Horse going completley mental(long sorry)

[janet68]

I am at a complete loss as to what to do with my lad as he is stuck in his stable 24/7 at the mo as the yard to icy to even let him leave the confines of his 4 walls. He is quite a dangerous horse to start with and now he is just bouncing off the walls. I take my life into my own hands when i have to go in and attempt to sort his stable out,Tonight we had the scariest night ever in the 5 years i have owned him,He was trying to jump on me ,was trying to double barrel me at every oppertunity and basically going nutty. Please dont tell me to get rid of him as this is not an option as i would never put anybody else in the possition i was in tonight and for a split second tonight i contemplated having him pts which really upset me as i love him dearly but if this weather carrys on i am gonna end up injured or worse as there is nobody else on yard by the time i get there and if he got me down god knows what he would do.

 

[daisybe33]

Can you put him on ACP temp until the situation gets better with the weather??

It's not ideal but if he is normally manageable and it's just the situation that is making him dangerous its worth a thought xx

 

[magic14339]

maybe the safest option is to speak to your vet about giving him some mild sedation whilst he is stuck in? Is there any way you could grit more of the yard and get him somewhere? I have made a track from stables to menage so mine can have some free time this week. Sounds like he is just very frustrated. Good Luck

 

[janet68]

Got sedation when he was on longterm boxrest a couple of years ago and it made no difference at all. Stupid farmer wont let us put grit down as he says it rots the concrete but something gonna have to be done or he will have a fatality on his hands and thats no exageration. It doesnt help as he is very pully when on rope so cant even walk him calmly to the school, He will only tie to one ring on yard and thats on a slippy slope. The ice is packed that solid now it would take about 3/4 loads of grit /salt to get through it. Grrr i am so frustrated

 

[YorksG]

I am assuming that he is now getting no hard feed while he is in. If he is on haylege rather than hay, then I would change it, and reduce the hay and add some good quality straw for bulk but reducing the food value, too many calories and not enough exoercise will blow his mind. Also suggest a hanging swede that he can spend time working out how to eat and if you possibly can arrange it contact with other horses, ie through stable bars etc.

 

[Tickles]

Have you cut down/out any hard feed? Having said that anything would go mental in the conditions he is in... Please don't feel he is deliberatly trying to kill you out of spite!

As others have said can you really not grit at all? Or muck out onto the yard? Do you have an arena/walker/any not totally sheet icy but maybe snowy area you could make a track to? Do you have useable transport to take him to somewhere you could hire an indoor to lunge/loose school in?

With a helper around could you even try walking him (with a hat and bridle and gloves and friend and anything else necessary to keep you safe) on cleared areas?

 

[daisybe33]

or a local gallops, they are always useable as trainers can't afford the time off, maybe lay a straw path to the arena and put a chifney on to lead him there.

 

[Tickles]

Just read your second post... get him to that school! Tell the 'stupid farmer' that you need to muck out onto the yard and/or he has to provide help to clear a path to it.

Depending on set up (i.e. if yard is secure, layout suitable and small enough to arrange with others to be safe) you could even 'herd' him to it. Otherwise lead on the end of a lunge line so you still have hold but can stay out of harms way if it all gets exciting.

Plus of course everything you can think of in the stable (treat balls, apple bobbing, swede from ceiling, whatever!) as per keeping box resting horses amused. Lots of threads on here with ideas but you probably have a few yourself from last time.

 

[magic14339]

I would still try sedation just maybe a different one as their efficacy will vary depending upon the horse.

 

[magic14339]

you should also warn the farmer that accidents on the yard will play havoc with his public liability insurance!.....thats if he has any? He wont be worrying about his concrete if he has someone suing him!

 

[janet68]

Everywhere sheet ice its ridiculous, He wont load without a major kick off and he just gets a little chop and cool mix as he doesnt hold weight too well. He is really highly strung as my name suggests and has been loopy since i got him as a 5mth old

 

[Achinghips]

why can't you put him in the field?

 

[janet68]

Because i cant get him to a field

 

[YorksG]

Is the chop molassed? Please cut out the cool mix, he will fret off any weight he has on, he needs his feed reducing to only forage while he is in.

 

[janet68]

Cheers i will try and knock all feed on the head and see how we go.

 

[Natch]

As others say, cut out ANY sugar he is on. Many horses go loopy when stuck in. Can you leave a safety headcollar on him in the stable, and tie him up while you are in there with him?

 

[magic14339]

Good luck! NAG NAG NAG your YO!!!!! persistance can pay off

 

[janet68]

Yes i do tie him up but he just swings round and trys to lamp me,this is not only because he stuck in he is like this all the time he hates anybody in his space

 

[janet68]

will start to dig at farmer but as nobody else has a problem he sees it as my horse is a nutter either shoot it or get rid

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

Is there a field you COULD stick him in, rugged up to the eyeballs? He'd be a thousand times happier by the sound of it, though if no other horses in it he might object. If there IS such a field, I wouldn't let the ice/loopiness stop me moving him - it just needs to be done with military precision using whatever sedation, strangleholds, reliable and calm friends etc etc is necessary. Summer project = de-loopify him lol x

 

[magic14339]

it is annoying when others dont speak up! If this is something that affects his behaviour in general it may be worth consulting a behaviourist to see what you could do to minimise his behaviour so he doesn't feel angst when you are in his space. I hope he gets back to the field soon

 

[sjmcc]

can you not try some calmers such as 5 star magic ect ect it doesnt work straight away but in future he may be more calm if hes on it long term please dont have him put to sleep he just wants out just like the rest of them

 

[hairymolly]

I really feel for your situation as I also have a horse that can be difficult in the stable, akthough your boy sounds worse. I am also on a yard where we have very little control over how the horses are managed, they comply or you leave and thats the end of it.

Anyway could you not come to an arrangememt with some else on yard and tie their (preferably quiet) horse up outside put your boy in their stable while you do his stable put him back in his own stable once you are done then tidy up the other stable and put their horse back in.

Yeah horses need turnout and standing in is far from ideal but being a client on a yard means that sometimes you dont have as much control over their circumstances as you would like and my YO sees it as well all the other horses are fine so yours is the prob. Not fun I know as Ive been there.

Good luck hope the weather thaws soon.

 

[Happytohack]

Is he on straw or shavings. If straw - then I would completely deep litter, so you only have to do the minimum - just add lots of straw on top and be prepared to sort out his bed properly when he eventually gets turned out, that way you don't have to be in with him for long. Being on straw will also mean he has something to pick at. Stop the mix and molassed chaff! Feeding starch and sugar to a highly strung horse confined to a box is a recipe for disaster. You could try giving him some hi fibre cubes in a snack ball - it doesn't matter if they end up in his bed (especially if it is straw) as he will be busy looking for them. Give him ad lib hay. Definitely do as others have suggested and muck out onto the yard so that he can get out. And do try a calmer. Science Supplements ProKalm is brilliant (and you can easily give him twice the recommended amount) and a friend of mine tried Feedmark's instant calmer on fireworks night, and her horse was practically asleep over the door. When he does eventually go out, please make sure you wear hat, gloves, boots etc. (sorry if I am teaching my grandmother to suck eggs)
Let us know how you get on

 

[Carsmore]

have you tried post tieing him. with a leadrope on either side of his headcollar tied to a ring on each side (hope I make some sense there as its too early to explain, brain not in gear yet!! or else its just frozen) If he cant turn his head he will find it a bit harder to turn his a##e on you.

 

[Tinypony]

I think face it, the more you do to restrict your horse in order to keep in 24/7 the more stressed he is going to get. I re-habbed a horse from the Blue Cross that had gone down this route over some months, ending up cross-tied in his stable to keep grooms safe. He was a head case, and eventually, even though I managed to get him to a level of being "safe" he was sent to a retirement home. Which was very sad as when he went to the home that kept him in 24/7 he was a normal riding horse, beautifully schooled and "normal".
I think you need to work out a one-off plan to get your horse out, rug him up well, and leave him out. Feed and groom him in the field. Not ideal, but the only other alternative I'd consider in your shoes would be a different yard. I know you could follow various strategies to try to restrict his ability to hurt you, but what is that going to achieve? You are not addressing the cause of the problem.

 

[M_G]

Would the farmer let you put straw down to create a walkway?

If I were you I would spend this summer teaching this lad some manners, he needs to have respect for your space not the other way round..

 

[janet68]

Sorry to sound like i am pooping ideas but we not allowed to turnout overnight, Nobody will help because they all scared of him,To put him in another stable i would have to walk him round the yard and had a whisperer to him and he tried to deck him in the school so he would only agree to come back if i did all the handling and left saying sorry nothing for him when I have had enough only glue factory.He has all the traits of an autistic child ie he hates any sort of contact be it human or horse,He doesnt handle change at all,I can only tie to one particular ring or he just jumps off all fours and pretty much throws a major tantrum(which on a yard with kids on is really dangerous) and if i do put him in his field he stands at gate all day long waiting to come back in(summer or winter).
I really am at a loss what to do. Have told farmer i want it gritting today so will see what happens

 

[Three]

What a horrible situation for you.

I would suggest cutting all sugar - not just the mix - so no molassed chaff, or hayledge etc and feed just hay. He will drop some weight but then, as others have said, he'll do so anyway being so stressed.

When you can get him out again I would also suggest you find someone to help you with the horse for both of your sakes. Not a 'whisperer' or other alternative approach (they have their uses but not in your situation) and get back to basics.

You are in charge, not your boy, and he needs to understand this so he can relax and let you take the lead and let go of his insecurities.

Fingers crossed the gritting gets done.

 

[AmyMay]

Turn him out. Our yard has been like an ice rink for most of the Christmas break - but hasn't prevented us from getting the horses out.