can the grass really make such a difference to behaviour?

charlie76

charlie76

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My easy straight forward horse has turned in a spooky tense horse in the past week or so and I can only put it down to the huge amount of grass we have. He is an advanced dressage horse and has always been a pleasure to ride both schooling and hacking but he has just been a nightmare ,spooky , tense and even rearing which is unheard of. He changed field last week and the grass is rich and green.
Are anyone else's like this at the moment?
 
Yes it certainly is at the moment. Mine was absolutely wired today, bouncing around, rearing and striking out. All quite out of character, but also not helped by mares all seeming to be in season and so he doesn't like to be away from them for long. Bring on the winter.
 
Yes. Autumn flush of grass! Add more magnesium to feed.

Farmers always put out extra magnesium for cattle and sheep in the spring as the change from hay and silage to spring grass can lead to problems (some major ones too for high yielding dairy cows).
 
Check out Calm, Healthy Horses website! Our ginger mare reacts badly to clover so she needs 2 table spoons of salt daily and I give her progressive earth pro balance. It has transformed her from spooky and unpredictable to calm, responsive and with the odd minor spook.
 
Yes - same here.

Due to stupid behaviour, my first 15 mins of my lesson on Thurs consisted of cantering 16 laps of the school full pelt (it's a huge school too), just so we could get some energy out. After that I got some good work from him and all the things he'd spooked at in the first part of the lesson, he ended up jumping them as fillers (such as cones, a jacket, pole blocks etc).
 
Yes! My super chilled youngster went bonkers earlier this year in Spring. His field mates had moved fields which meant the grass grew really well and was extremely lush. At the moment he is on bare grazing and so far has been okay although I have magnesium on hand if needed!
 
Yup definitely! This time of year if I feel that she is on her toes a little too much, rather than a battle on board I will usually lunge for a few minutes, loose school or shifty her before getting ready so that she can have a buck and a leap! She likes the chance to burn off some steam and enjoys a play, and then is ready to focus when I jump on. Works for us.
 
Yep my old boy always had a stupid week in September were he struggled to even walk down the road without spooking at something he has passed a million times before, including the zebra crossing which he point blankly refused to cross!
 
My lad was so bad last weekend that I came home crying and I'm a stuff and nonsense type. Over the past 2 weeks he's been stupidly spooky and really wired. On Saturday he had a meltdown because he couldn't go in front of two fellow happy hackers we met enroute. After planting for 10 minutes he then went sideways down the road at full pelt. When I tried half pass to straighten him he planted again in middle of the road. I had traffic either side of me. Rearing then followed with me hanging on to his neck strap and spinning. He got so worked up he tied up and started to go down on the road. I had to take saddle off and walk him back with steam rising from him and veins popping. So yes. The autumn grass is pure evil.
 
exracehorse said:
My lad was so bad last weekend that I came home crying and I'm a stuff and nonsense type. Over the past 2 weeks he's been stupidly spooky and really wired. On Saturday he had a meltdown because he couldn't go in front of two fellow happy hackers we met enroute. After planting for 10 minutes he then went sideways down the road at full pelt. When I tried half pass to straighten him he planted again in middle of the road. I had traffic either side of me. Rearing then followed with me hanging on to his neck strap and spinning. He got so worked up he tied up and started to go down on the road. I had to take saddle off and walk him back with steam rising from him and veins popping. So yes. The autumn grass is pure evil.
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Gosh! That puts my horses spooks to shame!!!
 
We had 'experienced schoolmaster escort fail' yesterday - Spud was in full on flounce mode, as he tried to show Wolf exactly what stubble fields are for. And then we had a couple of pretty spectacular leaps from Wolf when the killer birds of doom flew out of the hedgerows at him.

So yeah, I think they're all a bit wired at the moment.
 
I feel a bit better now! Was starting to worry I had ruined him! He was better today( long may it last) he went to spook in the 'corner of doom' and I put my brave pants on and gave him a bit of a whop with the stick ( only a bit as he is very sharp) then every time he backed off I just tapped him up, he then totally stopped even looking at the ' corner of doom'
Took him for a spin round the block in his own and he was an angel.
Let's see what tomorrow brings!
 
Even my pretty unflappable highland pony is behaving like a plank at the moment, has been for a couple of weeks. He doesnt believe in expending more energy than necessary but yesterday refused to walk in a straight line anywhere, refused to walk through any gateways without leaping forwards and sideways just in case anything was lurking ready to get him and is constantly on the look out for monsters of the highland pony eating variety!! Im also struggling to keep his weight in check so am convinced its the grass.
 
Yes - one of mine threw the biggest hissy fit tonight as I had let him out on some nice grass while I poo picked and made feeds, called him over for his feed and then shut the gate behind him, once he discovered this fact he ran up and down the fence like a loony trying to get back to the green stuff, only stopped after a belt off the electric fence...
 
I am experiencing the same too!
I only said today out hacking I wish I had the facility to cut back grazing and introduce feed (huge paddock I do not have permission to fence off with lots of grass and connemara, great-doer would be overweight if fed too and most likely a nightmare to ride) as I feel some supplements would help calm him and keep his moods consistent as he changes depending on the season.
Dare I say it...roll on Winter when he is in a night with hay and 2 feeds a day with less grass, this helps me feel more in control xx
 
MissJessica said:
I am experiencing the same too!
I only said today out hacking I wish I had the facility to cut back grazing and introduce feed (huge paddock I do not have permission to fence off with lots of grass and connemara, great-doer would be overweight if fed too and most likely a nightmare to ride) as I feel some supplements would help calm him and keep his moods consistent as he changes depending on the season.
Dare I say it...roll on Winter when he is in a night with hay and 2 feeds a day with less grass, this helps me feel more in control xx
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Can you not use plastic posts for strip grazing?
 
Yes, in a word! Mine has been on restricted grazing and he gets a bit extra daily. Changed his feed recently to cut out alfalfa as makes him silly and not great for feet. He has been quite flat since I took out the alfalfa. Yday I put him on better grass, quite a lot. Back to buzzy sharp pony again!!
 
Sadly not allowed at my yard, it's their home and they don't wish to have strip grazing, the yard facilities are immense thought & I respect they're not horsey people and I choose to keep my horse there understanding that they wish to keep it looking a certain way. x
 
charlie76 said:
My easy straight forward horse has turned in a spooky tense horse in the past week or so and I can only put it down to the huge amount of grass we have. He is an advanced dressage horse and has always been a pleasure to ride both schooling and hacking but he has just been a nightmare ,spooky , tense and even rearing which is unheard of. He changed field last week and the grass is rich and green.
Are anyone else's like this at the moment?
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Add a tablespoon of Epsom Salts to each of his feeds. If he is only fed once a day after you've ridden then feed the Epsom Salts in a small feed 1hour before riding. Magnesium is rapidly processed. You should see a difference quite rapidly.

I have a Magnesium Salt Block in the paddock, I buy it from a Farm Supply store
 
Add salt 10-15g per 100kg it flushes the excess potassium from the system which prevents it from affect the mag levels eliminating the need for extra mag. Sodium is also depleted so you are replacing that at the same time. Leave loose salt in the paddock as horses have smooth tounges so can consume more salt if it is loose than licking it (licks were originally designed for rough tounge animals like cows, its a bit like us trying to lick a lollie pop until its finished.).
 
maccachic said:
Add salt 10-15g per 100kg it flushes the excess potassium from the system which prevents it from affect the mag levels eliminating the need for extra mag. Sodium is also depleted so you are replacing that at the same time. Leave loose salt in the paddock as horses have smooth tounges so can consume more salt if it is loose than licking it (licks were originally designed for rough tounge animals like cows, its a bit like us trying to lick a lollie pop until its finished.).
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Be careful with this excess removal of potassium - it is also a vital element and its important that there is sufficient potassium in the system.

Feeding some Epsom Salts is far safer.
 
Tnavas said:
Be careful with this excess removal of potassium - it is also a vital element and its important that there is sufficient potassium in the system.

Feeding some Epsom Salts is far safer.
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I disagree there are far better forms of magnesium but excess mag is one of the key ingredients in enthoriths. The rec levels of feeding above will not remove all potassium and will supplement the need for sodium and chloride as well. Salt is the only mineral (shown in studies) that horses can regulate intake themselves hence the extra in the paddock.
 
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