PurBee
Well-Known Member
Hey folks,
My horses came in last night from grazing and they were acting weird. Gelding was stamping one rear hind foot aggressively in the field coming in and swishing his tail frantically, the mare wasn’t - but both of them were looking like into empty space, like they do if there’s a wasp flying around them and they’re trying to see where it is - ears sideways, flicking ears.
It was odd behaviour. I fed them when in and gelding very bothered by something back leg/groin - tail swishing frantically as if to flick a biting insect away - i couldnt see anyhting except the odd mosquito which theyre used to. I rubbed and itched him everywhere back end - he let me eagerly, not something he’s overtly comfortable with normally….then he showed me where it irritated by trying to reach himself…back of legs/heel, underneath inner groin.
There was nothing visual to see at all!
In their barn they got comfy and settled within half hour and all the weird behaviour stopped.
So im wondering what you folks think?
I wondered if august harvest mites are present - theyre tiny wee things that can itch their legs, crawl up their legs, but hard to see within fur - i have some areas of fields with long grass, some short - i topped half of 1 field of long grass 3 wks ago before belt snapped and have the others yet to top. The clippings of the cut field are very minimal due to flail mower chopping it tiny, and grass is growing through.
If the behaviour had continued it would have seemed like neurological ingestion of toxic plants - but they overcame it quickly. Very weird…not sure what to think and whether to turn them out into the field they were in…im inclined to not, and put them in another area.
My horses came in last night from grazing and they were acting weird. Gelding was stamping one rear hind foot aggressively in the field coming in and swishing his tail frantically, the mare wasn’t - but both of them were looking like into empty space, like they do if there’s a wasp flying around them and they’re trying to see where it is - ears sideways, flicking ears.
It was odd behaviour. I fed them when in and gelding very bothered by something back leg/groin - tail swishing frantically as if to flick a biting insect away - i couldnt see anyhting except the odd mosquito which theyre used to. I rubbed and itched him everywhere back end - he let me eagerly, not something he’s overtly comfortable with normally….then he showed me where it irritated by trying to reach himself…back of legs/heel, underneath inner groin.
There was nothing visual to see at all!
In their barn they got comfy and settled within half hour and all the weird behaviour stopped.
So im wondering what you folks think?
I wondered if august harvest mites are present - theyre tiny wee things that can itch their legs, crawl up their legs, but hard to see within fur - i have some areas of fields with long grass, some short - i topped half of 1 field of long grass 3 wks ago before belt snapped and have the others yet to top. The clippings of the cut field are very minimal due to flail mower chopping it tiny, and grass is growing through.
If the behaviour had continued it would have seemed like neurological ingestion of toxic plants - but they overcame it quickly. Very weird…not sure what to think and whether to turn them out into the field they were in…im inclined to not, and put them in another area.
