Right now I am in a very frusturating situation with my two horses. They live at my house and I predominately trail ride. Unfortunately, to get to any trails I have to trailer them nearby. I have some trails accessable from my house, but I have to ride on the road to get there and I just think that riding in the traffic is too dangerous with the way people drive.
The problem is that my gelding Scharm, is 25 years old and is most likely not going to be ridable next year. Even this year he is having a hard time, and most of the time I have to get them both all ready and then not get to go past a walk for most of the ride. Also, his spine is very crooked so the saddle slips to the side. I love him dearly, but I think his retirement time has come.
However, he absolutely will not stand to be alone, so I can't bring my other horse out without him. He literately screams for her the entire time and runs the paddock until he has lost his voice, pooped all over himself, and run himself ragged. Since he has always been like this (where we used to board he would scream the entire time a horse was riding in the ring which was barely out of his sight), I am thinking that he is just too set in his ways to change. Any comments or people with similar situations? I am thinking that even if I were to get another horse I would still have this problem as my mom and I would be taking both ridable horses out on the trails together, which would still leave him home alone.
You could try to desensitize him. Hiding the younger horse for 30 seconds first, the 1 minute, then 10 minutes...
The older horse does not know yet that the younger will return.
I have thought of that. In fact, just the other day I tried, just as a test, taking the younger horse with me when I needed to ask a question to someone in my house. The back door is probably 100 feet away, and Scharm (the older horse) could still somewhat see Lily (the younger horse). It was like the panic button was pressed on. Lily was more interested in the grass, but Scharm began calling frantically and running the fence line. He would not be pacified and by the time I took Lily back, only a few minutes later, he had made a huge mess and was completely terrified.
This was only when they were still IN SIGHT, I just don't know that he can handle it at this age. The poor guy is just so neurotic that I can't even put him on the cross-ties at night without Lily being in the barn. His vision is not so good anymore and he can't see that she is just outside the door.
Otherwise he is completely sweet and calm. On the fourth of july I give him a tube of calming paste which works wonders for keeping him more comfortable, but I obviously can't give this to him every time I want to ride!
Dear Kim, some people do take a goat in, or some little pony that will stay with the older horse, when the younger one is at work. I personally don't think desensitizing would still work for this particular problem at this age. Most stables ask their horseowners not to leave a horse alone when taking their own horse from the pasture. I know the problem, and think you have to consider Scharm's age and physical condition. Give him an easy oldage and I think you will feel better too, if you know your horse's heart and nerves are not overstrained at this stage in life. I guess he has served you well and now deserves some consideration.
Since he doesn't see and hear so well anymore, you might even consider letting the pony stay in direct vicinity with him even at night. Bodycontact may be very soothing if other senses leave slowly.
Hi Kim, I agree with miriam. If Scharm would be younger I would have said that you should separate them for at least a week. You can read the procdure in Monty's book From my Hands to Yours. I have seen a big Friesen Horse behaving just as Scharm does when his buddy was lead away for work. But the day he had to go through his fear of being alone because his buddy had to go to the clinic and would stay for a while he learned to handle his fear. But I think such an old horse should not have that much stress anymore. Monty told the story of a friendship between a parrot and a horse. Try to find a good new friend and don't tell him that he is just a substitude for Lily :-) let us know if it works ! VioBerlin
Why don't you just pony him along on your rides? He'd benefit from the exercise, even without a rider up, and he'd stay happy.