Help my anxious horse

To cover all bases I'd suggest also having your grass and forage analysed (minerals). Some can be really out of whack and it's simple to feed minerals to balance it.
 
Darkstar11 said:
Fantastic thank you. I actually have a bag of Dengie meadow Grass ready to go as I had heard great things about it! Thanks I will do some research on them and maybe give them a try.
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To be frank, id eliminate all bagged feeds with herbal additives - theres liquorice and chamomile in dengie which affect blood pressure and cause sedation. Rapeseed oil isnt needed by any horse - its heavy in omega 6, especially in winter when they lack omega 3 from lack of grass.
If anything they need omega 3 from linseed, not omega 6 from oils.

I know people think herbs are ‘healthy’ but they have pharmacological effects given long term and are not just ‘taste enhancers’. Its used as a marketing gimmick. Essentially theyre charging you 18 quid for a 15kg bale of chopped hay. When you can just feed good quality hay for a fraction if the price.
 
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PurBee said:
To be frank, id eliminate all bagged feeds with herbal additives - theres liquorice and chamomile in dengie which affect blood pressure and cause sedation. Rapeseed oil isnt needed by any horse - its heavy in omega 6, especially in winter when they lack omega 3 from lack of grass.
If anything they need omega 3 from linseed, not omega 6 from oils.

I know people think herbs are ‘healthy’ but they have pharmacological effects given long term and are not just ‘taste enhancers’. Its used as a marketing gimmick. Essentially theyre charging you 18 quid for a 15kg bale of chopped hay. When you can just feed good quality hay for a fraction if the price.
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wow that’s super interesting. It seems like the most basic feed we can provide is the best bet. Thanks so much for this. I’m going to do a lot more reading on feed!
 
kathantoinette said:
The four months she was ace, was she being ridden regularly?
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So since being on this yard I think she’s shown early signs of anxiety but it didn’t materialise like it has recently. Yes during this period she was ridden 4-5 times a week. It was this point I introduced hard feed also. So I think it could be a blend of lack of exercise and not the right food for her!
 
Goldenstar said:
I think she has rediscovered the joys of turnout and time our and about with other horses .
For the time being I would manage round it so try to sort the shoeing for a time that will suit if you get into bother you might have to consider using some sedative paste
I would work on putting her in the situation that triggers the anxiety in a controlled way when nothing is expected of her .

I think she will better when she’s back in work and she’s tired .
Time and routine usually sorts this issue .
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Oh she has certainly rediscovered her love of turnout. She just craves contact from other horses. I think part of it is she’s now demanding what she went without for a wile. Even when there was turnout at her old place, it wasn’t for long. Hence my move when I bought her.

Yeah I’m going to work on this as best I can but accept her next shoeing she may need a paste. I just don’t want to accept that she needs the paste if that makes sense haha

I know this is something we will be working on in the long term, which I’m ok with. I absolutely can’t wait to get her back into work. I’m very confident it will help, she seems to really enjoy a job!
 
TheMule said:
This is a totally typical tale when you take a horse from a working life IMO.
She's in for 16 hours a day, getting too much hard feed but next to no exercise and is unsettled at her move/ the new routine.
Get her in work asap and drop the food, give her a purpose and a routine to settle into
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When you put it like that… how can I blame her! Thanks for your comment. It’s so true! She needs her job back.
 
Pretty much what GS and TM said. You can go down all sorts of routes looking at feed, analysing this that and the other but she's been used to continuous company (even working, as a RS horse) and now needs to get used to being more independent at times.
Take it slow, give her company at pinch points like shoeing. Don't expect her to be happy if she's brought in while the others are out or vice versa just yet. Time and routine. Bring her in for a feed or whatever, make it enjoyable and don't expect much. Then back to company. Build it up slowly.
 
It sounds like you are being very sensible and taking advice.

I would cut feed, especially if she isn't underweight.

If the farrier is due, I would ask that another horse is kept in for his safety. You could also consider sedative, but it may be that another horse being around is all that is necessary. Maybe late afternoon would be a better time, for yours being settled and also for another to come in a bit early.

Yes, you can increase her ability to be alone. I would not try initially to keep her in whilst others go out, I would tackle the other end of the day, so bring her in early where her mates will join her.

Lastly, it is a weird time of year. I would not panic right now. Survive the now and wait for warmer weather. You may find that the problems diminish considerably when it is warmer. Then you can work on her independence at your leisure.
 
My mare had separation anxiety when I first brought her home. Changing this is not something that will come quickly or easily - ultimately, a herd-bound horse is just being a GOOD horse. Horses need to stick together in the wild to survive, it is hard wired into them.

What I have found has really helped is just building up loads of positive experiences together. If she comes in from the field, she gets a big handful of treats. She used to be difficult to bring in and I don't have that problem anymore because she knows coming in = very tasty treats. Then when we do spend time together, I make that really positive too. In hand walks where she can graze a variety of forage, enrichment based groundwork, chill rides together etc.

Building a close bond with a horse takes years and years, she sounds like a lovely mare and I'm sure you will get there :)
 
i would definitely look at hard feed, don't forget the different feed companies have help lines and will give advice. i know they want to sell their products but they do have nutritional experts who know their stuff
 
Amymay said:
Drop the Topspec for starters and go for a very plain pony nut that’s low in starch and no Alfa.
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Also, I notice that TopSpec cool balancer has 'wheatfeed' in it. What that might be, I do not know, but wheat (as grain) is not good for horses and has more ooomph in it that oats. I don't like feeds which I don't know the ingredients of, and I don't think ingredients are made clear enough. I'd be inclined to make a change to meadow hay only (over the course of a week or so). It could well be a feed issue in my opinion.
 
It's a pain if the yard are doing turnout but I broke the cycle of "where are my friends" by being there in the morning and rather than going from stable to field with her mates she went to the school and did "something".

I would also bring her from the field to the school at random times of the day to do stuff. At one point her anxiety was so bad I couldn't tie up on the yard to tack up so we'd go from field to school in a Cavesson and lunge there.

She actually never really settled at that yard for some reason. We had to move when it went for houses and it was like she breathed a sigh of relief at the new place ?
 
I would cut out anything TopSpec and alfalfa, just feed good quality hay and grass based feed if she needs it. She might benefit from some aloe Vera juice mixed jnto any feed that you do give her. Emerald Green seem to be a very good quality grass feed.
 
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