Operation: Project Finn

So we recently had a new boarder horse come in at the stables I work at; a beautiful buckskin gelding named Finn. He arrived last Saturday afternoon, and so far he's had a not-so-smooth time settling in. We were originally turning Finn out in the gelding lot with other horses, whom he got along great with, but seeing as he's "the new guy," he's the lowest horse in the pecking order. This being said, he's been the last horse to come in for dinner each day.

Last Sunday, Finn was the last horse I went to retrieve from the turnout pasture for dinner time. Previously that evening, he had been acting perfectly fine and stood with the rest of the herd near the gate as they took their turns coming inside; however, once Finn was the last horse left and he realized he was alone, he began whinnying and calling to the other horses and took off at a mad gallop through the entire pasture. I calmly followed him, and as he ran laps around me, I waited a good 10-15 minutes before he finally settled down enough for me to catch him. Since then, I've heard from the barn managers that he's taking up to 45 minutes to catch and almost refuses to go into his stall in the evening -- and when he does, he'll try to bolt back out if you don't close the stall door in a matter of seconds.

To minimize this issue, the managers instructed us employees to begin turning Finn out in a small paddock by himself so he's easier to catch. They have also instructed that two people must bring him in in the evening in order to coax him into the stall from the front and back. Keep in mind, this turnout paddock is probably only six times bigger than his stall -- not much room to get the exercise it seemed he wanted and needed on that Sunday evening, right? If he has pent up energy, the problem is only going to worsen in my opinion. So I've come up with an idea.

I've spoken to one of the barn managers and proposed my idea of turning Finn back out with the other geldings in their pasture, and she's allowed me to take my shot at seeing if it will work. I think the companionship would help Finn settle in his new home better (especially since he's not eating a lot, either), and the other geldings can teach him how to behave -- and how to come in at dinner time. Only this time, I plan to catch Finn when there are still one or two horses left to bring in, that way he's not alone. Even walk him back to his stall with another horse. I also plan to take some treats with me to reward him for being caught, as well as entering his stall.

I've decided to turn this horse into my little project. It begins tomorrow, wish me luck.

Oh snapple!! Well what you propose certainly makes sense! He def needs the time and the room to roam free and shake all that energy out, that's for sure. Keep us updated!

But GOOD LUCK KEMI!   You got this!

Finn went into his stall easier for dinner last night, and I rewarded him with a carrot and a peppermint! I did have someone help shoo him in from behind, though, so I'm going to try to do it alone tonight if things go well with catching him.

I turned him out with the geldings this morning, and he was more willing to let me put on his fly mask so I tried to give him another peppermint but I guess he doesn't like those as much, seeing as he spit it out 3 times. Gotta go back this evening to bring the horses in, so hopefully that goes well. I'm gunna bring some carrots from my house to give him. c:

Hmm, I didn't know horses liked peppermints *shrug* Well, good luck!

What?! Everyone feeds horses peppermints around here!

Really? How funny, haha!

Ahhhhhh! Seems like everythings so far so good! owo Hopefully it goes well tonight!

Finn was great tonight! He stood at the far corner of the pasture until there were only about 5 horses left to bring in, and then he finally found his way up to the gate but stood far enough back that he would be the last one in. Once it was only him and two other horses in the pasture, I went in and showed him a carrot, then haltered him easily, and rewarded him with the treat for letting me do so. I waited as the other girl I was working with grabbed one of the other horses and put him away, then came back for the last. We walked the two back to their barn and I even got Finn in his stall with no extra help and no hesitation from him; although I used the same method of showing him the carrot, asking him to walk in, and then rewarding the good behavior.

He seems so much happier out in the pasture with the other geldings, and I think he'll behave better in the stall once he realizes that he'll have play time out there all day, and that he can still burn up the energy he has during turnout even though he's stalled overnight!

How cool! Good going, Kemi! Most of the time, horses just need someone who really understands them and what they're going through. Good luck for future endeavors with Finn!