We collected My friends daughters new horse on Friday. We know her history from 4 months old and are friends with previous owner.
From the age of 4 months to 3.5years she had never been in a stable and lived out 24/7, in company during the day and solo at night. Then my friend bought her and gradually got her used to being in a stable...then this winter she has been stabled at night but is never 100% settled inside, but a million times better.
This mare also has trailer issues, rears when loading, when in does a stressed panic dance with front feet (literally one foot to other continuously frantically). It took 20 mins to load her to bring her (no forcing, just persistence and blocking the right hand side so she couldn't run out, on previous attempts by owners it's taken hours)
She does this anxious 'dance' every time there's a change, so instantly if put in a stable, if a horse passes the stable, if she's left alone in the field (but this has already lessened)
I know it's obv early days as we have only had her since fri, and we know that she can be left out solo as she has in the past and we know she has been left in the stable over the last 2 years...
Thing is we would like to help her, we would like to find a way to progress to loading her - we have all the time in the world, as the new owner isn't keen to be out competing but would like to go to some funrides and we purchased her knowing she had a trailer loading issue - but didn't realise the extent of her stress/anxieties....
Feel the trailer issue is obv fear, and possible claustrophobic? Since she does the dancing when shut in a stable also? When she does it in a field it is usually because her companion has escaped or the nearby horses have moved too far away.
Anyone with some advice would be wonderful, we want to help settle this mare and are prepared to take as long as it takes
Also when she does it in the stable, sometimes if you go close she stops, think its related to being left alone also, but prev owner said it progresses into an attention thing...we want to know what method to take - ignore, comfort, take her out...
From the age of 4 months to 3.5years she had never been in a stable and lived out 24/7, in company during the day and solo at night. Then my friend bought her and gradually got her used to being in a stable...then this winter she has been stabled at night but is never 100% settled inside, but a million times better.
This mare also has trailer issues, rears when loading, when in does a stressed panic dance with front feet (literally one foot to other continuously frantically). It took 20 mins to load her to bring her (no forcing, just persistence and blocking the right hand side so she couldn't run out, on previous attempts by owners it's taken hours)
She does this anxious 'dance' every time there's a change, so instantly if put in a stable, if a horse passes the stable, if she's left alone in the field (but this has already lessened)
I know it's obv early days as we have only had her since fri, and we know that she can be left out solo as she has in the past and we know she has been left in the stable over the last 2 years...
Thing is we would like to help her, we would like to find a way to progress to loading her - we have all the time in the world, as the new owner isn't keen to be out competing but would like to go to some funrides and we purchased her knowing she had a trailer loading issue - but didn't realise the extent of her stress/anxieties....
Feel the trailer issue is obv fear, and possible claustrophobic? Since she does the dancing when shut in a stable also? When she does it in a field it is usually because her companion has escaped or the nearby horses have moved too far away.
Anyone with some advice would be wonderful, we want to help settle this mare and are prepared to take as long as it takes
Also when she does it in the stable, sometimes if you go close she stops, think its related to being left alone also, but prev owner said it progresses into an attention thing...we want to know what method to take - ignore, comfort, take her out...