Solving separation anxiety in 3 sessions - How to help an anxious horse relax 

It`s not my mare it`s someone else`s. Owner had problems with separation anxiety for a long time, to the point were the mare hurt herself badly trying to jump out off the stall.

How wonderful you want to help your horse feel better. This really helps! At the monet I am holding a free masterclass giving more tips that helps horses feel more confident when with us and less concerned about the herd. Check it out on www.ridelikeaviking.no/masterclass

@@RideLikeaViking thank you! I'll definitely look into it!

Awesome you are making progress! This video might also help (the important part is that she allows you to take the guard and feels safe with you not only the donkey). Getting the horse on a distance, moving their feet from a distance and waiting for relaxation is key. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-miBJHhE1JU4.html

I`d try to prevent it from happening and becoming a bad habit. It`s easier to leave than being left so it`s better he leaves than the other`s leave him as that seem to trigger it. The more horses are anxious when alone, plus making reunion with other horses the thing that relaxes them, the more separation anxiety they get. You don`t want other horses to be the reason he relaxes and you don`t want him build a habit of weaning ✨ You can build stamina when being alone by leaving the others rather than the others leaving him. In Ride Like a Viking we have a whole program with exercises and a philosophy, that you might not know. We for instance don`t ask horses NOT to do stuff and we don`t teach head down cues. The reason is that it can cause tension to build up in horses. Rather ask horses to do something and facilitate relaxation. Crossing hind end over is a better way to relax horses than making them drop their head 🐴 I`m not saying that you are doing this, but try to not ask him to not wean, rather redirect his mind towards something else (not food as it can become a reward for weaning, cause thinking of weaning when giving treats is enough to reward it, eating hay when alone however will help as it soothes horses)❤️ In short: kill it in the bud before it becomes a habit, he`s probably not relaxed and confident enough to be left by other horses yet (better he leaves). Build confidence and trust when alone in other ways than being left. Don`t make other horses the reason for finding relaxation again after being up from being alone. Don`t ask him not to do stuff or make his neck relax, neck will drop down when horses are relaxed, but they don`t necessarily relax by being told to drop the neck. Last but not least: Your horse is truly blessed to have you who notice and understands him 🐴❤️✨

Thank you for your answer and for your time❤️❤️ Actually I never ask him to drop his head, it is only a result of him being relaxed. But what is more important is today’s news. Because I knew we have built confidence and trust, and he does not have separation anxiety, he can be left alone anytime. So this morning I was standing next to my horse when his buddy left. My horse just nicely watched him leaving then looked at me, chewed and stayed calm even after I left him in his stall alone. Since his neighbour horse is very tense and anxious, I realised the problem is only that he gives this nervous energy to my horse when leaving. When I leave with my positive mindset and energy, my horse is just fine. So I will move him to another stall and see if it helped him.😊

​@@NoizePiranha how wonderful! This shows that when we have connection with our horse and the tool we need, when something comes up (which it does from time to time) it`s easily fixed case the basic foundation is there. Be proud, great job (already done). So many horse owners need to goo back and build the foundation when something comes up, a good foundation is key. Maybe he after a while can be the horse who gives other horses calmness when they get upset and not become upset himself? I have one of those and he is a senior horse, worth his weigh in gold. My younger mare on the other han can make other horses crazy with her energy, but not him 😆

Thank you! My gift is apparently to be able to stand with horses until they yawn, not as easy as it looks... I have a Membership site if you want to learn how 😄

@@RideLikeaViking It was pretty captivating stuff for my inebriated mind :P I usually just perpetuate the Irish stereotype but i added marijuana to the mix that time and I have no idea how I ended up watching a video about horses. It was interesting enough all the same but i stayed for the voice more than the horse :P If you didn't have Viking in your name, I'd have guessed that you were from Finland. So, as you can tell, I am useless at accents.

@@makavelismith thank you!🙏✨

You might want a deeper relaxation than what you are getting now and never make the other horse the reason for becoming relaxed again after being up, cause that`s what`s triggers it and makes it a habit. Build stamina from a situation where he is relaxed on his own, usually this can be done by your horse leaving the other horses, not being left by them. When relaxed you set you horse in the stall and give him hay and make sure he is relaxed when the other horses arrive. Could also be that you are keeping him calm, the exercises are for teaching horses to find calmness on their own, not keeping them calm. It`s not about separation anxiety never popping up again but about having the tools to solve it when it popps up. This exercise breaks the pattern but practice and consistency is needed to keep it good. Hope this helps!

No give her a reason to look to you and relax, horses look to where they seek comfort. Stand with your horse until she looks at you and relaxes. You can also do liberty lunging which will motivate your horse to look to you and not to the outside. I don`t have free trainings on this but offer a 14-day free trial to the full video library and weekly interactive live Q&As, that will help you get this sorted. Learn more on www.ridelikeaviking.com/course

Do this and get it sorted! The more the horse is experiencing anxiety when alone and relief when back with the horse buddy the worse it gets. Teach your horse to find relaxation with you and on a distance from you, standing on their own feet, the horse will become more comfortable and confident

Yes you need to do the groundwork and then practice being alone to build stamina 👍✨

Then you need to do this 👍✨ And afterwards practice to build stamina

I lead them behind me and on the outside of me, plus I make the horse aware of me. Much less dangerous than manhandling a distracted horse in their space. Plus horses don`t like to be micromanaged so its not good for the connection either

Ask the horse to do something make a task of it

It does work but your horse and you might need more sessions than just 3. Evert time the horse is alone and anxious and then find relaxation when back together with the friend the problem of separation anxiety gets bigger. Cause the horses solution to finding relaxation is the horse friend, not you. Every time your horse can find relaxation with you, the problem gets smaller. Don`t put your horse in a stall to be alone and nervous, it will make it worse cause what the horses does most the horse does best. The horse will then associate being in a stall with being afraid. Only attempt to have the horse in the stall after finding relaxation without the friend, but with you, then build on that. If horse is nervous don\t let the horse out to the friend but do another session where horse finds relaxation with you and then put horse to the friend. You don`t want to end any session with the friend horse being the one who calms the horse down. Yes it is tiring and not on our time schedule but the horse needs help and will become much safer to ride and handle when this is solved

I have a good round pen and facilities so I can work horses in a fence without needing to lead them there. I also have fencing so I can get horses into the stable without leading. I don`t lead horses who cant be led, I teach them to lead first cause I don`t want to teach them to break loose. The release is the reward so every time a horse breaks loose it`s a bad lesson learned and the horse will do it more. By teaching the horse to move the hind end away they don`t break loose case for bolting off horse has to get hind end toward you. The other video "from running people down to leading at liberty" shows how I work a horse who has learned to run people down, break loose and kick. Good round pen or arena is key .

Same here. I want to work with my horse in the round pen but he freaks out so badly about moving away from his paddock that I can't get him there!

@@allic8571 Make a paddock outside the stable door our farm system is made so that we don`t need to lead horses away to train them. A round pen costs about the same as a saddle and can be moved anywhere 👍✨