Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

On 10/24/06, rides2far@xxxxxxxx <rides2far@xxxxxxxx> wrote:

There's more to keeping  your horse confined than the method of
confinement. You ought to know how to create a situation where your horse
will *feel* secure. I'm amazed at people who will bring 2 horses that are
buddies to a ride, leave one in a flimsy electric corral and ride off on
the other. A horse that feels abandoned is *far* more likely to get into
trouble.

 

 

Excellent point, Angie.  My 7 yr old gelding, Bear, is herdbound, and gets worked up whenever he's alone in our camp.  He's getting better, but I don't trust him yet to stay in his electric pen (or anything else he could break down) without a buddy unless I am there to watch him.  So on the rare occasion my husband has done a ride and Bear has stayed in camp alone and I've left camp (either riding another horse or crewing), I've tied him very securely to the trailer, where he can fuss and fume to his heart's content, but can't get loose.  My 6 yr old, Sundance, and old timer, Chivas, I'm not worried about.  Chivas knows the routine, and Sundance is the most independent horse I've ever known...he couldn't care less about any other horse or being left alone.  And just give him food and he'll eat himself into a coma. <G>

 

Like Angie said, a little bit of knowing your horse and planning ahead can head off a lot of issues.

 

Dawn in East Texas