Where to start? Grumpy, edgy pony

[Heinz_57]

I’m in the middle of looking for a new regular vet - long story, but the one I’ve used for years is far too busy (regular appointments are now a month out) and just notified me that they are no longer taking the type of credit card I keep on file. So, once I get a new clinic lined up I’ll be having them out for a once-over, but that still may take a few weeks. I can also take him to the university OR the top sporthorse clinic an hour away, but I’m not sure I’m ready to write a blank check just yet. I’m just thinking about possibilities and where we should start looking.

Pony in question is a 6yo quarter pony, I’ve owned him a little over 2 years. At 3 & 4 he was a sweet, happy go lucky guy. So sweet and happy that I had no reservations about climbing on him bareback in a halter for his 2nd ride ever - I rode him primarily in a bareback pad through his 4yo year because saddle fitting is a challenge for him. Going into that winter, he got a little more energetic, but nothing unpredictable or wild. When the warm weather returned, he chilled back out and all was well. This last fall, the “winter horse” returned and over time became unruly and explosively unpredictable on the ground - he’s completely distracted, on high alert and any correction, even a small tap on the shoulder, can result in striking and rearing, bucking, trying to run away, etc. Under saddle he is nappy and tense, no actual blow ups but frankly I have enough sense that I’ve put away the idea of riding for right now, he can’t even be led to turnout without lashing out. In the barn he’s close to his normal self, behaves predictably and other than being very mouthy I can handle him there with ease. He thoroughly enjoys being groomed, isn’t sensitive in any areas, and gets regular bodywork.

He is in good weight, shiny coat and tons of hair, nice topline, solid feet, no lameness, great appetite. Teeth were done 8/28/20 and he is due for a recheck this month, he was dewormed with either QP or Equimax this fall, 5-way vaccinated, gets free choice grass hay and about 1lb of Haystack low carb/day with Vermont Blend + vit E. He gets limited turnout (~4 hours) on grass with a grazing muzzle due to weight/foot health, and the rest of the day goes in a dry lot that he doesn’t enjoy right now because it’s a swamp and he dislikes water (will stand at the gate and bang on it until I let him back in). He is in a stall overnight and happily lays down to sleep daily.

He has been on Nexium for 4 weeks, which at first seemed to abate some of the explosive behavior, but it’s been inconsistent day to day. I started him on Succeed yesterday in case it may be hind gut related.

Environmentally speaking, he has been alone since March 2019 when we had to euthanize my elder horse. We live next to a boarding facility and there are horses 50’ away from him on the other side of the fence, so he’s not completely alone in that sense, except in the barn where he cannot see them. I fully acknowledge that having no close companions may just be getting to him finally, and he would probably benefit from a friend. Easier said than done, though, my second stall is now storing hay and a tractor and the base needs to be redone before it’s suitable housing. Boarding him out is not viable due to location, time and cost. I have noticed that the resident pack of coyotes has been MUCH closer at night lately, close enough that I can hear them from inside my house, and he does sometimes stare off towards those trees.

Any thoughts on what to explore are greatly appreciated, because frankly I’m getting tired of him trying to knock my block off and acting like he’s on fire. I no longer enjoy spending time with him, because he is so unpredictable. At first I thought it was just the adolescent rebellion stage some go through at 5/6, but this is excessive. Something is obviously not right.

[Simkie]

My first inclination here would be a scope. You saw some improvement with nexium, but not lasting. There can certainly be things in the stomach that need more than just a PPI, or nexium just isn’t the right med, for whatever reason. Ulcers are a reasonable thing to rule out and it’s not terribly uncommon for some horses to develop them in winter.

Do you think being alone plays into this at all? That can be stressful for them, too. Can we help enable the purchase of a friend for him?

If a scope is normal, and you see no improvement on Succeed, I’d perhaps consider a lameness workup (joint pain getting worse with bad weather?) and some bloodwork (where is he actually sitting at vit e & selenium?)

[SugarCubes]

So he is relaxed and behaved in the barn and on high alert and reactive as soon as you lead him to turnout? And only behaves this way when he’s outside? How well can he see the other horses? Can they touch noses over the fence?

If that is truly the case, it sounds to me like he is on edge being alone outside, where he may not necessarily feel safe, especially if there are predators lurking nearby. And perhaps he’s been internalizing his stress and may have developed ulcers…so smart of you to start there.

I will say, I have a winter horse who becomes a snorting, spooking monster every single winter. In his case, the deer in the woods, and hearing the coyotes definitely puts him on edge.

[Marla_100]

He a young horse who’s lonely and needs a buddy. When I watch my two do mutual grooming and following each other around the paddock or pasture, I realize how much companionship they are for each other. they probably interact for a good portion of their awake time.
And if your guy isn’t relaxing and sleeping well on his own that could make him grouchy.

[B_and_B]

He sounds a lot like my draft horse when he was alone, super reactive and highly alert. I felt like I was handling a bomb that was going to go off, he was desperately wanting to be with me but even then would never ‘see’ me. He was always needing to be on alert for anything and everything. So that any stimuli (touching him, a breaking stick, etc) caused panic. He also always wanted to be groomed. I ended up getting a pony for him, even though I didn’t want to; and that issue went away really overnight. The other horses being close enough to see but not close enough to interact with may be part of the problem. May even be making it worse by reminding him that he should be part of a herd, but isn’t.

[Heinz_57]

@Simkie

Do you think being alone plays into this at all? That can be stressful for them, too. Can we help enable the purchase of a friend for him?

Potentially, but it doesn’t really explain why he turns back into a lazy, relaxed dude in the warm months? Back in late August, he was so quiet I was teaching my 4 year old kid how to lead him on her own and had no worries about him being unsafe. Certainly he would benefit from a friend to torment, he’s that kind of busy body, obnoxious little boy. When my old man TB was still around, this guy would literally run circles around him while biting at him. I would not put just any horse out with him though, he would bully a submissive horse mercilessly and I don’t think he’d be trustworthy with anything smaller than him or that had significant limitations/lameness. He seemed to enjoy playing with the goat we had over the fence, so that may be a possibility IF I could find another goat that likes horses and could figure out a pen/situation where he could hang out with but not hurt the goat. Unfortunately I don’t know anybody with a freeloading horse that I could just “borrow” for a while and buying one is out of the question right now given current sky-high prices. I’m kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. Even if I were to board him, the turnout at the nearby facilities with openings is individual only, so he still wouldn’t get face-to-face playtime.

With the initial improvement I saw on Nexium, he was still always on edge - just not as likely to fly off the handle at nothing. I’ve also considered completely pulling him off everything but hay to see if maybe its a developed diet sensitivity, but need to wait until I get him off the Nexium (and now Succeed…). Anecdotally, beet pulp makes him lose his ever-loving mind in a similar way.

I appreciate everyone’s thoughts so far, thanks for helping me think through this.

[luvmyhackney]

Could you borrow one from the boarding barn as a test for a few days or find a freeloader at a rescue?

Sounds like needs a friend outside. Probably feels safer in the barn and in the summer predators don’t veer as close for a meal. Plenty of other food options.

Still wouldn’t hurt for a vet to check him over and check his vision while he is out.

[Horsegirl_s_Mom]

I would think you could find a retired horse to board for companionship.

We have a 22 year old retired mare – a lady is boarding her as a companion to her own retired riding horse (we pay enough to cover her food plus some extra, of course).

The key will be getting the right retired horse–calm, gentle yet confident, and one that causes you little trouble. Maybe a retired broodmare who’s had some experience with obnoxious youngsters!

[PamnReba]

If there is a reputable rescue near you, they typically have “companion only” horses and will usually adopt them out for free. The nice thing about that is, if it doesn’t work with one, you can return it and try a different one. You could even offer to foster (no charge to you and they may even supply a small stipend for the care) and see if you find a suitable companion for him.

Key word here is Reputable, though…

[Heinz_57]

@Horsegirl_s_Mom

I would think you could find a retired horse to board for companionship.

Unfortunately, boarding would get me in hot water with my homeowners insurance - I know some people are willing to bend those rules, but I’m not comfortable with it. It’s bad enough that I have a GSD, my agent just pretends he doesn’t exist.

@PamnReba that’s a possibility… although they may have some reservations about the amount of mud we have right now and the perimeter fence on one side is barbed wire (belongs to the neighbor, which I have no control over). The place is a swamp in winter and I’d sell it if there was anything better on the market that wasn’t $750K. I know of one reputable rescue sort of nearby, I’ll see if I can find out what their requirements are.

[leheath]

My horse’s behavior has been very similar with a similar result when I put him on Nexium for 19 days. I got the vet out to scope. Turns out there were some complicating issues, that I would have never thought of if we hadn’t scoped. He is now on Gastroguard and sucralfate and showing fairly consistent improvement. I think the sucralfate is doing the most good.

Regarding the companion horse question, I don’t know where you live (given you have mud, I know it is not near me), but I have a retired mare who I would happily free lease out to someone in your situation so asking around your local horse community could find someone else like me. Or maybe your pony would appreciate a llama or goat or other smaller companion?

[Heinz_57]

@leheath

My horse’s behavior has been very similar with a similar result when I put him on Nexium for 19 days. I got the vet out to scope. Turns out there were some complicating issues, that I would have never thought of if we hadn’t scoped. He is now on Gastroguard and sucralfate and showing fairly consistent improvement. I think the sucralfate is doing the most good.

Interesting! One of the clinics here is having some scoping specials this month, although I need another big bill like a hole in the head right now. I am in OR, the wet and muddiest part, and every winter I get grumpier about it. My kingdom for a desert.

[leheath]

I’d definitely be taking advantage of the scoping special. I contemplated moving to the west side of OR or WA at the end of 2019, but ultimately settled in the desert-like region of southern CA (the only part of CA I can afford!!) and I’m glad I did…I really do not like cold, wet, or mud!

[Heinz_57]

I will discuss it with DH and probably call to schedule Monday. They can do his teeth check for me too. Goodbye, new boots for my birthday…guess I’m getting a vet bill instead. If I don’t laugh about it I might just cry!

I curse the mud every day. I almost got the tractor stuck this afternoon. Pony is out in his “dry” lot right now, and by out I mean standing at the gate staring towards my living room window with pleading eyes every time I walk by.

[RedHorses]

You didn’t mention blankets. My younger horse used to get very unpleasant under tack in the winter until I accidentally discovered that he was uncomfortably chilly. I had bought a new blanket that was 100gm heavier than the old one and was surprised when my sweet people pleaser suddenly reappeared.

There was nothing that showed he was cold prior to the new blanket. My theory is that the physical effort to keep himself warm made his muscles uncomfortable. I spent the next winter figuring out what he needed to be happy, making lots of mistakes in the process! I rarely get it wrong now and know how to deal with him when I do.

If you have blankets it’s an easy, cheap experiment.

[B_and_B]

That is actually a good point. It is another issue with my prima donna draft, when he gets cold and wet he is very grouchy. With him, cold is fine but cold and wet, i.e. below 50 and wet forget about it. And it probably is a muscle issue… I love him, but he is a prima donna, I had an iron horse OTTB for 25 years, no blankets needed, no fancy fence needed, no companion needed, no special food… The draft needs all of the above!

[Fat_Dinah]

Try adding a tryptophan and a magnesium supplement. Especially the magnesium may be lacking in his hay but available in grass, explaining the seasonal change.

[GraceLikeRain]

@B_and_B

I love him, but he is a prima donna, I had an iron horse OTTB for 25 years, no blankets needed, no fancy fence needed, no companion needed, no special food…

Redacted as I thought you were the OP but I will say that as a bid of support for your draft all of mine have always preferred buddies and blankets.

[Heinz_57]

@RedHorses

If you have blankets it’s an easy, cheap experiment.

I remember reading where you mentioned that. I did try different blankets on that thought - he has a heavy and a mid-weight, plus a sheet… I’ve tried them all and unfortunately it seems to make no noticeable difference. Right now he would prefer not to wear one, even though he is clipped. He even walks away when I bring the blanket over. If he’s too hot he lets me know by trying to rip it off by the shoulders, so I turn him out naked unless it’s pouring, because he also objects to being rained on.

@FatDinah the v/m he gets has 6000mg of magnesium in it, but I’ll look into the tryptophan.

@GraceLikeRain I also had a no fuss TB like B&B’s. I miss him dearly, but I also love this pony who is normally a very sweet boy. I’m not made of money right now so I’m just trying to figure out the best plan of action.

[cayuse]

As I was reading your post I wondered to myself if there might be coyotes around and then you confirmed it. I don’t have much advice, but I will confirm that all three of my ponies act exactly as you describe when the random coyote gets too close here. And it is more noticeable in the winter months.