "herd", tacking, riding, etc... So back he went into his own pasture. All was well for several weeks, until today...suddenly I could not get near him and next thing I know he jumps the fence (standard height, no electricity on that side) and goes to the neighbors (they have ponies he is always calling to) and luckily just hangs there, wanting to get in with the ponies. He is back in his pasture. It breaks my heart, I know he is lonely but I feel that, as awful as it sounds, he'll have to get over it. Otherwise he becomes heard bound and intractable. Would love to get some comments, advice. Thank you
Hi. Trev - horse are labelled either hot blooded, warm blooded or cold blooded. Hot blooded horses are thoroughbreds & Arabs. Warm blooded are the sports horse types & cold bloods are gypsy cobs & British native breed ponies. These cold blooded types make the most reliable mounts for inexperienced riders.
Virginia - your horse is not coping alone. He needs a friend. Perhaps an older horses, one who is happy to be handled & seeks out human contact - so your boy can learn from him or her. Possibly, you can borrow a pony from your neighbour. Let us know how you get on. Cheers, Jo.
Hi Jo, thanks for you reply. i am not sure how to start a new post so I added to this one. The two other horses next to him are older, retired, horses who seek and enjoy human contact. The issue when he was with them in the same pasture was that he did not want to leave them and was really hard to catch and handle and ride, constantly calling to them etc... anyhow all is well again. What I ended up doing is riding him daily again (he had a week off for a stone bruise) and leaving him tied up longer time in the stable (under supervision) while I cleaned my tack and did some clean up. Also worked him on the ground making him back up, stay by my shoulder etc... i had let some things slyde a bit....I really feel his issue is more insecurity than anything else. After all he is young and was part of a wild heard only 5 months ago. He seems settled now so I will keep up this routine. I feel he needs to gain confidence to be by himself.
Hi Virginia. I think you've nailed it. The change back to a 'wild life' came too soon for him to appreciate that he can have freedom & friends as well as a relationship with you. Good luck. Cheers, Jo.
Lovely to see the progress Virginia
Thank you both for your comments. We are still doing well also I have just started him on Anicalm an aminoacid/vitamin supplements with many good reviews by horseowners. I hope this will help him not pace the fence between pasture, which he does several times a day, and relax a bit more. I will update you. Meanwhile fyi I found this old post by Monty on this subject....I feel a bit less guilty...
Question: How do you cure a herd bound horse?
Answer: Easy. You separate them…
While that is too simple of an answer, it’s basically what you do.
If your horse panics when his buddy horses leaves the property without him, it is a herd bound horse and needs to be de-bonded.
A horse that goes crazy when its companion(s) are away is a danger to itself, others and property. Separating your horses gives them the opportunity to learn they can survive by themselves. If you have a small property and separation is not possible in your circumstance, you have another option…
Borrow a friend’s horse. Have an agreeable friend “trade” animals with your for a short period of time. You take care of their horse while they take care of yours temporarily. Let your horse spend some time in a different location. Simply shift your horse(s) around for a while. The de-bonding process will occur over a relatively short period of time.
From a safety perspective, it is a necessary thing to do.
~ Monty
this is a reprint from the 2003 Issue 4 Join-Up Journal
Update: Just found out anicalm contains l tryphtophan so will not be using.
Hi Virginia. Drugs are not the way forward, no matter what they contain. Your horse needs to gain trust & confidence not a fuzzy, half baked view of the world. Your obligation is to meet his needs - you're a horse owner! Work with him, not against his instincts - find the way to help him understand. The reward will be fantastic, but you will need to put in effort. Nothing from a tub can give both of you the same safety as cooperation. Good luck. Keep us posted - we're here to help & support your efforts. Cheers, Jo.
Dear Jo thank you for your comment. I agree with you as far as drugs are concerned, however I was willing to try a vitamin supplement until I found out about l tryphtophan (which is actually an amino acid, but controversial for use in horses). Sometime a bit of vitamin B complex, for example, can help with stress. I see in other posts people reccommending Bquiet supplement http://ker.com/products/supplements/BQuietPaste/ and none one objecting, so its a bit confusing.
Meanwhile we are still doing well. I spend several hours daily with him, sometime I just hang in the pasture with him. He is not pacing the fence btw pastures but he won't go in the nice open shed for shade or in t-storms because he cannot see the other 2 horses from there. Still feeling badly but I know in the long run it's the best thing for him.