How much did it cost? Can you give me more info on it?
Well it actually all works out, he gets his 14 day break while i’m stuck in quarantine with covid 
Thanks to JB and Simkie, Two of my horses just completed a 30 day, 3 capsules per day in AM, of Nexium 24 Hour Omeprazole available on Amazon, cost like $80. for two horses. Saw a dramatic change in behavior in 3 days. No more ear pinning, no more grouchiness, happy faces again.
There’s many older threads here that you may want to read using the search bar.
Hi Sakey,
It sounds like you are really working to figure out the best thing for your boy, good for you! I agree that this is most likely a pain response so good idea to look into that. In reading this thread, I did not see anything about who he is turned out with? Is he alone or is he out with other younger horses who like to run and play? It is so beneficial for young horses to get out and burn off steam with each other. I have an unusually playful 27 year old gelding and so I try to make sure that there are always a couple playful board horses out with him to keep him entertained.
I also think that his workload may be a bit excessive. I agree with a vacation and softer grooming tools. When I was training my young jumper, my coaches said to jump no more than twice a week. I took a conservative approach to working him because I was looking for a long term playmate rather than a competition partner. At 27, he is still going strong and popping over the occasional jump. With thoughtful management, you can get that longevity out of a competition horse too, but moderation is key.
I really hope you are able to identify the source of his discomfort. I also encourage you to think about what you want to get out of your relationship with this horse and structure your work routine around that rather than around what others expect from you and your horse. Good luck!
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Classic signs of gastric ulcers…
Search the horse care forum here for esomeprazole. You’ll find a great thread on treating for ulcers with OTC Nexium. It’s cheap and won’t hurt to try it.
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Here it is
You have gotten great advice here.
Gastric ulcers can be in the squamous part of the stomach or the glandular part or both. Glandular ulcers are much harder to treat than squamous.
I had a similar horse. He was not aggressive to me but terribly so to other horses and also terribly herd bound. I treated him with Gastrogard but it didnt really help. I put him on Succeed and that helped a little. Scoping revealed glandular ulcers. It took three months of Gastrogard and Sucralfate to clear them up. It still did not change the behaviour.
In the meantime I did a CBC which showed a mild eosinophilia. My husband is an onc/hem so he had some insight in to what this might mean but I wasnt sure what to do other than monitor.
When the behaviors did not resolve and the eosiniphilia continued I had an internist come and ultrasound his abdomen lungs, etc. We found odd small circular spots, a little galaxy of spots, in his liver. A couple of unidentifiable things in his lungs. We sent the US everywhere and no one had seen anything like it.
He was fat, shiny, sound, never had a fever, skin issue, nasal discharge, nothing.
But he was clearly miserable. He had three states…aggression, anxiety, depression. He was always sweet to handle and ride. But he was just a miserable horse. My vets were game but not sure if euth was the right thing, but they trust me and know me so went ahead.
His necropsy showed MEED. Every organ, brain, liver, stomach, intestines, heart! his entire body was riddled with the granular eosinophiliac tumors. He must have been in chronic agony. When I sent the nec results to the internist she just wrote back WOW.
He was 12. He had not one exterior symptom. ONLY behaviour.
If I were you, I would do a CBC, and do the omep/sucralfate, and put him on Succeed.
He is clearly telling you he is miserable. Youre a good mom to try to figure out why.
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Wal- Mart has their brand ( compare to Nexium) for 14.00 so well worth a look before ordering online. It won’t hurt anything to try it. 3 pills a day to start ( for 3 weeks) Then taper gradually. It is in the Nexium for Ulcers thread.
Have you checked to make sure your saddle fits correctly? Does he do this with the trainer while grooming/ tacking up?
No issues once mounted?
How do you groom and what types of brushes? Are you scrubbing away and pushing hard on him while grooming? Many horses don’t care for it at all.
I am actually getting a new saddle to fit him. He does the same with my trainer. Usually I just use the softest brush I have for his body, then curry his legs.
He is perfect when mounted.
You can get a curry glove. Not the pimple mit. An actual black glove with a curry comb on the palm and fingers.
It is fantastic. You can use it as hard or as light as you want. When doing the legs you can just use one finger in the grooves. Followed by the soft body brush.
My thin skinned TB HATED the type of mitt you describe. She didn’t mind the pimple mitt though, so that’s what we stuck with.
For deep seated mud, the mildest thing I found that worked was to use a mane/tail brush to get it off. Legs, body, the whole shebang. This type: https://www.statelinetack.com/item/curved-mane-and-tail-brush/E015302%20GRN/?srccode=GPSLT&gclid=Cj0KCQiAzZL-BRDnARIsAPCJs72a2LnGrV5zqUDF134xEA_GfunmHyx0k6N-EQepIsjAHe-VKo8yan8aAjkTEALw_wcB
That is why I said you can use it as light as they want, just the tip of the finger.
Didn’t matter to her. It was how hard the nubbin itself was, and the fact that they were super pointy compared to a normal curry.
My dog likes them though. 
What a sad story!
Sakey, sorry you tested positive and I hope you’re feeling better. Also, I hope your trainer gave your guy a vacation as well. I agree he may have ulcers, or a tick disease. Lyme or Equine Anaplasmosis.
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Try leaving an extra leadrope on him & snapping it every time he offers ANY behavior you find even mildly aggressive. Repeat for two weeks, or have whoever is riding him do it. Regardless of whether he has ulcers or not, this will solve the problem.
Right now, it’s a habit. Babies go through stages. I guarantee he worked harder at the track 
. I’ve used the GUT supplement & it’s good but if you are worried ask your vet for an omeprazole prescription from Cornerstone Pharmacy in KY. It has to be refrigerated & given every day but it’s only about $150 for a month and then go back to using GUT. We’ve had good luck with Relyne as well.
Cheap way to not worry about it, but I would nip this type of behavior in the bud.
Good luck!
Please don’t do that.
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I agree. HORRIBLE idea.
The minute you start punishing a horse for feeling pain you’ve started creating a resentful adversary where you might have had a cooperative partner. Every single thing you want to do with that horse gets harder going forward, and any new management strategy you develop is undermined.
But how are you feeling yourself, OP @Sakey? Bearing up in quarantine?
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How is snapping a leadrope an unjust punishment? It absolutely does not hurt the horse, it is a painless way to tell him no. Horses that get into this habit often go from threatening to actual biting. That is harder to stop and horses that do that often end up in bad situations.
Just to make sure we’re using the same language, to me snapping a leadrope means holding it slack and giving a quick pull and saying “no” when the horse pins his ears and makes threatening gestures.
I get that everyone here thinks the horse is in pain, and that’s possible. But a vet has seen the horse. The op is following vet’s advice. Sometimes young horses are naughty, and they learn new tricks quickly. Tacking up in a stall is a change for the horse. He may think it would be nicer to skip the work and eat his hay in peace. Setting boundaries makes the horse feel more secure. A secure horse who has a confident leader is a great partner, IME.
OP, I hope you’re surviving quarantine!
