I have a fairly independent horse. I can trail ride him alone even though one of his pasture mates screams when we leave. Both of the horses that have lived with him for around 2 months will be leaving permanently tomorrow. This means he will be alone for the rest of the winter before he gets a new companion. I’m wondering what I can do to make the transition easiest for him. I’m worried it will be scarring to see his two friends load up and leave and likely scarring if I also take him out and he comes home to no one there.
I’m planning to have hay in many locations to help him walk around more and he has treat ball as well as a hay ball. I also take him out for a few miles walk everyday.
I personally would never do this.
I’m sorry.
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I’ve had to do this. I felt bad but horse coped well for a couple months until he got new buddy. It’s not ideal but that’s how things go sometimes.
In my case, I put my horse in my round pen while buddy got loaded up. He was a big guy and the high fence made me more confident he wouldn’t try to jump fence or do something stupid. He could still see buddy get loaded up and leave yard. I left him in there for a couple hours to make sure he wouldn’t run around like a total psycho. Then I left him lots of hay. He walked around fence line once and called a couple times then seemed to accept he was alone.
Currently, when I ride my horse, his pasture mate loses his mind even when he can see him on our property. But when I load my guy in trailer to go for lesson, pasture mate screams while I’m loading but as soon as my horse is in trailer and we’re pulling down driveway, he stops. When I pull in after lesson, he’s standing at round bale eating happily.
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Thank you this is a very reassuring post. I am very anxious for this transition for him but I really need to keep him home instead of boarding because of his special needs blanketing and feed wise but I do worry about how he will handle the actual separation because one of his current mates will not go quietly, I’m sure.
My goal is to have another companion for him but after seeing the separations anxiety with his current roommate I’m a bit nervous to have the same situation again. Currently I take him out everyday but that really hasn’t reduced the other horses issues. Any other suggestions? I also have the option of getting another kind of companion but I don’t know if that will really help.
I haven’t figured out how to keep pasture mate calmer while I’m riding. Even when I had three, the one still lost his mind when I took my riding horse out. It’s just a personality thing. That horse has always been more anxious (I’ve known him since he was a foal).
I worked really hard to get my horse to listen to me even if nut job is calling and running. Since he’s an OTTB and was not used to being alone, that took a while. But now he’s really solid about ignoring pasture mate when he’s with me. If I want to trail ride around my property, I lock the nut job up in small pen so he can’t run down fence line towards us, screaming like an idiot.
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My retired TB lives alone with three goats and is incredibly happy. He was also a fairly independent guy, but I don’t think he would like to be alone without his goats. Maybe check in with a local goat rescue to see if you could foster one or two over the winter? That could be a win win for everyone!
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Can you foster a mini or something? Does a friend have one you can borrow for the winter? I mean he will get over this but it is still stressful and traumatic to have his friends leave him.
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My quarter horse has lived by himself for several months and did fine. I had an older mare that actually seemed to prefer being alone. Yours will likely be fine too.
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Many horses do fine when they are kept by themselves, some don’t.
If a horse is not contented alone, it is abusive to not manage him in company, if getting another horse/s or moving the horse where he has company.
Some horses may fret a bit for a day or two and settle alone ok, some won’t care from the minute other horses leave.
Many ranch horses spend time alone, while being hauled around from pasture to pasture and ridden on the job, if they have to be kept up in some pens by the house and most learn to be fine alone.
If one is too unhappy alone, he is sold for a town horse, where he always has others around and is ridden in groups and they can thrive there.
If a horse is fine alone, something the OP won’t know until it tries, there is no problem.
Is good to have plans if he is unhappy alone, but until he is alone and the OP sees if that horse is ok or not, no one can say.
Also, some horses are fine alone in some places, at some ages and not others.
They are not always happy alone or in company of others, their preferences change just as ours do.
My 22 year old has over the years become more solitary, to the point that today if some haul in to train in our covered arena he hides under his overhang, doesn’t even peek out to see who came.
He stays hidden until they are gone.
Have tried to bring suitable companions here, but he clearly will be nice and say HI across the fence, but then choose to go to a far corner and snooze all by himself, ignoring other horses.
We had over the years all kinds, those that wanted company and those that don’t care.
We had some that prefer alone so much, when turned out with others would leave the herd to go their own way, not to see them until they again met at the waterhole.
OP, try it before worrying.
He sounds like a horse that may be fine alone.
Have some plans in case he is not, which may also happen.
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I really appreciate your thoughts. I agree, I should see how it shakes out and then worry. Although easier said than done! Of course if it is catastrophic, I have a couple back up plans. Do you think it is more or less scarring to let him see his pasture mates load up and leave or should I just take him for a nice trail ride?
Thank you! I really needed some reassurance! He has lived in paddocks alone when he was boarded and did fine. So I suspect he will adjust fine temporarily. But I worry also about the effects of him actually seeing his friends leave and him being last man standing!
I thought about getting a couple minis. My two concerns are he is an 18 hh large horse who has to have shoes on all fours so I worry I’m a scrap he could seriously hurt a mini. He is also a very hard keeper who requires 24/7 hay. So I worry that I will cause a mini to founder with the grass and hay. I am not great at rationing animals on food either.
I have a friend who could bring her horse but I worry I bit doing introductions on ice/snow ( snow and winter where I am) so I was hoping to make it to warmer days. Certainly if he freaks it is an immediate option.
Have you have any issues with goats escaping? I have electrobraid fencing up but worried goats would be hard to wrangle!
I suspect this is the only real solution! It just seems like so much to ask my guy to adjust to but I’m sure it will be a valuable lesson to learn!
Yes, goats are hard to confine, you need goat proof fence.
We had a goat dairy and trained nurse goats for orphan foals for some years.
We ended up in self defense with Fort Knox where we kept them.
We have chain link fencing so the goats are well contained, but I could imagine them being difficult to contain with other types of fencing. They sure are fun and have strong personalities!
We did also have chain link fencing.
It comes in different gauges, for goats get the heavier ones.
Goats are hard on any woven wire fencing.
Goats are great entertainers and very sweet.
They may also sooner or later eat horse tails if kept with them.
You don’t necessarily need to keep a companion with your horses, just by your horse.
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Very true!
I keep my mini in a paddock immediately next to the big guys’ pasture, and neither big guy gets upset when the other is ridden out by himself. So long as they can touch noses and exchange the news of the day with the mini babysitter, they’re perfectly content while the other is gone.
If I was adding a mini or goat companion to an existing pasture, I’d just fence off a convenient section for the little guy. That would allow for controlled feeding for both, and eliminate worries about injury at the same time.
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If it were me, I think I would opt for the trail ride. Most horses are happier being removed from the herd than staying behind while the herd is removed from them. Good luck! One of my horses was alone for a few weeks when I first got my farm, and he was a bit confused at first but settled in fine. There are horses in neighboring farms that he could see from a distance though, so that may have helped.
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Thank you! I was leaning towards that option just even as a safety aspect. But I wasn’t sure if it would create anxiety in him ever leaving horses again. I’m sure I’m over thinking it all! Thank you for your advice, it really is very helpful.
