Totally Mystified Change in Behavior

[julierose329]

I am totally frustrated by his behavior and at a complete loss, looking for some additional ideas…

I have a 16.3 OTTB, who has sat in a field for the last 3 years. I had him vetted and took him home. He is in 12 hrs and out 12 hrs. Stall is very comfortable, 14 x 14 windows can see other horses, has a jolly ball and a salt block.

He is fed TC Senior, Banks Mill Low Starch, Ultrabloom, 1/2 scoop of bp, soaked, 2x a day. Basically free choice O/A (he runs out during the night)

He was completely upstarted, everything was going well. WTC and ground poles. He is extremely lazy in the trot and takes alot of leg. If I canter first then I can get quality trot work after that. Then suddenly he started bucking to the right when I put my outside leg on him (even in trot circles). We suspected ulcers I treated for 7 days with UG then 28 days with pop rocks, think i will continue to treat for 60 days. After about 14 days he was back to normal happily moving along still SLOW as molasses and still stiff to the left. I had the chrio out. Then all hell broke loose he was back to his bucking self. He has front shoes, low heels in the back, but we are getting there.

I have called the vet, she ran blood work all clear. Called the chiro he said he was out but nothing that would take 2 weeks to recover from. Called a saddle fitter, fitted him with a new county innovation. Dentist comes Thursday. What would you guys do next?

Thank you!

[downen]

Perhaps you have discovered why he sat in the field for three years? Sorry, I’m afraid I can’t offer any suggestions…

[stargzng386]

Did your vet do flexions? I’d suspect hocks or other joint pain. I’d also run a test for Lyme. My horse was extremely slow with bucking fits when he had high chronic levels of Lyme.

[BostonHJ]

Saddle fit? Perhaps he changed shape a bit once he got legged up.

[Belmont]

Did you scope him for ulcers or just treat? Have you gotten a full lameness? Possibly something wrong with his back? Is it only when you put your outside leg on him?

[MtnDrmz]

If you go through all evaluations and nothing physical comes back, it could very well be a behavorial issue. If he is slow as molasses and already a little stiff to the left, he may have just learned a fancy and effective trick to get out of doing things that aren’t so fun for him. I have seen this quite a few times actually in horses that have been left for one reason or another, and even couple “too smart” show horses that just stopped wanting to play. .

Start with the physical evals, but if all comes back well, I’d say perhaps behavorial and maybe a few visits with a cowboy type, or someone who specializes in fixing potentially dangerous issues could help.

[LookmaNohands]

Are you working him in a ring? He might find it more interesting if you could work him out in a field. Add a bit of a hill to challenge his balance. Lots of horses are more forward out in the open.

That is what I do.

[eclipse]

Scope for the ulcers… My young horse started doing the exact same thing although add in a bad colic and it turned out to be extremely bad ulcers that we are still treating! I always know they are bothering him if he starts to buck! If the scope is negative then I’d think something is hurting and be suspicious of why he sat in a field for the past 3 years!

[Soaponarope]

[QUOTE=julierose329@yahoo.com;8522552]
I am totally frustrated by his behavior and at a complete loss, looking for some additional ideas…

I have a 16.3 OTTB, who has sat in a field for the last 3 years. I had him vetted and took him home. ![/QUOTE]

This is one lucky guy to have such a caring new owner. The first question, I agree, is why did he sit in a field for three years? That’s usually a red flag.

[SidesaddleRider]

I would start with a Lyme test…

[Melissa.Van_Doren]

Hind shoes may help. It’s hard to push if your feet hurt.

Agree with getting his hocks checked (and overall exam)… again… sore often = resistant to going forward. Bucking is a way to say it louder.

[Pipkin]

Mine went through a phase of this and it was ulcers! We treated with Gastro-gard and he was like a different animal. I think you might have to scope, at least you will know what you’re dealing with.

Here is how I manage my guy’s -

• Tie haynets up around stable to encourage movement and foraging.
• Feed chaff before riding.
• Try and ride for a fairly short time. (I keep it to 30 - 45 mins where possible)
• Feed corn oil
• Try an ulcer supplement. I use Ker Equishure, I think it helps.

In spite of all of this, my horse still goes through grumpy spells, especially in the winter when there is less grass. I usually give him a couple of week off work and up the ulcer supplement and it resolves itself. If Gastroguard wasn’t £24 a day he would be getting it continuously

[julierose329]

He was his breeder’s wife’s favorite horse, so when he retired from racing, she didn’t want to sell him and took him home, but she wasn’t much of a rider so he was a pasture pet.

He flexed clean, and I had hocks x-rayed on my PPE. We have two rings and a grass field, he does the same thing in all rings. Lyme test came back negative. I agree about the ulcers. Will continue to treat.

Called a lameness specialist, he is coming on Monday to do another full lameness evaluation then I guess I will do from there I guess.

Thank you all!

[Belmont]

[QUOTE=julierose329@yahoo.com;8523583]
He was his breeder’s wife’s favorite horse, so when he retired from racing, she didn’t want to sell him and took him home, but she wasn’t much of a rider so he was a pasture pet.

He flexed clean, and I had hocks x-rayed on my PPE. We have two rings and a grass field, he does the same thing in all rings. Lyme test came back negative. I agree about the ulcers. Will continue to treat.

Called a lameness specialist, he is coming on Monday to do another full lameness evaluation then I guess I will do from there I guess.

Thank you all![/QUOTE]

I would scope before I just kept treating… You could absolutely be treating nothing.

[beowulf]

i would suspect any of the following: SI, saddle fit, stifles and hocks… good luck with the vet, let us know what he says!

[jody_jaffe]

I have one with similar issues. Just had a bone scan that showed SI problems.

[vxf111]

I think the lameness exam is where I’d go next. Could be an issue that didn’t come up on the PPE that is rearing its head now that he’s a little more in work… back/neck?

[findeight]

IME the back story on most horses is typically missing some chapters. Usually not on purpose, sometimes very much on purpose when trying to rehome or sell them.

Answers to current health and behavioral problems often lie in past history. How old is the horse? How many starts over how long a time span? Why was he retired and exactly when? You can reveal his JC registered name and somebody on here can pull his race record, they are public, or research it yourself.

Sometimes when they sit for years, they can develop a work ethic problem, especially if they are a little older.

Id be sure to have the vet look at the possibility of Kissing Spines, neck arthritis and signs of old fractures in neck and pelvis, even if he’s not lame. Plus a full lamness work up, previous improperly healed suspensories behind can create the behaviors described and, again you can’t reality see it.

Trust your vet too, not body workers, for an actual diagnosis.

Oh, you can also do a Bute test. 1g a day for 3 days. If there is improvement in behavior? It’s pain. If not, it still could be pain but you don’t want to give more painkillers on your own without a diagnosis.