The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Pets & Working Animals => Horses, ponies, donkeys & mules => Topic started by: DODx on June 05, 2016, 12:03:31 pm
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Have had my horse for 10 years now and he is the laziest most laid back safe wee guy but this last week he has been an absolute nightmare!
He is 100% bombproof and always has been but recently he has been refusing to move when bringing him in which I thought was just a laziness thing but when I did get him in and tie him up (like I do every single day) he flings his head back and pulls the thing off the wall and runs away. When riding he is backing up and breathing heavily as if he is scared of something and spinning in circles. Felt some heat coming from his leg so kept him in for a night and in the morning when I got there he had escaped. He is pawing at the stable door which is something I have never seen him do! He actually has always preferred being in than out. It's like a different horse! Any idea what is causing this?
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If he hasn't had a bad experience that you know of then I would suspect pain and suggest you get your vet to see him as soon as possible as there is clearly something going on that is affecting him badly. He can at least rule out medical issues. Have you watched him in the field? Is he acting normally when he is out? If the vet is happy it is not medical I would look at tack. Is his saddle fitting ok. No easy answer to this one.
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It is rather a tricky one..... I would agree with harmony def get the vet out to have a look and his saddles and stuff, but is it possible that he can smell an on heat mare anywhere, or is he not entire? I hope you find out what is troubling him soon. It could just be that he has become unruly in his old age, what do you feed him? Any changes in diet at all?
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Sounds llike a pain thing to me. Catching and tying up are a prelude to riding so are affected by association. Is his grazing a bit rich = feeling his feet, not enough to be full blown laminitis but enough to be painful?
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How old is he? Any change in company or routine? Is he fed on the yard or just grazing? Has he had teeth done or new tack, hacking route/company, schooling?
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Aagree that my first thought is pain in his body.
However, have you tried tying him up outside? If he still reacts then you know it's not something specific to his stable/yard. If he lets you tie him up away from buildings then I'd investigate an accident (injury or nasty fright) associated with stable?
Will he let you handle or groom him just loose in the field?
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Sounds either hormonal/endocrinal (is there a lot of clover?) or brain related to me. Possibly teeth or some expectation of pain, unless something nasty has happened at the stables to cause a negative response.
I heard of someone who had their horse at livery, which was getting increasingly nervy and they found out that one of the other liverues was walking past his stable and randomly hitting him!!
Definitely get the vet out.
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It was saying 'incident in stables' to me as well, until I re-read it and spotted this bit which doesn't seem to be stable-related: "When riding he is backing up and breathing heavily as if he is scared of something and spinning in circles."
- which sounds like something's hurting. When you say backing up and spinning, does it feel like he's trying to take weight off his forehand, i.e. is he spinning on his haunches? Was it one of his front legs that had heat in it? Can you feel raised digital pulses?
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This one needs a full check up from the vet. Could be a number of things. This horse is asking for help !
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Hi DODx,
How is your horse at the moment? Has the vet been yet?
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Hi guys so sorry it took a while to reply I have been tearing my hair out. Kept him in thinking it was the grass but he was getting all worked up so has been put out with a muzzle on. Still refusing to come in takes me 45 minutes to get him out the field! The vet is coming this week (we are actually full loaners and the owner took a while to get a hold of as she doesn't take anything to do with the horses) there is no wind turbines, and it was outside where he ripped the thing off the wall so not related to his stable either. He is fine out in the field was lying down with all the other horses on the heat. He is a gielding so mare not a problem. I'm thinking laminitis but really hoping not. He is 22 so is getting on but as of last year he was still jumping around like a young thing. He gets a feed after ridden it's just chaff,mix and cubes. Been giving a wee sprinkle of garlic cause I heard that's meant to keep them going as they get older. There is no longer heat from his leg however his head is still bobbing and seems to be tripping. He is doing this when I am just leading him so don't think tack is a problem. I just really hope he gets better :( thank you guys so much for your replies
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And yes it is one of his front legs
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Hello there, has navicular been mentioned.
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Hellybee, that's not been mentioned and actually something that I didn't think of either! Gave him some danolin in a feed tonight and vet will maybe do flexion tests when she gets to see him
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Given his age I would be looking at age related conditions to rule out, navicular is certainly one but also things like Cushings or a tumour pressuring somewhere it shouldn't (benign or otherwise). It could also just be grumpy old man with aches and pains and less tolerance, or a general injury, but it sadly sounds like more than that, so hope the vet can do blood tests and rule a few things out for peace of mind unless the problem is obvious to her from an initial exam.
Teeth issues would be my other main consideration, particularly if not checked for a while. Teeth grow at an angle and develop hooks that need more rasping in older horses to keep right - particularly right at the back. And you can get cracks and other damage which would definitely give him a good reason to behave badly. If a bad tooth is removed, it may make an almost instant change in his outlook, within a couple of days if that proves to be the issue.
Good luck and hope to hear more when your vet has been.
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I think I'd ask for his eyesight to be checked as well.
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His summer coat definitely hasn't came in aswell this year so we were thinking along the lines of cushings. I don't think it's just a case of being grumpy though there is definitely a pain somewhere. Hopefully she does a full check over I will not let her leave the yard til we find out.
Also this may be totally unrelated and god please I hope it is, but a horse died today at the yard bless him :( and I think they said something like grass disease or something? Sorry I'm not very sure but I heard someone say it might have been fluke? And I'm sure that's contagious, don't think it could be linked do yous?
Thanks again for all your answers guys and I will kee you all up to date
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Grass sickness? I don't know a lot about it, but it's a very unpleasant disease with an alarmingly low treatment/recovery rate :'( A lot of ponies and horses seem to be coming down with it this year from what I've heard.
Fluke is environmental, but you should be able to treat quite easily for that. I think a poo sample away for worm/fluke analysis might be needed but your vet will know if it's a problem in your area.
We had an oldie with cushings. Their coat can get thick and fluffy and they exhibit arthritic type symptoms - one tablet a day and he'll hopefully have a decent quality of life for many more years but maybe not for riding. Our old fella was over 30 and on a good day my daughter could get 5-10 minutes on his back while he walked round or a bit of lunging and going over small jumps (not backed) for exercise.
Hope you get some answers soon :fc:
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Grass sickness is quick and your boy does not have any of the symptoms so definitely not that.
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Grass sickness isn't thought to be contagious as such. It seems to be related to horses eating Sycamore trees or the seed pods, though, so if one horse has picked up the toxins, others might too.
I believe there are vets who don't think horses can get liver fluke, so you might have difficulty talking to your vet about that one.
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Atypical myoglobinuria is seemingly brought on by sycamore, spores in leaf litter and the likes, rapid loss of muscle usage amongst others devastating effects. My personal layman thoughts on EGS, it's avian related as said above x
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I hope the vet comes soon and sorts this out for you. This post is reading rather like one of those books that tells you what is wrong with you when you look up your symptoms.
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So guys the vet has been and now I feel like an overprotective mother! Best possible outcome we could've hoped for I guess! Basically she dug away a bit of his foot and there is a big bruise! Even though I was inspecting his feet what felt like every half hour! She gave more danolin and he has to be kept in for a few days, he is most definitely over weight but has always went up and down like that so muzzle time again for him when he does get out. And his behaviour is just due to him being sore and grumpy so I guess I'll excuse it for the moment! The ripping of the ring off the wall was just a blatant 'I'm not happy'
I did however get the vet to take blood samples and test for cushings as I'm not convinced with his coat (I know I'm a panicker) although Scarlet Dragon you made me feel a lot better about that side of things.
Thank you all so much for listening to my frantic worrying and all your suggestions, and believe me I went through everyone with a fine tooth comb! Hope yous are all as happy with this outcome as me!
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That's good news nowt serious :thumbsup:
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Much better to be an overprotective mother than to leave something important uninvestigated :hug:
Very glad to hear the news :relief:
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I am pleased that it is summat and nowt.
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What a relief! :relief:
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Wooo woo! Worry free In time for the weekend. :relief: :excited:
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Oliver say thanks guys he's sorry for being a grump :innocent:
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Good to hear you have got to the bottom of his problem.
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I'm glad he is sorted now, he looks like a lovely happy horse! :thumbsup: