Separating horses: recommended strategies?

I have a small farm and 2 horses. I generally haul out to ride (once I start riding again which I’d like to do soon since my new guy is actually quiet and sound). But, if at all possible, I’d love to avoid taking both horses with me all of the time because it’s not going to be fun or practical. I’m sure my one trainer will let me stuff my gelding in a stall while I ride, but I can’t do that if I want to go on a trail ride.

Chatting with my vet yesterday, they suggested that I start daily legal separation at home. In the beginning, it doesn’t need to be long. One can be in a stall, one can be in the round pen (they can see each other). Then try stall and turn out. Just keep working on it until it becomes something we do. If it’s 15 min, it’s 15 min. Screaming is fine, bodily harm isn’t.

Caveat. My older guy is perfectly fine doing the leaving. As long as he’s the center of attention, he doesn’t care. He just doesn’t like being left. I don’t think the new guy will necessarily care either way. When I picked him up, he was chilling in the barn alone. They’re also not overly fond of each other. They’re fine, but not glued at the hip which may help?

I did the stall/round pen yesterday for an hour while I filled buckets, got dinner ready and they were fine. My older guy was less than pleased (he had hay, other guy had grass), but his theatrics were controlled. But again, they were able to see each other so I don’t think that’s a fair test. Open to all suggestions!

Photo tax of the criminals in question:

13 Likes

Honestly I have to do this regularly too - lessons, trail riding, etc. I keep the one left behind in a stall with lots of hay. I get a few screams but when I return, I’m told it lasted just a few minutes and then head sunk back in the hay. It took a few times before the one who was left behind realized that eating is better than making a ruckus but they get used to the routine.

6 Likes

I have to do this too - and didn’t have a stall available, so the horse I left just got left out in the pasture. I was hauling out 3 - 4 days a week, and it took almost no time before the 3yo just wandered back to the hay when I pulled the older horse out and threw him on the trailer to go ride. I do think it becoming something of a routine helps.

4 Likes

It doesn’t seem that they are showing any “issues” at the moment, so I think you are over-thinking this and worrying too much.

I would follow your vet’s advice and do as @exvet suggested…get good quality hay and a slow-feed net and the hay usually will win out.

If you are worried, have someone do periodic checks while you are away. I know some trainers use “the patience wall” to get horses to chill. They single tie or cross tie their horses in the stall for ~1 hr or to break the cycle if they are stall walking or weaving…but that doesn’t seem to be your issue, so don’t jinx things.

3 Likes

These 2 have been together 2 weeks so they’re really not connected (which definitely helps) though haven’t really been separated either. But when I pulled my mini out before we lost him, my thoroughbred did have a meltdown and ran himself around into a sweat (and he wasn’t alone since new gelding was with him). So, you are all probably right that I just need to make this a routine and walk away. I was trying not to buy alfalfa this winter, but if necessary, I can always get some western alfalfa for these situations.

I’ll try stall and field for a week and then maybe toss new guy on the trailer and go for a drive around town. If he handles that, I should be fine to haul out for a ride or lesson.

4 Likes

Sounds like a plan. I know people who do a lot of showing feel that horses should be able to be separated without a meltdown so they can go to shows. Separating the horses and getting them used to being away from each other is a good plan. Might be a good routine to get into.

3 Likes

Do you have a neighbor or friend that could check on Home Alone horse if you hauled the other somewhere?
Even if it was just a haul around the block short trip?

My experience with 2 is 20yrs ago, when I moved my TB & TWH home.
TB had been racebred, failed, but track trainers kept him as a pony horse until I bought him as a 6yo.
He was 22 when I brought them to my farm after boarding for 15yrs & AFAIK, had never been left alone.
About 3mos in I took the Walker on a weekend camping trip.
A neighbor was going to feed the TB while I was gone.
I called that first evening & she reported horse was fine. No stressing at being solo.
When I got home, the 2 had an arched neck, sniff-fest, then back to business as usual.
OTOH:
When TB had to overnight at the vet clinic, Walker spent the night pacing the fenceline & calling.
It was Summer & I could hear him from my BR window, some 250’ from the barn.
He survived, returning TB got the same Once-over & all was back to normal.

So, you may witness some stressed behavior.
Or not.
:woman_shrugging:

I now have 3, added a mini 8yrs ago.
Oddly, mini is the one who always calls from inside the trailer as we leave, when I take him anywhere.
The other 2 are “meh” about losing his company, though he also gets frisked when we return.

2 Likes

I’ll ask my husband to stay home and spy.

2 Likes

I truly dislike having just 2, but right now, I find myself with that number. One is fully retired, mid-20s, the other is a busy body 5 year old. The older mare is not thrilled to be alone, but she handles it. She’s much, much worse when I am riding close to home (screaming, pacing). Once we are out of sight, she is perfectly quiet and goes back to enjoying all the extra goodies she gets to herself when the exuberant younger mare is out.

The younger mare is not the worst I’ve ever had in terms of being unable to be alone, but she doesn’t tolerate it particularly well. Stalling alone is the absolute worst move for her, but she’s very difficult to stall in general, even not alone…

My dearly departed first horse, who I lost about a year ago at 30, was one of those your vet describes- bodily harm was accurate for her. She would throw herself on the ground, run in a frenzy until she was so drenched in sweat she looked like she had just stepped out of a wash rack, careen into things as if they weren’t there. She was the reason I had at least 3 horses for many years, being alone was truly not an option for her. Scary to see them get to that state where you really can’t reach their mind. She got a lot worse as she got older too, so I did everything I could to keep her in her comfort zone.

3 Likes

I’ve gone from 4 to 2 horses this year and things that help me are:

Have the ability to do individual turn out next to one another. I have a clingy gelding and an unbothered stallion. I find my gelding gets much clingier when they are both turned out together. Having individual paddocks creates some separation where they can still see each other and feel safe.

Everyday I create visual separation. Since mine do not get stressed about separating, I do it with feeding. You could get creative with this but the point is for them to be out of sight of one another for a bit of time (I prefer at least an hour and to vary the time so it doesn’t get predictable). I’ll give them their feed and some alfalfa during this time and then they go back out.

I routinely work one out of sight of the other. It also helps them focus on just me and being alright with being the only horse.

Trust me, they do get better and more acclimated to the separation so don’t get discouraged.

4 Likes

When I take two of my three away and leave the old lady, she’s far more upset if we ride them away than if we take them away in the trailer. If trailered, she settles right down but if ridden away, she runs the fence and calls for them. It might be worth having your husband watch what happens when you take one away in the trailer.

4 Likes

Criminals?? Pfft. That one on the right has the sweetest face.

I think your initial game plan is the way to start it off. I deal with some degree of separation anxiety/herd bound behavior every spring when I take my gelding away from his herd that he just ran amuk with for ~3 months absolutely unfettered and feral. There’s an adjustment period, and then it’s like nothing happened. Starting small and keeping the reward (hay/grain) or incentive while separated is a great way to keep it positive.

I agree with Mango20 that for some reason my horse cares more about this if he’s ridden away versus if he’s trailered. It’s funny because he will try to subtly return to his trailer at venues if I ride him on the buckle. One year my SO had to move my truck/trailer after parking. My gelding still walked right back to HIS trailer even though it was at the other end of the field!

3 Likes

I stand corrected. Criminal. The one on the right. He is the criminal. He uses his sweet face for evil. lol it’s all about him! When the vet looks at him and tells him it isn’t always about him… anyway, that is my boy (Say) Nay Nay, one of the great loves of my life. He lacked talent on the track but has a knack for zippers, velcro, and drawstrings. He says they are great fun as is washing human faces. He has just a little personality.

His new buddy, Cairo (Megacity) is a gentleman and is a kind soul. He seems to lack the theatrics of his barn mate though he does start to forget his manners if carrots are involved. Only carrots. And aunt angi’s treats. Nothing else is edible. The garbage disposal (snack food king) above approves of all Cairo’s rejections.

Anyway, I’m sure I’ll be back needing reassurance, but I feel good to start working on this. They are physically separated when first turned out in the morning bc I feed breakfast outside and Nay Nay was physically separated from my mini once it became medically necessary. That doesn’t seem to bother anyone so it’s really just going to be working on the out of sight separation on Nay’s part.

7 Likes

I left my husband in charge and took the puppy for a walk. The criminal is in his stall, the gentleman in the field. Will let you know how it goes. Lol

ETA:

Kept it short. Lots of screaming and kicking his stall. Soaked in sweat. But, he didn’t try to jump out. Cairo didn’t answer once from the field and was perfectly fine alone. I’m not entirely sure they’ve actually acknowledged each other since they’ve been back.

1 Like

Does the criminal tie?

If you teach them ahead of time that tying = chill, it can be helpful in the beginning.

1 Like

He does tie. He actually ties very well (something I did not teach him). I will say his brain does sometimes fall out when he’s anxious so I do worry a touch about tying.

How would you suggest teaching the tying = chill idea? I’m definitely open to hearing about it. I’ve heard a little about the patience wall and stuff like that but I’m sort of at a loss about how to implement. And implement safely.

Sorry, I missed this!

Honestly, just start tying him in mid to low stress situations. When I’m teaching, the minimum amount of time they get tied is 1 hour, ideally more like 2. That teaches them to “park it” and not be antsy about going somewhere. As soon as the line gets clipped, their brains go “gunna have to stand for awhile” and they darn near go to sleep.

Once that’s pretty well in his brain, create a mid/mid-high stress situation, and then tie him. See how he reacts. See if the lessons transition over. Depending on how he’s acting, it will either be a “you’re going to have to deal with your feelings, buddy” or “ok, fine, but if I untie you your butt is going to work” followed by retying. Rinse, repeat.

1 Like

agree with this. I have one drama llama who will pace and race if permitted, but he ties like a soldier so tying with a hay bag is the best way to manage his Alone Time. He’ll wiggle a little, then quit.

In the OPs case I’d put in a tie ring that’s high (like 6’ off the ground) on an interior stall wall and set up a hay bag near it. Groom and fuss over him at this tie ring (I use a loop of haystring through the tie ring and tie the leadrope to the string loop. Make it a normal thing to be tied here and make it a good place to be. Do they still make those hanging treat balls, Uncle Jimmy’s? they are irresistable treats.

1 Like

The only thing I would change in your description is that I’d personally use a blocker tie ring instead of a piece of hay string. I would want him to know he can never ever leave.

4 Likes

Thanks.

I think I’m going to play around with this. Tying in his stall. Just tying to get him used to tying in there for everything (grooming, blanket changes, etc. – I generally don’t tie for any of that or I use the cross ties) in very, very low stress situations. Mostly, we tie in our stall now thank you very much.

I was also going to try, as was suggested, the tree of knowledge. I think I have a good tree, a strong rope, and ground that he can attempt to dig to china if necessary (ironically, it’s the only place that the moles have not started to burrow). Since I don’t have a patience pole, a tree will have to do. It’ll either work or we’ll all die.

But, maybe I should just be doing it all in his stall with a blocker tie ring and a rope halter? I do suspect this horse know what can and will break so @endlessclimb your point about knowing he can never leave is VERY important. Options. Just don’t know where to start.

1 Like