Herd Bound

Question
I had a question about my horse being herd bound. She's about 5 and really isn't comfortable leaving the other horses and going off by herself, but what's the most frustrating is that she's attached herself to one of our geldings. I've had to retrain her on a lot of things and feel that I could overcome her nervousness of leaving the other horses, but she loses her head over this gelding. Now they've been separated a lot and don't see each other often, but she loses her focus every time she sees him and all my training goes down the toilet. Do you have any idea why even being separated would cause them to react that way?

Answer
Hello Amanda,

Your mare has formed a tight bond with the gelding. Maybe she feels safe with him or maybe it is maternal or maybe something else, but it is very strong.

Is there any way that his rider can go trail riding with you or if you could work together in the arena?

The only way you can wean her from him is to stable her elsewhere or take her away from him regularly. When you do, you will have to reward her for good behavior so that she sees something in it for her to leave him.  Maybe you could take a pocket full of her favorite treats and give them to her while they are apart.  A spoonful of sugar.....

Happy riding,
Dorothy