rescue remedy
I am thinking about trying Rescue Remedy on my gelding to quell his severe separation anxiety. Mostly it's because I am tired of being dragged back to the barn every time we go out alone, and that's just on foot. He's dangerous to try to ride out alone because he will literally try everything in his power to get back home.
He never used to care if we went out alone before he got a new pasture-mate, a mare who screams her head off if we leave without her. If we take her out alone, Caesar screams his head off and runs around the entire time we're gone, getting himself into a lathered sweat by the time we return, but the mare does not mind as long as she's the one leaving him instead of him leaving her. She will go out all day long alone and not care. I am glad he has a pasture pal but I cannot say enough how much I miss the old days when I was his only friend (sounds sad but it was true) and he was happy to go anywhere as long as it was with me.
Caesar is not the brightest light in the room but he's not stupid; however when he gets panicked it's like no one's home. Yesterday we went out on a walk in-hand and on the way back he was shoving me around with his shoulder and trying to get away from me to run home and be with Glory. I had a stud chain over his nose and despite me checking him when he got excited, it was like he had totally forgotten I was even there, and he didn't feel the chain. I don't want to hurt him but at one point he took his shoulder and ran me into a bush, and I was like "ok dude, this means war".
I have tried taking him out and lunging him to get his mind off of his friend at home, but that doesn't seem to work. I have tried whacking him with a crop and yelling CUT IT OUT! and he doesn't even notice. I really don't think he intends to hurt me because I can see the panic in his eyes and face.
So I heard about this stuff called Rescue Remedy and on their website it claims it can help with separation anxiety. Has anyone used this and has it helped?
To keep this post not too boring, here's a photo of him from the summer:
