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What To Do When Your Horse
is Herdbound
Horses are social animals. They need to spend time daily with other horses, preferably in an area where it is possible for them to run freely.
The problem is that some horses become herdbound--they become distressed and difficult to handle when taken away from their buddies. Here are four remedies that often help an anxious horse become less herdbound.
1. Change Your Horse’s Feed
If your horse is anxious and keyed up all the time, she may need a change in feed. Hotter breed horses sometimes simply cannot handle the "normal" amount of starch in standard feeds (like Strategy). Their entire personalities change when you switch them to a lower carb feed (like Enrich or Wellsolv). They become mellower and calmer under saddle, in the pasture, and in the barn. Sometimes just adding a quality fat to their feed, like rice bran oil, is enough to calm them down.
2. De-Sensitize Your Horse to Being Alone
De-sensitize her to being alone by leaving her alone (tied or in paddock) for very short periods. Put her somewhere she can see you but can't reach you. Start out with just a minute or so of "alone time" and build up slowly to 5, 10, 15, 20 minutes and so on. It also helps to leave her with something to keep her mind occupied--a toy, grass hay, one of those roller ball that you can put feed in and it dribbles out as the horse pushes it around.
1. Change Your Horse’s Feed
If your horse is anxious and keyed up all the time, she may need a change in feed. Hotter breed horses sometimes simply cannot handle the "normal" amount of starch in standard feeds (like Strategy). Their entire personalities change when you switch them to a lower carb feed (like Enrich or Wellsolv). They become mellower and calmer under saddle, in the pasture, and in the barn. Sometimes just adding a quality fat to their feed, like rice bran oil, is enough to calm them down.
2. De-Sensitize Your Horse to Being Alone
De-sensitize her to being alone by leaving her alone (tied or in paddock) for very short periods. Put her somewhere she can see you but can't reach you. Start out with just a minute or so of "alone time" and build up slowly to 5, 10, 15, 20 minutes and so on. It also helps to leave her with something to keep her mind occupied--a toy, grass hay, one of those roller ball that you can put feed in and it dribbles out as the horse pushes it around.
3. Improve Your Horse’s Position in the Herd Hierarchy
What position does your horse occupy in her hierarchy? Horses that are lower in the hierarchy derive a good deal of security from being around other, more dominant horses--even if they get bossed around by them. While the hierarchy is something that the horses work out for themselves, here's a couple of tricks that sometimes work to help a subordinate horse feel more secure being alone.
4. Try a Calming Supplement
There are a number of quality non-habit forming calming supplements designed for anxious horses. Here is one that usually gets top marks: amzn.to/3R8cjKS
Your horse may never become completely calm when alone because that may just be his or her personality. But these strategies typically get the anxiety down to a manageable level.
Finally, keep in mind that mares typically get more herd bound when they are in estrus (heat). A little more patience at these times is the best policy.
Happy riding!
As long as you’re here, check these out!
Six Vital Horse Facts That Every Horseowner Needs to Know
Horse Feeding and Nutrition
Equestrian Products That Make Your Riding and Horse Care Easier and Better!
Copyright Denise Cummins February 1, 2016; updated May 30, 2024
The Thinking Equestrian
Opening Photo Credit: Google Image Search, Labeled for Reuse
What position does your horse occupy in her hierarchy? Horses that are lower in the hierarchy derive a good deal of security from being around other, more dominant horses--even if they get bossed around by them. While the hierarchy is something that the horses work out for themselves, here's a couple of tricks that sometimes work to help a subordinate horse feel more secure being alone.
- Turn her out with another horse or two that are more timid than she is. That gives her a chance to occupy a higher rung in the order. We once had a 16.3hh eventing TB gelding boarded in our facility whose owner told us he could not be turned out with anyone because he always got beat up. She wanted him isolated in a paddock of his own, but we persuaded her to first let us try something else. We turned him out with an older, calm warmblood mare and a young (5 year old) TB filly. They made a perfectly agreeable turnout buddy group. He apparently felt he had his very own harem, and they thought they had their very own big guy.
- If she is dominant in her group but is also very young compared to the other horses, she may still think of herself as the youngster who gets to have her way around the older horses rather than as an adult who has to play by the rules. Introducing a younger horse into the group may help her develop a better sense of herself as an adult. That may sound strange, but we did that with insecure horses at our facility many times, and it seems to work.
4. Try a Calming Supplement
There are a number of quality non-habit forming calming supplements designed for anxious horses. Here is one that usually gets top marks: amzn.to/3R8cjKS
Your horse may never become completely calm when alone because that may just be his or her personality. But these strategies typically get the anxiety down to a manageable level.
Finally, keep in mind that mares typically get more herd bound when they are in estrus (heat). A little more patience at these times is the best policy.
Happy riding!
As long as you’re here, check these out!
Six Vital Horse Facts That Every Horseowner Needs to Know
Horse Feeding and Nutrition
Equestrian Products That Make Your Riding and Horse Care Easier and Better!
Copyright Denise Cummins February 1, 2016; updated May 30, 2024
The Thinking Equestrian
Opening Photo Credit: Google Image Search, Labeled for Reuse
