I’ve got one like this right now, including the running through the fence part.
Fix all the pain
CBD (I use Mikko’s Choice)
Ground work only to teach her being alone isn’t awful
Working 5-6 days a week consistently
After about 2 months of this I’m about to get back on next week.
This is another reason why I asked about the neck.
Since she seems to be managed well in terms of meeting her horsey needs, I also agree that it might be worth investigating the neuro route more… horses are horses, but I believe in large they do not react to such an unreasonable extent for no reason. Running through a fence in a blind panic is VERY alarming.
This. The evidence that can’t be un-evidenced. As it were.
Horses do things for a reason – and often the reason is driven by blind instinct in reaction to something. We don’t always need to know what triggered the reaction. Only that this is the only horse that responded, or responded to this extent.
That this horse is capable of this reaction, that the reaction happened ‘out of nowhere’ re us and all other creatures on the farm, is the information takeaway.
A reaction shown by several individuals is responding to a common cause. We can focus on the cause.
A reaction shown by only one of the group, is due to something about that one. We focus on what is different about the one who reacted, when the others didn’t.
I’m obviously not the OP so I’m sure she’ll weigh in, but she did say
Emphasis mine. It seems pretty clear this horse is very herd bound. Horses do really crazy shit when they think their friends are gone or leaving them. Yes, running through a fence is scary but I wouldn’t say the horse has a physical problem just because she really wants to be with her friends.
We spoke to an AC for the horse I mentioned above. We did do a lot of other changes at the same time, but he’s been amazing ever since. Interestingly, not once was his herd sour-ness mentioned (he’s quite herd bound), but there were many other insights that we addressed that I think helped a lot, hence me feeling confident in climbing back on him.
(My quoting isn’t working)
She really is. And very kind, one of the sweetest mares I’ve dealt with. I will also add this particular adoption agency always has very nice horses. This is the 6th? Ive gotten from them. I have gotten 3 from her trainer and been extremely pleased…one is my 9 year old gelding that was my first failed resale. Her track trainer is the main reason I got her. Then when we started having issues I looked back and she was only with that trainer about 6 weeks and raced 1x then was retired lol.
I’ve thought about the neck but the chiro didnt think it was an issue but that is definitely something to bring up with the vet.
Since apparently post injection videos didnt embed well. These are taken after the injections and you will notice the toe dragging is much better. That was something the vet commented as well. The first video is after getting her feet done, the second 3 are after the injections, but before getting them done (if you look closely shes protecting the left front slightly in turns because it was a bit loose and on her heel). In all the videos other then the most recent 2 she was barefoot behind.
She was ridden one time for under 10 minutes in april because the vet was curious about her behavior under saddle sore vs not as a diagnostic. I should add, because I didnt want to bog down the post, she initially presented just barely back sore slightly in her lumbar, I put back shoes on and she went crippled. Very very crippled which was something that made the vet look closely for KS. We ultimately decided that the shoes changed her breakover hence the jump in soreness.
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She is currently on sucrolfate while on stall rest. I personally have never noticed a single dang difference on any of the products marketed for ulcer prevention with the exception of gastrotech, which is dont believe southern states makes any difference.
I will talk to the vet about looking further into EPM, but wait till shes off stall rest and the stitches are gone. She is extra spooky currently either from stall rest or residual upset.
Ear plug: I tried them last year for a few rides and didnt notice any difference so discontinued.
Vision: I’ve thought of that, but shes only spooky for activity that is out of the ordinary, things in bushes and weeds etc aren’t what startle her. Also, shes only spooky when shes already worked up, if shes calm then she just watches weird things with interest…ie. I was about to get on the other day an 9 turkeys walked out of the woods in the scary corner, across the field and then across the ditch and road. Her entire field came galloping blowing and spooking and she watched with interest and zero spook. Then halfway through the ride the train came through and a neighbors horse started running and she got a little up but I was able to refocus her and have a lovely ride. We did skip the canter 
I shouldnt say it was out of nowhere. I initially had a much longer post and I tried to trim it to avoid the wall o text. She had 3 triggers going on, another horse in the ring which is not her preference (and unfortunately since I am the trainer she typically rides alone so I do try to ride with others), one horse in the barnyard was being hand grazed, and the neighbors were both mowing (husband and wife) and had stopped in the corner closest to rhe ring and were talking. She has made HUGE strides in her panicked reactions so my goal was to get her to a good point and stop. She was actually starting to relax and stretch and then I tried to cut across the diagonal to avoid the other horse and that’s all she wrote. Ive been thinking about it and I do wonder if if she did try to fight her panic and then it finally was to much and she overloaded hence the fence. She is normally very good about self preservation.
And I should add…she has come SUCH a long way but we cant seem to work through this anxiety. She used to be terrified of contact/pressure. After the second fall in December of 2023 we took the entire winter off for ground work, lunging and working in side reins and learning how to give to pressure. Initially stepping on a lead rope was a rear, now she gives to it and steps off it. Contact was a mini panic attack and now she almost wants to root but is grasping bit acceptance and carrying herself.
Someone mentioned getting me off turning into a habit…this is not a dirty mare. Shes not mean, and she is actually very kind until she panics. She is absolutely not deliberately getting me off, just spinning then panicking because shes alone and lost me. Even when shes having tantrums she doesnt buck, she might get light in the front end but shes also not going up fully, shes more making her opinions known and then says OK FINE when she still has to work. Ive actually been able to progress to a growl and light smack on her shoulder with my hand for extra naughty and she pouts and listens 80% of the time (rare ime for a mare).
When shes anxious she really doesnt look it from the outside but you can feel the tension in her body. If youre on the ground she sucks her lip in tight and you can see her pulse pounding…she’s genuinely scared and not trying to be bad. I find this a little cute, but when she is tense like that you can her to relax by massaging or lightly scratching her lower lip wrinkle. Shes also one that absolutely adores people and loves nothing more then to rest her nose against your bicep or on top of your shoulder against the side of your neck and just gently touch you (almost like shes just breathing you in).
But either way I need to not die from
I haven’t watched the videos yet as I need to get out the door, but Quiessence made a HUGE difference for my spooky horse. HUGE.
The videos look to me as if she is definitely back sore, but compensating. She may not feel that she has a choice. She may be storing greater and greater anxiety.
More to the left than to the right, but can see it both ways. At the trot, her hind legs do not always move evenly. Her rear toes are brushing the ground more than the front toes, and not the same on both sides.
But it may not be obvious as her forelegs seem quite measured with regular steps. Horses can have amazing ways of compensating on one or a couple of body parts, while making things look normal in other body parts. To me she seems to be doing this. Her backs and fronts aren’t always moving the same.
On the left her head movement seems more conscious of this and worried about it. Sometimes we think a horse is fiddling with the bit when they may actually be reacting to something they are feeling in their body.
Horses keep on as long as they can, and this mare seems to me to be doing that. But to me, she doesn’t seem to be fully comfortable. But not showing obvious lameness / soreness.
Horses (and people) who store up anxiety over a period of time have a tendency to have a sudden release. I wonder if that is part of the trigger mechanism to the more extreme barn sourness?
If you can send her back and be sure the rescue organization will do right by her, do that. In my opinion, this is not a horse anyone should swing a leg over again. There very well may be some kind of physical reason for her behavior, but a horse that bolts blindly into a fence is just not worth the risks of thinking you’ve fixed/managed whatever that cause is. It is right up there with rearing on my “never going to own/ride it” list of horse behaviors.
Also, for context for the lifetime care of this horse, just to add a note on the difference between an organization that is a ‘rescue’ and one that is a ‘sanctuary’.
Caveat that not everyone sticks to these informal definitions when speaking of charitable horse welfare organizations.
When thinking of the life of the animal, ‘rescue’ intends that the animal will, in time, leave the rescue org facilities or fosters, and go to an ordinary permanent owner. Good rescue orgs address medical and behavior issues that will increase the chances of placement. With the caveat that training opportunities are often limited.
In contrast, ‘sanctuary’ is the ‘last good home’. ‘Sanctuary’ is intended for animals that have physical or behavioral issues that make them hard to place in permanent homes. There is low emphasis on medical and training intervention beyond quality of life. Whatever the age of the animal when it arrives, some may live for years, even decades, in a sanctuary.
Often when we want to re-home a difficult animal, we need to clarify what type of next home that is most likely to be successful. Rehab or sanctuary? Be it private or organizational.
The most difficult are younger animals with behavior issues that don’t fit well into the intentions of most owners.
Some rescues are good at developing contacts with ‘pasture ornament’ owners who provide sanctuary. That is critical, because those owners can be very hard to find outside of rescue.
One more note on ‘rescue’ vs ‘sanctuary’ that can affect rehoming strategy == Rescue has pressure to move animals out into permanent homes to make rooms for more rescues. Every rescue org has a capacity limit, and until some animals are rehomed, they can’t take the next one. Sanctuary, on the other hand, is frequently/usually closed to new entry because they keep them for life. Until one dies, there is no room for the next one.
Anyway – big picture, that is the conundrum for all horses that have issues that make them harder to sell or rehome. Sanctuary is scarce. Rescue or straight rehoming involves expectations from the next stop that this animal may not be able to meet – and with horses, meet safely.
Notes with more detail:
’Rescue’ = Assists in removal of an animal from a poor welfare situation. Provides a place for the animal to live, sustenance, and some degree of medical care. And training. The goal is to fix problems that inhibit placement, and work toward rehoming the animal to a new permanent owner (who may owe reporting duties to the rescue org).
’Sanctuary’ = A care facility where an rescued animal can live out its life. There may be some physical/behavior rehab, but in many cases rehab isn’t a priority (other than basic quality of life). The priority is safety, care, and permanence. Sanctuary is a permanent placement (this can vary by sanctuary, and/or by animal). Basically, for horses, a voluntary pasture ornament facility.
She looks off behind to me as well.
I wouldn’t take any more chances with this mare (if I were you.) Something is wrong and you’ve been trying for 2 years to find it without success. She’s a pretty mare, but not worth dying for.
I’d send her back. A gal in my barn has been trying to medicate her gelding into sanity through various supplements for years. It hasn’t worked. If you took all the money she’s fed the horse, there would probably be enough for her to buy a sane horse.
Sorry I hadn’t checked this again. I agree about the unevenness, some of those videos are prior to getting her hocks done and her movement is a lot more even after that. Only two of those videos were after her vet visit, and in one of those she really needed her feet done so definitely was stiffer through corners than usual. However riding she always holds her head to the left and lays on my left rein, if you try to use your hands to get her straight she definitely gets more anxious, if you use your leg then she’s much better. Used to have a lot of anxiety about her mouth and the bit, which is mostly gone but she is one that opens her mouth a lot.
Her going to the fence was on saturday, she did get full body work massage on Thursday and had no soreness at that time in her back.
I spoke with the organization I got her from and they said that if I sent her back, they would be unable to adopt her out due to dangerous Behavior so if I decided to do that then I should just put her down. I have spoken with someone I know that is extremely reputable who has recently acquired a thoroughbred stallion and is trying to find big mares for her breeding program, which while this mare is not wide she is tall (16.2) I am 5’9 with a 36 inch inseam as an idea. I am going back and forth ethically as to what would be the best thing for her because she is a very sweet mare she’s very nice she’s not dirty, it’s just as horrible anxiety that I cannot get her past. My biggest hesitation is knowing if this is due to environmental issues growing up, or if this is her in which case she should not be bred. I rode her the other day and she was tense but good. Rode her today with 300 mg of trazadone (first ride post accident) and she was tense but I tried ear plugs today and she was head shaking pretty badly for them, I took them out and she was much more spooky jumpy but still nothing like 3 weeks ago. I do agree with what you all are saying, I did not think that this explosive spook would still be there because it’s been almost 2 years but unfortunately it is obviously,
I am fortunate that I manage and train at the barn that she’s at, so I don’t pay board on her, but I do pay for all of her other expenses. Retiring her there however would not be an option because I get one stall for my personal horse and I do not think her feet would hold up well in our area for pasture as well as I do not have a pasture spot open in my mare field LOL.
I am planning on riding her tomorrow afternoon before I feed, I will see if I can get an updated video.
For what it is worth, I am hearing similar advice from other rescues to owners with difficult cases. Some are making such advice generally available in their public comments. No rescue has the capacity to provide lifetime sanctuary to every horse that can’t find a safe lifetime home. There are just too many, sadly.
I know this is an awful decision that horse people can find themselves with at any time. Because these days there just is rarely ever a spot for a horse that has a dangerous behavior tendency, and/or an unresolvable health issue.
At this point in history and life, I am ok with a behavioral or a medical euth of a horse of any age. There just aren’t other options in too many cases.
I do not expect any owner to dedicate their life and life savings to a horse they can’t rehome safely. With assurance that a difficult / medically compromised horse will be safe from slaughter or abuse for a long horse life (could live to age 25 or 35). Some people will do so, of course. Personally, I don’t judge the owner’s decision, either way.
A behavior/medical euth saves the horse from future bad conditions that we owners can’t control. Horses are long-lived animals if they live out their natural lifespan. We have no way of controlling our own future, much less the horse’s.
The most dangerous time in the life of any animal, the biggest risk of falling into a long-term neglect and/or abuse situation, if is the current owner is suddenly unable to care for them. Due to sudden unexpected illness/injury, serious financial reverses, other personal catastrophes, even the owner’s death. (Especially death.)
I maintain that a short good life is a good life. Horses don’t know their age or lifespan. If they go now, they go without any more trauma or hardship in their life experience.
You’ve done what you can OP. Your horse is lucky to have a caring and resourceful owner who has done more than most could. Whatever you decide, I support you.
It really sounds like a physical issue and not anxiety. You say she has a stiff neck and is touchy about her head, she doesn’t look 100% in any of the videos and she can’t be ridden with other horses in the arena without being dangerous. My guess is there is a neck or poll issue or something neurological with this horse. I wouldn’t breed her. I know it’s a horrible decision but euthanasia is likely where she is headed in the medium to long term, the rescue is being realistic.
This mare should absolutely not be part of any breeding program.
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Well here’s her today with a very lame hind end so fml, she did not work out of it in the 15-20 we trotted. She had two new horses in her field last night so guessing something happened after I left, no kick marks but she was wearing a fly sheet. Her stifle was catching however which isnt typical for her, but has been on and off since she got her hocks done (I had talked to the vet about estrone prior to melt down).
However, this is 2 amazing quiet rides now since I picked up a set of the smooth pomms, yesterday she was literally perfect (and sound) despite the neighbor revving a dirt bike engine then tearing around in the hills behind the arena which would usually be an end of the world. She felt a lot more focused too, which I had noticed after removing the ear plugs the other day due to the head shaking when she became extremely distracted
Re breeding, the only way that would have been a possibility is if I had direct confirmation from her track trainer she wrecked or something had happened, which the adoption lady has not heard back. Looking at her race record however she had one start and did very well, then a gap in her record, then one start with a different trainer at a different track and ahe was retired after that so I really strongly suspect something happened which is the ONLY reason I would consider it. Either way, I had already decided against her leaving because I was uncomfortable with the “what ifs” down the road.
Re: head shy. I had said she was worried about the bit, which has dramatically improved in the almost 2 years ive owned her. She has never been head shy in the least bit and loves to be scratched ans hugged (I can hug her entire head and she will lean into it). What I said was she used to panic with contact, now she almost wants to root but does not get overly nervous now. She still does fuss with the bit, but even that is a solid 80% better. Her go to was to tense and brace, open her mouth to fight and mini melt down. That’s actually when i put her in the waterford, shes in a meyler level 1 now. When she does get nervous however she lays on my left rein and right leg, but if shes relaxes shes even. I have looked at the neck with the chiro because her preference is to cant it right in the cross ties and while she was out high on left low on right, she didnt feel like there was an issue, but thats on my list to go over with the vet. She would also panic about stepping on her lead rope, and cross ties which is completely gone as well.
Right now I am going to continue riding her (once sound) and see what happens. If she gets dangerous or has another spook/bolt then I will euth her, but if she continues to get better back on her magnesium (and I added thia-cal) with the new ear plugs then just take it one day at a time. Plus gives me a chance to pay off my care credit before dropping $$$ on burial and euth.
She looks pretty sore! Might be worth calling a vet out to take a look, make sure that she doesn’t need to be stall rested and maybe do some diagnostics. I would not be trying to trot out a lameness that significant, to my eye (not a vet!) that is more than just a little bit stiff… especially if you’re feeling her stifle catching. 
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