Can a horse have ADHD or do I need to worry?

nicolenlolly

nicolenlolly

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My cob seems to be completely incapable of keeping his head still, all the time he is like Steve wonder back and forth not weaving just looking around all over the place, sniffing the floor, watching what we are doing. If I'm hosing his legs, he wants to play with the water, head butt me, look at his feet when doing the rugs, he is watching and sniffing at me.
Is it just bad manners that I need to try and crack or could it be more. When ridden he is alert and looks about a little but nothing like this.
If it is a bad habit then how do I crack it? He has always been head shy, he doesn't like his muzzle being touched much and he has lines behind his ears that look like a head collar was too tight...any ideas greatly appreciated :)
Spare Easter eggs all round xx
 
I have one like that - always looking at everything,very very quizzy and unable to focus when not under saddle. He also doesn't really enjoy being touched very much around the head and face. His lack of concentration can be problematic as, despite all his looking around, he doesn't always notice things that are underfoot such as buckets or whatever we're working with. It is difficult to make him pay attention,much of the time.

However he is absolutely fine once under saddle, though he takes a few minutes to settle down. I take it just to be part of his character, and make sure I pay attention to what he's doing when I'm working with him on the ground. Unless your horse has some pain or discomfort from his tack, is he maybe not just one of those "characters" who is a bit different? How does he behave while tacking up, and once you're working him?
 
Funny to read this, I always describe my sons pony as adhd. he cant leave anything alone, he cant just stand quietly ever. He undoes himself, anybody else in reach, opens stable doors, his own or others. He fidgets all the time. he steals tools, gloves, poo pickers, hammers and anything else he can lay his hooves to. If we stop at the traffic lights he does a boogey in the lorry. People always stare at us :) .
It is just his way and part of the reason we love him to bits, we will never part with him and are looking into doing horse agility with him when my son cant ride him anymore.
 
What do you feed him, is he on hay or haylage? I would wonder if he's just a fidget, some horses are!!

Could be nerves, mine moves about more when he's stressed, how long have you had him for, and does he have a routine?

Also, he's probably moulting right about now, so is likely to be very itchy, and this can make them twitchy. I wouldn't tell him off unless he does it when he's meant to be stood still (i.e. when hosing his legs, and definitely don't allow headbutting!!!) How about giving him a really thorough grooming with a curry comb and loosening the hair, see if that helps?
 
My anglo is the same! Hes only 4 though and does seem to get a fair bit better when in work and is complete dope with kids!?
 
If he's good under saddle I dont see a problem. He's interested in the world around him and a clever little chap - I love a character - perhaps he has had some bad treatment in the past but feels comfortable enough with you to bring out a playful nature he's not been allowed to show in the past?
 
Wow thank you for your replies. I should have said that he is only 7 and in those years has done very little so quite immature and green.
When tacking up he is sometimes reluctant to have bridle put on but under saddle is lovely. He doesn't like loose horses in fields running up to say hello, he gets scared and wants to scarper and he can be reluctant to leave the herd if out hacking in a group but other than that, very sensible and I think these are things that experience and time will fix.
Feed wise he is on a good scoop of Alfa-oil with half scoop of calm and condition morning and night plus 5 sections of hay. Then he is turned out 9am-6pm.
The vet advised I clip him about 5 weeks ago so I could start my sweet itch routine and she wanted me to tea tree the areas that were awful last year. Prior to moving in Feb he was living out 24/7 without a rug so couldn't get to his skin hence clipping and becoming the proud owner of millions of rugs :)
Ancient hacker yours sounds like mine-looks around everywhere but at his feet and knocks all sorts over! I generally don't tell him off for it unless he clumps me, in which case I give him an "oi" which is enough for him to lift his head and stand still for 5 seconds before he ADHD kicks in again!lol
 
Should add that under saddle it doesn't affect him but when lunging...he is 650kg of horse that wants to see what this is and that is and not go round in boring circles!! And no amount of little me hanging on skiing behind him will help that, he isn't scared if a whip so I tend to just ride :) (plus I think lunging is boring too)
 
:D My attention-deficit chap does the opposite if I try to lunge. He stands and looks at me, and the lunge whip and I know he's thinking "yeah, sure, you're going to whack me with that"... and chuckles quietly to myself.
I guess as long as their inattentiveness is managed safely, we just carry on!
 
My mares slightly like this, some days she comes in and she's all over the place spooking at everything, untying herself, figiting about. Then when I try and lunge her it's cantering round and round no matter what I say for a good 10 minutes (she can canter on a metre of the lunge line - impressive but annoying!) then bucking/broncing, whinneying to every horse every where and prancing rather than trotting :rolleyes:

The next day she will come in perfectly, stand nicely to be groomed, walk, trot, canter, stand perfectly when asked on the lunge and really looks like she's concentrating on getting it right.

Split personality perhaps?! :p
 
My appy is like this - into everything even at 8yrs old. He has a very big personality so I just put it down to curiosity. As long as he does his job and isn't dangerous I'd let him get to know 'your' world and not tell him off for being interested in what's around him.
 
Mine is like this as well, every mouthful of hay has to be taken to the door to eat so he can see what's going on, he cannot stand tied to the trailer without wriggling and pawing, he's just into everything. We're trying to work on getting him focused under saddle, as that can be a bit hit and miss as well. He is getting better, when I first got him he wouldn't even stand quietly to be groomed. He's not spooky or otherwise bad mannered, just ridiculously interested in everything and easily distracted!
 
We have a horse in work who sounds a bit like this - my boss describes him as dog-like. He chases his tail in the stable, when you lead him around the yard he sniffs everything and weaves all over looking for new things to scout out, and he does bizarre stretches when you scratch different parts of his body.

BUT, when he's put in the cart to jog he's absolutely normal. He behaves like any of the others, completely calm and just gets on with the job.

(My OH's one dog has what I would call ADHD as well - sweetest natured dog you could ever meet but hyperactivity and behavioural problems, inability to share OH with other dogs, separation anxiety...she came to OH like that but fortunately he just thinks she's adorable).
 
My rising two miniature is exactly the same, she is into everything. I found her behind the stables this week which is completely fenced off other than the back of a large muck heap which she had obviously scrambled over to get behind there!:D She also squeezed through the fencing and I found her down on the main road eating the grass verge totally relaxed with all the lorries and buses going past. She tries to stand in the water trough, she gets hold of the hose pipe and pulls it out. She will also come into the kitchen and open the cupboards looking for anything to eat. I could go on all day she is such a character but like you with yours, I am sure she is ADHD. :D
 
Crugeran Celt that did make me laugh, just got mental picture of pony opening the kitchen cupboards looking for the custard creams :) lol with all these stories I feel a little happier that mine is just a curious soul!
 
nicolenlolly said:
Crugeran Celt that did make me laugh, just got mental picture of pony opening the kitchen cupboards looking for the custard creams :) lol with all these stories I feel a little happier that mine is just a curious soul!
Click to expand...

I have had to move the biscuits to a higher cupboard.:D She likes to pull the cereal boxes out though. She came in when my OH was making himself a bacon sandwich and tried to steal his bread, he was not impressed. She has been banned from the kitchen now. This morning she has been trying to stand on top of the rubbish bags waiting for collection, she has chased my dogs around the field and has tried to pick the cat up by its tail!! She definitely is ADHD but I love her. :D
 
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