Boggle- USA bound!

[SO1]

If Bog only appears to go for the other horses when you are there I would say it is not random. Maybe you need to catch him in first if he is expecting to come in for food he may want to chase the others away in order to come in first. I know you are worried about laminitis have you restricted his food or changed his diet so he is more hungry than normal so keener to come in to eat?

It is a different routine with different horses in a new place he has moved around quite a bit in the last few months, you are his only constant and it can take several months for horses to settle into a new place.

They aren’t. They move out of his way instantly. Helo just really hurt my ear (bleeding, skin removed!) running into me as I led him into his run because Bog appeared and he wanted to get out of the way

And Dusty I just can’t ignore how he’s standing despite now being shod. Have text the rescue to see if they’d be open to having him checked for lameness. He looks good to me on a circle in trot on the field but I’m no vet and could be bilateral and not showing.

Sigh. Never easy is it? Obviously I bought this on myself taking on a compromised ex racer but I hoped I could get him good.

 

[equinerebel]

My mare is exactly like that. At times over her life she’s been bossy but quieter in a herd, but where she’s at now (and maybe it’s her advancing age), she’s very dominant. One poor mare has recently joined the herd and mine has taken an intense dislike for her whenever people are around. They’ll be grazing absolutely fine and peacefully side by side, but if mine thinks she’s coming in, she immediately switches to chasing her across the field, ears pinned back and teeth out. I have occasionally seen her like this before, but it’s certainly more extreme at the moment.

I post on the other thread, and I don’t know either of you, but I promise I don’t see any similarities. I have great respect for all you’ve done with Bog

 

[meleeka]

You won’t be able to see the subtle language between them. For all you know one of the others might have been a bit slow to move when he asked, so he feels he has to really tell them. My shetland was awful 6 months ago when he first came, not all the time, but it was extreme. Now they are all happily sharing a net. I have a mare and the Shetland did think he’d be the boss of her at first. He’s regretting that now, because she’s a mare, and she holds a grudge

 

[TheHairyOne]

I upset our small gelding herd with my recent purchase and introduction to their space, and wow did I upset them! They knocked him over on his side the first day he went out with them. Ran him ragged the first week, totally blocked him out for the next 2. Chased him away from anything they wanted (people included) for another week. Now 6 weeks in and they are finally a lot more settled, but they are much, much worse when they know their people are up and anyone goes to the gate. I can watch them away from the field and they are all getting on fine. People are what change it now.

Its very early days for your little herd at a new place. I'd not be stressing at all with Bog putting the others in their place at this point in time. He knows you are HIS!

 

[Michen]

Thank you. No other than carefully building him up on grass I’ve not restricted him at all. Feeling being if he gets it he gets it.

Vet coming to check Dusty on 24th so that’ll give new shoes time to bed in.

Something needs to change, either I change my attitude and manage to not get so worked up and stressed, or I need to call it. I really could do with Dusty being good and not worrying about him too, thank goodness I don’t own him but I do really like him and want him to be ok for his sake as much as mine. I can’t bear the idea of sending him back because of course I’m attached and care, how could I not.

 

[Caol Ila]

It's never easy!

I'd agree with everyone else at this point. He's in a new place, and this is the first time he's been in a herd of three for a long time. It sounds like the aggression shows up when he's resource guarding you.

I know it looks unprovoked, but there is a lot of subtle communication that goes on between horses which we completely miss.

A new horse went into Fin's field a couple months ago. He is normally a mild mannered guy but he likes order and wants everyone in the herd to understand The Rules. This horse has disrupted the order because he's a bit pushy and stupid, and he doesn't know The Rules, and Fin has regularly gien it yaldy with the double barelling. Good thing he's barefoot. Changes in herd dynamics can result in all sorts of interesting behaviour.

 

[Emilieu]

Thank you. No other than carefully building him up on grass I’ve not restricted him at all. Feeling being if he gets it he gets it.

Vet coming to check Dusty on 24th so that’ll give new shoes time to bed in.

Something needs to change, either I change my attitude and manage to not get so worked up and stressed, or I need to call it. I really could do with Dusty being good and not worrying about him too, thank goodness I don’t own him but I do really like him and want him to be ok for his sake as much as mine. I can’t bear the idea of sending him back because of course I’m attached and care, how could I not.

Could you draw up a welfare checklist and once a day run through it? If happy all the boxes are ticked then put it out of your mind for 24 hours. If not, careful monitoring for 24 hours and a vet call if still concerned? I have a similar thing for a cat who has been on PTS watch for some time, her checklist is: eating, sleeping, using her trays, showing affection, showing interest in goings on. I do it automatically every day first thing and find it stops me thinking about it every minute I’m with her and over analysing everything she does. If I start to worry I mentally run through it again. Sometimes at night I do another wee checklist of the nice stuff that happened to her that day - slept in the sun, cuddled with favourite person, enjoyed dinner etc.

For what it’s worth, occasional grumpiness to other horses would not be a deal breaker for me personally, even if it was a bit out of character. Escalating grumpiness maybe, but I would still probably try some other things first.

 

[scats]

I think you are over analysing a bit here Michen. You’ve changed the herd dynamic and they are in a new location. I really wouldn’t read too much into it at the moment.

 

[Backtoblack]

If Bog only appears to go for the other horses when you are there I would say it is not random. Maybe you need to catch him in first if he is expecting to come in for food he may want to chase the others away in order to come in first. I know you are worried about laminitis have you restricted his food or changed his diet so he is more hungry than normal so keener to come in to eat?

It is a different routine with different horses in a new place he has moved around quite a bit in the last few months, you are his only constant and it can take several months for horses to settle into a new place.

^^^^^this

 

[AmyMay]

Thank you. No other than carefully building him up on grass I’ve not restricted him at all. Feeling being if he gets it he gets it.

Vet coming to check Dusty on 24th so that’ll give new shoes time to bed in.

Something needs to change, either I change my attitude and manage to not get so worked up and stressed, or I need to call it. I really could do with Dusty being good and not worrying about him too, thank goodness I don’t own him but I do really like him and want him to be ok for his sake as much as mine. I can’t bear the idea of sending him back because of course I’m attached and care, how could I not.

I agree that something needs to change. And at the moment it’s your mindset. Try and just let horses be horses and not evaluate every little thing.

 

[Trouper]

Agree with everyone else - too soon yet to see the real effect of all the recent changes you have made. Plus, one other thing (and medical issues aside), Bog may just be missing getting out and about and doing things. Believe me, retirement takes some getting used to - and not always in a good way!

I really don't think he would be hooning around and getting into quite so much much mischief if he were in constant pain. Try and relax your brain and see what your freelance makes of them all while you are away.

 

[sportsmansB]

My retired horse at home and his companion get on perfectly well until I appear, and then he chases her away
I am his person and he wants the attention, she gives in

 

[Cavalier]

Thinking back, didn't the aggression to Dusty start when you started riding Dusty?

 

[splashgirl45]

Thank you. No other than carefully building him up on grass I’ve not restricted him at all. Feeling being if he gets it he gets it.

Vet coming to check Dusty on 24th so that’ll give new shoes time to bed in.

Something needs to change, either I change my attitude and manage to not get so worked up and stressed, or I need to call it. I really could do with Dusty being good and not worrying about him too, thank goodness I don’t own him but I do really like him and want him to be ok for his sake as much as mine. I can’t bear the idea of sending him back because of course I’m attached and care, how could I not.

I think you are right when you say you need to change but it won’t be easy as obviously this is your temperament. When my mares cushings rates kept increasing no matter how much we upped the prascend , I had almost 6 months of hell , worrying about her QOL every minute , I had a mental checklist I ran through each day, has she laid down overnight, has she eaten up, interested in hay, drinking enough but not too much, slighting stiff after being in but does it wear off quickly, alert and ready to spook at things , happy grazing, can she roll and get up easily, am I doing the right thing by letting her have extra time????? As you can see my mind is very much like yours , one morning she came out stiff but seemed pottery , that was my signal that laminitis could be on the way, so I did get the vet to see if there was anything else I could do and she agreed with me. I had made up my mind but just needed a little bit of reassurance . Sorry this is so long but I wanted you to see you are not alone in your thinking .

 

[meleeka]

her I change my attitude and manage to not get so worked up and stressed, or I need to call it. I really could do with Dusty being good and not worrying about him too, thank goodness I don’t own him but I do really like him and want him to be ok for his sake as much as mine. I can’t bear the idea of sending him back because of course I’m attached and care, how could I not.

All this worrying isn’t going to change the outcome, so I’m sure you know it’s a waste of time . I think it’s helpful to have a red line, so you know when a decision needs to be made. If you are looking hard enough you’ll always find a possible problem with horses! Perhaps put a time that you’ll reassess in say 6’weeks from now and apart from anything glaringly obvious, you wont have to face it until then.