Separation Anxiety

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lana27

New Member
Nov 30, 2006
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After reading a few post where this problem was mentioned, I thought I'd start a thread where people can put tips how to deal with this.

My horse has always been bad being separated from other horses. He doesn't like leaving the others and when he has a bad day, calls like mad, but it is worse when he is being left behind. He does not harm himself or people around him, but it is extremely stressful for him (and me :eek: ).

I have tried to establish a rountine in which he gets separated frequently, but is not left on his own for too long, for him to realise that it is safe for him and the other horses (to leave or to be left).
He goes out in a group of 4 during the day, but is stabled at night with other horses. He also hacks out and schools with a number of different horses and horses come and go while I school.
His behaviour has improved a lot (have only been doing it for a month or so), but I would be grateful for any other tips.

Further to that I know that once he is on his own any horse will do for company. At shows for example he tries to make friends with any horse close to him and once a "friend" (no, not a horse he knows, any horse that responds to him in any way) has been found he tries calling that one back. He is very obedient, so apart from the calling it's not a problem really. I would just like him to worry less.
 
how bad is he when ridden (ie does he get anxious when you school him alone?). My mare gets very anxious if left alone in a field, and works herself up into a terrible sweat.
She used to be awful when alone in the school as well, but has got a lot better now- I just kept working with her, getting her to focus through lateral wrok etc... and now she quickly settles down. I just got her used to working on her own, even with the doors to the indoor school open so she learnt to focusing on the work I was asking her to do, not on other horses/surroundings.
As for the anxiety when turned out, I'd be curious to see any replies you get- she is always worse when she is feeling a bit fresh anyway, and in a spooky mood, and really stresses herself out. I tried some groundwork etc, freee schooling, but she is still unhappy alone so I always turn her out with a companion.
Good luck!
 
No, he's fine when being worked at home. He doesn't call much there (the odd occassion), but sometimes twists he neck a bit to see what's going on around him (very irritating :rolleyes: ). He's perfectly fine when I'm on the ground with him (he feels safe then).

Mostly gets stressed when left behind (stable or field) or in unfamiliar places (like a show). Any horse will do for company then.

Perhaps I should add, he is a very sensitive type of horse. He's very quiet when he feels safe and settled, but can upset himself to the extend of not knowing what he is doing (he's landed in his water bucket once or twice :rolleyes: ).
 
lana27 said:
Perhaps I should add, he is a very sensitive type of horse. He's very quiet when he feels safe and settled, but can upset himself to the extend of not knowing what he is doing (he's landed in his water bucket once or twice :rolleyes: ).
Click to expand...

my mare is exactly the same, she can have the equine equivalent of a panic attack and is a real princess at times... :D
I have found clicker training to be quite useful as her stomach sometimes wins over her anxiety- if I ask her to do one of the clicker commands just as the other horse is led away, she does sometimes snap out of it and do her trick in anticipation of a reward. Once her mind is taken off the fact that the other horse is gone, she is ok....I'm hoping this will teach her to stop worrying about being left alone in the long term, although we are still in the early stages...
How long have you had your horse?
 
My warmblood mare is terrible but we are having sesions with a natural horsemanship instructor and so far so good
 
5 years, but I haven't really done anything with him. He lived out all his life with other horses. Broke him to ride as a 5-year-old and rode him for a couple of months then. Only went to visit him in his field for the last few years. Now I've brought him home to really work with him and he's got lots better already, but still looking for tips.

How long have you had yours or how long ago did you start handling her?

As I can see, not a lot of tips so far. Seems to be a thing you need to learn to live with. But really I want my horse to learn that there's no need to worry.
 
I only got mine in september- she is a 5 year old Akhal Teke ex-racer, so am retraining her slowly. If your horse has been left for a while in a field, he has
probably developed strong herd instincts (this is a guess:) ) and will naturally be more anxious when on his own.

I would practise by leading him away from his field companions, increasing the time/distance a little more every time. I would then return him to the field with his friends. After a while, he should cotton on to the fact that they will still be there when he comes back, and stop panicking.

As for when he is the one being left behind, I would focus on getting his attention on something else than the horse being led away. I do this with my mare by getting her to do her clicker training exercises. Other ground exercises/games would probably work just as well. After a while he should learn to focus on you, not on the horse being led away.

I think these things get better with time- although my mare, Pielena, still panicks if alone in a field (and I think this is made worse by the fact that she gets little turnout at the moment so is naturally fizzier/spookier), she is much better to lead/ride when on her own, and settles after a short while.

I think the fact that your horse is good when ridden means half the battle is won. Some horses take ages to settle in a new environment- he may just still be finding his feet.:D
 
svenja

Yes, this is the case. I also believe he is like he is, because the herd is all he really knows, being without them seems like the end of the world :).

Like I said in my first post, he is very well settled in his rountine and leaves his field companions no problem. None of the ones from the field ever leave, but I have led one (his best friend) away to test how he'll take it. He tried to stop us leaving, but wasn't panicked at all as there were plenty of others left in the field.

At the moment he only gets upset, if there is a lot of coming and going while he is in his stable (not always but sometimes). He doesn't do anything terrible really, but he won't eat and watches the door. If a horse is leaving, he will try to call it back. It's just that I don't want him to worry or stress. He also gets anxious waiting to go out in the morning, because he knows he is going to rejoin his friends.
 
Ummm, its totaly natural behaviour for a horse. In the wild a lone horse is a dead horse and this instinct is so strong that it is still with domestic horses. It is the odd bods who naturaly don't care if they are on their own.

Horses get used to being alone in 2 ways.

1, They come to regard the handler/rider as a brave, trustworthy leader.

2, By frequent exposure to the situaltion, ie they tolerate it but aren't 100% happy about it.
 
my mare is happy to be left out alone/hack out alone, but if i bring her in alone sometimes she loses the plot, won't eat her dinner and screams her head off to be put back out!

i've discovered if I am riding that as long as I look the tack out first before i bring her in she sees it and realises she is not going to be kept prisoner and will be going out shortly. also if just being fed i leave the bucket there ready for her coming in, but if i go away or change routine (ie to chat with someone in the other stable block) she'll have poo'd everywhere, get sweaty and be screaming her head off! never had this problem until she lived out 24x7. her best friend is moving yards next week so not sure if that will make a difference, but i doubt it.

she is quite high up the pecking order in the field and I am sure she is paranoid something will happen to her mares if she is not with them or she will miss out on something. the only solution is to not leave her side or bring something else in to keep her company, although i am sure if she was coming in to be stabled every day she would settle into that routine.

be curious of anyone else with a similar issue.
 
Any hints and tips on how to improve their level of ability to listen to the handler whilst they are anxious. Captain has issues at Shows. The minute I pop in to get his haynet out, he snaps free from the bailing twine and trots over to the horse next door....:rolleyes: Then when I am riding or walking him around he is constantly dancing and whinneying to other horses. Since changing yards he has gotten into the habit of running off in anxious situations. Even when leading in with a bridle on....So tips and advise would be much appreciated thank you...:)
 
NoviceNic

Well, ignorance it bliss :) . This is unfortunately the only advise I can give. As I said in my previous posts, I haven't really got that problem. If he does call, the less I react to it (not at all is best) the sooner he will stop. Just try to ignore the wrong behaviour and engage him in some other activity. Trotting on (in hand or under saddle) usually helps or do a few sharp turns, so he has to concentrate on what he is doing. About the getting loose, I would try to catch him do it. How does he get loose? Throw his head up or pull back? Whichever, give him the impression you are leaving, but come back instantly and say his name. Once he realises he never knows for how long you'll be gone, he might pack it in.
 
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He gets loose by dropping his head on the ground and setting his neck. Then he walks strongly away. If I run to get in front of him he gallops off and leaves me standing...:eek: I do ignore his whinneying and we do loads of circles, back and movement of his feet but he still is very ignorant and would prefer to walk all over me if given the chance. :rolleyes: I may look into getting an RA out. Someone who actually know what they are doing and not just someone who thinks they know what they are doing...;)
 
novice nic i would suggest a richard maxwell halter. my new forest if upset or scared would set his neck pull the leadrope out your hand and run off, bless he never went very far and would stop and wait for you to go and catch him, but that wasn't the point!

the only thing that worked was lots of ground work in a richard maxwell halter. i suppose a be nice halter would work too. i used a dually with NO success whatsoever. all a bridle did was make him more upset as it hurt is mouth.
 
It was good to read your threads as i have posted one recently about my horse who is at a busy trekking yard where rides are going out upto four times a day in the summer and half terms although my boy doesn't ride out with them but with just me and a friend. Although there are still horses left in the barn/stalls when the ride goes out he kicks his stall with avengence, arches his neck, snorts and is generally very frustrated.
I tired something different today. He was already tacked so he knew he was going out shortly but the YO was moving some of the other horses back to the field so his snorting bull impression kicked in.
I went over and tried to calm him which was scarry in its self and of course had a short impact until he was off again. So I got some polos and carrots(never to be under-estimated) and gave him a couple and then showed him that they were being hidden in his haylege which was in a large heap on the floor in the feeding aisle. hey presto He enjoyed the game and he was distracted long enough to allow the YO to remove the horses without Mr Bull impressions.
It was OK for a short term solution but I expect it won't work too many times before he gets bored of that little game and I will have to think of something else! or have to find something to counteract polo-sickness!:rolleyes:
 
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