Dealing With Separation Anxiety In Horses
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266 – November/December, 2024
By Elizabeth Arnold
“Does it worry you to be alone? Are you sad because you’re on your own?” The Beatles may not have been singing about horses in their 1967 hit song, With a Little Help from My Friends, but for anyone who has ever dealt with a herd-bound horse, the sentiment certainly rings true.
As horse owners and trainers, we’ve all been there with a horse that is anxious, maybe even frantic, calling out for their friends, or for any other horse within earshot who will answer. It’s a troubling problem, and one that’s often difficult to overcome. And it’s not a problem specific to young horses. Even the most seasoned show horse can succumb to anxiety when separated from their herd, or as amateur Jeri Lou Biggs discovered, their routine.
Creatures of Habit
“My show mare, Arapped in Black, or Hallie, had lived at the trainer’s for about ten years,” shares Biggs. During that time, the mare became very ingrained in the routines that are common in show barns. Feeding, longeing, riding, and time on the hot walker all happened with consistency and at predictable times. Plus, show barns are filled with equine friends.
When Hallie was ready to retire, Biggs did what many owners do, she brought her beloved mare home to enjoy a quieter life of relaxation. “We live in the country with ten acres. I planned to let her graze and be a horse. We have one other horse here, and they were in adjacent pastures,” says Biggs. Retirement for Hallie did not go as planned. “If that other horse went behind a tree or somewhere Hallie couldn’t see her, she would come apart. It was like she lost her brain. I worried about her injuring herself. Turning them out together wasn’t an option either.”
Biggs shares that at the trainer’s barn, 4-wheelers were used to feed each day. At home, the neighbors owned a 4-wheeler and every time they would start it up, Hallie would run to her stall looking for feed.
Click here to read the complete article
266 – November/December, 2024
