What is wrong with my horse

[capall beag]

I have a 2 yr old colt that has lived with a gelding for at least the last year.

They have been seperated and the gelding has gone to live up the road. The gelding was not doing well being housed with the colt.

It has been 5 days now that he ahs been alone.

Tonight I went out to grain them and he just sniffed his grain and walked away. He looked sad! I checked his hooves and inside his mouth. No cuts, nothing I could see wrong. I then let him out to run in the pasture and he just walked quietly over to the other horses.

Then I let one of my mares out with him, she put him in his place and then they started to run around together. After about 10 minutes he looked like a different horse and started to look happy and content and was eating grass and acting normal. This sounds a bit wacky BUT this is exactly what happened???

Do horses get depressed??

The other thing is he does not seem to know he is a stallion??, the mare is bred BUT he didn't act at all studdy around her he just seemed thrilled to be able to run with her? Is this normal? He has never been bred? But I thought he would act studdish none the less?

I have seen a 4 month old colt act more studdish than this guy?

If it is not depression what else could it be?

He ate normally this morning and ate all his hay and has been drinking?????

I have no idea what else it could be????

 

[Margaret]

Horses are social creatures and need each other to be truly happy.. It is true that if you need to put weight on a horse,.. put him in withone that eats alot.. they are also inclined to be social eaters.

 

[lilhorseladie]

YES! They get depressed. My yearling stallion got depressed when the other horses would allienate him. It took awhile to get him out of it. It was physically visible...he hung his head low etc. I asked the vet and he agreed when he looked at him that he was just depressed.

 

[yankee_minis]

I believe they can become depressed too. When we sold my colt last year, my stallion missed him terribly. The two used to be stalled together and used to play ALL the time. The colt was son of my stallion, so they had been together almost 2 years.

 

[~Palomino~]

I think just because they say breed them at two years old, dosent mean nothing, cause all horses are diferent, and i have heard many times that I dont think my two year old is ready to breed and dosent act like he knows what to do and just dosent have the studly manner, in a year, i bet he will learn, and if he dosent ever get over his having to be alone, you going to have to keep him the the horses you want to breed him too or geld him! cause if you put him in with another stallion, then the other stallion will just want to fight!

-Gage-

 

[Abby]

I too beleive that they get depressed. Not always physical but emotionally.

My mare and I thought she was bred until the ultra sound said otherwise.

She wouldn't eat, called to the others from her stall. So I put her in the isle by my other 2 for a few days, she perked up and I think she accepted it.

When I had to put down my favorite QH mare, her son kept grinding his teeth. He did it for days, and alot when I was crying on his neck. I think he knew what was happening.

Lee

 

[capall beag]

Thanks for the replies!

Well, he has just proven my theory that all animals and people need company!!!!

I was not comfortable about keeping him alone and had thought about buying him a companion BUT thought 3 mares was enough.I have put one of my mares in with him and I will see how they get along, she is already bred so for now maybe they will be friends. He seems immature and just wants company. He did that smacking of his gums to her and acted pretty submissive.

If they get along they will be companions for now!!

I really thing he was just really sad to be alone, he could see the others BUT could not touch them, maybe 10 feet away BUT I guess that wasn't enough for him!!

I will be gelding one of my stallions next year BUT haven't decided which one yet!!!!!!!