I had a similar experience with MSM, as have a couple of other people I know.
This is the first thing that sprang to mind for ne as well. Being indoors/around the barn where there is a lot of movement and noise and shadows could be a big anxiety trigger if he isn’t able to see where they’re coming from.
I live in western MA where we have cold winters, and now that I’m getting older I’ve become much more sensitive to where and when my horses get upset, and have noticed a definite connection with the colder weather. Whether that’s at least partly because we haven’t been riding as often or is directly connected to the colder weather I don’t know, but even our normally calm horses have been hyper-reactive since it got colder.
I’m sure if I added a pig to the barn, or even the smell of a pig, most of my horses would become even more reactive then they’ve been since it got cold!
[QUOTE=aquabrwn;n10314478]
[I]Things first started deteriorating around when horse discovered that there are pigs living on property
Horse is in a stall with two windows, but cannot stick his head out into the aisle – cannot directly see the other horses in the barn[/I]/QUOTE]
Since the discovery of the pigs was the start of the problem, I vote pigs as well.
The fact that he is non pig reactive in turn-out suggests that his herd has a calming effect = he is probably not an alpha personality. If he was alpha he would more than likely be hyper vigilant in the pasture or at a frantic loss as to how to protect his buddies from something as scary as a pigs. IOW’s you’d see some sort of behavior in turn-out.
IME the low or middle man in a herd (once a danger has been discovered) can find themselves very unprotected while in a stall, especially a stall that offers no view of another horse.
I vote stall guard too + a move to a stall near his buddies if possible.
4 Likes
I think he needs to see other horses. Can you put him next to another horse that he can see or even touch? Sounds like he is herd bound. It might make him even more scared of the pig. There is safety in numbers.
1 Like
Yup, this is like the opposite of the bucking horse threads… OP gives a clear, detailed description of the problem and is receptive to the advice she receives.
10 Likes
I am skipping ahead to comment - I haven’t gone back and read all of the responses you’ve gotten yet but will - but when I originally bought my OTTB, we also had him in a stall where he couldn’t hang his head out of the window or door, and there was no stall directly across from him (meaning he couldn’t see another horse with regularity when he was in his stall). He COULD, however, see all the comings and goings as horses came in and out of the turnout as well as see the activity in the indoor ring, which we thought he would like because he’s a pretty friendly and social creature.
Turns out that he HATED it. I assume because he couldn’t have regular interaction with a buddy, and when there was activity, he could only partially see it.
We moved him to a different stall and he improved greatly, but wound up moving barns in the end because he was just so anxious at that one. I think that was due to a variety of factors, but partially because the people handling him were kind of high stress (very nice people, but always seemed to me to be pretty stressed out, and I’m not as perceptive as a horse so…lol). I think the overall environment and the vibe of the caretakers can have a real impact.
2 Likes
Other thoughts I’ve had while reading your (amazing) background post:
-Saddle fit: I know you don’t think it’s related to that because the behavior isn’t just happening when he’s tacked up, but my horse was being ridden in a saddle with a tree that was too narrow for a year (I am so ashamed to admit that). He was a total basket case, not JUST in the arena or under tack. Might be worth getting that checked if you haven’t lately.
-Other pain: I had my guy’s teeth floated this past spring by my vet, and he said his teeth looked great. Over the summer/fall, horse got progressively more anxious again after he had calmed down nicely at the new barn. Just had a different vet check his teeth last month, and he had all sorts of crazy sharp points on them. 
He’s much happier now that we have floated his teeth again. Not saying that is your issue, but just pointing out that there could maybe be a pain issue somewhere that is contributing.
-Pigs: are very scary, and their smell lingers. He could be remembering that trauma for sure! I’m leaning toward this, or some other environmental issue he just doesn’t like about this particular barn (stall configuration, a turnout buddy he doesn’t actually like as much as he seems to, etc.)
-I feel like I kind of evangelize for Warwick Schiller on here lately, but I suggest you look into him (he has a website with a video subscription, as well as a facebook group where followers ask questions and discuss issues/give advice like this). I’ve been following his groundwork methods and doing lots of focus work with my anxious gelding, and I am seeing benefits! Could help to work on relaxation & desensitization in the indoor and work through that lingering pig trauma lol. Honestly, you can’t go wrong by going back to groundwork basics. Done right, it can only make you and your horse better.
-Ulcers: Are you treating him with brand-name gastrogard or ulcergard, or some generic omeprazole compound? I’ve had vets tell me that actual gastrogard/ulcergard is the one that works best. And you need to be giving it on an empty stomach. Also, could he have a hind gut issue? That would require a different treatment regime. I treated my horse for ulcers for a long time with an omeprazole/ranitidine compound and then had other vets tell me ranitidine can counteract the omeprazole to make it all rather ineffective. So just…putting that out there. :lol:
I had a similiar experience with my OTTB several years ago but never figured out the root of the issue. I moved him to a new barn down the road one winter while an indoor was being built at our regular barn. At first all seemed well but after a few weeks my horse was restless and anxious whenever I brought him in to ride. He was fine in turn out but hated coming into the barn alone which was very unlike him. He was almost better under saddle but still uneasy and spooky.
I also ended up treating for ulcers and saw some improvement but still not totally resolved. He was at that barn for 5 months and while it improved slightly with time he was never his usual mellow self.
New barn was minutes from previous barn, same grain, similar hay and routine. We never did figure out what the issue was but when we moved him back to his regular barn in the spring he sighed the biggest sigh of relief I’ve ever seen and was instantly back to the same old horse.
Since then we have moved and have had no issues though I am cautious about moving him due to that experience. I think it was entirely environment related and was likely a number of small factors that made a world of difference to him but weren’t obvious to me or anyone else.
Hope you can resolve the problem without moving!
3 Likes
Not sure I would call this concise but horses are so complicated :lol: - I really do appreciate the ideas and advice (and the time that people have taken to read and respond). That’s why I started the thread!
5 Likes
I kind of keep coming back to this, or something like it - honestly, what prompted me to write this post was his deteriorating state of mind when stalled. He is absolutely not an alpha personality and the comment from an earlier poster about the low man in the herd feeling isolated and unprotected if they’re in a “scary” place but can’t see their friends really resonates. On Sunday I watched him pivot from window to window for 10-15 minutes while a tractor went back and forth outside, grabbing bites of hay but super tense and hyper-vigilant. Not normal for this horse at all - I once rode him in an indoor arena while workers were up in a tree using a chain saw to cut down giant branches maybe 10 feet away. Machinery should not be fazing him like this.
On a different note, definitely have taken the feedback to not discount pain that a few of ya’ll have shared! He did have his saddle fit checked recently so I feel good about that situation, but we’ll certainly investigate other avenues if I continue to be stumped. I’m (obviously) not trying to qualify for Rolex with this horse - I just adore him and it makes me sad to see his normally cheerful, personality changing. I’d like us to continue learning and adventuring together for however long he’s sound and happy - and he’s got some pony rides to give in a few years 
3 Likes
I once boarded a Holsteiner mare at a farm where everything went well,for 6 months then the owners daughter got a pig to raise for a junior livestock auction and the mare went nuts. Wouldn’t even get caught or come to the barn for food. She lost weight, was really dangerous to try and ride and eventually we moved. No pigs and my sweet mare came back to me.
4 Likes
If it’s the scent of the pig that bothers him, could you try putting some Vick Vaporubs (dense mint scent) in its nostrils for a few outings/days? (If it’s not a product available in the US, I’m sure there is something similar)
2 Likes
It’s definitely worth moving him to a different stall if possible, and see if that helps.
Having his eyesight checked as well as blood drawn to check for EPM and Lyme is also a good idea.
A calming supplement with magnesium is also worth trying.
The other possibility might be that there’s something else in the barn that is bothering him (aside from the memory of the pig!). This could be chipmunks, mice or other fauna; it could be a particular handler or barn-worker who has not handled him kindly; it could be noises of some kind–squirrels in the hayloft, etc.; or it could be something about the activity level going on around his stall.
There’s also the possibility of faulty electrical wiring occasionally resulting in random shocks to the horse while in his stall. This might be worth investigating too.
Good luck.
3 Likes
I totally feel for you on all of this! My horse is not actually phased by a lot of things (tarps flapping in the wind, scary jumps, machines doing crazy things), but when he can HEAR it and not fully observe it at the same time, he goes bonkers. So that would usually be when he’s stalled alone, and then it just seems to stick with him and make him worse even when he’s out of his stall. And I think he has issue with truly trusting humans to look out for him and be his alpha, so he becomes hyper vigilant and tense. I’ve been doing lots of groundwork with him to help build his trust in me and my leadership abilities so we can work through that. It seems to be helping!
I was pretty mind-blown when he fell apart so badly after I bought him - part of the reason I chose him was because he was so good. I had just never seen a horse fall apart to that degree because he didn’t like his environment. He is a sensitive soul, for sure.
1 Like
I had an OTTB mare that came unglued when the barn got a pig. I could catch her outside but couldn’t get her into the barn. She was fresh off the track and a little thin, so I had to carry her food outside and feed her. She finally came in the barn after a week, but she never liked it in there. Then the farm next door got cows.
2 Likes
This is going to sound crazy, but is there another horse at the barn who is totally indifferent to the pig and could you reintroduce them together to let him see that the pig won’t harm him? I realize how insane that sounds even as I’m saying it, but a few years ago I boarded at a barn that acquired some potbellied pigs. I had no idea that they could be an issue for horses and let my horse march up to meet them, and he was completely obsessed with them for the remainder of his time there, even as they grew up. He always wanted to “visit” the pigs. Actually, none of the horses there had an issue with them, and I always wonder if it was partially a herd instinct thing, that because no one set off an alarm, the others didn’t follow. I don’t know that it would fix your guy, but if pigs are the issue, it might be worth a shot.
I can very much vouch for the situational thing - my horse was a miserable lunatic at my parents’ farm with only one other horse for company, very spooky and nervous all the time no matter what we tried. Neither he nor my mom’s horse have any interest in herd leadership so it was very lacking :-). We traded horses, my older guy loves to boss her horse around, and my now horse came to live in a group and has always been with a bossier buddy - and now all three of them are lazy, saintly, and quiet.
I think most of what I was going to say has been covered, but here’s what I’d be looking at:
-
The pigs. We had a baby pig (a stray, not ours) outside the front field one afternoon. It was little but had big lints and squealed like it was on fire when we tried corral it. All the horses were upset by it; one mare absolutely lost her mind. Even a couple hours later, after she had been brought inside and the pig gone, she would barely eat and was pacing her stall and looking out the window in case the scary thing returned. It took a full day before she was back to normal. Had the pig still been on the farm where she could hear/smell it, I have no doubt she would have been a nervous wreck for a long time, maybe forever. So, yeah.
-
Diet. I boarded at a barn for a few months where the main feed was TC Complete. My horse looked amazing, but he was bonkers. Took him off that feed, he was his usual self again. If you’re feeding high-test and your horse ins’t being worked, it’s a recipe for a whole lot of extra energy that will come out somehow.
-
Supplements. As has been mentioned, some horses don’t react well to MSM, which is in a lot of joint and digestive supplements. On the flip side, magnesium deficiency can cause nervousness. Mag oxide is a good option as if it’s not deficient, it won’t be absorbed well enough to cause overdosing issues.
-
EPM/tick-borne disease. These are worth testing for.
-
Someone at the barn. Have you observed the barn staff handling your horse? It’s certainly an unpleasant thought, but a horse with an inexperienced or nervous handler can enter a vicious cycle pretty fast: handler is nervous, so horse picks up on it and is a bit spooky. Nervous handler nervously corrects, horse escalates. It doesn’t take much of this, even if it’s only while being led to and from turnout, to create a horse that’s worried about everything…because the hander projected their fear onto him. I’ve seen it in action, to the degree where a horse who was a mellow marshmallow became a high-strung ball of anxiety. Years later, he’s still not the same as he was before. BO who was handling him will not admit there was any issue, but it was obvious watching him that he was afraid of the horse from day one. And it snowballs. If another staff member expects the behavior because of what happened with the first one, they approach with apprehension. Maybe this even impacts the owner, who’s on alert because the staff have told them about the behavior. The poor horse suddenly has nowhere to turn for calm, trusting guidance.
-
A stall he can’t stick his head out of. So now, he can hear his friends/people/the pigs/other stuff outside, but can’t get a good look at them. He can’t turn to a calm buddy for reassurance. Could he be moved to where he can see the pasture buddies he’s calm with. I’m thinking that might help a lot, even if there are other issues.
-
Something environmental. Wildlife moving nearby, maybe, like deer, coyotes, etc.? Are there high-tensile power lines on or near the property. These put off a high amount of energy and some animals definitely pick up on that. An Interstate or trucking south where there’s traffic 24/7 so the horse doesn’t get adequate sleep? Sleep deprivation can definitely disrupt a horse’s behavior.
-
Vision. Definitely have his eyes checked. Reduced vision can make a horse see shadows or not see things until he’s right on top of them. I’ve known horses who had reduced vision be much more reactive than a blind one.
2 Likes
Sounds like it could be the pig situation or the stall situation or both. It could be that he might have been able to handle one but not both. I definitely have seen a similar stall issue with my mare. She was in a stall at the end of the aisle and there were no horses across from her. Her anxiety level was steadily increasing and then my vet suggested that we try a stall where she was surrounded by other horses. We did and she definitely improved.
Seems like that’s your first step because it’s easier to accomplish than moving to another barn with no pigs. The horsey equivalent of a rule-out diagnosis. 
@aquabrwn - your title says it all. Your horse has general anxiety, to the point that little things that did not used to bother him, now bother him. He doesn’t know how to talk himself back down to a calm state. You can blame the pigs or the diet or whatever, but you need to work with him to help him get himself back under control. Since you are pregnant and probably will be less and less active closing in on your due date, you may find yourself with a bit of down time on your hands. I’d recommend doing a free trial subscription to Warwick Schiller. You will gain some insight and ideas as to how to help your horse control himself in situations that are worrisome, and deal with the little things in life that bother him. Your horse sounds lovely, and I hope you can help him get through this rough patch. I suspect the moves bothered him more than you think, and his anxiety was bubbling just below the surface, and the most recent move was a bit more than he could handle.
1 Like
