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  Discussion on Jumping/Leaping
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Member:
Brock

Posted on Wednesday, Feb 9, 2005 - 12:05 pm:

We have acquired a new Tennessee Walker - 4 year old gelding - that has been at our acreage for 5 weeks. For the most part, he is very quiet and docile. We have one other horse (7 year old QH). On the first occasion we found him on the other side of the corral (in the pasture) one morning. He could have easily jumped over the 3-rail fence because the snow was higher and iced over in one particular spot and he had a slight scrape on one back leg. We figured something must have spooked them in the night.

The second occasion occurred this week which is even more odd. Each night the horses are put in their box stalls to have their grain before getting back out for hay. The box stalls have half doors (Mr. Ed doors) and we often close one up and keep one open just so one horse doesn't hog the other's grain. Well on this day, the Quarter Horse's door was open and the Walker's was closed. My husband was in the barnyard but did not actually witness this event. Something spooked the QH and he went racing out of the stall. The next thing he knew, my husband saw the Walker out as well. He had leaped over a 3 foot high stall door with no chance of taking a run at it (box stall is 10x12)!

We are now concerned about keeping him closed in this box stall and about his respect for fences. Our 10-acre pasture is 3 strand barbed wire and the large corral area they are kept in each night is post and rail fence. What happens when we take the QH out for a ride and the Walker decides he wants to go? They are slightly herd bound but no big issues there (yet). We are puzzled first as to how this horse could possibly get over the door and we are concerned as to what will happen the next time he decides to jump over something.

Has anyone had a situation like this happen to them and if so, what did you do to resolve it? We are hoping that just because he is still in relatively new surroundings he will settle down and come to realize he is living in a very safe environment, but in the meantime?



Member:
Gillb

Posted on Wednesday, Feb 9, 2005 - 1:30 pm:

I have also just acquired a 21 month old Morgan gelding. When I first went to see him at his breeders he was in an arena with his barn pals, we left them for a while and when we went back he was wandering the yard on his own. I could not see how he could have got out except for jumping the gate, although the breeder reckoned he pushed through.

He was then put in the arena on his own, he paced around a bit then jumped straight out over the three rail fence! I was a bit concerned but put it down to him missing his friends and being stressed. I bought him as he has a superb temperament and the first thing he did when I got him home was pop over my electric fence like it was nothing. So I pretty well have the same problem as you! My next step is to raise the height of the electric.

I've known quite a few horses who can easily get over stable doors if they are determined. Is there no way you can put him in a box where you can close both top and bottom doors, just while you ride out? I'm not quite familiar with a box stall (I'm from the UK) - what we have are individual stables that have top and bottom doors. If you didn't want to close the top door how about putting a steel grill in place so he can still see out. We can have removeable grills made for ours. At least then you know he shouldn't be able to escape!

Perhaps once he is settled you won't have so much of a problem, I am hoping that is the case with me too! Well at least if jumping is our aim, we shouldn't have too much of a problem ...

Best of luck and if you find something that works please let me know!!
Member:
Warwick

Posted on Wednesday, Feb 9, 2005 - 1:40 pm:

Gill

Box stall in North America = loose box in the UK.

Does that help clear things up?

Cheers

Sue
Member:
Christos

Posted on Wednesday, Feb 9, 2005 - 3:16 pm:

Hi, Pam,
I would not worry much for jumping the fence if the other horse stays in. They usually jump a couple of times, then they realise they're all alone out there and they never do it again.
About jumping the stall door, however, I'd be a bit worried. It gets them a reward, like grazing around or joining other horses, so it can become a dangerous habit (it makes for ugly accidents). As Gill suggests, I think a grill is rather urgent until he settles down with the new surroundings and the idea of being left alone.
Work in the box issue first. Once he settles down with the idea of being left alone, you may be able to turn him out alone as well without needing to raise the fences.
Member:
Longride

Posted on Wednesday, Feb 9, 2005 - 5:52 pm:

Just a note. If you can't afford to get rid of the barb wire at least run electric on 6" offsets to keep the horses off it. The new electric rope fences are not the perfect answer, but they are easy to install, not excessively expensive and a lot safer than barb wire.
Member:
Brandi

Posted on Wednesday, Feb 9, 2005 - 7:28 pm:

Thank goodness I've never dealt with the jumping issue, but I have to back up Barbara on the electric fence addition. For much less than the cost of your next likely vet-bill you can find something like this: I used Premier 1 Sheep Supplies' 1/2-inch tape on plastic step-in posts with T-post corners, powered by solar batteries for over 3 years to fence most of my 9 acres (It was only meant to be a temporary fence, but even at 4-years some of it is still standing where I haven't gotten to replacing it with the 1-inch on permanent posts). They also make offset insulators plus a cap to go on top of T-posts, if that's what your existing barbed wire is currently attached to. If your posts are tall enough, an additional wire on those top-caps might discourage your escape artist. As a confirmed jumper you never want him to pay the price he would have to pay if he jumped that barbed wire and miscalculated his footing or whatever. Here's their web-site, not sure if they supply the UK, but they are EXTREMELY helpful and will hook you up somehow, they have many other options as well. https://www.premier1supplies.com/ Good luck keeping that boy safe.
Member:
Liliana

Posted on Wednesday, Feb 9, 2005 - 8:21 pm:

Just a thought, we had a similar problem once and it turned out that there were mice in the box and they spooked. As you mentioned the QH did the jumping too may be there was something there
Member:
Brock

Posted on Thursday, Feb 10, 2005 - 2:54 pm:

Thanks for all the input. We are considering the plastic posts with electric wire inside the barbed wire fence(pasture portion). This horse needs to learn how to respect a fence. Until he becomes better familiar with his surroundings we will leave his box stall open. If we are with him in the box stall with the bottom door shut he is fine as long as someone is with him. Otherwise, we have the ability to close the top half of the door to completely close him in, when necessary. I'm really hoping it's just a matter of getting used to his new surroundings. It's just amazing to us how he cleared that 3' door with no approach. (Actually, he didn't clear it ... his back legs didn't clear it and there was quite a racket, but came away with only a small cut on one back foot).
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