Resocialization advice?

[OverandOnward]

@Demerara_Stables

@njdressage

I also have though about the animal communicator thing - it’s a bit woo woo for sure, but I’ve heard people have some really interesting/positive experiences, so it may be worth looking into, bc, why not!?

I was totally a skeptic before I did it for the first time, but I have now talked to almost all of the horses under my care with a communicator. The first time I did it, I thought for $200, it was so much cheaper than all of the other things I was going to try and it ended up solving the problem that day. It really has surprised me the insights she has had over the few years I’ve been working with her. Definitely recommend giving it a try!

I am going to put a bag over my head, so that no one knows that this is OverandOnward posting, while I confess that a true communicator is a thing of gold, a revelation.

While maintaining that I don’t believe in the woo-woo stuff. Not a bit.

But a good communicator has made the difference in my life path with a horse more than once. One time I paid. It was one of the best $100 I ever spent. The others were friends, not professional communicators, but they could hear from the horses.

If you need a rationalization, maybe this is our one avenue at a person attuned to both horse and human psychology. Can tell myself that this was actually a counseling session with someone who had insight into horses, as well as people.

“Communicator” may mean “Good at communicating with humans about horses.”

I think my last communicator was well attuned to how much stamina I had for the journey I was on with the horse at the time. She helped me come up with a plan and some future decision dates. Even a sort of budget. While assuring me that this was what the horse was willing to do, as well. That outside-the-situation input was what I needed with that horse! (Still have him, 6 years later.)

Also … do horse people think they need a communicator, or do they just need COTH for that other opinion?

[OverandOnward]

Companion horses for horses that don’t socialize well with other horses – I’ve seen good results when the companion is a draft, or drafty-type, a few inches taller and at least a couple of hundred pounds larger than the other horse. With a saint’s patience.

Have noticed that horses in even small herds seem to feel more secure with the calm, patient, big horse of the group.

In one fairly large pasture with about 10 horses, the resident 16.2h 1400 lb draft-cross was the bartender, as it were. All the horses gravitated to him, once in a while, to graze alongside, complain about the world, and get away from the others. He never cared who was next to him, he welcomed them all, and gently ignored them. They kind of took turns. Since they all had one or two other horses, they were avoiding and wouldn’t go to The Bartender when they didn’t like the other company.

[skydy]

Listen to Bluey. You don’t need to force your horse to share a pasture with another horse that she dislikes, because someone has told you that horses must share a pasture to be happy. That is not necessarily in your horse’s best interest.

If you are looking at feral horses as the example of “happiness”, remember that in the feral state, horses choose who they hang out with, and can get away from those that they don’t get along with (except for foals which are sometimes savaged by stallions.)

Two people with longe whips in a pasture shooing horses away from each other will not be helpful if one horse really dislikes the other. Humans can’t train horses to like each other when they don’t. As soon as the humans leave (which at some point they will have to) the horses will work it out in one way or another, with a good possibility of one or both being hurt.

If your mare is content, why impose your version of happiness on her?

Glad to hear you aren’t going to risk it in your situation. Enjoy you mare!

[skydy]

Here is another thread about aggression in turnout. Unexpected behavior change in pasture

[SLW]

@Bluey

@njdressage

Hi all,
I have a wonderful mare who is an absolute joy, though she has this one major issue, and I really worry how much it impacts her quality of life. I have had her for a year- She has very good ground manners, is also great under saddle, and does not exhibit any stereotypic behaviors. She was, reportedly, bubble-wrapped in her first 7 years (she had one owner during this time), and was only turned out for around 1-2 hours, alone, for most of that time.

She cannot tolerate other horses near her. If she’s trailering with another horse, she kicks constantly, sometimes even bucking (she is totally fine alone). During turnout, she squeals, snaps and kicks if another horse in a different pasture so much as looks in her direction, and does not stop. In her stall, or whenever she encounters another horse, it is the same. My boarding barn won’t consider trying to turn her out with anyone in the same pasture, as they feel she has the capacity to be quite aggressive.

I had an extremely thorough PPE, and since, she’s had an ovarian ultrasound (nothing found), and has been put on regumate to see if it would help. It hasn’t. She has been thoroughly assessed for any vet issues, and does not exhibit any concerning behaviors apart from her issues interacting with other horses.

I feel equine socialization is so important (vital, actually!), and feel terrible that this seems largely due to her not really been given the opportunity to learn how to be horse with other horses.

Has anyone had experience in resocializing their horse? Is this something a behaviorist could help with?

She seems quite content in being left alone, but knowing what I know about ethical equine management, this just feels so wrong.

Open to any and all feedback.

What we know about ethical management is that every individual is who it is and we should honor that best we can.
We are already altering their true natural state by domesticating them.

So what if she wants to have her space and no other horses around?
As long as she is contented, why try to make her fit any one else’s idea of what we need to do with horses?

I have a problem with trying to make all horses fit a mold of our invention, when plenty horses out there clearly don’t fit them.
We had a few like that and eventually, after our vet telling us plenty of times to let them be who they are, learned to do just that.

Rather than trying to find a solution where there is no problem, being contented by adjusting her management to her idiosyncrasies may be one solution.

100% agree.

[VodkaRedbullx2]

I find roundbales really helpful for resocialization. If you live in the north sometimes some crappy cold weather/snowstorm when they huddle up and eat together on the roundbale can really help put those anxieties away. But first you need a compassionate grounded knowledgeable herd savvy horses to put her with. And then if she wants to eat she can either share and be shoulder to shoulder with another horse or wait her turn and eat in shifts.

Sometimes resocialzation comes in phases - like the horse you need in the beginning to help her and then they learn what fits and doesn’t. I had a gelding that was stalled/turn out alone and first I had to put him with dominant mares for leadership and confidence. That helped a lot but his liking of the mares then kind of went to his head but by that time he could function being in a group with more submissive geldings. In that group he finally learned how to play and became really relaxed and adjusted with life. Don’t be afraid to change up the buddies, it’s like people things change.