Dangerous horse help

[Orangehorse]

I feel your despair. I had a horse for myself after just ponies for a few years. She was nice to ride but vile in the stable. I can remember the feeling of dread that I would have to go out and fetch her into the stable. She was very prone to mud fever, so needed to come in, but on the other hand was a weaver.
I was ready to load her into the trailer and take her off to the nearest market, I really didn't care for her or even care what happened to her. I even wrote to a magazine problem page to ask for help.

Before I had the reply from the expert in the magazine I sat down and had a serious think and talking to myself. I have owned horses for years, this one was the first ever I had had trouble with in the stable (she would bite and kick and pull awful faces). So I thought very carefully and decided to start again with her and treat her like a pony.

Put the food in the stable. Fetch her in, tie her up outside to change her rug, dodging teeth and heels, let her into the stable to eat her tea and leave. No trying to fuss round her or brush, or do anything, just leave her alone.
Things improved from that moment on. I received a reply to my letter, which basically was giving me a good talking to, saying that it was down to me to understand her and be a teacher into good behaviour.

She liked to be left alone in her stable, so long as she didn't have to stay in during the day! (She would even weave out in the field if stressed about something). I took her to a Tellington-Touch day and ended up riding her with no bridle just a cord round her neck. Guess what, she didn't try to run off or buck me off.
That was a real breakthrough.

She was always a grump, in fact the only horse that has ever kicked me - and that was after owning her for 2 years, I just bent down to pick up a brush I had dropped and she lashed out and caught me on the thigh.

She was very good to ride, though and I must say that she taught me an awful lot.

But it was my attitude to her that was the turning point.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

If the worst that ever happens to a horse is that it gets hosed/clipped when it doesn't fancy it, it's leading a charmed life.
The one who should be making the decisions is the human, not the horse.

Whilst in principle, I agree with your last sentence, I believe that when the horse has made it very clear that something upsets him, it is a foolish owner who simply ploughs on regardless. There are ways of dealing with sensitive/troubled horses but force is rarely one of the best ways.

 

[paddy555]

He would still be hackable but it can’t be consistent as his feet either fall apart or it’s not fair to due to the flies and his sweet itch.
.

if you hacked him daily would he improve? is it work he needs? not all horses like pampering with a hose.

The farrier thinks he has HWSD. Have you tested? the test is £35. If he has and that really is the reason for the feet I would give consideration to PTS. If he hasn't then I would improve the feet. Is he on a supplement? If not then a good one could do wonders for his feet. I think that there is very often a hoof boot that will fit. I've persuaded many weird and wonderful feet into them. If you could eliminate HWSD then you could get a GOOD barefoot trimmer out to him. They often have expertise in animal behaviour and find it easier to handle difficult horses and they may be able to improve your feet and sort some boots out.

We all have fly problems. Mine are not ridden at all ATM. Not fair to them but once this difficult weather is over then they will be back on the road. You are no different to many of us with the fly problems ATM.

Not sure why a SI cannot be ridden. I have a SI and whilst not ridden there is no reason why she couldn't be with the SI.

It seems he had problems and a succession of owners before you. PSSM is a possibility in a cob. It would explain a fair few of your problems. High dose vit E for a few weeks plus daily exercise hacking could well help if that was the case.

Not all horses want you to do what humans consider to be nice things for them. Some are just unsociable, will give their owners a ride and then want to go back and do their own thing. Some cannot be clipped, some certainly don't like a bath. None of those things are necessary.

PAS mentioned about mindset earlier. You sound vey negative on here, all there are are problems. Approach it positively. He knows what you are thinking. I am afraid you c ome across as disliking him. He can't fail to notice that.

If you want to PTS then that is your choice. You don't need permission. Obviously people on here are going to make suggestions to try and help both you and him.

Could you really not send him away even for a few days to a trainer and let them fully assess him. Who knows you might have a really nice horse under there. Alternatively they may tell you pretty quickly he is too problematical.

You say he panics not bolshy. I take it that he can see properly?

 

[GoodBoyNice]

Horses are intelligent and he has picked up your hostility towards him - they will let you know it.In 6 years a lot of negative words have been said about him.
This horse clearly does not meet your requirements and over time your negative words and behaviour to him have resulted in this rebellious behaviour.You have not bonded correctly together - you will know the difference when you do as the horse will be a delight to be around and bring so much joy.
Give him time - start over again for a while and let go of the idea of putting him to sleep.
Connect with him - get him quiet in a stable and touch his neck gently and breathe with him tell him you are sorry.
Ask him what does he want ? what can be changed to bring better behaviour in both of us.What can we both do ?
Listen and watch him - slowly.
Dont make him do things he dislikes ,Give him time and show him some love and affection - they will respond.
If you cannot bond then hand him over to a rescue sanctuary and let him live his life.

 

[moosea]

So you've owned this horse for 6 years and had no real commitment to finding out if it's in pain or just a d*ck?

You've mentioned money a fe time so I'm guessing you are on a budget? Have you asked your vet about doing a bute trial? This is a simple way to see if the behaviour is pain related.

You say he goes into a blind panic - has he actually been through any objects - fences, gates or walls?

Have you had his eyes tested? When were his teeth last checked?

He comes in every day - he has some sort of fibre to eat while he is in?

What have you dealt with over the last 6 years of owning him? Have you been able to improve him at all?

Would you consider free loaning him from your yard to someone very experienced? Could that be an option?

I know you are wishing that you had never posted, but I'm sorry you picked this horse. It's your job to train him or pay somone else to train him. It's your job to get the vet out and pay for even basic investigations to make sure that your horse is not in pain.

I also do not believe that any horse should live alone - over the fence isn't good enough.

Sounds to me like this horse has presented challenges and you have not done a lot to solve them and then you hate the horse for it.
Now you want to pts and want everyone to say that it's the right choice.
Personally I think it's the right choice if you will not let this horse have a chance with another owner. Not the right choice for you, the right choice for the horse so he is not living somewhere he is hated and mishandled.

Sorry that's not what you want to hear.

 

[Wishfilly]

As @paddy555 said, I would get the HWSD test done, it's only a hair test. my understanding is it's a genetic defect specific to connemaras but it can equally present in crosses if there are two copies of the gene- so if he has carriers on both sides, he could have it BUT it would be unusual.

If he does have HWSD and has major problems with his feet, my understanding is there's not always much that can be done to improve things. Sometimes specialist shoeing can help, or supplementation, but if his feet have gotten so bad that he can't have shoes on anyway, then I think PTS may be the kindest option. When things are bad, it's a painful disease and there's no treatment as such.

If he's in a lot of pain from his feet, it may explain the other behaviour.

If he doesn't have HWSD, then I would be consulting with a vet to see what can be done to improve his feet first and foremost, and then consider if you want to take things from there.

I would only loan/give cheap to a good home if it was someone I really knew and trusted.

But if he has HWSD, like I say, I think I would probably PTS as ultimately it will be massively impacting his quality of life. But I'd want it properly diagnosed.

 

[Winters100]

If the worst that ever happens to a horse is that it gets hosed/clipped when it doesn't fancy it, it's leading a charmed life.
The one who should be making the decisions is the human, not the horse.

I understand why you say this, and indeed it is the same logic that I use when dealing with one of mine who is not very keen to stand for the farrier, and another who would really rather not enter the truck for transport. However my horses are telling me 'I'd really rather not, if it's all the same to you', while this horse seems to be saying either 'this hurts', or 'this terrifies me', which requires a different approach. I say this because OP has stated that she has a zero tolerance policy on behavior and it is not working.

I understand why OP is at the end of her tether, I really do feel for her in this, and probably most of us would feel the same, but however experienced we are it is sometimes necessary to accept that we are simply taking the wrong approach. There is no shame in this, I have certainly in the past had horses which have not been a good fit, but it does not mean that they could not be managed by someone else.

As I understand it the horse is fine for hacking, but bucks when schooled. Obviously pain should be investigated, then the outcome is either 1. medical issue which cannot be managed, 2. Medical issue which can be treated / managed, or 3 no medical issue, behavior that needs to be corrected.

Purely based upon the information here I am really not sure that this horse is not capable of finding a home who could manage him. Sometimes it just takes a different approach. For example I hog mine, and one of my geldings is not keen. The seller, who is also the owner of the yard where I keep them, advised me to take a really firm line. It worked, but only to a point. I have since found that if I ask a friend to stand by his head and feed little treats then he stands like a lamb. Is it a cop out? Maybe. Should he stand regardless? Yes. But quite frankly a few treats and the job is done with no stress to horse or human, so I don't really care if it is 'proper' or not, and I also suspect that over a long period he may come to associate this with calm actions rather than drama. Maybe I am wrong, but in the meantime it works.

This sounds to me that the horse has a responsible owner, but they are just not well matched. Obviously I would never suggest palming the horse off on anyone, but if I had limited funds, and was offered a horse which had, having had full vet check, been found to be just bolshy, then with full disclosure I might take a punt.

 

[Jenko109]

Just shoot him and be done with it.

Its irresponsible to sell him on if hes the liability you are describing him to be. You dont want to invest the money into him so cut your losses now.

There is no shame in it. Hes not the one for you and realistically, nobody else is going to want him either.

 

[Spoiled cob]

So you've owned this horse for 6 years and had no real commitment to finding out if it's in pain or just a d*ck?

You've mentioned money a fe time so I'm guessing you are on a budget? Have you asked your vet about doing a bute trial? This is a simple way to see if the behaviour is pain related.

You say he goes into a blind panic - has he actually been through any objects - fences, gates or walls?

Have you had his eyes tested? When were his teeth last checked?

He comes in every day - he has some sort of fibre to eat while he is in?

What have you dealt with over the last 6 years of owning him? Have you been able to improve him at all?

Would you consider free loaning him from your yard to someone very experienced? Could that be an option?

I know you are wishing that you had never posted, but I'm sorry you picked this horse. It's your job to train him or pay somone else to train him. It's your job to get the vet out and pay for even basic investigations to make sure that your horse is not in pain.

I also do not believe that any horse should live alone - over the fence isn't good enough.

Sounds to me like this horse has presented challenges and you have not done a lot to solve them and then you hate the horse for it.
Now you want to pts and want everyone to say that it's the right choice.
Personally I think it's the right choice if you will not let this horse have a chance with another owner. Not the right choice for you, the right choice for the horse so he is not living somewhere he is hated and mishandled.

Sorry that's not what you want to hear.

It has been investigated and isn’t thought to be pain related, he has a learned behaviour where in a previous home he bucked people off and got away with it. He just hasn’t had every inch xrayed or scanned, he’s seen every year for vaccinations, teeth and a health check, he doesn’t have vision problems and has even struck out at the vet in the past. I’m the longest home he has had, he’s been passed around and sold on, I’ve tried to correct the behaviour in many ways and also tried just leaving him be to see if he will settle but he hasn’t, he will go over/through anything if he reacts. He has sweet itch, a problem with his feet that no supplement will fix that can’t hold shoes even if he would allow you to put them on, he cannot cope with being hosed, washed off, clipped etc I’m sure people will be desperate to take him on when there are lots of horses with no issues out there. Of course he has food when in I don’t starve him,

 

[Spoiled cob]

if you hacked him daily would he improve? is it work he needs? not all horses like pampering with a hose.

The farrier thinks he has HWSD. Have you tested? the test is £35. If he has and that really is the reason for the feet I would give consideration to PTS. If he hasn't then I would improve the feet. Is he on a supplement? If not then a good one could do wonders for his feet. I think that there is very often a hoof boot that will fit. I've persuaded many weird and wonderful feet into them. If you could eliminate HWSD then you could get a GOOD barefoot trimmer out to him. They often have expertise in animal behaviour and find it easier to handle difficult horses and they may be able to improve your feet and sort some boots out.

We all have fly problems. Mine are not ridden at all ATM. Not fair to them but once this difficult weather is over then they will be back on the road. You are no different to many of us with the fly problems ATM.

Not sure why a SI cannot be ridden. I have a SI and whilst not ridden there is no reason why she couldn't be with the SI.

It seems he had problems and a succession of owners before you. PSSM is a possibility in a cob. It would explain a fair few of your problems. High dose vit E for a few weeks plus daily exercise hacking could well help if that was the case.

Not all horses want you to do what humans consider to be nice things for them. Some are just unsociable, will give their owners a ride and then want to go back and do their own thing. Some cannot be clipped, some certainly don't like a bath. None of those things are necessary.

PAS mentioned about mindset earlier. You sound vey negative on here, all there are are problems. Approach it positively. He knows what you are thinking. I am afraid you c ome across as disliking him. He can't fail to notice that.

If you want to PTS then that is your choice. You don't need permission. Obviously people on here are going to make suggestions to try and help both you and him.

Could you really not send him away even for a few days to a trainer and let them fully assess him. Who knows you might have a really nice horse under there. Alternatively they may tell you pretty quickly he is too problematical.

You say he panics not bolshy. I take it that he can see properly?

I didn’t know there was a test, I will absolutely get that done. Supplements have made no difference and my current farrier has been fantastic, all others have made him lame, his feet aren’t pretty but they can at least now stand up to turnout. I won’t be changing to a barefoot trimmer.
Previous owners have just passed the buck and I’m not willing to do that, today my mindset was negative, he nearly went over the top of me which was terrifying and I’d had enough, I think most people would’ve felt like I did, yes today I disliked him but it’s not like I go out to the stables everyday and tell him that. It’s hot you are trying your best to make sure they are ok and yes I shouldn’t have bothered but it isn’t great to have a horse that you can’t do anything nice for and yes when you are dealing with skin conditions those things are helpful to be able to do. The sweet itch makes it difficult because he will rub himself raw if he can and I won’t ever put tack on a horse that has sore patches. Even with a rug on he has injured his face and neck and given himself a friction burn on his tail. It doesn’t matter whether he’s stabled or turned out he will find a way and It’s awful, but I can mostly manage that now.
The vet is coming out on Monday anyway so will get the test done and ask about pssm but I’ve had one tested for it before and his behaviour is nothing like that. I don’t want to give up on him but I also don’t want to get hurt and I won’t take that risk with someone else.

 

[paddy555]

I didn’t know there was a test, I will absolutely get that done. Supplements have made no difference and my current farrier has been fantastic, all others have made him lame, his feet aren’t pretty but they can at least now stand up to turnout. I won’t be changing to a barefoot trimmer.
Previous owners have just passed the buck and I’m not willing to do that, today my mindset was negative, he nearly went over the top of me which was terrifying and I’d had enough, I think most people would’ve felt like I did, yes today I disliked him but it’s not like I go out to the stables everyday and tell him that. It’s hot you are trying your best to make sure they are ok and yes I shouldn’t have bothered but it isn’t great to have a horse that you can’t do anything nice for and yes when you are dealing with skin conditions those things are helpful to be able to do. The sweet itch makes it difficult because he will rub himself raw if he can and I won’t ever put tack on a horse that has sore patches. Even with a rug on he has injured his face and neck and given himself a friction burn on his tail. It doesn’t matter whether he’s stabled or turned out he will find a way and It’s awful, but I can mostly manage that now.
The vet is coming out on Monday anyway so will get the test done and ask about pssm but I’ve had one tested for it before and his behaviour is nothing like that. I don’t want to give up on him but I also don’t want to get hurt and I won’t take that risk with someone else.

I'm sorry you are having a bad time. This hot weather is a total PITA and I'm sure for many every problem becomes magnified. Some of the horses are narky in this weather. Mine have been in during the day as I try to give the ungrateful creatures relief from the blazing sun and the flies. One of the miserable gits got his bum slapped tonight for his miserable behaviour. I hope things improve for you.

 

[Spoiled cob]

I understand why you say this, and indeed it is the same logic that I use when dealing with one of mine who is not very keen to stand for the farrier, and another who would really rather not enter the truck for transport. However my horses are telling me 'I'd really rather not, if it's all the same to you', while this horse seems to be saying either 'this hurts', or 'this terrifies me', which requires a different approach. I say this because OP has stated that she has a zero tolerance policy on behavior and it is not working.

I understand why OP is at the end of her tether, I really do feel for her in this, and probably most of us would feel the same, but however experienced we are it is sometimes necessary to accept that we are simply taking the wrong approach. There is no shame in this, I have certainly in the past had horses which have not been a good fit, but it does not mean that they could not be managed by someone else.

As I understand it the horse is fine for hacking, but bucks when schooled. Obviously pain should be investigated, then the outcome is either 1. medical issue which cannot be managed, 2. Medical issue which can be treated / managed, or 3 no medical issue, behavior that needs to be corrected.

Purely based upon the information here I am really not sure that this horse is not capable of finding a home who could manage him. Sometimes it just takes a different approach. For example I hog mine, and one of my geldings is not keen. The seller, who is also the owner of the yard where I keep them, advised me to take a really firm line. It worked, but only to a point. I have since found that if I ask a friend to stand by his head and feed little treats then he stands like a lamb. Is it a cop out? Maybe. Should he stand regardless? Yes. But quite frankly a few treats and the job is done with no stress to horse or human, so I don't really care if it is 'proper' or not, and I also suspect that over a long period he may come to associate this with calm actions rather than drama. Maybe I am wrong, but in the meantime it works.

This sounds to me that the horse has a responsible owner, but they are just not well matched. Obviously I would never suggest palming the horse off on anyone, but if I had limited funds, and was offered a horse which had, having had full vet check, been found to be just bolshy, then with full disclosure I might take a punt.

He will explode whether someone is by his head or not so it’s safer if they aren’t, I’ve tried food, ear plugs, turning everything on and off, I fill the water buckets with a hose by him but you can’t touch him with the water. It’s not medical or pain related, he’s been checked

I'm sorry you are having a bad time. This hot weather is a total PITA and I'm sure for many every problem becomes magnified. Some of the horses are narky in this weather. Mine have been in during the day as I try to give the ungrateful creatures relief from the blazing sun and the flies. One of the miserable gits got his bum slapped tonight for his miserable behaviour. I hope things improve for you.

thank you, it just shook me up today when he nearly went over me and I was so fed up. I shouldn’t have bothered with him but I felt awful as I’d washed the others off and they were much happier and he was so sweaty.

 

[Glitterandrainbows]

I’d get a full lameness work up done my mare was horrendous when she was in pain she’s also a cob now she’s soft as butter, I’d soak his hay give a balancer and a chaff free of any nasties and then go from there if his feet are bad are you sure he doesn’t have thrush

 

[fredflop]

I think a post like this is best given useful advice - not you should do this otherwise your an evil horse owner.

Right I’d say first of all, what tests exactly has the vet done, and what were the results?

Second question, what is your “budget “ and time scale to work with the horse.

Previous replies to this thread have suggested getting the HWSD tested for. Tbh that sounds like the most sensible thing to start with. Whilst waiting for the results of that you could consider trying the pssm diet, and getting your grass sent for forage analysis.

I’d then say talk to someone like Micheal peace, or Richard maxwell. Go for the chaps at the top of their game if you can afford it, and see what they can do.

Of course if budget comes into it, I’d probably try the first few bits, and if no improvement, I’d PTS. If you sell what is a potentially dangerous horse god only knows who will get injured (including the horse).

 

[Dexter]

I dont know how much louder he can scream that there's a problem, but sadly you wont listen. There's a huge list of things you won't do, which is madness, because what you are doing isnt working. And for the record, horses dont buck people off as learned behaviour, theres always an underlying issue.

Poor horse.

 

[Cortez]

[QUOTE="Dexter, post: 14955878, And for the record, horses dont buck people off as learned behaviour, theres always an underlying issue. [/QUOTE]
Well, no there isn't always, sometimes horses just like to get you off

 

[Dave's Mam]

OK, for what it's worth, here's my input. Dave panics. He has gone over the top of me & really hurt me. At that time (he was 3), I wasn't very fond of him. He was an arse to catch, horrible to lead, & absolutely would not tolerate a hose.
We got help in, he learned boundaries & we did lots of groundwork.
Moving on 2 Years he went away to be backed & started. He was ace once I sat on & he really got into his job. He's not perfect, but we do what we do, he's doing ace at dressage & little jumping (my limitation, not his). With sympathetic work we can now do fly spray.
But he still panics at a hose, clippers & buckets being dragged on the ground.

So. I compromise. He has sponge baths, he gets sedated for his first clip & I do subsequent ones with a calming cookie & a lickit. (Lickits are so good they beat fear of clippers).

I think the point of change was when I stopped feeling cross with him & changed to think that I had to change my ways.
I think that was a pivotal point.

My point? Good help is worth its weight in gold, as is not feeling negative, if you can use a tool (Lickit) to distract while you do a job, it's a tool!

Hope you get some positivity.

 

[Caol Ila]

It’s just hard for us to judge how @ dangerous” a horse is, sitting on the internet. Both mine require skilled handling and freak out about stupid (from our point of view)stuff. Teaching them to be cool with it takes skill, tact, and a lot of out of the box thinking. My mare in particular was a great fan of hurling her shoulder into you and flattening you. When I was doing the same thing and the behaviour wasn’t improving, I did something else. Got more creative. Got frustrated too, but I channeled that into reading and watching more stuff and changing the paradigm.

But I’d he truly goes into an eyes glazed over panic, that’s a different problem. Takes more skill and more tact.

 

[Dave's Mam]

Oh, I will add. I don't tie him up for a bath, I do it in hand. We have a bucket & a sponge & if he moves, they move too. He doesn't get to evade it, however I am calm & slow on how I do bath him. It's no more time consuming than trying to hose him & it's accepted a lot more.
Sorry if unwanted input.

 

[smolmaus]

I can't give a lot of details as this isn't my own horse but so many things about this boy reminds me of a cob I know very well, especially reaching his limit with certain things and running over people.

His person has tried everything reasonable, bar serious professional help as well. Best guess currently is that there is just something in his brain that he fundamentally doesn't trust people, he still needs to protect himself. So far the best success she has had is only asking what he seems willing to give on that day and trying everything to avoid trigger stacking. Its made a huge difference recently but he is still not a safe horse to be around. He may never be but there has been significant progress.

Big but here, she loves the bones of this horse, would take a bullet for him and will never stop trying with him because he gives her joy anyway. He is still going back to the sanctuary because he isn't safe on a livery yard, but it isn't reasonable to expect every horse to have a safe landing always available at a rescue. It also isn't reasonable to ask someone to risk themselves every day for a horse they don't love. You could do every investigation and find nothing wrong, you could try every trainer available to your budget and get nowhere. That's a big risky, expensive possibility and the best option would still be to put the horse down easily so he can't end up somewhere where they will beat "manners" into him or he kills someone.

If this horse got a summer in the field with nothing asked of him and then was let go, is that not a happy ending from his point of view? I am not saying book the euth tomorrow, there is also a possibility he comes round and learns how to manage himself, but as far as the horse is concerned he won't know hes missed out on x no. of years being ridden and enjoyed. You love him enough to make sure he won't be passed on further, I don't think it's necessary to ask that you possibly have to walk on eggshells for the next however many years for a horse you don't enjoy and who finds it hard to enjoy the life you're offering him.

 

[throwaway2022]

I’m sorry you’ve had such a rubbish day. I’m very sensitive and would feel attacked by some of the comments on here if I was already feeling low. Please do come back to them though and read through everything, there’s some really good advice off a lot of very experienced people. Whilst a bit blunt, people are trying to help.

I won’t bother repeating what’s been said already but maybe take a step back and look at your options. My first port of call would be testing for HWSD before making any firm decisions. As I see it you’ve got three options -

1. Invest some money to rule out pain then seek advice from a professional re behaviour once vet cleared.
2. Move on, either as a project or full loan to keep control of his future
3. PTS

It’s totally your choice in how to proceed, I hope you figure out what’s right for you and pony.

 

[Regandal]

Teaching a horse to manage it’s anxiety is the base of the TRT teaching. There could be someone who uses that method near you, may be worth a punt.

 

[Dexter]

[QUOTE="Dexter, post: 14955878, And for the record, horses dont buck people off as learned behaviour, theres always an underlying issue.

Well, no there isn't always, sometimes horses just like to get you off[/QUOTE]

Not habitually. If its a regular occurrence then there's an underlying issue, be that pain, lack of education, too much feed etc.

 

[Cortez]

Well, no there isn't always, sometimes horses just like to get you off

Not habitually. If its a regular occurrence then there's an underlying issue, be that pain, lack of education, too much feed etc.[/QUOTE]

Well, perhaps you haven't met quite as many problem horses as some other people?

 

[maya2008]

I read the OP and all I could see was an unhappy horse in pain. He has sweet-itch that cannot always be completely controlled, he has poor feet that hurt on and off, he bucks in the school (so something physical there) and is unhappy to be handled (ulcers?). He is so unhappy day to day that he is no longer even able to tolerate the company of another horse. If treatment is not available or possible to keep an animal out of pain, we have a responsibility as humans to do the right thing.

Is everyone especially grumpy because of the heat at the moment? The last couple of threads I have read have been particularly vicious!

 

[Cortez]

I read the OP and all I could see was an unhappy horse in pain. He has sweet-itch that cannot always be completely controlled, he has poor feet that hurt on and off, he bucks in the school (so something physical there) and is unhappy to be handled (ulcers?). He is so unhappy day to day that he is no longer even able to tolerate the company of another horse. If treatment is not available or possible to keep an animal out of pain, we have a responsibility as humans to do the right thing.

Is everyone especially grumpy because of the heat at the moment? The last couple of threads I have read have been particularly vicious!

OP states that the horse is being seen by vet, farrier, and isn't in pain - do you have other knowledge of the horse?

 

[Bearsmum]

Reading this thread has made me rather sad, but didn't want yo just run, I'm sorry you're going through this OP, you sounded so broken in your posts, whatever you decide, please take some time to look after yourself

 

[LadyGascoyne]

OP, it sounds like you are thinking:

After 6 years of helping him, you are running out of energy and you are losing the will to carry on. No one will want this pony with the issues it has and it is not responsible to pass him on.

So unpacking that…

You are being responsible in not passing on a dangerous horse, and that is commendable.

You are probably right that no one will want him with his current issues.

I can absolutely understand that you are tired, and carrying on doing something that isn’t working isn’t helpful.

But you haven’t been helping him for 6 years.

Your approach isn’t working. It might work for many other horses but the approach you’re using isn’t a good fit for this situation. I think if you can accept that, then you’ll feel a lot less overwhelmed.

To continue to do something when it’s not working isn’t the answer. You need to consider completely altering your approach. I’d be thinking, how can I tackle this differently?

I’d start with management changes.

Itching, irritability, reactiveness would make me want to assess the likelihood of a grass allergy.

I would:
Keep in 24/7, removing all access to grass.

Feed a hay replacer.

Walk out in hand / ride / lunge a couple of times a day.

If after a few weeks, there was improvement, I’d get the vet out to test for allergies.

If there was no improvement I would:

Gradually add turnout, watching for changes. I would probably turn out over night and keep in during the day.

Add a supplement with biotin in it - I use Progressive Earth’s hoof and skin supplements.

Buy boots - you can get them for shire horses so you can get them for a cob.

Get a proper barefoot trimmer to see him. A cob in the sort of work he is in shouldn’t need shoes anyway so I wouldn’t be so concerned about whether he can hold them or not but I would be more concerned about the overall foot balance.

Increase workload, and long rein/ lunge/ loose school/ etc if you don’t want to hack him. But I’d get him moving.

If no improvement then I’d go radical:

Change turnout arrangement - send him somewhere where he can live in a herd, or get a companion into his field.

If you don’t want to change your approach, then you need to accept the consequence of that - you won’t get a different outcome.

It’s difficult when we have been approaching something from the same way for so long, not to feel disheartened by a lack of change. But the horse doesn’t know what’s going on in your head, and looking at the situation objectively, you’ve been putting the same ingredients into the pot, using the same recipe but hoping for a different stew.

 

[scruffyponies]

OP, I have one whose behaviour totally changed when he developed sweet itch. Previously he was as quiet as a lamb.

The sweet itch rugs have been a game-changer for him. However, I think it's a condition which does make for an anxious, insecure horse. Mine still in separation anxiety and some fairly serious napping at times.
What you describe sounds fixable, but you need the right mind set to work with him step by step to get there (no judgement in this - some people enjoy the challenge, but most don't). In your shoes I would try to rehome him with someone who has a good track record.
PTS is OK too. There are many healthy, mannerly horses out there who need an owner, and you only have one life, so find a better match.

 

[TotalMadgeness]

My take on it. If he tests negative for HWSD then do a full body scan (I saw in a previous post you have not xrayed or scanned yet). If nothing found do a scope for ulcers. If he tests positive for HWSD then you should PTS I'm afraid. Sorry but HWSD is a game changer.

My horse wasn't evil but he was showing signs of something for years and it was only a full body scan which got to the root of the main problem. Vets, physio and farrier struggled to pinpoint the issue beforehand. He is also sensitive to pollen and has poor feet (thin soles/broken back pastern axis). Furthermore he needs his weight managed otherwise that hurts his feet/joints.

Anyway I've gone from having a truly miserable withdrawn horse to a ridiculously happy horse who bounces over to see me in the morning softly nickering like crazy. I've also gone from having a healthy bank account to one that is not so healthy! Luckily for me the full body scan was on insurance.

Edited to say my horse is now 13... He's had issues since the age of 6...