# field nightmare



## smeedle (Jun 9, 2009)

Hi, can anyone give me advice, i moved yards at the weekend and walked my 17yr 17.3hh IDxTB the 4 miles to new place as he wont load into lorry or box without sedation. He lost a shoe on the way, his feet are not good and he looses shoes regularily but the main problem is that he has not had much of a field or grass for over a year and now he has 6 other play mates and 12 acres of grass (managed well, not long and grazed by cows first, so no laminitus issues) He wont come out of the field and refuses to be caught even for food, he is like a maniac charging around the field and herding all the other horses, he has for the last 2 years been kept with 2 geldings one of which has moved with me. He is foot sore and lame on the back legs due to all his naughtyness, he needs meds for his joints as prior to me he was hunted all his life, we only gently hack now once a week or so.
I need to get him shod again as huge chunks have come out of his foot and he needs his meds.
He forms deep friendships with horses and can refuse to let owners remove them from fields, this has not happened for a few years but in new field he has started trying to stop horses going to gate by herding them away.
Im not able to choose where I go as not many livery yards around here and he needs grass according to the vet as he is thin and we just cannot keep weight on him. he came off a cow farm with grass upto his knees before I took him on. 
Any advice, will he settle do you think or is there any suppliments, aids etc that I could be using, any advice is welcome.
Cannot fence off field as cows graze with horses and limited fields etc.
Thanks


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## shortbackandsides (Aug 28, 2008)

The cows are in WITH the horses,not a good idea!! he needs to be in a field on his own ideally.My mare is like that when she is with others,its just not worth the hassle.Plus it reduced injury from kicking etc.what feed are you giving him?


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## smeedle (Jun 9, 2009)

He is on frickers formula, tiny tots cubes which he loves or did when he was not on any grass.
The cows are only in field for next 2 days and its only 4 old cows but there is no chance of having a field to myself as its a livery yard and they have a lot of horses but dont really cater for horses that need to be kept alone, Max hates being on his own and I have tried that in past, he jumped a 5 bar gate and went through 3 lots of mains electric fencing to get to his field mate.
He was fine on yard ive come from but they have no grass and only limited turn out which was no good for him, he was depressed and started trying to jump out of his field into farmers field.


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## shortbackandsides (Aug 28, 2008)

most of the liverey yards ive been on,and are in now provide seperate fields,it can be awkward and dangerous to try to get your horse out from a big group and it can also bring out nasty behaviour in some.Horses can be seriously hurt if they get kicked by another,what will happen if this happens to your horse,will the yard owner pay the vets bills.


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## Missymoo (May 19, 2009)

It sounds to me that this isnt the right place for him!!  x


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## toddy (Jan 24, 2009)

Loads of yards turn out in groups and if horses are used to it they are fine.
The difference is your horse isn't used to turn out to this level and it seems to have blown his brain.Sounds like he may be a bit highly strung anyway.
All i can suggest is to let him settle and hope he bonds with one horse who can then be caught and hope he will follow.
Unless he has calmed down and run off the initial excirement then you have no hope catching him.
HOpefully he may settle by the weekend .Give him some time out and just let him settle and see what happens.


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## P8ntmaker (Jun 11, 2009)

I agree in part with letting the horse to settle if it has been a long time not being in open areas. Horses need to be horses at times, but for a horse not to come to it's owner or caregiver is a discipline problem that needs to be addressed. I work with rescued horses and if we have this problem we use a couple horses that are on leads and get the horse into a pen to work on it. Good luck!


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## toddy (Jan 24, 2009)

I don't think it is anything to do with discipline.You shut a horse away and only give turn out alone and in a small area with no grass and then offer it friends and 12 acres how can you moan when it doesn't want to be caught.
That would make even the most calmest of horses blow their brains a little.
I would not even try and attempt to catch him until the weekend when hopefully he will have settled down.
How many other horses are out with him?


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## smeedle (Jun 9, 2009)

Thanks for all replies, he is a complex character and I did know he had some "issues" when I took him on.
He spent 14 years of his life on a farm with cows and sheep for company and was turned out all summer and winter was hunting, he was a huntmaster horse, this is all prior to me owning him, cracked his hip and hunting life was over, he was sold to a riding school but he hated the life and refused to eat, they turned there horses out only in summer and he was there over winter and although he was good riding wise he was depressed (vet and yard owner words not mine) I then came into his life and already had an 18.2hh ID so was well used to horses, moved him to farm/yard by my house and he went into a mixed herd of 22 on good grass and in 25 acre field right by my house.
He was fine all over winter until the spring then farmer split up the herd as some of the horses went on 24hr turn out and they grass rotate in summer.
Max again was fine but some of the mares came into season and thats when we noticed the problems, he would herd all the mares and would not let owners get them out of field, we then had to move him to another field with just my other horse for company, this did the trick but it took 2 weeks for him to stop trying to jump out of field.
Then my 18.2hh died of a heart attack (aged 12) and a string of life events started, new job, relationship over and only one horse, then i moved to another area and found a place were I could live on the small yard, hence Max has been in small (6 acre) field with just 2 gelding companions, Mares are out at night in field away from geldings.
All went well until some of fields sold off by owner and grazing over years became bad as horses were in same field all year round, not ideal but life oftern isnt and that is why for the sake of my horses health I have had to find somewhere else for him to live so he has room that he was used to and acess to good quality grazing all year round.
Max is not a fighter but due to his size most horses leave him alone and that is the same in current situation, none of them has any injuries and they dont seem to fight, he just wont let me catch him.
Im hoping that he will just get sick of running around and will come then I have the battle of taking him from field to new yard/stable so I can sort out feet etc. I would also like at some point to ride him (riding is miles and miles of off road and hills).
Im sure everyone is right and its just a settling in thing, and I do have my fingers crossed.
He did come over tonight for a stroke and an apple but that was because one of the other horses came over first and he wanted to see what was going on.
He is strong but on the whole well mannered just hates change and loves routine.
so fingers crossed and thanks to you all again


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## toddy (Jan 24, 2009)

Well it is positive he came for a stroke tonight even if fleetingly.
Sounds like he has been through a lot in his life but then so many horses have a story to tell.
I will keep my fingers crossed he settles in his new yard and that you will be able to relax and enjoy it like you should.
Let us know what happens won't you.
Oh and pictures would be great


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## [email protected] (May 5, 2009)

Good Luck, i hope he seatles down for you.
Keep us updated
Louise xx


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## smeedle (Jun 9, 2009)

Well all was good last night, he was waiting at the gate for me, he was calm and let me pick out his feet, dress a minor cut on his leg and he ate his tea with suppliments and medication in. I did give him some treats and he walked around the field with me after the treats while I checked water etc.

I put lead rope through head collar and just led him 10 paces then let him go and have decided for safety I will take off head collar.

Maybe a different story tonight and ive a long way to go but he is happy and does like his field mates but doesnt seem obsessed by them at all, I think because there are so many he is not bothered if any leave the field.
Next weekend I will try and take him out of field for his tea, just take him the other side of the gate and then put him back, cannot ride him anyway so taking things slow is fine with me.

Max is a very mixed up boy but nothing dangerouse, just has his ways and I dont mind that, ive had horses that are dangerouse both on ground and ridden and he is non of that, just needs patience and understanding.

So todays plan is just to sit in field and see if he wants to come and see me, then go back at tea time and see if he wants to come over for his tea.


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## Freyja (Jun 28, 2008)

Sounds to me as if he just needed time to settle in and get used to his new found freedom. With good grass to eat he wouldn't have been hungry so didn't think he needed to come to you to be fed.

I used to have a mare who I always had trouble catching when she was in a large field with a big herd of horses. Put he on her own or with 1/2 others she was fine. With her I used to take a bread bag with carrots or bread I'd give some to the others and she'd soon come nosing round to see what the others were getting but she wasn't. I could send a small child in of the street to catch her when she decided not to be caught and they would hav managed to catch her(not that I would send a child into a field of horses) Any one else could catch her but not me.

I would carry on as you are just taking him out of the field to brush him give him a little food even just some apples or carrots something he enjoys groom him do his feet and then put him back he'll soon realise that he is going back to his new friends. He may think if he lets you catch him you may move him to somewere else away from all this grass and all his new friends.


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## smeedle (Jun 9, 2009)

Thanks for that, and you are right, I think he does think im about to take him away again.
Yesterday he actually came over to me as he was interested to see what I was doing with the other horses. He is the biggest but its a mare in the herd that is the boss and she obviously is not keen on people but does like carrots, she took one with her ears flat and then she ran off, thats when Max realised most of the horses were with me and he came flying over.

I think the problem is oftern me and not him, I just worry and want everything to be right. My partner is the opposit and he is calm and just says to let them get on with it and they will come when they are good and ready but he is a farmer and is around animals all day.

Going to see if I can get him out of field to feed on the other side of gate today and friend is riding her horse so Max will see him leave the herd and come back so hopefully this will make him realise that all is well.


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## toddy (Jan 24, 2009)

I am so glad to hear he is settling down.
He just needs time to adjust to his new surroundings.
You are doing all the right things.
Well done for taking him on and understanding his problems.After all most problems horses have are man made so he deserves someone to understand and love him.
Pictures please


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## smeedle (Jun 9, 2009)

Well last night he would not come and so took Licky out for his tea and thought this would make him come, he just ignored me. 
I called one of the other horses down and he came for a treat, Max then galloped down to the gate (he is so lame) saw all was ok and galloped back to the rest of the herd without having his tea.

So one step at a time and hopefully tonight he will come for his tea and a groom, notice he is getting a bit less lame on the leg without a shoe, think his foot soreness from walking 3 miles without a shoe then galloping everywhere is calming down,

No chance of taking him out of field yet for farrier to put on shoe, Max is not very good with farrier anyhow as he has stringhault and so does not really know what his back legs are doing, he also leans on you which is not fun when its just short of a ton of horse.

Max has to be shod in the company of another horse as he wont go anywhere on his own, he just rears and runs back to field, doesnt matter which field and just before we moved the farrier put a shoe on by the field gate so as not to upset Max by taking him away from mates, he decided he had had enoug and just cat leapt over the gate taking the apprentice with him, gate was big 5 bar gate so no mean feat for an old man lol.

Foot has stopped cracking and when he is calm enough im putting kerotin on it and he has biotin when he comes for tea so all is good that way.

Right time to feed cats and go to work hopefully he will want his tea tonight.


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