Young horse problems

Question
I have a 4 year old Paint gelding(lives in a stall) that I bought just a year
ago. He has been going great with his training, but he has 2 issues- he is
terrified of outdoor arenas and open spaces, and he freaks out when around other
horses. He is fine when in an indoor arena when alone and in the round pen, but
once you take him out in a differently shaped arena that is outdoors, he'll keep
his head high in the air while his tail is flagging and will start jigging
around. He has reared a few times as well. For the horse anxiety thing, whenever
he sees 1 or two or more horses in the arena or outside, he will start snorting,
prancing, running around me in circles(if he manages to get away with it) and
jigging. I have tried keeping his feet moving in all directions-forward,
backward, sideways, front end, hind end and it seems to work a little until we
start moving around. Can you give me some advice? Thanks!


Answer
Hi Haley,
       Your horse is not anxious when he sees other horses. He wants to spend time with him. Horses are herd animals and being in a stall contradicts what nature has told them to do.It also sounds like he has extra energy and needs more exercise then he is getting. If you can turn him out more that would be help. If there is not enough turnout space then I would lunge him every day. A horse would prefer to be out 24/7 with other horses if given the choice. See if you can turn him out with another horse for a few hours a day. You will see a big difference.

Lisa