Can horses suffer from SAD?

S

Stacie_and_Jed

Well-Known Member
Joined
3 August 2007
Messages
2,933
Location
In hiding
Visit site
I ask only because my horse seems really misserable at the moment and i have no idea what is wrong with him.
frown.gif


He is on good food, has plenty of hay, still has lots of grass in him field and he still seems down in the dumps.

I ride 4 times a week (due to issues earlier on in the year i dropped him down from 6) and try to vary the work from schooling, hacking and jumping. Im thinking of giving him a couple of weeks off at the end of the year to see if it helps.

Any ideas or are any of you experiancing simular in your horses?
 
we had a horse on the yard who was the same every winter, proper down in the dumps even though he had everything he could possibly wish for. Someotime the owner used to give him pink powder to see if it was a chill/cold or something..
 
Aaaww, maybe a holiday and extra special time (NOT riding!) spent with you will help?

My mare can get like this any time of year if I get too caught up in her ridden work and don't spend enough time on the ground making sure she knows she's special!
 
Yes i do have means to travel - i was thinking about going to do some xc and just letting him have a blast before i give him a couple of weeks off to see if that cheers him up! Its one of his fave diciplins!
smile.gif
 
yup - a change of scene or a good blast somewhere might help
smile.gif


or friends to play with in the field?

is he boxed through the day? Try and see how much daylight he's getting as some of the hormones of the horse are controlled by how much light they get exposed to - more applicable to mares, but might have an effect....(shrugs shoulders)
 
thtss a gd questiooon... a horse on my yard has been a bit weird for the past week - 2 weeks, isnt usually like this , has the odd days but not weeks, had back saddle and everything done, routine is the same... but she seems to go crazy wen out riding, gets strong rears bucks sppoooks at things and just isnt herself, old owners sed she did exactly the same thing this time last yearr...?
 
Yes they can, experiments have shown that horses can get seasonal affective disorder. Mainly thought to be due to lack of daylight, staying in more etc. Sounds like you are doing a good job already but maybe try getting him some boredom breaker type toys for in the stable. Leaving lights on longer. Some horses like to have the radio on too, they tend to like classical music best (honest!)
laugh.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top