Horse increasingly spooky

[tbchick84]

@sdlbredfan

The shortness of breath is not something to shrug off. You need the Vet to check for heart rhythm problems, aka arrythmia, You certainly do not want to risk that the horse is going to collapse while you are riding. That shortness of breath is, IMO, a MAJOR red flag, that would have me stop riding the horse until a thorough veterinary workup was done. (if you stop riding for awhile, remember to reduce grain intake so he won’t get laminitis)
Oh good, I just saw post 17, that mentions this horse is already known to have some cardiac issues. I am glad you are going to check that further.

Yes, I am taking this into heavy consideration. I vaguely remember a story about a horse who suddenly became spooky only to collapse from a heart issue. Hopefully that is not at all what I am dealing with and his Lyme test will come in off the charts.

[LookmaNohands]

@tbchick84

Yes, I am taking this into heavy consideration. I vaguely remember a story about a horse who suddenly became spooky only to collapse from a heart issue. Hopefully that is not at all what I am dealing with and his Lyme test will come in off the charts.

Lyme can affect the heart!

[Encourage]

My TB gelding is quite similar- easy keeping and easy going but can be a bit spooky. Last summer my horse was quite spooky, to the point where my vet was concerned after I had him out for other issues and he saw the spooking first hand. Did an eye exam (normal) and pulled blood- turns out his vitamin E was low. Supplemented with vitamin E and he’s back to normal. Hopefully it can be something that simple for you!

[China_Doll]

@tbchick84

Like the title says, my normally cool cucumber of a horse has been becoming more progressively spooky over the past month. At first I chalked it up to our very rainy spring and the fact that we didn’t get to do any early schooling. Now it’s gotten to the point where I get whiplash riding him. Today he turned inside out at every single jump we rode past, the very same jumps he jumped a week ago. Nothing is new. It’s all the same stuff that was sitting there last week / last year etc.

I do not think it is behavioral, since he normally becomes very agreeable once I get after him a bit. He’s normally, the “I’m sorry I’ll be good” once you tell him to knock it off. Today he just kept getting worse.

I’ve called the vet to test for Lyme since we’re in the home zone for that one. I’m thinking check his eyes too. I don’t know if 15 is an age where eye problems could be expected yet. He has had no food changes in the past few months, so I do not suspect that as a contributing factor. I added Magnesium as a supplement about 6 weeks ago when this first started. He is showing no other symptoms other than running our of breath twice over the past week when I attempted to let him gallop. Both times he initially took off only to run out of gas about 10 strides later. Otherwise he’s good. No reluctance to work. Moving well. Not girthy or any signs of being cranky.

What else can I check or test for? Is there a blood test that will show nutritional deficiency? If it matters, he’s a TB and not a typical one. Very easy going customer. I do not imagine ulcers as even a vague possibility. I’ve had him for 10 years, mostly at the same barn. He is top dog in his herd, so nobody is pushing him around.

I would do a Hair analysis. It will give you a longer and more accurate picture of what is happening. Some woxins can cause behavior issues. This was the best money I ever spent.DR Depaolo is a regular and holistic vet. VERY knowledgeable. https://www.depaoloequineconcepts.com/pages/horse-hair-analysis

[sdlbredfan]

Is there a Veterinary Opthalmologist in your area who can check vision? That might be worth looking into (bad pun).

[tbchick84]

@sdlbredfan

Is there a Veterinary Opthalmologist in your area who can check vision? That might be worth looking into (bad pun).

I have no idea if there is a specialist in my area, but do plan to have my vet take a look tomorrow.

Horse is trying to make me crazy. I rode him today in the one ring he’s okay in. While still concerned, he doesn’t spook as much in there. While I was jumping some low fences, the hay guy drove by towing one of those big red empty hay wagons. The rattling and noise it was making was extremely loud. Horse was not remotely bothered by it. I’m so confused.

[KDuheme]

@tbchick84

I have no idea if there is a specialist in my area, but do plan to have my vet take a look tomorrow.

Horse is trying to make me crazy. I rode him today in the one ring he’s okay in. While still concerned, he doesn’t spook as much in there. While I was jumping some low fences, the hay guy drove by towing one of those big red empty hay wagons. The rattling and noise it was making was extremely loud. Horse was not remotely bothered by it. I’m so confused.

This sounds quite a bit like my horse… Totally fine with things he SHOULD spook at, and then spooking at the same jump which hasn’t moved for weeks?! I am currently trying to find out whats going on with my boy… I’ll keep you posted, and let me know how your tests come back as well!

[tbchick84]

Vet took the blood sample today, so I should know if I’m dealing with Lyme in a few days. I rode him again today in both rings. He was fine in the one close to the barn, so I took him out back and got whiplash again. I took the saddle off and longed him near everything he’d been turning inside out at, and he did keep bulging at everything, so it’s not tack or rider related. Guess I really do have to hope it’s Lyme, but he’s moving so well, I’m not convinced that’s it.

[ladyj79]

I am generally the last person to say this, but since it was the issue with one horse I was riding, I mean he showed immediate improvement, think about having a good chiro out. And he got worse again as soon as we started doing again the very thing she told us not to.

Chiro.

[tbchick84]

@ladyj79

I am generally the last person to say this, but since it was the issue with one horse I was riding, I mean he showed immediate improvement, think about having a good chiro out. And he got worse again as soon as we started doing again the very thing she told us not to.

Chiro.

He gets regular massage/chiro.

[scruffy_the_cat]

Lyme is absolutely my first thought since increased spookiness is a huge red flag. If you want to treat for ulcers on the cheap, 3 Nexium 22.3 mg capsules in their feed in the a.m. for a period of time should address that right away. A 42 capsule box costs $20 on Amazon or $27 at CVS. There’s an excellent thread on Nexium here with links to actual peer-reviewed studies on its efficacy.

[tbchick84]

@scruffy the cat

Lyme is absolutely my first thought since increased spookiness is a huge red flag. If you want to treat for ulcers on the cheap, 3 Nexium 22.3 mg capsules in their feed in the a.m. for a period of time should address that right away. A 42 capsule box costs $20 on Amazon or $27 at CVS. There’s an excellent thread on Nexium here with links to actual peer-reviewed studies on its efficacy.

Thanks for the info on the Nexium. If the Lyme test comes back negative, ulcers is my next guess. Vet says his eyes look fine, so that’s not it.

[scruffy_the_cat]

Lyme and ulcers are so common that it’s hopefully the answer. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck it’s usually not a zebra!

[AKB]

Lyme, EPM, ulcers, or vision problems are certainly possibilities. Where are you located? We had Dr. Nunnery, an equine ophthalmologist, out to check one of our horses. She is excellent. She makes farm calls in parts of Maryland and Virginia, and also sees horses at New Bolton and a few local clinics.

[tbchick84]

CRAP! Lyme test came back today completely negative. Not a trace. Now we head down the ulcer road.

[scruffy_the_cat]

Darn! I thought of you as my usually super-chill OTTB was a total spooky freak yesterday. Today he’s back on 3 Nexium capsules with his breakfast and we’ll see. I hope you get some answers soon!

[Guyot]

Another thing to consider is Vitamin E deficiency. We had our entire barn tested and they are all extremely low… we had three that were very spooky over the winter and I usually write it off as winter, cold, etc. This year one was acting a bit strange and reminded me of a horse from the past that developed neurological systems because of lack of vit E.

After getting blood work back on the whole barn all were low in vit E but nothing else. Vet recommended supplementing with 10,000 IU per day natural vit E. We retested two weeks ago (about three months after starting vit E) all are now up in normal range but no where near high. We are now having soil and hay tested as our ground must be part of the problem.

I know now of two other barns near me that have also tested and they are similar to my barn results. We are northern NJ.

[mjwright]

Sounds like the way my guy was. It was “recreational spooking” in his case. He was bored at home and spooky, but a perfect gentleman at shows. I did some reading and found MSM can make some horses spooky. I took him off the MSM and he’s been non-spooky ever since. Have a look at any supplements too…

[WildandWickedWarmblo]

Check his eyesight if you haven’t already. I’ve not read the whole thread so sorry if it’s been done already.

[jetsmom]

Too much magnesium can cause heart problems