Horse changing charactor, physical or behavioural - help me work it out!

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Hello there,

I have owned my horse since July, (8year old tb) i brought her as a safe, fun allrounder & my potential 'fun' dressage horse. For first few months, she was the best ride ive ever had, hacked out wonderfully, cantereing etc, no spooking.....

We changed yards after 3 weeks at the first yard due to wanting an arena, since being at this yard her behaviour has changed...shes been gradually getting worse, ie, to start with she would start to spook, but be fine in the arena, then she was getting worse out hacking, i put this down to her testing me, we worked through it etc, all while ive been putting more pressure on her int he arena to work properaly.

The last two weeks, she has been getting gradualy worse, broncing in the arena, being grumpy in the stabke, being on & off her food, the barn shes in is under going major construction works (stress?? shes the type to get stressed easily) i always put it down to her testing me & trying not to work, intill today out hacking, she was loving it, intill we came home (shes usually happily plodding along) she sat on her hinds & reared & reared. could not make her go forward, (i had changed her bit for a different one as she hasnt been out for a while). Had to get off her as she was being down right scary, then led her back where she turnedd & faced me with the saddest face :(.

My point is, with all the extra 'dressage' schooling & the building works etc etc that she may have devolped ulcers or something worse, she is not the same horse i brought, completly out of charactor, only today has made me sit up & think maybe she has pain thats been niggling at her for ages ?& now it hurts!. Shes only recently had her saddle done (the other day) teeth etc, will be having the physio out again very soon & a spirtual lady thing who ive herd brill thigns about telling you if a horse is in pain etc, & getting a full medical by the vet.....

Would you say that she is testing me or in pain??

I want my nice confidence giving horse back :(

Tomorrow im going to lunge her & then do lots of fun things in the arena....take the pressure off incase all this pressure has blew her mind abit...then will a break be benificial??


Thanks guys, massive essay, but ive been in tears most of the day, i want my gorgeous horse back :(
 
definately sounds like ulcers to me, we've had quite a lot of experience with this. recommend yoghurt and honey, protexin, and then on to a diet cutting out starch and never let them be without food eg regular supply of good hay/haylage, we even resorted to giving them a feed not long before he was ridden, changed character now!
 
Thanks for your reply, i think it could be yes, as its so gradual & its like she cant cope anymore?

Getting a full work up on friday!
 
OK, maybe people won't agree - but have you thought about supplementing with magnesium? As her behaviour changed when she changed yard (and presumably grazing), your new grazing may well be deficient in this.

My horse suddenly started to throw wobblers, at which point I'd had him two years without a foot wrong but I'd moved his fields. I looked at my grazing - gorse, bracken around, quite a bit of clover - and then did a soil test. Since the magnesium has been fed he has been far more himself.

I don't know about the being on and off eating though. Anyway, it's something to think about. Hope that you get it sorted.
 
The yards are very different first was still big, but quiet, the one im on now is busy yard & the barns are still under construction!, hence why im thinking ulcer from the stress of it all. I just want my horse back :(
 
Mmmmm, think that what you need to do is to go back to the point at which she changed, i.e. you moved yards, and work from that point really.

It sounds like everything was OK till then?

So perhaps you need to actually sit down and write down everything she's doing and then try and find some sort of pattern to it.

You say you've also changed her bit?

Gosh - there's a lot of change going on for her right now and I think TBH you're asking quite a lot of your mare. Personally I'd be inclined to take the pressure off, maybe even turn her away for a while - and see how she does. I'm not sure that pushing her anymore by lunging etc is going to do much good at the mo, she's obviously telling you loud and clear that she's not happy and/or in pain somewhere, and I'd be inclined to listen to what she's saying and try and find out the cause, or causes, before asking her for any more.

She sounds like a good honest horse who's confident in you enough to "tell" you what's happening for her, so I'd be inclined to take off the pressure a bit coz otherwise you might just sour her.

Vet check, back check, teeth (plus maybe put her back in what bit she was before?).

Maybe some very gentle groundwork with her might be good, but if she's in pain I think you need to get to the root of that before anything else.
 
i have same issue of a sort - bought horse in june got progressively spooky, nasty to tack up, doesnt now want to be mounted - had teeth, back saddle all checked am now thinking stress ulcers - so on 5 day of coligone if seems to be a bit better on that then means stomach so will get scoped.
 
Hi there, to be honest, it really isnt all that change, i jsut condensed it otherwise id be writing forever, we moved yards in july, was fine to start with, then progression getting worse, shes a stress head anyway, but usual quite calm about it, she can keep it together type thing, she would do anything for me, i know there isnt something quite right with her, as its so unlike her to behave like this.....

Im lunging tomorrow on the basis of if its her taking the mick (which she could well be doing) il with stand a chance of staying on!, im only goign to do fun thing tomorrow, low key no pressure stuff, trotting poles, walking etc....i only changedd her bit for hacking today as i know she would be forward (usually in a french link) she was loving the hacking, intill she snapped, like her brain flicked a switch.

Shes always been a stubbon horse, spesh when schooling, (will jump the world & back) gets ridden 3/4 times a week, most likely 3 due to me at uni, lesson once a week, then i try to get her out, biut the dark nights are against me!.

Shes jsut not happy about something, i dont no whether this is because she would prefer to go to another home where she can plod around on a looose rein all ehr life or go to a home who loves to jump. However, she has so much talent & i love her so much, i dont want to elt her go, as deep down i know its something physical rather than mental(a tiny bit mental in the arena as shes abit sharp anyway).

Had saddle checked the other day, getting a better one at xmas when i have funds, feet done the other day, getting physio out asap too.

I just dont know what to do! My instructor is coming on weds to see her, & have a chat about the best plan to suit her, & she will be having a week off next week & moving out the noisy barn stables aswell
 
I think if something goes wrong, we tend as owners to look for one particular reason for it and expect to find a cure, when often there are several and just one of those reasons can then trigger the next problem and so on.

Try to think outside of the box if you can, she's trying to tell you what is wrong and you must listen to her. Use your gut instinct as it's rarely wrong. You don't have to be a paid animal communicator to use your common sense.

Hope you find a way to make her and yourself happier soon. Good luck
 
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Def sounds like she isn't happy. She's had many changes in her life and something isn't suiting.

Personally there is no way I'd be riding a stressed horse that is possibly/probably in pain and reared with me when going back to the yard (ie not napping but scared, if at all of where I was keeping her) until I'd got a few things sorted. You only get one future and you don;t want to throw yours away before you've even left uni. Take care.

Get the vet before your instructor. Obviously instructors can be great with behavioral things but it doesn't sound at all like your horse is 'testing' you. It sounds like she is unwell and stressed.

Then get farrier/dentist/saddler (possibly the new one is actually not very well suited?)/back person/whatever if the vet recommends/can't find anything.

Moving a new and highly strung animal to a building site probably isn't something you need a spiritualist to tell you could be a bad plan.

TBH I'd be asking to have her turned out well away from the building works all day and only brought in when it is quiet and/or asking your old yard about moving her back/finding somewhere else quieter while you get the physical side investigated.

ETS: just reread your second post, great you're getting her moved to a more suitable stable.

Very best of luck to you both.
 
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