Getting up like a camel..

B

BBP

Well-Known Member
Joined
17 July 2008
Messages
6,589
Visit site
Apparently I am drawn to weird horses (or I’m hoping weird and not broken). My 2 year old Connemara gets up like a camel, backend up first, and then somehow jumps both fronts up at the same time from kneeling to standing. It’s quite a feat of core strength but very odd indeed. I would blame his tendon injury (for those that don’t know he ruptured his superficial digital flexor tendon above the hock in January) and think he was somehow trying to take the strain off it, but he did this even before the injury. Did he grow up in a herd of cows or camels??!! Anyone else got a weirdo like this? Or thoughts on why he might do it this way? I’ve got enough to worry about without thinking there is something wrong with him.
He can get up normally but I’d say it’s a 50:50 split on seeing him do it his own butt first way.
 
I am on my second donkey that gets up like this. The first one had sore feet from stress laminitis, he ended up getting put down. The new one has bad white line disease and has had very long feet until recently. In his case I think foot pain has also played a part. He now has rubbed the hair off his knee from doing this. I am hoping that as his feet improve he will start getting up front end first.
 
Looking at my videos at the moment he seems to do it when I let him into the arena and he’s quite excited about rolling on sand. I think the times I have seen him on grass he has looked normal.
 
My minis can jump up from lying down. Partly due to being so close to the floor and partly because im certain she is part kangaroo.
 
For some reason, I thought that donkeys and mules were more apt to do this. I could be wrong though. It's possible that he's channeling his inner long-ear...or camel. ?
 
CanteringCarrot said:
For some reason, I thought that donkeys and mules were more apt to do this. I could be wrong though. It's possible that he's channeling his inner long-ear...or camel. ?
Click to expand...
We do nickname him the baby camel, as he has a tendency to amble rather than walk properly. He looks so ungainly. He was super weak when he arrived off the ferry and it took a long time to improve, and then just as he did he went straight into box rest and lost all his muscles again. So I’m slightly astounded that he actually has the strength to jump up from both knees (and to jump a 1.20 gate!).

I do think the being excited about being on sand might have something to do with it, it’s only this week that he has been allowed back in to the arena after his small paddock rest and he is loving it! Must have rolled over at least 12 times before getting up the first time.
 
My mule gets up back end first, though she does put one front leg out and get up 'normally' in front rather than jumping up both together. It¡s a bit strange, but it works for her and she has always done it (I've had her from a 6 week old foal)
 
My young donkey gets up both ways, she lies down a lot and loves to roll, so I often watch her. Sometimes she just leaps straight up like an antelope!! Her feet are fine.

Cows all do this normally as well, bum first then one front leg and then other other.
 
I have one who rolls, sits on her tail like a dog, spins through 180 degrees and flops down to roll again. She may roll both sides whichever way she starts or finishes. She is both weird and medically challenged though...
 
vhf said:
I have one who rolls, sits on her tail like a dog, spins through 180 degrees and flops down to roll again. She may roll both sides whichever way she starts or finishes. She is both weird and medically challenged though...
Click to expand...
I've seen a video of a horse on here do that, I can't think who it belonged to though.
I must admit I wondered if there was a medical reason at the time.
 
BBP said:
Apparently I am drawn to weird horses (or I’m hoping weird and not broken). My 2 year old Connemara gets up like a camel, backend up first, and then somehow jumps both fronts up at the same time from kneeling to standing. It’s quite a feat of core strength but very odd indeed. I would blame his tendon injury (for those that don’t know he ruptured his superficial digital flexor tendon above the hock in January) and think he was somehow trying to take the strain off it, but he did this even before the injury. Did he grow up in a herd of cows or camels??!! Anyone else got a weirdo like this? Or thoughts on why he might do it this way? I’ve got enough to worry about without thinking there is something wrong with him.
He can get up normally but I’d say it’s a 50:50 split on seeing him do it his own butt first way.
Click to expand...
Prob just a quirk, My pony stays sitting and crosses her front legs to roll over the other side. I do have a video of a livery pony doing what your mare is doing. I will pm u , tho nothing wrong with him just his way.I will send you video
 
I've got one that will do what vhf's horse does, even though he is perfectly capable of rolling right over and doing the other side. The other one will roll, going over several times, then sit up and rub his belly on the ground before getting up. When I first saw him do it I thought he might be struggling to get up but now I just think he has an itchy belly.
 
Birker2020 said:
I've seen a video of a horse on here do that, I can't think who it belonged to though.
I must admit I wondered if there was a medical reason at the time.
Click to expand...
My other horse sits a lot and I always thought it was just him, but then he started having trouble getting up from there. I had a bunch of investigations done and he had damaged ligaments in his back, sacroiliac and one suspensory. I think the intraspinous ligament damage meant he didn’t want to throw his head down to act as counterbalance to bringing his hind end up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top