Horse has become impossible to hack

S

showqa

Well-Known Member
Joined
26 February 2008
Messages
827
Visit site
I am utterly lost.

My 9 year old gelding, whom I've had since 4, has become almost dangerous to ride out.
He's always had the odd hot moment, but nothing at all that I couldn't handle or dispel in a moment, but on the whole he has been great to hack out - both alone and in company.

The last 2/3 weeks he has become increasingly aggitated, to the point where he's verging on unmanageable. Trying to trot frantically, going into passge, running sideways, and yet if I turn him in the opposite direction he stops and stands very calmly. I ask him to walk on and he's right back at it again.

My area is no place to fight with a horse - hidden ditches, barbed wire, you name it.

I've had the vet out and they've taken bloods, even Cushings tests, which I'm awaiting the results of. I've had the osteo out - bit tight in left shoulder, but nothing major he said. I'm awaiting the saddler to check the saddle which is only 3 months old and made to measure.

Nothing has changed feed wise (he's literally just on chaff and feed balancer), routine wise, herd wise. The only thing was that he went into a richer field for a few days, 3 hours a day, but he's been off that now for a week.

Any ideas please - I'm lost as to what to think frankly. Thanks.
 
He's not been clipped yet - and in fact I only thought today I daren't as that will make it ten times worse. Schooling he's a bit sharp at times but generally very good, until you leave the school and then he starts acting up. What on earth could be going on with him??
 
Hi, I cant really help much sorry but just wanted to say i found myself in this situation last spring. I did the vet route, back person, dentist, saddler instructor nothing. No one could shed any light on it at all. I was heartbroken.
Its been a long process made longer than need be to be fair by me having a car accident and then being kicked in the head (not involving this horse)
I gave him a few weeks off maybe partly due to my lack of desire to be killed. My area is also very very un horse friendly. He was almost as bad ridden in the field.
I started him back by lunging and then trying to lunge with two reins, this completely freaked him out so i went straight to long reining. I long reined in the field for ages til we were both quite good and confident about it (after a few good fights)
Then i progressed to long reining just out of the yard, down the lane slightly and back. We built this up and got back on. He would only be ridden out at first with someone behind encouraging as i had on the long reins.
Now he hacks alone or in company in one direction which is the quietest and i guess where i spent most of our time long reining. The other direction is ok with another quiet horse and he usually go's really nicely now. We do still have one direction that he will go right back to square one if i try but im building his confidence where he's happiest first and hope in the future to be able to slowly try new routes.
We still have no idea what caused this to happen or why and tbh its been an absolute nightmare but there is hope i promise! A few months ago if someone had told me we'd manage a whole ride in walk pointing forwards and going straight id have never believed it.
Good luck xxx
 
No hunt activity in the area recently, or shooting.

I am leaning toward the saddle being the issue, but surely he would be as bad schooling?? He's not as bad with company, but still very nervy and edgy which is not like him.

I can't believe this. 5 years and on the whole absoluetly great relationship but now, well I am worried I'm going to end up hurt frankly and I'm not someone who scares easily.
 
Im not into the whole supplement thing (ours get sugarbeet, alfa and mix) but mine went like this (he was always terrible to hack, but he lost the plot) so we tried the blue chip calmer.

Seemed to work, or he just settled naturally. Either way worth a try?? Or just a normal magnesium calmer, the rich flushed grass in the other field could have imbalanced his mineral intake.
 
Thanks all. Appreciate your help. Horrible to see this change in a horse that you know well, and so worried that I'm not going to get this back. Thanks.
 
Seemed to work, or he just settled naturally. Either way worth a try?? Or just a normal magnesium calmer, the rich flushed grass in the other field could have imbalanced his mineral intake.
Click to expand...

Would agree this is worth a try for you. In particular, long grass after heavy rain, especially when the horse isn't used to it, can result in quite bad mineral imbalances, especially where magnesium is concerned.

Magnesium deficiency affects the horse's (and other animals including humans) ability to "come down" after a fright - so if their adrenalin levels go up, magnesium is needed in order to return to normal operations, if you like. If there's low magnesium due to dietary deficiences, you see the horse getting hyper, and then a sort of increasing spiral of tension, spookiness and freeze responses.

Magnesium is cheap, easy to come by, and excess is excreted - try adding some to feeds for a few days and see if there's an improvement. I use this... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MAGNESIUM...589&pid=100011&prg=1005&rk=2&sd=330755221148& and if I forget, or if there's a spell of heavy rain, I really notice in the horse's levels of spookiness.
 
We sudden have this. Our 4 year old was backed last year and was perfect on the road. Had the winter and summer off as daughter was pregnant. Came back into work in July perfect then a couple of weeks ago started to nap. Our roads are very slippery and she would rear and slip. Then noticed she was suddenly crooked, quarters left tail right. Thought we would get back person out next day even though she had a sports massage very recently. Anyway next day her off hind was massive. Vet scanning tomorrow. The leg is now down with box rest and hosing. Have no idea if she was feeling pain so was playing up or played up and damaged herself. She has been perfect to school and got lots of 8's in her pet plan dressage the week before. Anyway looks like she will have a long rest now depending on scan.
 
He will settle again, dont panic yet(!)

Mine started after he came back into work after a bad accident out hacking, his anxiety just spilled over, he was white lathered before he left the yard and took to bolting. Not an ounce of self preservation in his body before any picks up on that term.

Scared the crap out of me I wont lie, theres only so many times you can think I am geninely going to die as hes bolting straight down the road into cars, or into ditches or across level crossings before it gets dangerous.

I built him up, walked out inhand bridled with a lungeline and made him do it. Sometimes I was the nice guy and coaxed him past and other times he got a bit of a pasting and was made to do, depending on the situation (<this is where knowing your horse comes in)
Id jump on when he was settled, and jump off depending again on the situation. His isnt about getting shut of me, or getting out of work. It works for him. Good job hes only a 13.2 cob otherwise it would be a bit of a ballache.

I never expected him to hack out normally, or to deal with traffic well (this was on what is basically a long drive, it just leads to houses) or to go past fly tipped rubbish without a fuss or anything, i just didnt want him to do a runner or hit the deck!

Got to the point on a good day where cars he knows (sounds ridiculous) he can pass without looking up, and can pass bins and scary rocks and things to get to the field so we can ride properly.
Other days we struggle to get off the yard and I just have to accept that sadly.

Hes on holiday at the moment, turned away because of my new job and is due back in the next week or so. He is in a field between a road leading to the tip (so massive lorrys thundering up and down all day) and a railway line and doesnt flinch when they pass so he might be reformed.

Not holding my breath though, hes rising 15 and always been the same!!
 
I would take him off the feed balancer. One of the endurance horses on the yard started seriously playing up. What had happened was that the feed manufacturers had accidently put race horse cubes in to the feed instead of the normal cubes!
 
Cart Horse, that is very interesting. So flat work was normal even though he was in pain? Mmm, wondering if that's what's going on with my boy. See, vets seemed very reluctant to explore lameness as such - just insistent on bloods - although Osteo had seen him recently.

Thanks for your reassurance Loopy - I wouldn't feel so bad if the area in which I lived was safer for sorting this out. But really, one false move and we'll be on the floor and in a ditch.
 
I saw a similar thread on another forum some months ago. In that case it was a calcium deficiecny that had turned a normally safe and sane horse into a dangerous monster. It might be worth getting bloods done to see if there are any mineral deficiencies, liver problems etc.
 
Try stopping the balancer for a while... and feeding Magnesium (Feedmark do one)

It has suddenly turned colder and my boy is definately more on his toes than he was a few weeks ago too ;)
 
Thanks a lot CB but this is way more than on his toes, and now for about ten days maybe and gradually getting worse.
 
I wonder - if a horse is starting to climb a hill, where would the strain physically be? It does seem that his bevaiour sparks off as he starts to go up hill, whereas manege (flat surface) he seems more comfortable. Could the be indicative of suspensory ligament problems?
 
showqa said:
I wonder - if a horse is starting to climb a hill, where would the strain physically be? It does seem that his bevaiour sparks off as he starts to go up hill, whereas manege (flat surface) he seems more comfortable. Could the be indicative of suspensory ligament problems?
Click to expand...

I recall some threads on this may be worth a search on here.
 
My old horse started losing the plot out hacking - he would be fine for like 10 mins then rear and rear and spin until he nearly fell over until you turned him around, no other problems with him but he had a bad experience when we met some pigs and it completely blew his mind and he had a meltdown. He wouldn't hack again after that, where as before he would go for hours and hours - tried with people walking with me on foot but made no difference and have no one nearby to hack with so I had to stop hacking him before either of us got seriously hurt.
He's currently out on loan and hacking in company perfectly, and will go on his own - I think the change of area calmed him down significantly!
Sorry no help at all really!
 
My normally sane horse that showed no other symptoms became a nightmare to hack... he had gastric ulcers.. no other symptoms other than being a bit grumpy to brush and rug. ulcers treated and lo and behold i have my perfectly sane and safe horse back again. so may be worth considering.
 
I would be looking at both ulcers and low grade lameness. My horse who has sacriliac issues and hind suspensory issues is worse hacking than in the school. She has also had ulcers, and was much worse to hack prior to these being diagnosed than she was in the school.
 
I know my vets don't have a scope long enough for ulcer diagnosis - would have to take him further afield. Did you have yours scoped?
 
Has he had a fright? Mine became rather difficult for a while after tree branches landed on the power lines next to his field. Frightened him silly and he was really not himself for a while.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top