Instructions
Taking a Buddy-Sour Horse Away From Its Friend
Halter the buddy-sour horse and lead him a few feet from its friends. Stop when the horse acts nervous or exhibits the buddy-sour behavior that it has been exhibiting.
Walk the horse back to its friends. Let it settle down and see that its friend is there, then walk him away, this time a little farther. If you believe in giving your horse treats as rewards, you can give him one now.
Repeat walking the horse away from its friend and back, gradually extending the length of your walks so that eventually he cannot see his buddy. Praise him, give him a reward -- if it is your practice -- and speak to him in soothing tones.
Work with the horse as often as possible until he feels comfortable walking away from its friend. This may take days to accomplish.
Ride the horse away from its friends, using the same process as above. If the horse has a tendency to act in a way that you feel can be dangerous to you or yourself when it gets upset -- such as running away -- have an assistant lead the horse as you ride it the first few times.
Take the horse on short trail rides or ride in a ring out of view of the buddy horse for short periods of time, allowing it to get used to the idea of being away from its friend. Eventually lengthen the period time you work with the horse away from its buddy.
Ride with the buddy horse and its rider. Allow the buddy horse to get out of sight of your mount occasionally and then meet up again. Repeat often until your horse gets comfortable with the idea of being away from its friend in different environments.
The Buddy-Sour Horse Left Behind
Work with the horse in a similar fashion as in Section One, but this time you will be leaving the buddy-sour horse in the pasture. Walk the buddy-sour horse's friend away from it and then return repeatedly to show the equine that nothing bad happens when its pal leaves.
Stall the horse. If you do not own the buddy-sour horse and do not have the right to work with it, some people will place the horse who is upset in a stall so that it can't hurt itself by running around a pasture wildly or possibly even leap or break through a fence.
Move the horse into another pasture away from its friend. If the barn your horse is boarded at has multiple pastures, you may want to move the horse into a different paddock. Some horses will only be buddy sour with one horse and not re-develop this pattern with other animals. However, it is possible, it may just become buddy sour with another horse.
Add one or more horses to the buddy-sour horse's pasture. If there are a number of horses on a property, try moving another one in with the buddy-sour horse. Some horses just don't want to be left alone and are fine if they have at least one other animal in the field.
Give the buddy-sour horse an animal of another species, such as a goat, as a companion. Be cautious, though, as not all horses will be amenable to other types of animals.
How to Cure Horses That Are Buddy Sour
Horses are herd animals that enjoy the companionship of others. Unfortunately, some horses can become overly attached to one or more of their friends, which can lead to real headaches for an owner or a rider. The behavior of a buddy-sour horse can range from annoying non-stop whinnying for its friends, to refusing to leave for a ride, to running uncontrollably about a pasture when it is left behind. If a buddy-sour horse is not re-trained, it can become a danger to itself and an undesirable mount.