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Separation Anxiety Disorder

Last post 05-17-2008 8:33 AM by JMFriedman. 2 replies.
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  • 05-16-2008 12:30 PM

    Separation Anxiety Disorder

    Right now I am leasing a 12 year old Thoroughbred named Elvis.  I have had him since last August, and he was perfect until the beginning of March when he became severely attatched to my pony, a mare named Cookie.  It was so bad that when we tried to separate them, he kicked me in the back, and when a girl came to ride him, he reared up and broke the reins.  We moved him to my friends barn, where he was in with two geldings (a 3 year old and a yearling).  I moved him back to school with me this past Sunday, and he is in with two geldings now, and has become severly attatched to a gelding named Benji.  If Benji is separated from Elvis (whether in the barn or the field), Elvis flips out and paces and calls non-stop.  I'm worried that hes going to hurt himself or someone else.  Does anyone have any suggestions??? Help!

  • 05-17-2008 3:13 AM In reply to

    Re: Separation Anxiety Disorder

    Is this horse an OTTB? And a gelding or stallion? ~FH


    "Abuse is when a human action or reaction is obviously accompanied by anger, rage or adrenaline. Proper correction and reprimand are done in silence with thoughtful intent. Your horse knows the difference." ~FloridaHorseman
  • 05-17-2008 8:33 AM In reply to

    Re: Separation Anxiety Disorder

    That's a real issue!  I had an Appy gelding who went totally ballistic when his turnout partners were changed. Every time!  I had him for 3 years, and nothing we did made things better.  We turned him out with our mare, and he attacked my daughter when she tried to take the mare out of the paddock.  We put him out alone in a paddock adjoining another solitary male, which helped to a point, but not everyone has that option.  He was 9 when I got him, I had no history on him, and I always suspected he might have been cryptorchid or late-gelded, but never had the proof.  When all else failed, we turned him out with the broodmares.  He ran another gelding through a fence to "protect" what he considered to be "his" mares.  Confused  Nice horse, and I rode him and showed him, but that separation issue was with him as long as I knew him. 

    That said, you might want to try Command Serene.  It's a B-vitamin supplement that sometimes help calm upset horses.  You feed it daily.  It worked for my mini stud after I had him gelded.  He was still hormonal and VERY dangerous to the other horses, so I put him on that supplement.  It took some time and some ground work along with it, but he's a total charmer now. 

    "Four things greater than all things are
    women and power and horses and war."
    ~Kipling

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