SEVERE separation anxiety in a yearling

[midnightride]

I have raised a bunch of foals over the years (not lots but enough) and I have never had a horse like this before... I have a yearling gelding TB that as a foal was the sweetest thing ever, followed me around loved to have his tail scratched etc... when i went to wean him from his mom (an older mare- total pro and very quiet) he tried to jump out of the stall and ended up hanging from the bar (not pretty about 5ft high :eek:) we cut him down and he was thank god ok. I put him with the babysitter mare and life was fine till I started bringing them in this summer to break... He is a total NUT in a stall or by himself period. Ace does not really work (I have used up to 3 cc's IV) I have tried every over the counter product, herbs, etc... nothing works... this has been going on for about 4 months now and i am very concerned that he isn't going to get over it.
:confused::confused::confused::confused:
ANY IDEAS????:confused:

[rodawn]

Anxious horses in general thrive on a consistent daily routine. If you make a change in his life, keep everything else the same. I.e., if you change his companion, keep the daily feed time, turnout time, come-inside time all the same. If you change his pasture location, keep his companion the same, and everything else the same. Anxious horses really suffer when you have to change their residential location because now EVERYTHING has changed.

These horses require more effort with regards to our attention to detail. They also require more planning ahead of time when something is about to change in their lives. My Hanoverian mare is like this and I have to make sure I have plan A, B and C in place before I do anything major, and even still have to be open minded to new possibilities.

You also need to work more with this colt one on one so he learns to develop a rapport with you (which perhaps has been lost somewhat), so that YOU are the one he looks to for comfort when something changes in his life. This is extremely important so that if you do have to change his location, then YOU become the constant in his life and this is something he can take comfort in.

He is a big candidate for ulcers. Be alert at all times for this possibility.

[egontoast]

oops, nevermind

[rodawn]

Do you really need to 'break' a yearling. Obviously this one is not ready.

How about turning him out with a herd for a couple of years.

I'm gathering this horse is bred for racing and is being prepared for his 2-year-old start in the spring.

[midnightride]

Thanks rodawn! I have been keeping things pretty constant and just hoping he will get with the program...and YES he is on UlcerGuard... guess the plan is just keep trying!

egontoast- If he is going to possibly be a race horse than yes he needs to be broken this year... if he fails to get with the program he will have to go out with the older geldings since his current yearling friends will be gone, he is very well bred and a beautiful guy- and he was the last from the mare so i would like to see him get to the races...

[rodawn]

You could also try toning down his oats a bit, even though his workouts will be starting to increase. You could try introducing a balanced rice bran mixed with his racing-kibble. What I mean is, racehorses need lots of carbohydrates, but the problem with carbs is they tend to get absorbed in one fell swoop. With the addition of the fiber/fat content in the calcium : phos balanced rice bran it will slow down the absorption, spreading it out over a longer period of time. It might help him better cope with his increasing energy as he gets fitter with his workouts. I'm no racehorse expert, although I've had one or two of them, but it seems to be 9 parts mental preparadness and 1 part physical training. If he's not coping mentally, changing around some of the hot feeds might help until he mentally grows up over the winter. Hopefully, he will change over the winter and by the time he's able to attend his first start he'll be better able to cope with a truely hot race-kibble. Just an idea. :) Posting this on the racing forum might get you some better answers, however.

[midnightride]

good idea!!

[Dune]

This one may be telling you he's not ready to be a racehorse, not much you can do about that. A lot of them are just still too immature at this age, I know you guys do it all the time, but it's really so early.....:(:sigh:

[threedogpack]

I have raised a bunch of foals over the years (not lots but enough) and I have never had a horse like this before... I have a yearling gelding TB that as a foal was the sweetest thing ever, followed me around loved to have his tail scratched etc... when i went to wean him from his mom (an older mare- total pro and very quiet) he tried to jump out of the stall and ended up hanging from the bar (not pretty about 5ft high :eek:) we cut him down and he was thank god ok. I put him with the babysitter mare and life was fine till I started bringing them in this summer to break... He is a total NUT in a stall or by himself period. Ace does not really work (I have used up to 3 cc's IV) I have tried every over the counter product, herbs, etc... nothing works... this has been going on for about 4 months now and i am very concerned that he isn't going to get over it.
:confused::confused::confused::confused:
ANY IDEAS????:confused:

do it gradually with him, leave his buddy in, then take the buddy out but still in sight. You hold the nervous colt. When he finally settles, tell him good, lead them both out. Do this till it's no big deal, then lead the buddy a bit further out, lather rinse repeat. Then further away. Before you know it he'll just accept it.

[fourmares]

What about getting him a goat?

[midnightride]

haha, seriously debated that- it would need to be a big mean goat since my dogs all think goats taste like deer :winkgrin: if he gets to the track that will be an option... I did make progress yesterday and he was OK in the paddock alone!! :D with friends next door of course... he is worth all the time it may take, he is beautiful and will make a nice eventer if he fails to race (of course herdbound event horses dont fair to well XC so hopefully this can be worked out)
Thanks for everyones advice- will keep at it!!:yes: