Dark Nights

Question
QUESTION: I turned my horse out full time during the summer. i thought that i would leave him out for the rest of the year, but he has started to jump out of his paddock. Last year he was in a stable during the nights but i had to give up the stable due to lack of money. Do you think he is scared of the dark and that it would be better to put him in again just for the winter period? I'd hate to fined him hurt in any way.

ANSWER: Hi Kevin:

Is is outside all alone?  If he is, he may need a companion to keep him company.  Horses are herd animals and they feel vulnerable alone.  If he is not feeling secure, he will do what it takes to find that security.  You have to address his need of self preservation.  All he is trying to do is save himself.

Find him a "herd" to be in or create a more secure environment for him.  If this means he has to go back inside, so be it!

Good Luck, keep me posted!

Denise

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: He is in a herd and he does not seam to have any particular friends.I was wondering if the herd moved and he did not see them would that course him to act like this?

ANSWER: Hummmm...there is some part of the story that I'm missing.  If he is in a herd, even though he has no special companions, he should still be feeling okay even if he is on the outskirts of the herd.  

Are his herd mates chasing him?  Are they driving him off?  How large is the pen that he is in?  Is there enough room for him to get away if they are driving him out?  What is the behavior of this group like when you are observing them?  Are they peaceful, good citizens?  Or are they pushy and aggressive?

I'm missing some pieces to the puzzle here.  Do you have any video of this band of horses?

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The herd are peaceful and he gets along fine with them. I did have a stable up till April this year. i then let him out as i could not afford to keep his stable. he was fine all summer long and during the summer i let two girls ride him during the week while they where on holiday. they jumped him which he has not done for over a year and a half due to a leg injury. they would let him have some long grass in the forest just out side the yard as a treat because the grass in the paddock is very short due to sandy soil. Since they have gone back to school he has been getting out but only at night. This is why i wondered if he was scared of the dark.

Answer
Horses see very well in the dark.  Their visual acuity is in black and white, shades of gray, red and green.  They also detect motion VERY well. If you notice, they can pick out a patch of green grass, at night, even when it is pitch black!  So, I really don't think it is a fear of the darkness, per se, but something that he wants, needs, or another herd mate or maybe other animal (opossum, raccoon, badger) bothering him.

If he is out, at night, with his herd they should offer the security he needs.  I have seen horses that just want out of their yard and will do just about anything to make that happen.  My own gelding is a very accomplished escape artist!  I have had to go to great lengths to make sure he can't open pasture gates, arena gates and doors to the feed room!  Nick Holm-Smith, former Pan Am Games medalist and long time member of the Canadian Three Day Olympic team, owned a gelding that would jump from pasture to pasture, at will!  The horse just didn't want to be confined to one pasture!  

If your horse has companions, is well fed,has good clean water, access to a protein/mineral block or tub,then the answer is going to be: boredom!!!  He wants more to do and is finding a way to do it!  See what happens when you give him a job to do and he is peaceful about being in his yard.  Handle him, ride him, take him out for a graze and see what changes.  

Keep me posted on this little mystery!  I would like to know!!!  Keep watching him and see what will make a difference!  Wish I was there!!!

Denise