Questions and Answers
My Fillies Are Chewing The Rails. What Can I Do?
Q: My two young mares have started chewing the wooden fence railings, much to my husband’s annoyance! They live out together, and have access to grazing 24-7. They get hard fed a breeding mix at a level that is appropriate for them, and they also get hay in the morning and again in the evening. … Read more
My Horses Don’t Like Being Separated at Shows
q: I have two geldings and we don’t have space – and I don’t have the time or the money – for a third. My problem is how overly attached they are to each other. They graze together, obviously, and I ride and lead when hacking, and even when I am schooling, one is in … Read more
My Horse Paws and Kicks in The Trailer
Q: Do your trainers have any tips for stopping a horse from pawing and kicking out while he is travelling in the trailer? My 10-year-old crossbred gelding does this if he is travelling on his own, or with a friend. He is wrecking the inside of my trailer and it’s quite distracting for me when … Read more
My Horse Stops and Rolls Whenever I Ride in the Arena
Q: My 16-year-old thoroughbred has recently started to drop and roll every time I ride him in the arena. He is sound and as far as I can tell, in good health. What on earth could be causing this and what can I do about it? The only other time I’ve heard of this is … Read more
My Horse Has a Cow Phobia
Hi Neil. My mare has a cow phobia, and apparently has for all of her 15 years. Now, the issue is that she has to live right next door to them. The arena backs right onto a cow paddock on one long side and the farmer has a race which he moves his cows up and down daily on … Read more
My Horse Rushes at The Gate
Q: I recently bought an 11-year-old TB gelding with a potentially dangerous habit. This horse is a bit high energy, but he generally behaves well both on the ground and under saddle. The problem comes when I turn him out after riding him. As we approach the gate to his paddock, he rushes up to … Read more
My Horse Doesn’t Like Other Horses Coming Towards Him
Q: The horse I lease has a serious aversion to horses coming toward him when riding in the arena. He’s an off-track Thoroughbred (OTTB) and, his current owner doesn’t know what sort of incident he might have had in his past that made him this way. It doesn’t matter if we’re walking or trotting, he tends … Read more
My Horse Has ‘Separation Anxiety’
Here’s a question from a reader: I am needing some help with separation anxiety in my horses. I have a five-year-old mare who I bred, and she has lived her whole life with two geldings, very happily. She’s always been independent and confident when I have taken her away from them to handle and (over … Read more
Charley Chews The Fence
Q: My 5 year old pony, Charlie, is starting to pluck the top wire on fences. It is becoming more and more of a habit. He use to just do it when he was waiting for his feed, but now he is doing it to gain attention and even when being groomed. I’m worried about … Read more