New horse suddenly herd-bound and anxious

[erinmcc]

I recently brought a horse to my trainer’s barn on a month trial. He is a 16 year old ISH gelding. He was previously stalled and turned out in small paddocks with one or two horses (geldings and mares) where he was reported to have no issues. Our barn has a large 10 acre pasture that a herd of 11 horses (five mares + six geldings) go out in 9am-5pm before being brought in at night and stalled.

The first five days on the property we turned him out in one of the smaller paddocks with a couple members of the herd to start slowly acclimating him. He was so relaxed and taking everything in stride. He could be brought in the barn by himself and worked without an issue. Then on day six we turned him out to pasture. The herd got a bit excited by his presence, but nothing out of the ordinary. My horse, however latched on to one mare in particular and became like velcro to her. He almost started acting studdish, which I know geldings can do. However, now he has become a nightmare to handle by himself when the herd is turned out. If he is taken away from his buddies, he whinnies, grunts, paces, constantly looks around for his friends, and loses all focus. If everyone is in their stalls he is not like this and can be brought out, tacked up, and ridden in the arena away from the barn without an issue. It is only when everyone is turned out that he gets so stressed.

This has been going on now for four days. I try to bring him out of the pasture for short periods to graze or lunge him until he settles and focuses on me instead of looking for the herd. Will this go away as he acclimates? I have not seen such sudden change in behavior in any of my previous horses. Part of me wonders if he is overwhelmed being in a herd of this size for the first time in his life. Should I try to keep separating him or maybe bring a horse friend along? Or should I just keep handling him only when everyone is in their stalls and leave him be to figure out the herd dynamic?

[downen]

I just want to commiserate, I’m dealing with the same thing myself. My TB was quite docile when I bought him, but here on my farm with lots of pasture and small herd (down to just two now), he’s a buddy bound psycho. I loaned him out to a lesson program where he was kicked to the bottom of the herd and did better, but as soon as he came home, he lost his mind again.

I’ve been watching a lot of Warwick Schiller videos (the free ones, haven’t opted for the subscription yet) and getting some ideas. I actually feel like I’m peeling an onion and slowly revealing all of my boy’s insecurities, but I’m not competing and no plans to do so, so I’m approaching it like he’s a baby (he’s 14), and taking it slow and steady. I think he’s such a polite horse his anxieties were glossed over and never dealt with.

Best of luck, there are lots of good threads on separation anxiety here. I think the consensus is that no two are alike, and you have to work hard and consistently to overcome it.

Best wishes!

[Abbie.S]

So he went from turnout with 1-2 horses to turnout with 11?

Yes, it does not surprise me this is taking some adjusting.

It’s very easy to define pecking order with only a few horses. A horse who is maybe in the grey in terms of confidence socially (not super bold and gregarious but also not highly anxious and support-seeking) might find themselves content in a smaller herd with less variety in personality but when put into a larger herd with more horses on various places on the spectrum, all the sudden he’s finding himself a lot less secure than he’s used to feeling.

The phrase “one’s company, two’s a crowd, three’s a party” comes to mind. Not because horses cannot get along in large groups - indeed that’s what they are designed to do - but because honestly, in domesticity, SO few of our horses get the opportunity to run in a large herd at any point in their lives. Despite being perfectly equipped for it, if they aren’t ever given the chance, it can be overwhelming.

What I would do would depend on why he is there and the length of his stay. You said he’s on trial at this barn - assuming this means on trial with you as the potential buyer?

I’d be tempted, in that case, to put him back in a situation he is more comfortable with, in a smaller paddock with only a couple of herd members, so that you can better assess him and whether he’ll work for you. It’s going to be hard to get to know him if all you’re doing is having to constantly ask him to refocus every moment. Personally, I also like to minimize the stress I place on a horse that’s new to me in this sense - he doesn’t know you and therefore has reason to be somewhat wary of the fact that this new person has come in, changed up everything and now demands he deal and pay attention.

Then, if you end up buying him, you can better ease him into the large group.

[Jealoushe]

Agree with the above post. He is struggling to integrate into life in a big herd and I have seen something similar, a horse who would not stop running when turned out in a large paddock.

Can you get private turn out with one or two other horses?

[Redlei44]

Agree with the above. He seems to be telling you pretty clearly that he is comfortable in small herds/paddocks and not comfortable with the dynamics and space of a large herd.

Was the seller aware that the horse was going to be turned out in this situation when you took him on trial? They may already know that he has these preferences - worth an ask. But also because as a seller, I would be leery of sending a horse on trial in these circumstances given what I’d say is increased risk of injury in a large (new) herd.

All in all, I agree with the above recommendation to try to accommodate him with smaller turnout for the rest of the trial. If this is really a management dealbreaker for you and the farm, then he may not be the best choice for you.

[erinmcc]

Hi all, thanks for the advice! We have decided to put him into a routine where in the morning he goes out in a small turnout with one other horse he has been bonding with. Then he gets taken out to be ridden, lunged, or groomed. The hope is he doesn’t get anxious being able to still see his friend in the paddock right next door. This morning it seemed to work out very well. Then in the afternoon we are turning him out. The pasture being so large allows the horses to break into little sub-herds. While these can be dynamic he has generally been sticking with the group his turnout buddy is with.

Luckily he has been on his grain and otherwise settling well. He is on trial to purchase. It is a situation where because of a former injury he is better out in a larger turnout to prevent stiffness so it will be necessary for him to be able to adjust to this routine. Do you think there is anything else I can be doing to help? I have started him on magnesium as well just in case it helps him calm.

[SuzieQNutter]

I like your new routine.

Any new horse take off grain until you are 100% in control, especially if it is heating, has oats and corn and is going to their brain.

When you have the horse you want then you can add feed.

That does mean up the hay when not turned out.

[erinmcc]

I have had him on 1/4 sc per day of low sugar TC senior he was on at his old place to go with some MSM he gets daily. And now the magnesium. I will drop it down to just a handful to ensure he eats the supplements and see how that does. No weight dropped in the ~10 days he has been with us and no signs of ulcers. Given the forage he has out in the pasture, dropping the feed is a good suggestion.

Thanks!

[erinmcc]

@downen

I just want to commiserate, I’m dealing with the same thing myself. My TB was quite docile when I bought him, but here on my farm with lots of pasture and small herd (down to just two now), he’s a buddy bound psycho. I loaned him out to a lesson program where he was kicked to the bottom of the herd and did better, but as soon as he came home, he lost his mind again.

I’ve been watching a lot of Warwick Schiller videos (the free ones, haven’t opted for the subscription yet) and getting some ideas. I actually feel like I’m peeling an onion and slowly revealing all of my boy’s insecurities, but I’m not competing and no plans to do so, so I’m approaching it like he’s a baby (he’s 14), and taking it slow and steady. I think he’s such a polite horse his anxieties were glossed over and never dealt with.

Best of luck, there are lots of good threads on separation anxiety here. I think the consensus is that no two are alike, and you have to work hard and consistently to overcome it.

Best wishes!

I am wondering if my guy also had a propensity to this behavior but because he was at a “show barn” and stalled more time than not, they never presented themselves. He was imported when he was 6 years old from Ireland so I imagine he must have been in some form of turnout there, but ever since then it was stalls or small paddocks with 1-2 buddies. He has excellent ground manners when he is not out of his mind with stress over being away from the herd. I am hoping that some combination of the routine and slowly weaning him away from his turnout buddy when I bring him out to work over the next few weeks does the trick. Not sure if I want to purchase a horse with a challenging anxiety issue no matter how nice he is. Most importantly, I just want him to be happy, settled, and confident.

[SuzieQNutter]

We have one who suffered from Separation Anxiety. To start with I did not think training him would be any good because he ran around the paddock and hit himself periodically, so no use training a horse who would hurt himself.

He was given to us because he did not fit in with the riding school and was not happy.

He was not happy in his own paddock.

So we came to an agreement, if he is good we opened the gate and let him out. He is as happy as Larry. He can visit who ever he wants.

If you shut the gate of say the house yard he will go nuts. Open the gate and he spends the next day in the house yard.

Then he went nuts when next door moved HIS foals.

This meaning that the horse that normally I can call and he comes and can be groomed and tacked without being tied or even a halter on, I had to get hubby to hold him as I could not hold him and I am a big girl.

I would send him out on the lunge to canter. When I hopped on I could get his mind off it. He was okay to untack but would canter the rest of the day. This would go for 3 days.

I asked John Chatterton what to do as I could not even hold him.

He said to pull and release when he moved. The lead rope in this side (must be) round circle on the halter, around the back, through the circle on the other side and clipped up.

I did that. I kept it up even though it didn’t seem to be doing much but at least he wasn’t getting away from me.

By the end of the session I could lead him. He only cantered for one day.

The next time one hour.

Now he doesn’t care when the foals are taken.

But will still react if we close a gate on him.

[RhythmNCruise]

OP, I wish I had some wisdom to impart, but I just want you to know I sympathize greatly. I’m going through a baffling time with my 12yo gelding, and I’ve owned him since he was a yearling. Sometimes they seem to defy all reason, don’t they? But I think you’re right that the herd dynamics and that major of a change in his social situation can definitely cause this type of behavior. It looks like you’re figuring out some ways to work around the issue so that you can still ride him and keep him as happy as possible. I’m in the process of figuring out the same type of thing with mine.

Best of luck to you!