Horse occassionally becoming extremely agitated in stable

Birker2020

Birker2020

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As title really. About five months ago I moved my horse to a different stable on the same yard as it was bigger and there was plenty of room to tie up outside. About six or seven weeks into her move she became extremely agitated one evening and was running around her stable snorting and bucking and kept standing away from the back wall. Earlier that day we had a hay delivery and being as it was winter at night and we think that the tractor delivering the hay had shone his lights into the small barn behind her stable. To my reckoning she had been on the horse walker at the time and had never had this reaction prior to the delivery of which there had been many in the evening - same scenario, tractor, lights, etc.

People do their hay nets behind her stable and it never upsets her. This particular night when I opened her stable door she nearly flattened me in her rush to escape and then it took three of us and a whip to get her back in once I'd mucked out. She was in such a state I put her into another stable (empty at the time) and fed her some hay but she didn't settle. It was obvious I couldn't leave her in the state she was in so in the end I had to call the vet out as I was worried she would jump out of both stables (no top doors). The vet came and assessed her and gave her an injection of ACP which calmed her to a point but she was still very anxious, peering at the back of the stable, not going near it, snatching her hay and going to the stable door where she obviously felt safest next to me and the vet. The vet said for all intents and purposes she would have sworn she was colicking as her heart beat was through the roof, but her front end, eyes, demeanour, etc told another tale totally. She also said horses live in the moment and would forget it all the next day. I was extremely sceptical at this statement. Eventually she settled. I was up very early the next morning to check on her and relieved to see she had laid down and rested (shavings in tail and on rug). She seemed to be totally normal and was stood with her bum against the back wall. Since then she has been fine, although there have been two minor incidents of her 'jumping around' but nothing at all on that scale...until last night.

When I arrived after work I was told she'd been running around the stable bucking and snorting. She was extremely agitated, wouldn't let me stroke her as she was swinging her head up and down in agitation and again when the stable door was opened dashed out as if her life depended on it. She didn't settle at all. Eventually I put her back in, she managed to eat some of her tea and played with her snackaball without a problem. I started to tidy her bed up and she went off on one, doing a little rear and making for the stable door, she's normally very respectful of your space, but when in a panic and all that.....I had to stick the broom in her face to stop her mowing me down. I gave her another very tiny tea, with a bute in it in case she had a little gas in her stomach and this was the reason although she'd been on the walker prior and was eating her net outside her stable without a problem. I went back to see her about 30 mins later. She was eating her hay but still a little unsettled walking around the stable every now and then, glancing at the back wall and then back to her hay, definitely at the wall and not her flanks (like colic).

No flies that I could see, wasps/bees, etc no signs of a sting, no symptoms of colic, no signs of rats, foxes or other vermin. Barn locked and light off. Nothing making any noise, no rattling, no rain falling on tarp, nothing on display that she may have seen out of the corner of her eye. I really don't want to move her from this stable as its such a great size for her, in five months she's only been unsettled twice and everyone has commented how happy she seems in there.

I am beginning to wonder if its the start of a brain tumour or something. She is about 22/23, in light work hacking/fun rides and is a good weight, sound and a very happy and loving horse who loves life.
 
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Not just electrics in the stable itself, anything metal that could become live through a fault in the wiring elsewhere. Someone switches a light on in another part of the building, faulty wiring allowing it to electrify the frame and a zap for anything that touches the frame elsewhere.
 
An electrical short is probably the most likely answer. Horses are very sensitive to it and it has that nature of a single one off incident yo can't then find a trace of. Otherwise I would be thinking insects. Was there a commonality in the weather both times she became upset? I know you have said no sign of wasps etc but that would be worth a second check. Red ants are also possibility - although I would have thought too cold just yet.
 
Interesting about the wiring but I'm pretty sure that there are no wires near the wall. However this would cause a constant problem not an intermittent one which we are encountering. But I will check tonight, I never thought of that.

I know there is rat activity in the stable (I believe they run across her bank at the back from the outside of her stable (which is in a large covered barn) to the stable next door as I have seen 'disturbance' on top of the bank in the corners, but there was no such thing last night as i wondered this myself and tbh I see this 'disturbance' fairly regularly anyhow. We have Rentokil bait boxes and dogs who catch rats although of course I know this doesn't clear them all. I really can't see her being bothered about this though, unless they come out normally at night when no one is around and she is like this at night time and we don't see it, and yesterday it just so happened that one ran across the back of her stable in the afternoon when it was first discovered that she had become agitated. She has little dogs run at her feet out on hacks, or rabbits that run across the road in front of her when hacking and never loses a stride so not sure this would cause an issue to be honest.

As for changing her stable. Well I will obviously have to move her if this reoccurs much more. I really don't want to as like I say before all this kicked off everyone said she was really happy and its the largest stable they have which is ideal for her arthritis as he can move around in it a bit if she wants. Every night when I go to put on the rug she's been wearing which is taken off her in the morning by the staff its covered in shavings so I know she is happy and content lying down and she's always seeming happy to go in there. Nine times out of ten will either rest with her bum by the back wall or standing parallel to it, lower lip hanging down.

I was told that the previous mare who had been in this stable had to be moved as she became agitated in there and would not settle at all but I have no more details, the girl and her horse left many years ago since, so not really sure if this is heresay. Thing is for the past few months she's been fine. When she has jumped around she's been okay after while of being outside her box, groomed, horse walker or ridden like the vet predicted - its soon forgotten so has never been an issue except for these two 'big' times. It just so happens that when I see it I'm about to get her out the stable anyway to tack up or muck out or whatever.

Thanks for the suggestions, do keep them coming in please.

Is the onset of a brain tumour really likely do you think? Eyes were last tested 2 yrs ago and fine, was last trotted up for the vet Oct 2017.
 
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hopscotch bandit said:
Is the onset of a brain tumour really likely do you think?
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My first thought was electric shock, and no it would not necessarily be a constant problem, it could be simply when a particular switch is used. My second guess would be rats.

FWIW, I would doubt brain tumour especially if she is the second horse to have this happen.
 
As Red has said - a short would be intermittent and one off. If you have rats the it is entirely possible there is a chewed cable somewhere which only shorts when a particular switch or combination of switches is used - or possibly if it comes into contact with water. Otherwise - given that you have some fairly bold rats I wonder if she might have been bitten? Although I expect you would have noticed.

I wouldn't be thinking brain tumor yet either. The attacks are too far apart and it doesn't sound like there are any other issues. It is far more likely to be an environmental thing.
 
My horse went crazy in his stable charging around bucking and kicking so not like him. he settled after a bit and I went into his stable to groom him.

Nearly stepped on a large very dead rat. My turn to charge about!! He never did it again
 
There was a post recently about an indoor electric fence box causing issues... iirc it wasn't that close to the box.
 
Hi there. Thanks for the link, that was interesting reading. I checked the wiring last night, just to be on the safe side, its just a light that is in there an no where near the stable, probably 10 ft away, no noise when switched on or off. Light was on and off during yesterday and no reaction, as I had thought I got there last night and she was calm as anything, walked out of her stable normally, no rush or snorting to be had (bit too calm to be honest, like almost slightly depressed) but ate hay/feed and went on walk for 30 mins, all very normal behavior and no signs of colic). She had slept on her bed during the night as her stable rug that the staff had taken off to put on her turnout was covered in shavings again. Very strange. I do wonder if it was a bit of trapped gas, she is quite prone to gassy colic but then she wouldn't act fearful although I would understand the jumping around bit.

I turned her out last night as I've been desperate to for the last couple of weeks and now the weather is warmer I thought it would be great. So she will be brought in this morning and I will see how she gets on. Probably be all right for another few weeks. Debating getting one of the dogs rat toys and putting it on her bank to see if she reacts and then at least I would know for sure if is rat activity that's making her like that but I really doubt that is the problem.

Thanks for all your help and suggestions, I don't think I will ever work out what's wrong, I guess its one of those strange things.
 
Last winter (not the one just gone) mine started being intermittently spooky in his stable in the evening or at night. He’d still lie down like usual most nights but sometimes when I was grooming he’d jump and start snorting at the wall to the side of him. I couldn’t see anything amiss and just put it down to his quirky behaviour.

The Boxing Day hunt then came through the yard (uninvited) and he had spent the day hooning up and down the field, getting himself fully worked up and sweaty. I thought he presented with colic, stretching out to wee but not doing anything, stamping feet, tucked up sides etc but no rolling or staring at sides or kicking belly. (Unrelated but looking back now I think he may have actually tied up, see my PSSM post). So I sat with him while waiting for the vet. As I was sat quietly in the stable, he suddenly spooked to the side and did his dragon snort thing. I sat and watched and just ever so gently saw the shavings in his bank move in a tiny spot. I said “it’s alright” and the movement stopped. Weird.

Anyway over the next couple weeks, some nights, his Pooh’s were sorted through like birds do in the field and I’d started to find tunnels in his banks while mucking out.

Turns out a massive rat was using his stable as a run through to get to the end stables where all the feed etc is kept. Rat bait put down, 1 dead rat later and we never had a reoccurrence of the behaviour.

It sounds familiar to your problem as it was always intermittent and mostly he was still happy to lie down at night and have a good snooze.
 
Iwantakitten said:
Last winter (not the one just gone) mine started being intermittently spooky in his stable in the evening or at night. He’d still lie down like usual most nights but sometimes when I was grooming he’d jump and start snorting at the wall to the side of him. I couldn’t see anything amiss and just put it down to his quirky behaviour.

The Boxing Day hunt then came through the yard (uninvited) and he had spent the day hooning up and down the field, getting himself fully worked up and sweaty. I thought he presented with colic, stretching out to wee but not doing anything, stamping feet, tucked up sides etc but no rolling or staring at sides or kicking belly. (Unrelated but looking back now I think he may have actually tied up, see my PSSM post). So I sat with him while waiting for the vet. As I was sat quietly in the stable, he suddenly spooked to the side and did his dragon snort thing. I sat and watched and just ever so gently saw the shavings in his bank move in a tiny spot. I said “it’s alright” and the movement stopped. Weird.

Anyway over the next couple weeks, some nights, his Pooh’s were sorted through like birds do in the field and I’d started to find tunnels in his banks while mucking out.

Turns out a massive rat was using his stable as a run through to get to the end stables where all the feed etc is kept. Rat bait put down, 1 dead rat later and we never had a reoccurrence of the behaviour.

It sounds familiar to your problem as it was always intermittent and mostly he was still happy to lie down at night and have a good snooze.
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OMG it sounds exactly like her behavior. Really strange how one of the previous horses that used my mares stable exhibited the same experience also. I wonder if it might be worthwhile putting a bait box down just outside her stable to the side (she's on an end stable). I know that one of the yard dogs used to spend a lot of time in the stable sniffing out the corner where I suspect the rat runs from. I just assumed that if there was rat activity it would be much more frequent than it is, but like I say maybe this happens in the night and none of us ever discover her agitated as no one is around. The rat (if it is a rat) might be getting braver and coming out during the day.

I've just read up on what smells rats hate and soaking a cotton bud in peppermint oil is known to deter them, so is garlic and onion, fox or cat urine and moth balls. I might have to do some experimenting!
 
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I had the same problem with a young colt. He was not scared but tried to kill the rat digging at the bedding where the run was which did not help with mucking out. We blocked the hole in the wall where the rats came in with a metal plate bolted to it and peace was restored.
 
AS I said, my instinct would be rats or electricity, but I would not discount electricity just because you can't feel any.

Anyone remember the two public incidents where horses were being silly, but people had no idea why, and then one horse died at one location and several died at another?

One was a para dressage comp, and the other a race meeting. Both times people did not know what the issue was as we are not as sensitive to electricity as horses. I guess we have shoes on made of plastic and also an electric charge does not cross our major organs if we stand on a buzz.

In both cases an electric fault WAS found after an investigation.

So, it may well be rat activity, but it could also be a stray electric fault in the locality, not necessarily in the actual stable.


ETA - one was at Newbury... http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/horse_racing/9395743.stm

Result of investigation... http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/horse_racing/9400599.stm
 
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