Dealing with equine shut downs

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Highmileagereindeer

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My daughter has a late backed horse. He was five before he was started, although he had been well handled, according to his old owners. They bought him at 8 months old, and he had been on their yard all that time. He is a 16hh thoroughbred type, no problem to back, hacking very happily, done some schooling and groundwork, and not pushed to do more than he can cope with. Occasionally, he decides he isn't doing something and shuts down. This week he wouldn't go into his stable, and ended up being turned out again. Daughter spent three hours in the pouring rain lining him up with the doorway, moving his feet, not allowing him to turn or reverse. Nothing. It's as if his batteries have been taken out. He just stands. After two nights in the field with his haynet, he walked into the stable without a problem. He isn't scared, no panic, no drama, he just switches off. Any ideas?
 
My horse doesn’t particularly like being stabled, and will occasionally plant.

I think that the whole “Show them who’s dominant, don’t let them turn away, keep them moving” thing is pretty outdated now. I don’t blame either of you for giving it a go but it was one of those early 00s things that kind of became a fashion.

Have you tried just giving him treats or a bucket of food to go in or just whenever he makes progress?

I actually have to practice going in and out of the stable, even though he is now stabled every night.
 
I agree with the above. I use positive reinforcement with my youngsters, they always have a handful of haycare in their stable waiting for them and then when I turn them out, they stand nicely, have their headcollars off and I click and scratch too.

I am not trying to preach - I have tried natural horsemanship too but it doesn't work for my ponies (2 of which have had a horrid time prior to me and cannot take pressure) and positive reinforcement does work but I did have lessons to make sure I understood the timing etc

If you have a positive reinforcement trainer near to you, I would book a lesson for your daughter and horse and set up some strategies to help.
 
So first of all, saying ‘no’ is typical adolescent behaviour in every animal. To us, to their own species, to life. Growing up and being able to move past that - either through effective communication about what is wrong or becoming more resilient (depending on the situation) is part of growing up. You have a young horse without the tools to tell you about the issue who is now learning just to nap. If he is kind, that’s all you will get. If he is a more standard kind of being, he will learn to do this whenever he’s not keen on something.

Which sounds fine - but if you are in the middle of a road or in any other situation where he must, absolutely, trust you, then this may well put him in danger. Medical care, emergencies, all sorts of things can require a horse to communicate and trust. To do what you ask even if it’s not ideally what they want to do right now.

That issue - if someone knows what they are doing, is solved as part of life. If you don’t, then I would suggest getting someone out to show you how to help your horse learn. He doesn’t just need to learn to do as he is told, he needs to learn how to tell you what is wrong, to trust that you will listen and to trust that if he follows your lead all will be well. To do that, might involve you learning to read him better too.

Secondly, the stable - rats? Birds? Something bothered him then that isn’t now.
 
Conversely my YM now doesn't have Dex's feed waiting in his stable for him as he started to be a bit keen to come in, and as she's about 8st dripping wet and he's 700kg, it wasn't ideal. There is no hard and fast rules with horses, and it sounds like you remained calm and kind, so don't beat yourself up.
If you can afford it I would definitely get someone out to observe, it may not be shut down like you think and the differences can be incredibly subtle, or there may even be a warning point where you can head it off
 
Flowerofthefen said:
Turn him round and back him through doorway
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This is best saved for emergencies imo. Only works so often before they stop backing up too.

Agree with others that he's telling you something, opposite of being shut down really. So figure out what's bothering him, make the stable nicer and reward him for coming in for a bit. Or let him stay out.

Mine refused to come into her stable in the summer at our last yard. It was just to be tacked up or groomed as they were out 24/7 otherwise and I just gave up tbh. Not worth the argument. Think she assumed she was going to be locked in away from everybody else and not let out again! 🙄
 
AShetlandBitMeOnce said:
Conversely my YM now doesn't have Dex's feed waiting in his stable for him as he started to be a bit keen to come in, and as she's about 8st dripping wet and he's 700kg, it wasn't ideal. There is no hard and fast rules with horses, and it sounds like you remained calm and kind, so don't beat yourself up.
If you can afford it I would definitely get someone out to observe, it may not be shut down like you think and the differences can be incredibly subtle, or there may even be a warning point where you can head it off
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We solved that with a Clydesdale mare who got a bit over enthusiastic about food by having the stable door, top and bottom shut leading her up to.it, asking her to step back so that the door could be opened and then allowing her in to eat. Tbh, the handler's weight isn't half so important as their skill in reading the horse while leading. A 6' 4" rugby player was leading her when the problems developed, she was handed over to a woman who weighed less than half his weight but with far more experience.
 
Thanks for all comments. His stable is laid out ready for the evening, feed, nets all in place. He is not food motivated. He has been coming in every night without issue, for the past month. Head height is fine, doorway is wide enough, stable is large enough for him to walk round in. He will not back into the stable, he plants and switches off. Apparently his previous owner had issues with him. It is the switch off which is puzzling. All of us have dealt with a horse who doesn't want to do something, and there is body language and expression that allows us to make a connection and work out what is going on. This is like an autistic shutdown, no expression, no interest, no pulling away, just nothing. He's been kept in for a couple of days, quite happy, clearing his bucket and nets, so we'll see what happens when we start turn out again.
 
I think I would have boxed him in around the stable door and left him there.
I have had two would occasionally do this over different things, the non loaders, the ones that just do not want to move, Highlands are known for it, fortuaately not while out and if you have tried the treats and simple encouragement I would just wait it out. I once had one that stood three hours on a trailer ramp and then walked in.
I think a stable should be their safe space, not associated with unpleasant things like getting ready for work. Horses do not live in caves naturally they are social flight animals, my stables have half walls because of this, and they are only fed in stable no where else, and any grooming prep work is done tied up on the yard.
I have bought ones in that have obviously been thumped in the stable.
 
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has he hit his head - was it dark - was it too bright.
these are all the questions i ask first, was he leaving a friend, was it raining and the sounds on the roof, were you blocking him from walking in, is his stable to small, is their a lot of grass in the field at the min.
had he just had a fit of the Kev's
I also agree that the stable should be a safe space
 
Whats he like going through narrow gates or loading? Is/was the stable dark?

My daughters old cob was claustrophobic, he hated going through narrow gaps out hacking, he didn't load well, he didn't like going into a stable if it was going from light to dark. He would plant and not move, especially if he was being asked to go into a dark stable on a bright day. This time of year when we were on livery was a nightmare as the sun would be low and it would cause a really (blindingly) bright area outside his stable which made his stable very dark.

With me he would spin and F off, but with my daughter he would just stop and plant. He had an unbelievable relationship with my daughter and was absolutely besotted with her so he would never dream of spinning with her, but just gently said, no I'm sorry I can't do that today, very politely.

We worked with what we had. He only traveled in a trailer with no partition to give him room. We dismounted to go through small gates and narrow gaps out hacking (luckily he was 14.2hh and good to stand by anything to mount) and if he was stabled we had a few strip lights we used to illuminate the entrance to any dark stables on a bright sunny day/evening.
 
Thank you, all very constructive comments.
He has shut down before over being asked to step over groundwork poles, asking him to load, and narrow gateways are not his favourite things, although he has learned to deal with the gateways. His stable is big, well lit, and yes, it was a windy, stormy night both times he had the issue. The first time, we swapped him into my cob's isolation corridor, food and nets in the stable, with no door on. He stood in the corridor, and did not eat, so the next night, he had to go back out. We are not allowed overnight turnout in winter, so he was kept in for a couple of days and nights to prevent this from happening again, and to make sure he was eating. He is normally happy in his stable, very relaxed, not fussed about us moving around him, so this was strange. All the stables are open at the front with a half wall, and he can touch noses with both his neighbours.
We have very little idea of his history, other than what his previous owner told us. He is very headshy, which raises questions. Other than that, he is a happy lad.
 
Vision? Light and shadow.

Bad experiences maybe being triggered by noise or small spaces.

Can he go in that corridor with a net outside the stable if he has to while you figure this out?
 
No, unfortunately. The corridor runs between the two lines of stables, open to the air, main throughfare for all. We reckon there has to be something in his history which has triggered such extreme responses, but it is the nature of the responses which is puzzling. He doesn't spook, shy, or snort. No swerves, no backing off, no exaggerated ears pricked with eyes on stalks. No gradual investigation of what is going to kill him, no curiosity. If I was being overly dramatic, I would say he has a petit mal, a 'silent' epileptic episode, the usual flight response is missing, and we need to figure out a way to help him cope.
 
Has he been assessed by a bodyworker or similar?

It is always worth considering the possibility of a chronic headache for any horse who is headshy - especially if they have other odd behavioural/emotional quirks too. It's often not that they are expecting to be hit, but that they are being very protective of an area which hurts alot already.

A headache can quite dramatically compromise your/their ability to think consciously about things, so it may not be that he is shutting down to the situation as such, just that he cannot actively think and so he just goes into himself as that's all he can do.

Areas of tightness/soft tissue pain to add into a headache can come from anywhere in the body, but especially the jaw/TMJ, poll, neck, shoulders and withers. Equally though, chronic or acute tightness further back can also refer forwards so I'd be inclined to have a thorough physical assessment with someone who will work sympathetically with him - I find that physios and chiropractors can push a little too much, so someone who works with the horse and is prepared to back off when he indicates that he needs them to would be the focus for me.
 
Highmileagereindeer said:
We are not allowed overnight turnout in winter, so he was kept in for a couple of days and nights to prevent this from happening again, and to make sure he was eating.
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Ah, okay that is what it is then. Keeping him in is more likely to exacerbate the problem than solve it though, but I understand.

Not being food motivated is a hard one. My mare is a freeze type and I have had some success using a hand target to bring her back to herself a bit. Once they are calm enough to accept food they chew and it brings them back down a bit more.
PurpleSpots said:
I find that physios and chiropractors can push a little too much, so someone who works with the horse and is prepared to back off when he indicates that he needs them to would be the focus for me.
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I like this idea.

From your posts you are obviously already looking for small the small "no" and not seeing them. It might be something that gradually improves as he opens up a bit more. Can take a long time for them to acknowledge that they are being listened to and to give more feedback, if they aren't used to it. A horse doesn't have to have been badly treated for them to have had their choices bulldozed over so they stop trying to communicate.
 
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