I have a 6 year old gelding who in general has a very good temperment however, he is extremely senstive to touch. The moment I put him in the cross ties he starts grinding his teeth, I can hardly brush him anywhere without him pinning his ears and biting. When I ride him he kicks at my leg when I hardly use any aid and occasionally turns to bite at my leg while moving. Warmer weather and extra turn out seem to decrease this somewhat, but not much.
He is in excellent condition a good weight and has a very shiny coat. His back is not sore and his tack fits well. I am at loss as to what could be causing this and how to make him more comfortable ?
I have read about magnesium deficiencies and ulcers but I am not sure, does this sound like either or something unrelated ?
It does sound like it could be ulcers.
What does he eat? Does he receive vitamins? Ulcers come to mind, and so does low selenium. Lightly run your fingers across his back from withers to loin, across sacrum, across croup, down haunches, all the way to hamstrings…see if there is a reaction. How long has he been this way? Mag deficient horses sometimes act nervous, anxious, reactive, tense. I suppose they could also be sensitive to the touch, since people with mag deficiencies can be sore, tense, anxious, reactive. I had a horse come in who when put in the cross ties would grind teeth, stand with head high, get anxious, move away from brushing, move around when saddled. He had very sore hamstrings from mineral deficiencies.
Teeth grinding - ulcers.
Sounds like it could be ulcers. My OTTB came off the track very similar, but he chews the side of his face rather than teeth grinding. BUT, he was scoped with no ulcers or scarring either. (He was also spooky and overreactive at that time.) His titer showed a possible EPM problem so we treated that and I put him on Mag Restore for a while and his sensitivity has definitely decreased. Not perfect, but much better. Sensitivity can be caused by many issues, Lyme, EMP, deficiencies, etc. I have heard that Vit E can help too. Good luck.
Are you in a tick prone area? I always think Lyme disease first when I hear suddenly grouchy horse.
It’s a process of elimination of anything that has already been suggested.
For my horse with the same grumpy-I-don’t-want-brushed-symptoms, the Saving Grace was MagRestore last year.
It is magnesium Malate as opposed to the more common magnesium oxide. Mag Malate is allegedly more absorbable into the system than mag oxide.
His environmental allergies are now under control, the big flakes of dandruff have disappeared, I can now take the Furminator to the winter hair on any part of his body without him trying to curl inside out.
He only needs their enclosed scoop 3/4 filled, once a day and he is a completely different horse.
Some folks interpret the MagRestore website as full of hype. I didn’t see it that way when 80% of what I was reading could have been talking about my horse.
At any rate, do the process of elimination to be sure there isn’t something worse than a magnesium deficiency:)
Who checked his back? What about neck and pelvis? Did you do any flexions?
