Help for horse that has all of a sudden decided to act like a right git :(

[olop]

Haven't read all the replies but sounds like he's either unsettled or found a new lease of life!

That or he's testing your patience haha.

Get him into a routine and regular handling, ensure you correct bad behaviour.

If he's happier being out all the time I would keep him there until he starts to settle more, it'll help take the edge off him too.

Plus with the good weather he'll be fresh. Are you working him? Maybe get him lunging?

Thank you for your suggestion - I am trying to correct bad behaviour but to be honest he is taking absolute no notice of me, its like I dont excist, all he is worried about is where the other horses are & generally misbehaving.

He gets worked everyday, he is extremely fit as previous yard had him on the walker for an hour, out for 3 hours & then I would ride for an hour on top.

He is currently being ridden for around an hour a day but try as I might, the misbehaving is getting the better of me & I am having to cut the sessions short. I have lunged before riding & it doesnt make a difference.

Re calmers: I had to sedate my mare to begin with but when that ran out I got her some Nupafeed. Did seem to help but quite strong tasting so it was a bit difficult to get into her to start with. If I can ever catch her again I'll be carrying on with it

Thanks for the suggestion Good luck with the catching situation. My mare used to be like a nightmare to catch & the only way we cured it was by putting her in a smaller paddock & getting a fieldsafe headcollar on her.

May be really really really stupid, but he has gone from 3 hrs a day grazing to 5 hrs to unlimited..... could it be he is feeling agrophobic?????

He was turned out for 3 hours a day at previous yard & now he is turned out for about 5 hours a day, until last sunday when I had enough & put him out 24/7!!

 

[olop]

You're right . . . it is difficult . . . and there's not much worse than having an unhappy horse. Just take the time to figure out what your boy needs. He will let you know - and you know him better than anyone x

P

Thank you for sharing your experience, its been a great help

I always used magic five star plus from naff, but whatever you go for make sure it's a magnesium calmer

Thanks for this

 

[SusieT]

Leave him out, ride him hard and see if he settles? Is there any trigger? Does he have ad lib haylage/similar when in?

 

[olop]

Leave him out, ride him hard and see if he settles? Is there any trigger? Does he have ad lib haylage/similar when in?

When he was in he had ab lib haylage as he can be funny with hay & turn his nose up so would rather feed him something he will eat as he will just drop off even more.

I have been trying to ride as much as I can but with him acting the way he is I just cant get much sense out of him so end up doing what I can & giving up.

 

[Miss L Toe]

Thanks for that - am now hoping its the grass upsetting him, will give the restricted grazing a go & try the calmer if not working.

Thanks again

I would still try calmer straight away, it take ten days to kick in, also had pre and pro biotics, [I am in to preventative supplements].

 

[zaminda]

I used Top Spec Calmer, its always worked well for me.

 

[PolarSkye]

Leave him out, ride him hard and see if he settles? Is there any trigger? Does he have ad lib haylage/similar when in?

I agree with leaving him out - worked wonders for my boy - but if you keep riding him hard while he's unsettled, what you'll have is an unsettled, incredibly fit and therefore possibly sharper and stronger version of what you have now. It's like using lunging to "take the edge off" . . . you just end up with a fit naughty horse, rather than an unfit one . . . I know which one I'd prefer to sit on .

I believe you need to get to the bottom of what's bothering him and solve that . . . JMHO.

P

 

[Ibblebibble]

what other types of yards has he been on previously? were they all big busy yards or has he settled before on a smaller yard? how long was he on the busy yard for?
i knew of one horse that was 'institutionalised' he had been brought over from europe where he had been kept in most of the time, he never did adjust to being turned out, the YO eventually just let him have the freedom of a small paddock and the track which led back to the yard, as long as he could get back to the yard he would settle!