Re: [RC] Herd bound - DESERTRYDR1My 2 yr old mule acted like this when I moved her to a new stable and left my other two horses at the old stable. At the time I thought, omigawd what have I gotten myself into. I couldn't even lead Destiny, she absolutely would not pay attention. So instead of trying to lead her, I just spent lots of time grooming her and trying to bond with her, then I moved one of my other mares over to the new stable. Destiny is back to being her sweet self, and when I look back, it probably has more to do with her insecurity about being moved to a new place than it does whether she has her buddy mare back. I can take Misty Moon, the mare, out and Destiny gets upset, but she doesn't throw screaming fits, and run back and forth, she just paces some, but will go out in pasture and eat grass until we come back. Some horses can be very insecure when something in their surroundings changes (much less everything!) I would kind of chalk this behavior up to the "Omigawd, I've lost everything that I ever knew, and now they've taken you (the other horse) away too." Demand respect when you are working with the horse, but realize that it may take a few weeks or even longer for the confidence level to come back up. Keep training sessions short, take the mare completely off the property for any serious work. I've found that usually once they get COMPLETELY away, their mind returns somewhat, and you can use attention-keeping exercises to get the rest of it back on you. jeri =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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