It’s likely that, at some point, you’ve come across a horse who suffers from separation anxiety - you may even own one. Despite being so common, it’s still a real challenge to cope with - even if the horse isn’t your own. This is because horses who suffer with separation anxiety can quickly become extremely upset, even dangerous, which can impact on those around them, too. So what can you do about it?
IT’S ALL HISTORY
It’s important to understand that it isn’t natural for horses to be left alone - they’ve evolved over millions of years to rely on their herd for safety. If a horse doesn’t feel safe in his environment, he’ll find it impossible to carry out even the most basic behaviours, such as eating, drinking and sleeping. This is one of the reasons why simply providing a horse who suffers from separation anxiety with food when you take his companion out for a ride isn’t enough to distract him. The temptation of food simply isn’t as strong as his genetic makeup.