Excessive whinnying while riding

[jaysjmpr]

Heard Bound

The ulcer guard is a great idea. I would hack this horse in every corner of the show grounds. A light hack twice a day or even three times might help get his brain relaxed. If he is next to a dear friend try to move him as far away as possible. Two days is not a long time. If he is too fresh to ride try to find a paddock/ Lunge, but work maybe side reins, transitions, not just running around in a circle. Be patient,

[Judysmom]

[QUOTE=Claudius;7244858]
He is being treated for ulcers, pre trip and now still. He has been shipped to many schooling shows and with careful management, he has been able to settle nicely, go in classes and behave admirably. I did not have Ace, so went to a friend’s barn and he gave me a bottle. I talked to a vet who recommended three cc in the muscle as he is a very big colt. I gave him that tonight and waited until it seemed to affect him. Then I went back into the stall and talked to him and smoothed his brow…what else can I say to him…good boy. He is not in fla. to show…he is here by default as the other horse meant to come had a lameness issue pop up and we decided he had better stay home and be treated and rested. Just being here and eventually walking to the show and walking around will be quite an education for him. And doing that is my favorite part of making a horse.

A question for the experienced horsemen among you, could this be a result of being improperly weaned? That situation was that the mare owner called and said the colt was weaned and ready to go. We made the three hour trip to pick him up and there he was in the stall with the mare. Skinny. Wormy. and with a cough. We stayed over night and weaned him to the saintly gelding we had brought along to ship with him. We could tell he would not do well if we left him and that the BO had either no idea what weaning was, or no intention to do it correctly OR just didn’t give a damn about the foal. so better solution to a bad situation was to bring him home and get him well. It took three months to get him well. He had severe ulcers, was worm infested and was trying to fight a respiratory infection. Poor little guy. but finally he was well enough to go out with other weanlings, and was paired up with a submissive one and then introduced to the rest of them for the winter. We had never had a horse raised on our farm that exhibited the separation anxiety that he still does and we always wonder if it may have stemmed from the improper weaning.[/QUOTE]

I don’t know about the weaning issue, every herd bound horse I’ve run into has been later in life. But, I know someone that has had resounding success with two of the worst herdbound horses I have ever seen using the round pen and "join up’ type work. She says- and I am massively paraphrasing- that you have to become the herd leader and then the herd bound horses feel secure with just you. Best of luck. Herd bound is a PIA.

[gypsymare]

Don’t make any excuses for him. Put him to work. Not just mindlessly lunging or riding in a big lap around the ring. Don’t give him time to think about being lonely. Get his feet moving. Back, sideways, forward. Yield. Serpentines. Give him something he needs to focus on. The more you make him move the more he will start to respect you and not feel so anxious away from other horses.

Is there anyone screaming back to him? If so, sometimes throwing out some hay to keep the other horses occupied will help him settle.

[Christa_P]

I doubt the weaning situation had anything to do with it. Some are just born that way. I had 2 colts out of a TB mare with different sires.

The first (a full TB I kept intact) was independent from the beginning, to the point I could take the mare for a short trail ride and leave him in the stall when he was only 2 weeks old.

The second (OLD/TB) was ALWAYS herdbound, though it did improve with time. As a foal I couldn’t have the mare in the aisle right in front of the stall without him throwing a complete, panicked fit. I had to put a dutch door on his stall at weaning time to keep him in - and the stall was right next to his dam. I sold him a 5, and generally had to trailer him to shows alone to keep him from bonding with the horse he was shipped with, and these shows were <1/2 hour from home. He was never out of control, but it would take him a long time to settle.

Christa

[Claudius]

Christa P…thank you …that was very informative…depressing, but informative!!

[TheBrownHorse]

JMO

I’m not a “drug pusher”, a “quick fixer”, however, and while this is a training issue and we can incorporate training approaches, he is not at home, and while he needs to learn (hence is a training issue) he is under an immense amount of stress. So why make this situation any more stressful than it already is?

I agree, make him work, make him think, keep him busy. I also think it’s appropriate to use medication. If this were happening at home, I’d maybe come at it a little differently, but he’s on new turf, sounds borderline freakout (from what you say - people not wanting to go in his stall) so I just don’t see the harm.

This is not to say (nor do I think anyone or you is saying this) to drug him up. But depo and a little ace to cool his nerves seems acceptable.

[Christa_P]

[QUOTE=Claudius;7245607]
Christa P…thank you …that was very informative…depressing, but informative!![/QUOTE]

Just to give you some hope, the gelding DID improve with mileage. By the last show (shipped to alone) he was hanging around like an old pro. I just didn’t keep him long enough to see if it would improve when shipped with other horses. In addition, the horse he did ship with a couple of times was herdbound herself which didn’t help matters. That mare, a homebred WB/TB of my mom’s, never outgrew it, but she did learn to be civilized at shows even when shipped with other horses.