Anyone have any experience of horses that watch sheep in a herd at least a quarter mile away and are nervous to the point they are stopping during meals to go out and watch them? Also seemed threatened and poop more often?? Our horses are on higher ground than the sheep and are well established in their surroundings. Once a year the neighbors have 150 or so sheep for a few weeks grazing and once a year we have these two geldings watching around the clock like they are threatened. Any ideas on what we can do to relieve their stress?
Yes, it’s not that uncommon-- sheep, cows, goats, llamas, donkeys, minis, other horses that are a different color like gray or paint… horses can be scared of anything. I don’t think there’s a lot you can do, if they aren’t around them long enough to get over it (and honestly some never really do.)
My horse is freaking TERRIFIED of cows. I mean, will lose all sense of self preservation, scared.
If it was possible, I would get some sheep if I were you 
Depends on the horse. One of us warmbloods loves wild hogs, domestic swine, deer, etc., and is not afraid (but should be afraid) of gators, and pit bulls.
The other of us warmbloods spooks at everything.
Conditioning is important, but the innate factors determine which horses have issues and which horses do not have issues. The one of us who does love everything grew up in an environment without all the animals. The one who spooks grew up with some wild animals, but not all that she’s been exposed to here.
When we first brought the pigs home the neighbor’s mares were completely unhinged, to the point of walking forward tremulously snorting and blowing, and whirling and dashing away, repeat. Our horses didn’t care a bit. The mares next door used to keep track of the cows, keep track of us if they could see us, were thrilled when we brought home our horses. They no longer get out much, just roam the big pasture, so I think they are like rubber neckers at an accident. I would put out some really good hay where they can eat and watch the show, and try not to worry about it.
I think it is worse when they ARE far away. All the horses see is white things running around and can’t smell or see what they are. I had a very “traffic safe” horse wig out on me when we first moved to Ok where he could see the cars and trucks on a highway 3/4 mile away. Maybe you should take the horse closer to show him they are harmless.
Horses are afraid of everything that isn’t edible.
In time they’ll probably just get over it. Taking the horses down there to see them closer up may help (thought honestly when the horses get home they’ll probably not correlate the two…)
IME, the problem is often worse whe it’s a large flock/herd of animals that only shows up for a few weeks a year. Most of the horses at my trainer’s would go nuts when her neighbor turned the cows out to eat off the corn stubble for a couple of weeks every fall. If they stayed there I think eventually most of the horses would get used to them, but they don’t seem to adjust well on that kind of schedule.
My older mare loved those cows, so she got moved into the paddock closest to them for that time of year.
They freaked my younger mare out, so I took advantage of it, and worked on trotting in hand because she used to be so lazy about it that you could hardly get her out of a walk at all. She got the idea pretty easily once she was all cranked up about the cows, though, and she remembered her lessons quite well.
And I have sheep at home, but only two, so my mares warmed up to them pretty quickly.
Well…sheep DO eat horses you know, along with those killer deer, goats, cows etc.:lol:
I will tell you my sheep/horse story, since I have time right now.
We moved to this rather remote area a few years ago, didn’t know the neighbours well. We have wire mesh fenced paddocks by the arena. A neighbour phoned with a problem… a cougar was visiting her sheep each night and killing them. Could she bring them over to my wire mesh fenced paddocks for a few days while they got rid of the cougar? (Another neighour has an indoor arena, which I postulated may be a better option, but it was not considered by the sheep owner. I also pointed out that my paddocks are not sheep proof, they are horse paddocks). So, being as I wanted to be a helpful neighbour, the sheep arrived here. I figured maybe a dozen or so. Sixty sheep showed up, two trailer loads.
The open paddock I had for the sheep was next to Razzberry, who is the snorty type. He’s terrified of cows, when the other neighbour’s bull came over to visit, he mowed right through a fence, shearing off a six inch diameter post at the base in his bolt, laying a gash in his shoulder a foot long (needed stitches, thanks a lot, neighbours). Razzberry was very frightened of the sheep moving in, much snorting and running around like an idiot, but not enough room or the option of bolting THROUGH the fence did not occur to him. Fortunately. I figured he’d trim up his fitness and belly fat in a few days of this. Hubby figured he’d bolt through the fence for sure. I figured he’d get over it. Following morning, the sheep were through the fence, in Razzberry’s paddock with Razzberry (fence was NOT sheep proof between paddocks). Razzberry was OK with that, lookin’ at them a bit funny, but not concerned. But when I tossed morning hay in for him, and the dam sheep moved in to eat Razzberrry’s breakfast, Razzberry was NOT pleased. Sheep were going to become woolly hoof packing real soon. The cougar was the least of the sheep owner’s worries, Razzberry was going to do equal or worse damage to the sheep herd if they stayed here. So the owner came and picked them up and moved them somewhere else, I still don’t know why she wanted them to come here in the first place.
Razzberry has not seen a sheep again since then, but I expect he would be equally snorty about them if he did. Any excuse to snort at something is rarely passed up.
I don’t know how this story might help you and your sheep problem really. My other horses, who also had never seen sheep before were not bothered by the visitation of the sheep. Unconcerned. It’s a horse thing…they like to keep us guessing.
Make friends with the sheep owner and see if they will let you bring your horse over for a few hours.
It’s surprising they don’t settle down after a week or so, but I guess I wouldn’t be too worried that they’re on alert. Doesn’t sound like they’re running themselves into a lather over it.
Same thing happens here during hunting season-- the horses get really amped up and alarmed at seeing hunters and bird dogs in the distance (when the same guy walking right on the fenceline would be ignored).
I think part of the problem with sheep is that they bunch up and look like a single large white monster.
I had this happen when I was riding my normally sensible horse down the road. A flock of sheep, ~15-20, came up to the corner of the pasture near the road. A single sheep of two probably would have been NBD, but the whole flock bunched together and baa-ing at him caused a bit of a meltdown :lol:. I think it looked a big monster that was coming to get him.
Of course my sitting on him laughing I’m sure didn’t help matters :winkgrin:.
Christa
They must be Colorado Vampire Sheep. At night their eyes glow and they have very long fangs. Every night, after the sun goes down, they use special velcro powers to bind together into an enormous vampire sheep beast, then they work their way through the countryside on nocturnal terror raids. CVSs are very rare and very dangerous. Listen to your horses and arm yourself…before it’s too late.
:eek:
I have sheep and they come and go among my horses. I do have one horse that will chase them when she’s pissed off. Some sort of displacement. There are cattle that come and go into their sight that they will stop and stare at. One guy switched to Charolais cattle and they are about 3/4 mile away. Sometimes I stop and stare at them when they are all strung out in a line.
Now, not two weeks ago there was some sort of bicycle road race right past my house and the pony darn near did this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQSkmsFCjSA So like she said, they like to keep us guessing.
It would help if they were sharing a fence and your horses could get closer and really see what is going on. We bought a gelding , brought him home and he completely freaked at the goats we had on the other side of the fence. My other horses of course were used to them and since he could get up close and personal with the goats his fear was over in about a week.
There was a small flock of sheep across the street from where I grew up. My childhood horse never got completely used to them, even though she could see and smell them every day. I think she just didn’t LIKE the way they looked or smelled–too weird for her. Come to think of it, they are about the same size and shape
as wolves or coyotes or the boulders horses seem to have a particular aversion to.
One of my gelding decided that my great-nephews show lambs in the next pasture were horse eating monsters. Granted, they had not been turned out this show season but they have sheep every year and sometimes all year as they used to raise their own lambs.
You never know what will set a horse off. Many are scared of our mule when we show her and I have a horse that hates, hates, hates, ponies.
[QUOTE=ReSomething;7250103]
Now, not two weeks ago there was some sort of bicycle road race right past my house and the pony darn near did this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQSkmsFCjSA So like she said, they like to keep us guessing.[/QUOTE]
amazing. All I can think is of the instinct that made him “run with the herd”.
