I'm at my wits end- need help with a super-reactive horse

[RhythmNCruise]

Ulcers, ulcers, ulcers. I’d bet money on it.

My gelding is a reactive mess when he’s got ulcers. I don’t think he’s ever seen a pig in his life, but if he did, even if he didn’t have ulcers at the time, he’d probably develop them flipping out over the pig, LOL. He still gets wide-eyed when he spies the neighborhood Great Pyrenees moseying by the end of the barn driveway (which is a fair distance from the WASHRACK IN TH BARN where goober’s eyes are bugged out of his head and he’s dragon-snorting like a maniac because a dog walked by a quarter of a mile away).

But I digress. When horsie’s tummy is good, he’s not so dramatic about life. And another thing I’ve found is that he really benefits from B1/Thiamine supplementation. I don’t care if science says horses can make all the B vitamins they need, mine needs more. In fact, he gets a full B-Vitamin Pack supplement with all the Bs in it and that seems to keep him pretty level-headed too.

But yeah. Treat the heck out of the ulcers. And if generic Nexium doesn’t work, go for compounded Omeprazole (Abler? I don’t know, I’ve never used it) or fork over the dough for Ulcergard. I did Ulcergard for mine when he lost his final marble after our move to our current barn (which he now loves so much). There was a cow. There were excavators and skid steers and a mini donkey up the driveway braying and goats escaping and my poor boy was a hot mess. Ulcergard put him right. Thank goodness.

[Ziggy793]

@Mcl1

My TB is a different animal in every way when he is in consistent work vs. when he has time off, and one of the big indicators is that he gets very herd bound. He also just gets way more reactive in general.

Same with both of mine. Each has had at least a ~6 month period of being a pasture pet out in a small herd, and during those periods, if asked to go to the ring away from friends and do some work, they would be lunatics. Same horses in the same (or similar) environment but in work 3 or so days a week and they had none of the same issues.

And of course, I would also say ulcer treatment is a first thing to try

[rulex]

@luvmyhackney

But he licks, plays keep away with hats, grabs cell phones out of hands, rubs his face on your back, checks pockets and has no problem grabbing a bite of grass if you aren’t paying attention.

That just sounds mildly annoying, not a safety issue or anywhere near the scale of what the OP is describing. Im talking about the type of horse that you have to be completely present and paying attention to because they are one heartbeat away from having some kind of explosive reaction about the most inane thing.

[RMJacobs]

@4horses

Now I did get spooked off over some white flowers… my mare is funny about white flowers. She also has a paranoia about stepping in holes. She watches her steps and will zig zag if she even thinks there might be a hole. So patches of dirt or grass that are a different color are definitely cause for concern.

My Hackney pony was convinced that the yellow line on our one paved road was a chasm leading to hell. He wouldn’t step on or over it. He was also sure puddles housed pony eating monsters.

After a rain, I was at a nearby intersection for 20 minutes trying to get him to walk through a puddle. We circled and tried again so many times. Finally he didn’t try to veer, and I thought he was going to go through it (it was less than a foot across and so shallow I could see the road through it). No, he jumped over it, while hitched to the cart.

Not only did a neighbor see it happen, and point and laugh, but said neighbor was also my co-worker. So the story spread all over my neighborhood AND all over my office.

This pony happily splashed through puddles in the corral or pasture, of course.

[beowulf]

@BeeHoney

Ok, this does not make sense to me. A horse that has limited prospects for usefulness and that is at risk of hurting you is the most expensive horse of all.

Again, I don’t disagree with the spirit of your point - I just don’t have the context here to know if that’s what’s happening. It doesn’t sound like this horse is useless or has limited prospects. Do you have context about the situation that I could be missing? There’s a lot of context we’re missing - is OP working with a trainer, what has she tried, etc? I read that the horse was previously being ridden and was good for OP until she brought her to this new place. That read as a classic ulcer and management change case to me. I’m not against returning to the rescue if it’s an unsuitable match, but I’m also not against suggesting this could very well be a behavioral change that has physical factors (like ulcers). YMMV.

[luvmyhackney]

@rulex

That just sounds mildly annoying, not a safety issue or anywhere near the scale of what the OP is describing. Im talking about the type of horse that you have to be completely present and paying attention to because they are one heartbeat away from having some kind of explosive reaction about the most inane thing.

When he has ulcers or not kept in check, he would be exactly like you describe.

Treat for ulcers or send back to rescue.

[Real_Rush]

Hi everyone! Let me first say thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your responses. I very sincerely appreciate them all. Work has kept me from spending any time at the barn yesterday and today. Monday I only had time to drop off the omeprazole and say hello to my guys real quick, but tomorrow and the rest of the week (especially this weekend!), I’ll be able to be more hands-on.

To again try to answer some of the questions- I adopted this mare as a trail mount/play with dressage and see how things go. I have not ridden her at all since bringing her home. At the rescue, she was ridden only about 15-20 minutes at a time, and only 2-3 times a week. (they simply don’t have time/staff to spend extended time with every single horse) The first week home, work intruded, and then she started downward spiraling, so I’ve thought it best to just let her be for now. She is the boss mare in her group of 6. I don’t necessarily disagree with the herdbound thought, as the first couple weeks she would willingly leave the group, even out of sight of them, when I would take her out to hand graze, with no issues. I think as she’s gotten more and more frazzled, she’s definitely seeking the safety of her little herd.

It did take a week or so for her to first notice the pig, so the coincidence of her noticing it and her mental issues beginning is not lost on me. I’ve owned horses for over 30 years at this point, and I can say without hesitation that she has been the most difficult to handle. Whenever she plants her feet, I try to get her unlocked by turning her head in a slightly different direction and tugging just to get some forward momentum going. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. When she seems frozen in place, I’ll go up and stick a finger in the corner of her mouth to get her to move her jaw and release the tension. This can also help, but is not a guarantee. Sometimes getting her to focus on me is difficult, and I’ll have to pull her sharply to one side (while leading) to get her brain focused on keeping her balance and back on me. Any time she’s stuck and I can get her to move, I always release the pressure as fast as I can, and make sure to at least verbally praise her, if not a quick pat.

I’ve already been in contact with the rescue about bringing her back. Of course my fee is forfeit; I cannot “trade” her for a different horse, nor can the funds I paid for her be applied to a different horse, with me still owing the difference. If I want a different horse, I’m going to be on the hook for the entire adoption fee of the new one. I’ve decided to give the omeprazole a couple weeks, and if it’s showing some promise, fork out the $ for Ulcerguard and then re-evaluate. But if nothing changes in the next couple weeks, she’s going to have to go back. I can’t risk her hurting anyone at the barn, much less myself. Plus I simply don’t want a horse that I can’t enjoy and makes me happy. Full stop.

I promise I will give y’all updates, and please keep the ideas coming!

[ParadoxFarm]

Best of luck. I’m sorry you’re going through this.

[beowulf]

Good update.

Do you have a trainer that can come and help? They might be able to see what’s going on and offer some perspective/advice.

@Real_Rush

Whenever she plants her feet, I try to get her unlocked by turning her head in a slightly different direction and tugging just to get some forward momentum going. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. When she seems frozen in place, I’ll go up and stick a finger in the corner of her mouth to get her to move her jaw and release the tension.

I may not know the full picture here, but when I encounter a “stuck horse”, sending them forward helps get them unstuck. Reactive horses tend to train the forward out of their handlers, we tend to think we want to slow them down – reactivity s typically an evasion and we need to train them to yield instead.

I don’t follow this person, but their exercises might help you with your mare if you can perform them safely. I do similar exercises with my crew, they’re very valuable:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yf8XdkyG-7k&ab_channel=AmeliaNewcombDressage

I’m sorry to read the rescue wont consider a credit to a different horse. I hope the Nexium works and your next update is positive.

[ParadoxFarm]

Amelia Newcomb is pretty good. I’ve done a clinic with her, and I am part of her Strides program. I highly recommend.

[IndysMom]

Thanks for the update. It sounds like you’ve made a reasonable course of action decision. No horse is worth getting someone hurt over.

[Pico_Banana]

@beowulf

I may not know the full picture here, but when I encounter a “stuck horse”, sending them forward helps get them unstuck. Reactive horses tend to train the forward out of their handlers, we tend to think we want to slow them down – reactivity s typically an evasion and we need to train them to yield instead.

Totally agree with this. My trainer is always saying “don’t tell him what NOT to do, tell him what TO DO.”

[BeeHoney]

Sounds like a very reasonable plan. If you end up returning this mare, I would recommend against replacing her with another horse from a rescue (this rescue or any other). Horses with value as riding horses (or riding horse prospects) are usually sold by their owners rather than turned over to rescues. IMO it’s unrealistic to expect to get a decent trail/pleasure horse prospect from a rescue, and I think it is a far better value to spend some up front money (even saving up if you have to) to get a horse with a better chance of success.

[Mcl1]

Along with or after giving the ulcer meds time to work - do you feel comfortable riding her or is there someone around who might be willing to? Obviously only you know your comfort level and her thresholds, but given that she was good under saddle when you tried her it might be worth a shot. My guy is 10000 times worse on the ground than under saddle when he is fresh and if I gave him time off and then waited for him to settle on the ground before riding him again…well I would never ride again. Even if they were only riding her 2-3 times a week it may have been enough to keep her focused.

[SusanO]

She may not be a bad horse but she may be a bad horse for you. It sounds like she is going to require a lot of time and strict handling to slowly make her a good citizen. If you do not have the time or effort she requires - you are not a bad person. You just did not realize that she was going to be such a big job. Better to realize that before you get in too deep.

Now she may have ulcers and she may take a while to adjust to her new lifestyle including a pig. So she might start to chill out somewhat or not. If she has spent most of her life in a pasture with her buds and not so much human interaction, this new lifestyle is a real shock. If it doesn’t work for her - you are not a failure. You two just needed something different.

[ParadoxFarm]

@BeeHoney

IMO it’s unrealistic to expect to get a decent trail/pleasure horse prospect from a rescue, and I think it is a far better value to spend some up front money (even saving up if you have to) to get a horse with a better chance of success.

I do think, though, that often what people refer to as “rescues” in the OTTB world are erroneously identified as rescues. A better term would be adoption facility. Or better yet, a retraining and placement facility. (Adoption sets up its own set of laws – many of which are not followed by adoption facilities). So maybe this horse was not from a “rescue” in the true sense of the word.

[Spudsmyguy]

My horses must have been the exception. When my neighbor bought a couple of pigs, my horses expressed mild interest then ignored them completely.

[ParadoxFarm]

@Mcl1

My guy is 10000 times worse on the ground than under saddle when he is fresh and if I gave him time off and then waited for him to settle on the ground before riding him again

My last OTTB was the same. He was anxious and quirky on the ground. Actually difficult to handle and tack up at times. As soon as you put a bit in his mouth, though, he settled down and was ready for business. He was perfect for mounting and riding. A joy to ride.

[trubandloki]

@ParadoxFarm

I do think, though, that often what people refer to as “rescues” in the OTTB world are erroneously identified as rescues. A better term would be adoption facility. Or better yet, a retraining and placement facility. (Adoption sets up its own set of laws – many of which are not followed by adoption facilities). So maybe this horse was not from a “rescue” in the true sense of the word.

Very well said!
Liking it once was not enough for me. It needs to be repeated.

[AllSport]

Just my 2 cents. I’ve seen plenty of horses that are simply happier at one barn vs another with out any clear reason. And I mean right away. Most recent was my own. Happy go lucky where I got him, literally came off the trailer at the trainer’s quiet, clean, spacious facility like a raging dragon and while she was able to progress with him he never really did fully chill out, even with ulcer meds. He had a great life for any horse there. But he did exactly as OP describes - stop in his tracks, tense jaw and ready to explode, and did frequently. Brought him to our local barn and I had warned everyone to watch out, he calmly stepped off the trailer like he owned the place and hasn’t looked back.