Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

The tack room

Discuss horse riding and ownership on our Horse forum.

Flip

Original poster

Are these irrational fears?

20 replies

MitchyInge · 08/06/2010 00:08

Finding it really hard to sleep lately thinking about horrible things that might happen, like if someone broke into the fields and stole the horses or attacked them or let them loose and they got hit by a car or lorry or something

luckily am staying with yard owner at moment for a break and can check on them easily but keep getting into stupid state at night

it is rare for things like that to happen isn't it? Joey is safe, miles from road, would be v difficult for thief or anyone to get him but barney's field could be accessed from road if someone was determined.

When people steal horses do they feed them? How do they know what to give them and whether hay or haylage or soaked hay? Are they kind to them?

OP posts:

controlfreakery · 08/06/2010 00:12

you sound really very anxious... are you ok? horrible things can happen, but are not at all likely to and you've taken reasonable steps to ensure horses are safe and secure. hope you're alright.

Original poster

MitchyInge · 08/06/2010 00:22

Everything just seems so fraught with danger, don't know if would be better to just bring them in but then am worried they might get cast or hurt themselves somehow on something sharp in stable :'(

feels like something terrible is going to happen but I don't know what to do?

OP posts:

Original poster

MitchyInge · 08/06/2010 00:25

Everything just seems so fraught with danger, don't know if would be better to just bring them in but then am worried they might get cast or hurt themselves somehow on something sharp in stable :'(

feels like something terrible is going to happen but I don't know what to do?

OP posts:

secunda · 08/06/2010 00:25

awww

I would worry like this as well, probably irrationally. They won't hurt themselves in the stable, surely? And they are probably safe in the field as well.

LisaD1 · 08/06/2010 08:37

Hey Mitchy, You ok? In general I mean? Post seems a bit down/anxious and not your usual self..

None of us have a cast iron guarantee that nothing bad will happen to our horses, all we can do is our best, which I always get the impression from your posts that you do.

Cut yourself some slack, have a nice glass of wine and get some sleep. The lack of sleep will make the anxiety worse.

Hope you ok...

Original poster

MitchyInge · 08/06/2010 15:48

argh got into silly state

imagination is my worst enemy, also what do you call it? displaced anxiety? just want to risk assess everything

exception is actually getting on, riding out - had a really hazardous hack, just list everything scary from lorries charging past dangerously close (ignoring signal to stop as was with phobic pony who ended up in ditch) to hair raising unplanned changes of direction at speed and getting lost etc., but I have 100% confidence in my boy. The brakes could be better but I know I am safe and we can cheat death together. And also actually FLY over things where lesser horses merely jump

OP posts:

Original poster

MitchyInge · 08/06/2010 15:54

Am going to try really hard not to think of all the horror stories have ever heard about horses being stolen or injured or any Bad Thing otherwise will end up sleeping in lorry with them every night which they would probably not like.

OP posts:

lamplighter · 08/06/2010 16:09

Fit a tracker to them - would that help? Or a webcam in the stable - you could watch them from your armchair. Just try to not get too obsessed with the screen!

oldernowiser · 09/06/2010 21:55

Everything will be fine Mitchy. Deep breaths! They are so all consuming though, aren't they? Can't believe how happy horses make me

LovePinkBitsOfMyHorse · 09/02/2011 21:59

Aww poor me, was not in a good state last year!

ManateeEquineOhara · 10/02/2011 06:51

OH...you were MitchyInge!? Thank you for bumping, glad I am not the only one, well, not glad, but glad to see I am not alone in my irrational worries!!!

I see what you mean! And yes, definitely poor you. I have worried about most of those things too...having a gypsy cob I worry about theft, I always worry about lorries and stupid drivers, kicks, electrocution, fire, rabbit holes...etc.

seeker · 12/02/2011 17:16

I worry about rabbit holes. i put all my anxiety about everything into rabbit holes.

LovePinkBitsOfMyHorse · 12/02/2011 20:19

One of my feet disappeared down a squelchy rabbit hole this afternoon culminating in me doing the splits with about a hundredweight of haylage in my arms. I was stuck for fucking ages, trying to keep the haylage dry even while mud seeped into my PANTS. Grrrrrrrr.

So rabbit holes are officially an entirely rational fear now.

seeker · 13/02/2011 07:07

Whever I watch my dd disappearing round the corner when she's hacking out, I think "please - no rabbit holes"

ManateeEquineOhara · 13/02/2011 17:04

OMG YES I totally understand about the rabbit holes. For ages after having DS I didn't canter because I had horrific images of DHorses leg going down a rabbit hole. At my new yard one of the other liveries warned me that there are lots of badger holes on one of the tracks...MAJOR NEW FEAR!

LovePink - that sounds particularly hideous!

Pixel · 13/02/2011 17:25

We had a field with a badger sett which meant we had to fence off a huge area because we just couldn't take the risk of the horses getting anywhere near. Now we just have rabbits, we're always looking for ingenious new ways to fill the holes in. Even if you use stones they manage to dig them out again overnight. They are amazingly tough for creatures that look so soft and cuddly! (I'm talking about those annoying little holes they dig btw, about a 12 inches straight down and just wide enough for an unsuspecting hoof, not blocking poor little bunnies into their burrows!)

ManateeEquineOhara · 13/02/2011 19:04

Pixel, is that because the sett could just cave in???

Pixel · 13/02/2011 20:16

Well it was a big sett with lots of entrances for them to get their feet in, but yes, we were worried because we didn't know how far underground the tunnels went and how near the surface. We didn't notice it when we agreed to have the field because it was in a little copse of trees in the middle with lots of long grass so we weren't too pleased when we spotted it, knowing that our nosey creatures would be bound to go barging in there.

Rabbit holes are a pain but at least they are normally surrounded by close-cropped grass so easier to spot.

itsthawooluff · 14/02/2011 18:13

I fill our bunny holes with the horse manure I spend my life picking up. If nothing else it makes me feel better - sorry if that's really petty.

elbowgrease · 18/02/2011 23:47

I have just had a good chuckle over this thread because that was so me last summer. We had found a lovely, cheap field for our 2.
I went down to check on them every day. I would fret all night about all sorts of stuff. By the morning I had worked myself up into such a state that I couldn't wait to get to the field. One day we turned up and my mare called out to us but the fell youngster (he was 14 months old) was nowhere to be seen. I was running over the field and my mate spotted him lying on his side and called out "oh no!" That's it I thought he's dead! Turned out he was having a flat out snooze!
This winter has been a great learning curve.It's the first year that our cob has been out through the winter since we bought her 6 years ago. They have loved being out, even the snow didn't bother them and they have become great companions. They are just starting to look a bit on the lean side, but I have been told that this should be fine and their way of preparing for when the spring grass sets in.

Flip