Separation anxiety

["guest@endurance.net" <guest@endurance.net>]

Nina Vasiliev rides4fun@hotmail.com
Susan,

Boy, your heart must have sunk, once you became aware of what
 your horse had been through...

Your horse sounds as though he has lost confidence in himself
 since he was faced with so many "challenges" which he couldn't
 solve successfully.  (Read: abuse which he could't avoid.)  Of
 course, life is the pits when you're stuck with unkind and/or
 unfair people.

Getting him into a safe/sane environment is important on so many
 levels, a step which you took right away. He was lucky that you
 and Karen gave him time to "breath", regroup. He's regained
 confidence in his riders, hence he's well behaved on the trail
 even tho he may be ridden alone.  That is such an important
 step back to the ol' self you knew and nutured. Now, he needs
 to gain confidence in himself.  As his confidence in himself
 grows, he will not be so anxious about being alone. You can try
 addressing his separation anxiety directly by just separating
 him for very short intervals, so that he will learn that he
 will only be alone for a moment, then a few minutes, then a
 touch longer.  Only going longer when he is completely calm.
  No reason to move too quickly.  Yet, that is just addressing a
 symptom.

Confidence takes time, but not as much time as one might think.
  He needs to be given clear tasks. Once he complys properly, he
 is rewarded.  Tiny tasks which build on each other, taught in a
 fair and polite way.  There are "programs" out there.  Parelli
 Natural Horsemanship is a good one.  It's something you can do
 yourself, just checking in with an instructor as needed or you
 can go whole hog and work with an instructor often.  It's fun
 work, both of you will enjoy it.  And its goal is to have a
 more confident horse. I've seen it work with my guy and I have
 become much more in tune with him also. 

I would bring him home.  There is no time lost having him hang
 out where he is loved. Even though you have plans for his
 growth in training, he has hit a snag. He needs to settle into
 a familiar routine, not a new situation where, kind as it may
 be, newness is still stress.  Even though you are now living in
 a different area, your rhythm is familiar.  The way you walk,
 the way you scratch him in his favorite spot, the sound of your
 voice. He knows what is expected of him in an instant, because
 it is the rhythm with which he was raised.  All this helps
 regain confidence.  

Remember that feeling when he thought the world was there for
 his taking?  It will come back. 

Let us know what you decide.

Nina Vasiliev