Horses doing out of character stuff (?)

[JaneMBE]

Have had Spud a while now and he settled in brilliantly.
We have used him for novice and experienced riders, he is good with both (as long as they keep their hands down else it worries him)

Anyway, he is a lovely stamp of a horse, full ID and very much loved here. We thought we would take him hunting (well, cubbing) as being a young horse we don't want him to go stale already.
He has been a bit excitable (two legged horse variety!) but put it down to maybe not hunting before. He did calm down after a fashion.
Second time he was more vertical than before

but was once again calmed down.

Now though, he seems to enjoy two legs

Out on a hack he was napping and twisting and bunny-hopping. Second hack, he was going higher, whenever a car passed (we only have to go down a country road or two not a busy road) to the point that a car felt for his safety and reversed down the road as Spud sort of went up and round etc.

Not quite sure why, or if he has hunted before (hoping FMM can help here!) and it has fizzed him up and switched him on too much.

A friend, very experienced hunter and breaker, is taking him back out hunting for us next week (I think!) as he feels he may still be hunting in his head and needs to carry on and get it out of his system.

Long tale sorry!
Just wondered if anyone has experienced this sort of thing, a horse changing virtually over a weekend after hunting>?
He is lovely, won't stand still (yet) in the yard and has to be either first out and walked around or last out and gone (we are working on this) once out, very steady safe ride (until last w/e).

Thoughts anyone? He has been checked over (back etc)

 

[pottamus]

Don't know really...assuming he is not in pain in any way (twisted something when he reared at the meet)....
If not pain then perhaps he has blown a mental fuse with the hunt thing...some just cannot cope with it. Perhaps he needs to go out to lower key pony parties first to get used to the environment before hunting?
It is one of the reasons I don't hunt...because it can be quite a mad atmosphere and I know my horse well enough to know he would explode mentally and not cope...but that is just my horse.
Hopefully the next meet will be better, but if not then I would knock it on the head and try getting his confidence back by hacking and low key events over the winter...perhaps some dressage or something???

 

[Clodagh]

I have found hunting has helped my slightly nappy mare. She rears less now than whwen we started. It did take her 7 or 8 days hunting before she worked the whole thing out, though, so maybe working him through it would help.
Don't know really, but also when you hunt him I would keep him out until he is really tired and go Monday/ Weds/ Sat or similar if you can so that he sees hunting as work rather than mindblowing fun.
(I don't mean keeping him out to a state of exhaustion!)

 

[FMM]

Gosh PJ - that does sound incredibly out of character. His main fault was his laid back attitude and the only time he was on two legs EVER was when he was jumping a fence. It seems a bit of a coincidence that he started playing up after hunting. I believe he was hunted before, but maybe it is not as exciting in Wales as it is down here?

Assuming that feeding regime etc hasn't changed, and you have siad that back etc has been checked, there are several courses of action to suggest:
1. Turn him away to lessen his fitness levels
2. Continue with the hunting with the experienced rider and see if he eventually settles
3. Continue with riding but absolutely no hunting, maybe after a little gap he can start to go to jumping or dressage shows for some fun rather than hunting

You have had him for nearly 3 months so as you say, he has had time to settle in. I can't believe he has found that much energy. I wonder if he is much fitter than he has been before and perhaps getting more food as well? Is he getting haylege as this has made some of ours liven up. Also, was he recently clipped?

Hope this is sorted as I was so pleased with how well he was doing with you.

 

[JaneMBE]

I'm very happy with him Mandy, no worries there

We have introduced more feeds for some of the horses (although the fields are green no goodness in it!) but only chaff, speedibeet and pony nuts, nothing that will fizz any of them up.

He is looking fit, have to say he is used a fair bit as he is so nice and easy to do, and he enjoys working.
The first hunt has a new master who was a bit keen on the horn, we think this woke Spud up a bit!

He hasn't been clipped (we just haven't had a chance to and he doesn't seem to sweat up much)

He was involved in the motor bike incident, where a girl came off when the horses bolted, he has been a bit vehicle shy after this but we have taken things carefully and although a bit spooked by bikes seemed ok.

I may just let him have a couple more hunts and then leave him out for a while to chill out.

He isn't nasty about any of this, just excitable almost babyish about it all.
Love him to bits and if he needs time out then that's what he gets. (Everyone commented on what a fabulous horse he was at the hunt btw, he looked every inch a superb hunter.... I am very proud to own such a beastie)

He may of course have one of those 'winter' quirks as some horses do !

 

[bellgave]

Im having a similar problem with one of my horses, he is as good as gold all the time at home, OH who cant ride often hops on him and goes off wandering on him.
He gets very excitable at shows though, like yours not naughty just very excited, then he calms down to the point where I think he has mentally exhausted him self!!!!! You say yours is young, and so is mine, he is normally SOOOO good for his age, I wonder if it makes his behaviour when we are out seem worse than it is because it is so out of his normal character!!!
I have decided to just get him out as much as poss over the winter, he is hunting too, and I am hoping he will settle into it all. He stays lively at home for 3-4 days after a show too!!!
I think I had him too fit, and he is fed good feed too, so I have just cut down on his fitness and hope that that may help!!
Like I said he is never naughty but just so exited to be out, I think its just a baby thing on his part, like yours mine can have all the time he wants as he is a superstar and everyone adores him, Im sure both will settle down given time!!

 

[Jemayni]

The first time I took my horse hunting it completely blew his brains; (75% conne 12%TB 12%ID) He went from a real calm and careful showjumper to really really rushing and needing a martingale, and I also had a really nasty incident when we was on a hack and he heard dogs barking, he flipped bucked about 10 times and I had to whack him to send him forward, where he preceeded to galllop down the road, I then turned him into a wall to stop him which he jumped. I did manage to settle him eventually but I wanted to hunt so I took him a few more times and soon he realised out hunting we go fast, at home we go slow!