^^^^ Very, very NICE!!! A real Beauty… She does look sensitive, but then I love those cause they’re usually so smart also.
Is she OTTB?
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Yep! I got her off the track as a four year old
I didn’t read through all 3 pages, so forgive me if this was already mentioned, but ulcers and cataracts are two things to investigate as potential culprits.
No worries, and thanks! She saw the ophthalmologist last week, no cataracts, and ulcer treatments didn’t make a difference.
Welp, whatever the issue was, it appears to have disappeared as suddenly as it arrived. She’s been completely normal for a little over a week, cloudy and sunny, no fly mask :lol:
Horses
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I don’t have any super answers (if I did my gelding would not be the same way!) but I wanted to commiserate. It’s a constant mental exercise trying to figure out the causes, whether it’s suddenly lovely “normal” behavior (whattttt is happening, what changed to make this so nice and how do I repeat it…) or the Other.
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Well I’m happy to hear she’s better even if it’s a mystery?
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Well the return of “normal” was brief, and ended up not being that normal. Though she stopped spooking for a few weeks, she became more “up” than usual, like constantly on edge and high-energy. (Even though she’s always had a spook, she’s otherwise very lazy.) Also lately when I lunge her occasionally she has been a PSYCHO, taking off and bucking and carrying on with no apparent instigation, which is NOT normal for her, she’s always been very lazy and well-mannered on the lunge. Aaaaaaaaand as of this week, she’s now taking off/bucking/rearing/throwing fits when lunging AND is back to significant spooking. She also jumped out of her field last week. She has literally never even once considered that ever before, plus she’s out 24/7 for the past four years so it’s not like she’s all cooped up and had to steam to blow off. :nonchalance:
So, I started her on 10,000 IU Vitamin E and per vet’s suggestion am ordering ReBalance.
Any other suggestions are welcome!
Oh some changes I did make since the last update - changed her free-choice hay to Orchard/Alfalfa instead of straight Alfalfa. Also cut her grain in half, then switched her to ration balancer because she was only getting like 3.5 lbs grain per day at that point.
Forgive me if you’ve already done this, but I would check her neck and spine.
My gelding would spook for no apparent reason .
He had some time off because I had sent my saddle away to be reflocked and it took a long time to get it back.
I lunged him one day and he bucked squealed raced around. He is usually lazy and has to be convinced he can actually do more than walk.
I had a vet come out and give him a basic lameness test.
My horse has a stifle issue but I was already aware of that. He was diagnosed with arthritic changes and so he was very sore even though I hadn’t been riding him.
He was put on Equioxx and it has made him a different horse. No longer spooky. He is much more comfortable and I am careful to check his back before I ride.
i also lunge him first because if his back is bothering him I can give him a back massage and do some ground work instead of riding.
You may want to have a vet to do some exams on your mares back and neck if you havent already.
Good luck.
@AnastasiaBeaverhousen thank you! We’ve not done xrays yet but the vet and chiropractor found no apparent issues or pain in her neck or back. We did a “bute test” for a week and it made zero difference, so doing radiographs dropped pretty far down on the list.
This is totally off track and on other vein entirely.
I had a gelding who sensitive and smart, like Einstein smart. He spooked at everything. I got him cheap because of it. He gave me fits, went to Cornell, they looked at everything, spent a fortune, found nothing. So I brought him home and taught him to do cavelletti, he was better, then a couple days back on the flat, worse. To make a long story short, he was bored. So he learned to chase cows, do complex obstacle courses, jumping, learned voice commands, learned to be ridden bridleless, learned to bow, etc. Every work was about solving a problem. He became an incredible partner as long as I gave him lots to think about.
Not suggesting chasing cows with your beauty, but maybe more in hand work or finding some problems to solve. Mares like to be in charge, maybe she is enlivening the routine because she is making problems to solve.
I would have done the same as you, made sure pain or discomfort of any kind was ruled out. This is just a different train of thought?
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So…1,000 things, but could it be feet? You mentioned she pulled a shoe and then was quieter. Possibly her shoes/nails bothering her? I’ve got a very sensitive, opinionated thin walled TB and he occasionally comes up unhappy about a shoe, and he communicates his unhappiness by becoming unhinged. You might try pulling shoes and see what happens, just a thought.
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Do you have a trail camera? I’ve heard of lots of people in Ocala having issues in the last year or so with coyotes and wild hogs. Any one of those things will make some horses loose their minds. Sometimes even the lingering smell of them freaks horses out.
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Boy, does this sound familiar? I’ll spare you the long and winding backstory, OP, but my gelding (12yo) went through pretty much this identical thing starting in March and lasting through this summer. We moved to a new boarding facility last October after he’d spent his entire life at my personal farm (which I’ve sold). He was great for the fall and winter, but when spring came, he started going bat-crackers. Like you, I began going through every possible reason for it. Spring sillies? He’s never gotten them before, so I was doubtful. Feed? Changed that (it was very high NSC, now he’s on a much more suitable feed). Eyesight? (He’s an app, so that’s always a concern, but it didn’t seem to be connected to eyesight). Saddle fit? (had gotten a new saddle and was riding the horse again after YEARS off, so had saddle fitter out…but there was definitely back pain). Had chiro/acupuncture (by vet) done, and she confirmed that his back was basically in spasms. Day after his adjustment he was so crazy (just leading him around) that I thought he’d kill me. This was a horse that would pack a toddler around on his back safely, very well-mannered and easy-going normally.
He is now fine, and little by little, through process of elimination I’ve determined that he needed four major things done:
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Magnesium. This was suggested by the vet/chiro, and even the saddle fitter said he’d seen “magic” with it for horses who show signs of deficiency (tight backs and spookiness = typical signs). I chose Smart Calm Ultra because it has 10,000mg of Magnesium per serving and also some tryptophan and thiamine. All natural stuff that they’re supposed to have anyway. He’s been on it since May (I think?) and as far as I’m concerned will stay on it for the rest of his life. OP: If your mare is on free-choice alfalfa, you may want to consider Magnesium deficiency as a very real possibility. Alfalfa is high in calcium. Calcium is responsible for muscles contracting. Magnesium is responsible for them relaxing. I’ve known many a horse over my 30+ years in horses that go bonkers on too much alfalfa. Like, dead-broke lesson horses turned into fire-breathing dragons.
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Low NSC feed. He was getting some digestive upsets and looking poor on the high NSC feed (along with the crazy energy and silliness), so I was worried that ulcers were on the horizon. He had diarrhea a lot and was extremely gassy.
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Saddle fit. Even though the fitter adjusted my saddle (adjustable tree) and even reflocked it a little, he did explain that the cantle was still a bit lower than the pommel and that wasn’t ideal. He didn’t seem too concerned though, so I didn’t think much. Kept riding and horse kept getting sore (though not as spooky thanks to Smart Calm Ultra). FINALLY the lightbulb clicked on and I remembered that years ago I’d always ridden him with a Cashel wedge back pad that lifted the back of the saddle a little. I ordered him a new one (had to search to find one, his old one was in rough shape and meant for a jumping saddle instead of dressage saddle). Started using it along with my new Mattes full dressage pad (the $$$ I’ve spent on this $500 horse to make him happy, LOL). It seems to do the trick to balance the saddle and keep him from getting a sensitive back after riding.
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Probably the most important of all: New barefoot trimmer. He’d been trimmed by the same farrier (not barefoot trimmer) his entire life (I’ve owned him since he was a yearling), and while I always knew his feet weren’t great, I was oblivious to just how bad they really were. The new trimmer educated me and showed me how off his angles were behind and how that was affecting everything above his feet, especially his lower back and SI area, which his where most of his pain was. I truly believe this change is among the most vital to helping him be comfortable. He moves better, steps under himself easier, and just seems so much more willing and comfortable when being ridden.
He’s back to his normal, chill self now. The ONLY exception to this was the day after his second chiro/acupunture apptmt, which was just a couple weeks ago. I brought him into the barn the day after and he was a absolute mess. Like…completely out of his mind. I believe his back was flared up from the adjustment and when his back hurts he gets really, really anxious. Darn near uncontrollable. By the next day, he was totally fine. No worries at all. He’s been ridden, bathed, longed, groomed, shown scary things that used to make him flip completely out when his back hurt, and he’s handled them all calmly. His eyes will still get big at some things, and you can see the wheels starting to turn and him thinking “This is going to get me…it’s going to hurt,” but then when nothing bad happens and his back doesn’t go into spasms you see him relax: “Oh. Not a problem.”
I feel your pain. Please keep investigating. I’m like you. I knew my horse just as you know your girl. I knew whatever was causing him to behave this way had to be major. He’s a very honest guy. He doesn’t pull tricks to get out of work. He’s lazy, but in a friendly, good-natured way. Ears always up, always going to do what you ask and not give any back-talk. He has impeccable ground manners. So, when he started spooking and spinning under saddle and then doing the same on the ground and being pushy and obstinate, I knew it had to be physical. I broke this horse. I taught him to lead. I taught him everything he knows. I KNOW he knows better. I KNOW he wouldn’t do it unless there was a physical reason. Pain causes him to do it. Period.
Good luck! You’ll figure it out! Keep us updated!
Boo, I was hoping the spookiness went away for good
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@four2farm@gmail.com interesting food for thought, thanks!
@punchy I’ll discuss with farrier, thanks! She is on a four-week schedule in the summers, just switched to five for next appt, so has had at least a couple resets since this all started but can’t hurt to try.
@No1@all that’s super strange, I haven’t heard anything about it! A pack of coyote’s runs through the neighboring empty acreage twice a year, but I haven’t heard them in a while. A hog would be hilarious, I hope I see one.
@vxf111 girrrrrrrrl same :sigh:
If you’re at the “throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks” point, maybe a gabapentin trial would be interesting? Neuro pain is often poorly treated with NSAIDs. It’s been a long time, but gabapentin wasn’t crazy expensive when I used it last. We used this dose here. A 2-4 week trial might tell you if she’s experiencing neuro type pain?
Ooooh interesting, I’ll bring this up to my vet next week. Thanks!
Throwing on the list though I think it’s a long shot (but not hugely expensive and non invasive) allergy testing. When I had it done at NB it was only $100-150 IIRC. I’ve now tested two different horses and both had a slew of unexpected allergies and were much better with serum and a diet change.
In my experience if it is neck, Bute or other NSAIDs will have little to no effect.
Adding that she’s now extra wild does make me think neck. Reminds me of the pattern with my client’s horse that I mentioned. Although he never thought of jumping out, he did once get so scared by another horse being aggressive as his issues were starting that he ran thru the fence in his paddock. Luckily it was hot tape that broke and he had only superficial injuries. But he also started just blindly running on the longe as well.
