Help needed for one very unhappy boy!

S

squirtlysmum

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 November 2006
Messages
829
Location
Canterbury
Visit site
Over the past few weeks my horse's behaviour has really changed. He's always been a bit of a mizog toward other horses if they came near me or his stable but he has lately begun to be threatening toward people. He has threatened to kick people just walking past, if in his stable he tries to bite people and if they challenge him he occasionally reacts in a really aggressive way. For example one of my friends saw him scratching his mane and clapped her hands at him to stop, he went berserk, jumping up and down and baring his teeth at her. I honestly think had he not had a chain across the front of his stable he would have gone after her.

This morning I did as I would usually and turned my other horse out, I pick his buckets up and on the way past my problem childs door I drop them off, this morning I met with a pair of teeth and angry eyes, he bit my shoulder! He immediatley backed off to the back of his stable.

I do have a very close bond with him I bred him and he was a very poorly foal as a result he was bottle fed for a short while.

He's always been a playful, intelligent horse with a really sweet nature and this change is heartbreaking. He's off to be scoped on Monday for Equine Ulcers and I'm almost praying thats what they find!
Any advice or help gladly accepted.
I just want my best friend back! :0(
 
Sorry to hear about your boy. Hope you can get to the bottom of what's causing his current behaviour.

One of my youngsters recently became quite aggressive, and with her, it turned out to be a retained baby tooth causing discomfort. She was threatening to kick and bite, and was moving very uncomfortably when free schooling. Now your boy doesn't have the possibility of baby teeth any more, but I only mention my girl, because pain DID cause that type of behaviour in her. Incidentally, I also had her checked for gastric ulcers as I was sure there was something causing her behaviour to be quite so extreme.

If you've not had bloods taken, I'd definitely do that in case they point towards anything in particular.

Do you keep records of work/management of your horse? If so (or if you have a good memory), did his behaviour start to change at a particular time, and did that tie in with any management change (eg more work, less work, stabling rather than turnout, change of forage, change of other feed, change of staff/companions on the yard, when he wast last trimmed/shod, teeth done or whatever)?

If you can build up a picture of when and how quickly he's deteriorated, then that might help you pinpoint the cause.

The other thing which I'd be worried about would be how other people are treating him. Everyone needs to keep themselves safe around a horse, but a horse can very quickly get a reputation and start to be treated in a more brusque way than other horses, which may in itself result in a worsening of the horse's behaviour. So if there's any way to reduce the number of people he has to come into contact with, to reduce the possibility of them worsening his behaviour, then so much the better.

My only other thought is whether he gives any clues by his posture, or way of moving, or by his eating habits or general behaviour. If he's feeling uncomfortable, you may spot that he's holding himself differently, or that he's more touchy about being brushed/stroked on a certain part of his body.

Is he getting grouchy at being stabled for long periods over winter? Is there any way he can have a bit more turnout on grass or in a school just to burn off some energy and see if that makes a difference?

Just a few thoughts. Hope you get to to the bottom of things though.

Sarah
 
Oh, forgot to say, but definitely worth taking temperature and pulse if you've not done those already, to see if those show any deviation from normal, which might give some clue.

S
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top