I have a grumble.

[End Level Farms]

I have a yearling filly who worries and frets when she is not in with another horse. Her mom used to take her places and get her stuck and leave her there. ( I dont know WHY but she did) So now the filly has issues about being alone. She wont eat and will just pace until I relent and put someone in with her. However she has dropped major weight due to my trying to have her in a house or paddock by herself. (SHE CAN STILL SEE AND TOUCH the other horses just not be IN with them)

The only horse I have that she can go out with is an aged mare who VACUUMS up the food. So even when I am sitting there and watching her and have the other mare tied up the filly wont eat all her food because she is afraid I will take the mare away. I cant leave the old mare tied up and not watch due to the fact she knows how to slip her halter off or untie herself. Shes old and KNOWS all the tricks.

So for the past year I have seen young minis in the area go for free or cheap. But because I have only just discovered this fillies alone issues (She just got weaned about a month ago) I didnt grab one of them when they were available. And now that I need company for her her own age I cant find one unless I want to pay $1000 or better. I have talked to a couple of breeders in the area who might have a yearling but they all are planning on showing or only have the two and dont want a third one ( I have offered to pay board so long as the filly can have a friend.)

Why is it when you need/want something you cant have it and when you dont need or want it someone is giving it away.

So my question is does anyone have any suggestions for being able to help this filly get over the trauma she has. So she can be alone in her house with out

starving herself and trying to kill herself.

Moderators if this needs to be moved please let me know.

 

[Charlene]

could you try putting a goat in with her for company?

 

[Joanne]

They are herd animals and need companionship. I do think it is important to try and find something in her age and sex group that she can play with.

I think your dilema is the perfect example of the need to have at least two horses. I do think it is stressful for her to be alone.

I had a colt like this last year. Oddly enough he loved being in a barn stall at night, so I was able to get weight back on him.

But your filly may be too worried to settle into a stall. That is the only thing I can suggest though.

 

[End Level Farms]

I do understand her need to be with other horses in the sense of being able to see and touch them. However when I separate her enough she just runs until she is too tired to run anymore and then walks and walks and walks.

She is still able to touch and see the other horses just not be IN with them.

And they are minis just not yearlings.

It makes me worry about her horribly.

Well I am hoping to find a friend for her. Im working hard on it anyway.

 

[chandab]

Do you have any portable panels that you could use to set up a small enclosure for the companion mare? Then, she can't get to the feed, but you could go about your work while the filly eats (set the filly's feed pan/bucket fairly close to the enclosure, so she knows her companion is there, but you know she can't get to the feed). Then, after the filly's done eating, you can let the mare out. [Perhaps if you aren't standing there watching over, she'll relax and eat, as her companion is still right there, just not able to get to her feed. And, the mare can't go anywhere, since she's in a small enclosure.]

 

[Sandee]

Don't know the size of your stalls but how about a split stall. We have a couple of 12 x 12 stalls and we used a panel from the round pen to divide it. The two horses are sort of in together but not able to "get" to each other or each other's food.

 

[End Level Farms]

I have tried half walls and mesh walls and portable panel walls. She KNOWS the mare is not IN with her.

Heck I even tried building a creep feed area in the stall. She wont go in the creep area at all. I tried it in the pasture same thing. She KNOWS!!!

I have been over graining them hoping she will pick up. Its worked a tiny bit but no where NEAR what I was hoping it would.

 

[End Level Farms]

I have left while using the half walls ect and used my foaling camera to watch.

 

[jayne]

I think your best bet is going to be a new friend. The goat idea might work because you can pick them up really cheaply right now and it could be her permanent friend. But she just might need a horse, based on what you describe. Poor scared filly.

I'm about 90 minutes south of you in the states. Like you, I have seen quite a few minis for sale cheaply or free, but don't think I've seen one in the last few weeks or so. I will keep watching Craig's List. (Maybe you could put a WANTED ad on your Craig's List?) What is the max you were willing to spend? Of course you'll have to have it vetted to cross the border, so that will add some to the cost too. I will be glad to offer up my place as a stop if you find one, then need to keep it somewhere until it is vetted and gets his/her papers. I have several empty stalls now that the big horses are out on pasture full time. I'm only 7.5 miles off of I5, Exit 208.

Good luck with your search.

Jayne

 

[Windhaven]

She sounds just like my yearling filly.

I started bring in my yearlings at night to get them use to being stalled so when they went to shows they didn't flip out.

Well this one filly didn't want anything to do with it. She would only take a few bites of feed and then pace, paw and climb on anything she could find and wouldn't finish eating. She actually stopped eating before I started stalling them, because she was worried the other horses would be let out before her. I would bring my horses in twice a day so they could eat their grain and then hay them together. Well this filly all of the sudden decided this was not it and quit eating. She started loosing weight and I had no idea what to do.

Well this is what I did. She was stalled during the day and could see the other horses at all times. The other two fillies where stalled during the night.

This behavior went on for a month. I then switched my grain for her to a high calorie feed so she would have to eat less and hoped she liked it better. It took her a few days to decide she liked it and it would take hours for her to finish. But now she eats as fast as the others and did less and less stall walking until she has stopped. I also made sure she had lots of toys in her stall. To help slow down the stall walking and give her something to do. She started playing with them and did less and less stall walking. Now she only does a couple of circles when she is antsy to get out before I feed everyone. And she is fat! Now I have her on a diet.

It took about 1 1/2 months, but she is contented with this routine now.

I did notice she was the worst when I would be working out in the barn, and was more quiet when nobody was there. But since I am working on my barn right now she soon got use to it and relaxed knowing I was not going to turn her out. There was times when she was real bad that I would tie her up until she settled down (while I was working out in the barn). Once she stood quite while being tied I would let her loose and she would be fine. Usually only took about a 1/2 hour. After I let her loose if she started walking I would just tell her to stop and she would settle right down.

These are the main things that helped.

Make sure they can always see other horses.

Give them lots of toys. (Mine like the flat rubber feed pan the best. She would sit there and paw, stand in it, hold it between her legs, etc. Should found some interesting things to do with that pan.) Also a partially deflated basket ball.

Rubber mat on floor so they can't dig.

Plenty of exercise. Working them helps take the edge off.

Also when in the barn if she had her head sticking out the gate she always got a pat and scratch as I went by. She liked that.

I do have a radio on all the times too.

I just thought of something else. A big heavy lead rope that does not tangle up. Clip it to her halter, this will slow her down when she steps on it. I use the 10' nylon lead, because it does not tangle around their legs and it washes easy.

I hope you find something that works. It can be challenging at times.

 

[Cathy_H]

See if a farm will let you borrow a buddy for her until you find a horse you can buy but the buddy still may consume all the food before yours gets its share.

 

[Bess Kelly]

Could you muzzle the older mare while they are eating? This might allow filly to get her share.

 

[nbark]

I just got one in December with the same problem. She had been turned out all of her life with another mini and would not, or felt she could not eat hay without them. My other mini has a thyroid problem so she is fed less and separate.

I put the new mini in a stall to feed her and added a little corn syrup to her meal to make it more appealing. She could still see the others and would take a bite, look over the door for them, and go back for another bite. She also would not eat hay alone, but she had to be in her own stall for the night. The first two weeks were brutal, she would only pick at her hay. Sooooo, I gave her a little of her hay and little of the alfalfa hay to entice her. She loved the alfalfa. She would pick through the hay looking for it and this took her mind off of worrying about being alone and eating alone. Gradually the alfalfa disappeared from her hay and she is now eating her hay alone in her stall at night. She still will take a mouthful and look over her door, but it is becoming less and less as she gets accustomed to the fact that she is not alone all the time, only at night. During the day she is turned out with my other mini.

Take her out and work her on something to get her mind off of the other horses, obtacles, just plain old walks, anything. This also helps to clear the mind of being herd bound and builds a little confidence and trust between the two of you. Take treats to reward her when she walks along for a walk with you without fretting.

 

[End Level Farms]

Several farms are thinking about letting me borrow one of their yearlings. But most of them only have what they want to show left.

The old mare pulls the muzzles off. I have even tried the ones with the halter. Shes a SMART old mare. The type that has been there done that.

The filly is on a HIGH FAT concentrate so she doesn't have to eat much.

Im just worried about the filly NOT eating. Shes already under weight and really cant afford to loose more. She at least eats enough to maintain what she is currently carrying if shes in with the old mare.

Im hoping that she will be "Normal" when I find a buddy her own age.

 

[blueprintminis]

I think your best bet is going to be a new friend. The goat idea might work because you can pick them up really cheaply right now and it could be her permanent friend. But she just might need a horse, based on what you describe. Poor scared filly.

I would not recommend a goat. You will end up with a very obese or sick goat because the goat will gobble up every bit of grain/sweet feed you put in for the filly. You need another young/recently weaned mini. I would love to help you out but I'm just too far away. Why don't you post on the Canada sale board. If you'd take a young colt that is not show quality and promise to geld it I'm sure there is someone nearby who would be very happy to find a great home for one of their colts. Good Luck!

 

[End Level Farms]

Thank you.

I am speaking with a couple of farms in the area about borrowing a yearling or even making small monthly payments on the animal. (I use animal because one farm has a colt (Which would become a gelding) and the other has a filly)

 

[Keri]

I would say just leave her be. I've had horses pace stalls for weeks to a month sometimes just antsy and wanting to be with the herd. It took my shetland gelding (who was recently gelded) 3 months to quit pacing his stall. Had a nice hole and he dropped some weight, but now he's fine and content. And he could see and smell the other horses through the fence also. If she can see the others, just keep high fat feed available for her in several different spots in her pen. I'm thinking after a few weeks, she'll calm down. Horses are herd animals. But I think if you get this filly a friend, she'll just become attatched. So then later on when you want to take her to show or the vet or something, she'll need that companion always. IMO, its just creating more problems for later on in life. There are some high fat pellets you can add to her feed. Can't think of what they are called. Little black pellets. But I put them in my stallions feed who constantly paced and whinnied. Kept him decent. Good luck in whatever your choice is.

 

[Mr.T]

I would definitely consider buying a goat, they are easy to handle, friendly, and GREAT companion animals for horses. I have a goat that came to my house during the winter with a mini from the 4H barn that I go to. The horse and goat ended up getting so attached, I had to bring her back to the barn when the mini went back from the summer. It sounds like this would be a good idea for your filly. They aren't expensive. especially since you probably don't plan on showing the goat, an unregistered goat would be even cheaper.

 

[Windhaven]

I agree with Keri. If you keep putting her back with someone she will never learn to be by herself. In reality she is not by herself, she can see the other horses so just wait it out a little longer.

Also I forgot to add that I did give my filly Ultraguard for a couple of days. I would highly recommend you give your filly Ultraguard also.

Good luck.