Try the "advance and retreat" method as with much of training.
Separate them for only a few minutes. She may be very upset but as soon as she
knows that her buddy is back, she will settle down. That's it, no big thing.
After a few hours or the next day, try it for five minutes......and so on. Go as
slowly as is necessary. Soon she will accept longer and longer separations. As
horses are basically lazy, she will decide that it is not worth all that energy
and fuss when her buddy will be back in short order.
Looking for some ideas...About three nights ago I noticed that my
filly's fetlock was swollen a little and hot. It seems that she has a bump on
the front of her fetlock. This is her right hind. I wasn't too concerned
because she is always getting little bumps and scrapes from playing outside. I
did put a cold pack on it and wrapped it. The next day the swelling was down
but she still seems to have this lump on the front of her fetlock. Of course,
I'm all worried about it. She is not limping on it.
Yesterday, the vet came out and I was supposed to ask him about it, but
she was such a handful about everything else, I forgot all about it. He is
back in a week and half though so he could check it then if it still
there.
Speaking of being a handful, all of the horses at the barn that did not
need to be seen by the vet were put outside as usual. My filly did not go out
and I've discovered she has a major separation anxiety problem when her stall
neighbour goes out without her. I didn't bring her buddy back in because I
thought she would calm down after awhile, but she never did. She was inside
probably three hours - the time of waiting for the vet, time before getting to
my horse (he had the entire barn to vaccinate), but she never did calm down.
She weaved and reared and sweated tons. When I put the lead chain on her
she stood still but she was still so "reactive" that she freaked when the vet
gave her a vaccine (she was fine last time because her buddy was next to her)
slipped in her stall and fell down on her right side (the one with the bump on
the hind fetlock). I know she has to learn to be away from her buddy but
I want to do it safely. This was too chaotic for my ! liking - I mean
there was no way I could hold her when she reared above us and threw herself
sideways, but I feel it shouldn't have happened. Later, after she had
been outside to see her buddy, she was fine to come in and stand on the
crossties. But I could tell she was exhausted. And when things quieted
down in the barn she stretched right out in her stall and went to sleep.
What really worries me now is that when I had her on the cross ties, she
was holding up her hind leg once in awhile off the ground as if sore, but
she's still not limping on it. I'm going now to check on it and see if
there is any change. Any ideas?
