Hmmm, horsey not 100% - any ideas?

Weezy

Weezy

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P is a mare, and I think this might be the crux of the matter...

For about 3 weeks now she has been, what I can only think to describe it, depressed
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She is irky with the geldings and actually kicked one in the shoulder and hurt him
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She has been walking backwards in the field at them, ears back, and walking backwards and looking grumpy when I poo pick. Lots of tail swishing. She keeps stretching her herself out, extending her forelegs (not dissimilar to a laminitic pony). She is grumpy in the stable, and looks down. She pulls a face when I do the rug straps (not tight) and when I saddle her (nothing major, just puckers her nostrils a tad). Apparently she looked rather tucked up yesterday morning (I didn't see her).

She is not clipped, is out in the day naked and has a LW duvet on at night. She is eating, pooing and passing urine 100% fine. She is fine to ride, doesn't fidget or buck or anything that would suggest her saddle is a prob, back lady has been ordered.

Ideas? Could it just be the change in season? I am loathe to get the vet out - what would I say "my poor horsey is looking a tad depressed and pissed off"
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Nothing in her routine has changed.
 
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Of course she's depressed......she's heard a rumour that she's for sale!
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I was going to say the same!

Might be worth having bloods checked, put your mind at ease.... (but I am paranoid at the moment so prob best not to listen to me
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Sounds like it could be a virus.
If you dont want to get the vet out, I would just assume that it is a virus. give her a few weeks off, and get a strong B vitamin and Iron supplement ( which you can get from the vets) to put in her feed for a few weeks.
Also buy some ecchinachea- which is brilliant for getting rid of viruses and boosting the immune system.
And some Guiness in her feed?
 
otto is a right victor meldrew when the weather changes.i swear he suffers from SAD (seasonal affective disorder ,or something like that anyway ) he is a much happier chap in the warmer months
 
I couldn't resist being facetious. I'm so wicked.

Seriously though L......Patches was similar a while ago. She wasn't aggressive in the field but she just wasn't herself. Seemed a bit down and I always felt as though I shouldn't be riding her as she just gave the impression that she'd rather I wasn't. That's so unlike her, as she really enjoys her hacking etc.

I put her on Red Cell at the vet (and other forum members) advice. Within 10 days I can honestly say Patches believes all is fine and dandy with the world again! I will admit, I also clipped her too as she was getting quite sweaty and I wondered if she was feeling the heat.
 
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Of course she's depressed......she's heard a rumour that she's for sale!
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Someone suggested that on the yard LMAO! They said I do not show her enough love
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I have told her that actually she is off the transfer list if she behaves and is nice to me...it isn't working
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Those that suggest a virus...nothing else on the yard is showing any symptoms of anything wrong with them, she hasn't been anywhere and her temp is normal, as are her gums/eyes and pinch test is fine. I am such a skinflint...will get some B vits and see if she perks up
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I would suspect possible tapeworm unless you have specifically wormed for them. It's that time fo the year, and could be giving her pain and discomfort.
If not perhaps a virus, or you could try giving her some multivitamin liquid (equine America do a superb one, sorry can't think of it's name)
If you want her livelier try the feed Chocolate is on, Saracen's equijewel and preparation 14. It revolutionised him believe me, he is now full of beans but not stupid either.
I would think something somewhere is hurting her and that's why she is behaving like that, it could even be related to her ovaries though they should have quietened down by now as winter approaches.
I think I would try a test for worms (I know you are good about worming but tapeworms are insidious things and sneak into horses as I discovered when a pony I sold presented with lots..
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It probably is hormones. Star's been a terrible mardy bum for the last couple of weeks because of the change in season. She's like it every Spring and Autumn.
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She drove me mad last weekend as it was a lovely mild day and I wanted to take her rug off in the morning. Despite her coming to be fed she point blank refused to let me catch her or try to unbuckle her rug. Obviously with the lovely weather I couldn't leave her with the rug on for the day, she'd bake, so I had to catch Be, take her across the road and put her in a stable and then go back, by which time Madam had decided that she didn't want to be left out, and yes she actually would lower herself to wearing a headcollar.
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Needless to say, I was a tad late to rowing training
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I can't really complain though as when my hormones kick in I'm pretty intolerable myself!!
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It could be anything really; many good ideas from others here.

What I wanted to say is I know how you feel. Our little imported foals looked rather down in the dumps recently but I am happy to say they have brightened up no end now and are even running around the field which is something to behold.
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I hope you find out what is wrong with P and that she starts to feel better soon.
 
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Any chance she might have low-grade colic/similar discomfort? I used to have a mare that was prone to colic and often used to stand like a rocking horse with her legs stretched out.

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The thought keeps crossing my mind - just realised that she is no longer on Ultimate Balancer as I have run out and she isn't doing much as she has had a week off - that has a probiotic in it, wonder if she is missing that
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Will get some Redcell too - cheers P!
 
I would agree with the vit b/iron supplement. I had my 4 y/o bloods done as he was depressed and turns out he is a bit anaemic so had an injection and vit b/iron powder to be put in his feed. He is now, only 5 days later, much 'smilier' and happier in the field and I will start riding him next week.
 
She was wormed last week HH, Pramox so that covers Tapeworm.
Am interested in the Saracen feed you suggest, will look into it
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Puppy, I do think it is hormone related, gut instinct. She is happy to come to me, come in from the field, be handled, etc, but I just think the only thing that HAS changed is that her winter coat has been coming through and it is something to do with that and the fact the weather perked back up - lets face it, it has been an odd year!
 
It certainly has been a strange year. Currently the fluctuations between day and night temperatures are huge too. I know they are in other countries, but our horses aren't used to it being 18 in the day and freezing at night as British weather isn't often quite so dramatic.

Fingers crossed she'll pick up. When I called my vet about Patches he said he'd been inundated with calls from clients saying their horses just didn't seem 100% right but they couldn't put a finger on it. That's why he suggested I try Red Cell. She's going back up to the vets on Wednesday anyway to have her hocks re-treated before the insurance runs out. He'll run some bloods if he has any concerns....but as I say, she's perked up no end.
 
Hi, i would def get the vet out. No-one knows your horse as well as you and if you have notices several changes in her then i would get it looked into. Her depression could be due to being uncomfortable in some way.
It could be something or nothing but when one of our mares was not her usual self, i hesitated getting the vet because there wasnt anything obvious and i self treated but differently to your mare -ours was suffering from regular bouts of constipation.
I wish now that i had called the vet sooner.
 
ROTFLAMO!!!!!!!!! Somehow I think I can be 100% sure that that is NOT what is wrong with her
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mat - good call! Hadn't thought of that
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blueberry - I am in no doubt that her depression is because she doesn't feel 100%, but I think I will go down the self treating case for a couple of weeks and try to boost her before going to the vet and if she still isn't right then I will get her bloods done
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I have to say for Spring her first and last seasons of the year are always the worst, she is more factious and irritable, she doesn't know if she is coming or going. Maybe it is that and she will settle now winter is on its way.
 
I'd agree with that. Same here, my mares are always different on the first and last seasons of the year. Either a bit stroppy or down in the dumps.
 
Aside from the mare part, you've just described how Luke was a few weeks ago.....he looked generally crap, coat starry, eyes dull, not impressed with the world at all.
Turns out he had/has a virus and was feeling generally abit low. He's on echinacea, plus have just ordered some rosehip granules too as a general tonic and looks better than he did...actually called for his tea tonight which he hasn't done for a little while!

If it is a virus I doubt the vet could do much anyway. Perhaps give her a few days off, and just keep an eye on her.
 
This is what I am thinking and hoping it is...but as it is a bit ongoing am perplexed, hence posting. Ho hum, we shall sort it out! Have a lesson tomorrow which is going to be HARD work, so shall see how she reacts to that!
 
Cheers SD10. She had a week off but is still the same. As I said, she is eating like a pig as usual, she whinnies to me in the field at getting in time and is at the gate before I get there, bless her, she DOES have her plus points!
 
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Cheers SD10. She had a week off but is still the same. As I said, she is eating like a pig as usual, she whinnies to me in the field at getting in time and is at the gate before I get there, bless her, she DOES have her plus points!

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Perhaps try Propell Plus, similar to Redcell but cheaper(I'm such a skin flint!
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), and get some brewers yeast. If she is uncomfortable this will help her tum settle....either that or stick abit of coligone down her neck!

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My girl goes a bit like this every spring and Autumn during a coat change. (Apart from the strange stance)

I wondered whether growing a new coat / moulting takes up energy and makes some horses feel under the weather? A question for the horse vets amongst us perhaps?

Won some Equiform 'Eventing' (liquid vits and minerals ) which she's been on for 10 days and she seems much better. Plus being clipped helped.
 
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