Help needed urgently!

4leggedfurries

4leggedfurries

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Desperate need of some help please! My very nervous exmoor, who is not the easiest at times, seems to be decending into madness at a scary rate. The last few days he has become more and more nervous, where he is getting very difficult to do anything with, seems to have gone bonkers this evening. Normally he tolerated things quite well as long as you dont over do it, ie if you brush him just give him a quick once over ect. This morning a buckle on his rug came undone, normally he doesnt fuss about this, but he went totally nuts, bucking, rearing, tanking round the field before charging back into the stable for it to be sorted. I'm at a bit of a loss and think he needs to go back on a calmer but dont know which one? He used to be on homeopathy which worked and i gradually weened him off and he was doing really well being off it but for some reason he's back to how he almost was when i got him 2 years ago. Which one would you suggest to give him (something that is realistically priced as well, have had too many bills recently) that will work pretty quickly? I really want to help him. Thanks!
 
I would say see if it settles for a bit we had exactly the same thing with one of our geldings last week we could not get near him in the field he was bolting away eventually we had to herd him back to his box where he was flying away from us like he had been beaten this is totally out of of character. Out vet has put it down to spring and the grass and maybe he is slightly riggy.
 
Horses that are deficient in magnesium can be nervous, twitchy and excitable. Maybe you could try Magnesium Oxide. You can get it relatively cheaply on ebay or try Equine America Magnitude which is approx £18 for 6 months supply:)
 
Lots of horses are feeling the spring at the moment, we had a lovely hack out involving *huge* spooks at every half-halt and dashing through hedges last week. Perhaps leave it for a little while and then review feed/turnout/exercise etc before reaching for the pills so to speak. (Assuming you haven't already looked at management as I don't know the history here.) Plus of course we're not with them 24/7 so you won't know if something or someone has spooked him a little. Watching (carefully!) brief I'd say.
 
I know he's been going nuts during the day as I have the horses at home and my parents watch them all day. All 3 of my boys are in together but are on restricted grazing due to the Exmoor and Shetland being chunky monkeys anyway. When they've grazed the bit down that they are on, it only gets let out a tiny bit at a time. Its taken me all winter to get them as 'slim' as they are (they were twice the size). It's only the exmoor that seems to being going bonkers. They are only on a tiny amount of chaff and a few pony nuts and I mean only half a hanful of each for their tea and less than half a hanful of chaff for brekkie, simply because they kick the stable door down when they see D getting his food. They come in of a night 1, because I dont want the little ones getting too much grass and 2, they are wimps and hate being out in the bad weather, and the two little ones share a haynet at night.
 
Did you say he's rugged up. If he is could be he's over heating with the warm weather we've been getting. I'd strip them all off. I did with mine last week and their coats are coming out in handfulls when I groom them.
 
Spring has defo arrived! My gelding went nuts today. Turned him out in the school (planned to freeschool) and he just exercised himself at a very fast rate. Couldn't get to him to stop him.

Lets hope that spring grass is the reason for all the crazziness
: o )
 
4leggedfurries said:
I know he's been going nuts during the day as I have the horses at home and my parents watch them all day. All 3 of my boys are in together but are on restricted grazing due to the Exmoor and Shetland being chunky monkeys anyway. When they've grazed the bit down that they are on, it only gets let out a tiny bit at a time. Its taken me all winter to get them as 'slim' as they are (they were twice the size). It's only the exmoor that seems to being going bonkers. They are only on a tiny amount of chaff and a few pony nuts and I mean only half a hanful of each for their tea and less than half a hanful of chaff for brekkie, simply because they kick the stable door down when they see D getting his food. They come in of a night 1, because I dont want the little ones getting too much grass and 2, they are wimps and hate being out in the bad weather, and the two little ones share a haynet at night.
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This sounds like a reaction to something that he is eating. It could be the spring grass but it sounds as though you are restricting access to this. I would look carefully at the chaff and pony nuts. Is there any mollasses/alfalfa/artificial flavouring in any of the feed? I would consider just giving him a small handful of dried grass (Graze On rather than Readi-grass). Do you give treats at all? Again check the ingredients. I used to have a mare who was incredibly sensitive to sugar/cereals in her diet and literally could not eat any refined sugar AT ALL without going completely bonkers.
 
I blame spring to be honest! My boy apparantly barged the girls out the way today when they went for their horses - not like him at all. He's been very grumpy all night too but I think that's because it was raining!
 
If you are normally feeding a hard feed a few days before first putting on spring grass just give them some chaff - no hard feed - unmollassed chaff -its probably the spring grass being very very rich. Also when first putting them on rich grass only for a short while building it up over the week slowly. hope this helps xx
 
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