That’s hilarious! Good for the two of you for figuring out how to communicate with each other!
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Genius! I never would have considered that!
I feel like a lot of blankets make them skin-sore, even if they don’t rub. Think of how your scalp feels after having a beanie on all day, it’s kind of mildly sore.
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This is why I am a total blanket nut, and try to have a regular and a wug cut in every weight. So even if they are stuck in the same weight for a while, I can change the cut to give them at least a different feel.
I also leave them naked whenever even remotely possible to give them a break from blankets. Hoping today can be one of those days! Windy but in the 50s!
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@fjordmom this is something I would never have thought of.
Will try this today! My horse likes his face,neck, chest groomed - but hates it on his back and sides ( exactly where his blanket is).
Thanks!
MIM is a protein need. Alfalfa, whey isolate protein, BCAAs, all have helped a lot of these guys
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I have to agree with this. My gelding hates being brushed with any bristle brush late Fall- Winter. I can scrub him with a rubber curry but if he even sees me holding a brush with bristles he gets grumpy. It has to be static.
Any other time year he loves it enough to drop during grooming.
ETA: I will have to try dipping the brush in water and see if that helps.
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Is he ever blanketed in the winter?
Sounds like your horse gets pretty grumpy in the winter, huh? Since you’ve ruled out health issues, it might just be the winter blues. Horses can get frustrated and bored when they’re cooped up more due to bad weather. Maybe try letting him out more if you can, or give him some toys or slow feeders in the stall to keep him busy. Also, some horses are just more sensitive to the cold. Make sure he’s warm enough and the stall isn’t too drafty. The shorter days can also affect their mood, so a bit more light in the barn to mimic daylight could help. And you know, horses are creatures of habit, so any change in their routine can stress them out. Try to keep his exercise and feeding schedule consistent. Winter can also make their skin more sensitive, especially during grooming, so maybe softer brushes could make a difference.
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Did his attitude change when he was treated for ulcers the first winter? If he gets ulcery every year you could consider using a low dose of Omeprazole, started before he shows signs, as a preventative. 1/4 tube/day was the amount suggested to me when I was dealing with recurring ulcers in 2022.
I keep a spray bottle of water to lightly mist my horse as I’m grooming. This prevents static shocks. In the winter I put Healthy Haircare Skin and Coat Conditioner in the bottle (it’s a concentrated liquid you dilute for use) and don’t shake it up before using. I will shake it up and lightly mist after grooming, and this helps reduce static under the blanket.
My winter-grumpy horse was cold. He was never shivering, never had cold ears, never huddled in the shelter, but he was happier when I increased his blanket weight/coverage.
I put a blanket on him earlier, and went a step heavier than my other horses. I used neck rugs and found they made a big difference - I could keep the blanket lighter and get the same effect.
I discovered this completely by accident. I bought a new quilt that was 100g heavier than his previous one, couldn’t resist putting it on him, and the next day had my sweet, happy horse back. It took me several winters to figure out what he needed at what temperature. I made mistakes, put heavier blankets on, and he was happy the next day.
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I also have one who just gets cold more easily than most. He wears a lot of clothes, and we’ve come to an understanding: I dust off his legs and put his boots on, and comb his foreclock, and then I tack up and put on his quarter sheet as fast as possible. He’s become much more relaxed in the winter since I stopped trying to groom extensively before I ride. He’s fine about grooming afterwards, but he’s really cranky beforehand, when it’s cold. He’s currently in a 300 gm lined winter blanket, with a 400 gm liner underneath. Nothing else on the property wears anything like this - most of them go through our Canadian winter with 200 gms of lining, and they’re trace-clipped, he’s not. He’s just a delicate flower!
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Can you elaborate on this. I took this advice and within 4 days have a new horse. But all the research just says it helps muscles. What causes the reactivity with low Vit E
Replying to the part about treating ulcers is expensive…
Nexium is cheap and really effective in my experience. Worth a shot to see if it works for your horse.
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I know this is an old post but can you elaborate on the lights you used? We have a 30ish year old half Arab who is an absolute Angel (therapy horse type) until October. He starts stereotypical behavior - knee and flank biting- even in turnout. Over the years we have supplemented with mag and b vitamins, done endoscopy to eval for ulcers, started probiotics, tried pentosan for knee arthritis, blanketed aggressively, even adopted a pony to be his friend in turnout. He is on Pergolide with good levels and on vitamin E. My vet and husband think I am crazy but I started looking at blue light masks.
She has been gone almost 4 years now, so my memory of the details is a bit vague. We basicaly followed the procedure to make broodmares cycle early.
The light requirements are 10 foot-candles (approx 100 lux, equivalent to a 100 - 200 watt incandescent bulb). When I started, you could buy sturdy150 watt bulbs. After they took those off the market, and I needed a new bulb, I used a “curled up” flourescent that claimed the equivalent light. Nowadays, I assume you could use an equivalent LED. It was housed in one of those hemispherical fittings you use for heat lamps
The light needs to be hung over the center of the stall. It is aparently relevant that the light is shining straight down, not from an angle.
You want 16 hours of light, and the natural sunlight doesn’t “count” until 30 minutes after dawn or 30 minutes before sunset. I would set the timer so it came on 16 1/2 hours before sunset. and turn off at 8 AM (which, here, is always well after sunrise). I would adjust the timer every time it needed to change 1/2 hr.
For broodmares, they say to start the lights Dec 1, because they are hoping for a January cycle. In my case I started the lights in mid August, and stopped in late March.
I hope that is helpful.
ETA that, with my commute, there was no way I could have been home in tome to put her in the stall and under lights before sunset. But I could, except in the very mid winter, leve 1/2 hour after sunrise. And in mid winter I just got to work late.
I just had a horse scope for ulcers, which were clear so we decided to do a vitamins E test. We live in a deficient area. Waiting on results.
My horse is not jumpy but he has random spookiness at nothing.
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