Help - Change in temperment after rest/rehab

[minimex2]

Hoping someone can share experiences and reassure me there is light at end of tunnel!

Background:
Horse had box rest, small turnout pen, no riding for 3 months. Next 6 weeks , small turnout pen, walking every day. Next 6 weeks, bigger paddock and introduced trotting. Ready to start introducing cantering and back out in herd.

Before accident, horse was busy, ridden 5/6 times per week, went out most weekends and in herd.

Been out of proper work for 6 months, and been on his own in pen (but can see others)

Gone from easy, placid donkey to stressy snorting dragon who sees imaginary monsters (both in hand and ridden)

Before getting back on all checks done, teeth, saddle etc and given ok from vet.

Im hoping its just down to being bored with too much energy which he's not been able to burn.

Please tell me this is normal and will be back to his old self once work gets upped and back out with herd for a good run around and play with friends.

thanks in advance

 

[_HP_]

I'd say its either pent up energy or the fact that he is now pain free (assuming that is why he was on box rest)...or both ☺

 

[Goldenstar]

Has he had a lot of anti inflammatories ?
those and box rest could have given him ulcers .
I would keep him outside as much as you can and give him as much work as possible.

 

[Fun Times]

My horse's personality changed dramatically during a prolonged period of being out of work due to injury. I have also known a fairly placid mare turn homicidal when on a relatively short period of box rest.

In my horse's case, he became awful to handle and looked thoroughly pee'd off all the time. It was as if he was angry with the world (I know that sounds crazy) and like your horse he would spook and squeal and threaten to do unspeakable things (although thankfully he never did anything too bad under saddle). This continued whilst i rehabbed him until his workload increased. At the time, I found it hard to keep loving him as being around him was not pleasant but I also think some of the behaviour to start with was pain related. Anyway, once back in full work he reverted back to normal but I guess the whole awful period was about six months in total.

Finally, as Goldenstar mentions, all of the drugs and stress did upset his gut. I put him on a herbal supplement called Gastrix and this seemed to help. I suspect some of his angry behaviour was linked to the digestive problems.

 

[minimex2]

thanks for your replies.
out of the 6 months, was prob only on bute for a week at initial stage. but have been giving natural bute which is an anti inflammatory.

will look into a detox and digestive herb mix

fingers x'd he will be back to his old self

 

[Casey76]

If you have been giving Devils Claw (harpagophytum), be aware that this can be as hard on the stomach as bute is, so ulcers shouldn't be ruled out.

 

[Merlod]

My little saintly connemara, the pony who babysat my little sister and taught her to ride turned into a vile creature. He had a suspensory ligament desmotomy op. so he was box rested and turned out on a postage stamp for a while. When you turned him out he would be a snorting, prancing turd. You had to get him in his field asap or he'd try and fire back out the gate. He even kicked my sister at one point when she turned him out which is utterly out of character! We hung mixed bags of hay/haylage (haylage is a big treat for ours as they are all natives on hay) and swedes from the trees but his favourite thing was to PICK UP the plastic posts dividing his rest paddock in two and throw them down and step over the electric - in the end we just gave up trying to rest half and let him have the whole thing!

I was in charge of the in hand walking, to be fair he was quite good until we saw another and then it was like flying the hairy kite! When I started to ride him for walk work he was quite sharp and even reared at one point when I had to halt for traffic! He is a native pony with a stomach of steel, I think it was pure frustration about being secluded and pent up energy. He is now back out with the herd and back to his lovely self!

 

[Annagain]

My relatively anti-social share horse became even more anti-social. He had a little pen in the corner of the main field (so all his friends in sight) where he would spend a few hours a day and had them all around him overnight when they came in but when it was time for him to go back out, he spent the first 3 days trying get back into his pen again and would get really aggressive if anything came near him. I think he was scared more than anything and wanted his own space. He was always on the periphery of the group before but after box rest he spent all day off grazing on his own as far as possible from the other. It took him a good month to resume his place on the edge of the group and about a year before I saw him groom another horse. He wasn't much into grooming before but there were 2 he would groom with but after box rest it was like he only trusted one of them enough to let him close. That one has since died but he has a new best friend now, thankfully.

 

[Pigeon]

Yep this is normal!!

 

[Arniebear]

totally normal!!! my guy is out of work for the 2nd time and before hand was eventing fit! try containing 17.2hh of a fit eventer when he is stuck on box rest!! thankfully that stage of rehab is over and he is turned out now but he still has his moments when 2 legs are better than 4 when turning out or bringing in. What you need to remember is if a horse is used to working 5-6 times a week and goes from that to standing in a pen boredem kicks in fairly rapidly, so they make their own fun!

my lad had 9 months off 6 months into ownership for another injury, before he went out of work he was a placid quiet 5 yr old who did as he was asked, fast forward 9 months to a 6 yr old coming back into work and he was an arse! spooked at everything, nothing, something! used to bronch on the spot for no reason whatsoever so i am totally looking forward to bringing him back into work in jan!! he's damn lucky i love him, if only the sod would stop breaking down all would be ok!

 

[Pinkvboots]

my horse had nearly 4 months box rest and I started riding him in September starting with ten minutes a day and no turnout, he was a complete nut case he is back in normal work and turnout now but he is still not as calm as he was before the box rest he still finds being ridden really exciting, so I would say it can take months for them to really settle.

 

[MyDappledConnemara]

This is totally normal, I would advise him being turned out for a while and lunging or loose schooling before riding! Bring him back into work slowly so when you first canter he doesn't bomb off like a maniac!