Is this normal behaviour?

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Hutchlou

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I've had my mare for almost a year & in all that time I have never, ever seen her lying down! She will go into the field, roll & get back up, but never stays down.

This morning she is acting a little odd whilst tied up outside her stable. Lots of cat stretches, stretching out on rears, even resting one front hoof on the fence (think dancers warming up!!).
Anyway, I tack her up & take her into the school. Before I even had a chance to tightened her girth I notice her her back end start to go down. I move her forward & whip her tack off quickly, thinking she wants to roll. However, she just went & laid down! Simple as that, middle of the school, lying down like a cow would!!
Does this seem odd to anyone else? Any explanations grately received!! :)
 
i dont want to alarm you but could she have laminitis? If her feet are painful then she may want to lie down. Have you felt for a pulse at the back/inside of the fetlock?
 
has she got a temperature or raised heartrate etc?

i would be monitoring closely and calling a vet this afternoon if no improvement.
 
Colic would be my first thought...

I would be worried tbh. My mare used to suffer from colic (ended up being pts, long story). The last week she was alive she was doing cat stretches and stretching out her front legs, she didn't have full blown colic but it was grumbling at this stage. She was lying down a lot more in her final few months, before that I had hardly ever seen her lying down she was too much of a perky horse.

If shes still acting odd this evening I think you should perhaps call the vet.
 
I did mention to the YO that she was acting odd & asked if she thought her legs were hurting her/stiff etc. She came over & felt her hooves for heat & felt down her back legs too & said she seemed fine.

But I am a bit worried as she is the sort of type that could be prone. I put her out in the field rather than riding her, she had a bit of a trot on the way & ran in the field up to the grass, which I'm not sure she'd do if her feet hurt? But she did then lie down again for a bit in the field, before having a roll & getting up again.

What should I look out for? :(
 
If it was in a river that she had tried to lie down/roll etc id say that was normal. My old pony was a nightmare when we tried to go through streams/rivers etc....he would be straight away trying to get down and lie in it or roll.....but never in the school.

I really would get your horse looked at ASAP...it sounds like really odd behaviour, especially with all of the stretches etc beforehand. And if she is suddenly lying down out of habit it could well be a sign of discomfort.
Really hope she is just having a funny day and its nothing to worry about.
 
Oh god, am really worried now. :(

Haven't checked either temperature or heatbeat. She seems happy enough (she is a typical stroppy mare but wasn't showing any real grumpiness today) & seems to be eating ok too, had some hay this morning then was eating grass in the field.

Think I'll go back down & see how she is now.
 
My mare lays down quite a lot while i am riding. But through thorough investigations, i now know that this is just due to her behaviour and her not wanting to do work because she cant be bothered.
She didn't do it much in the winter, it has been just recently and in previous summers that she does it more.
I also put it down to change of routine (changing from winter grazing to summer, and changing from being stabled at night to being out 27/7.)

Although, my mare does not show any signs before hand i.e stretching while being tacked up or anything.....
 
Heat in the feet is not a reliable indicator of laminitis. I would get her in and feel for the digital pulse on all 4 legs, on some horses it may be easier to feel at the top of the pastern- if youre not sure there might be videos on you tube or do a google search.

As others have suggested, colic is another possibility. Maybe wise to get the vet just in case as both colic and laminitis are emergencies.
 
I've got a gelding who does, actually all the horses at my yard have a lie down one time or another quite regularly. Yesterday morning I went to my boy's field to find him and his two buddies all having a little sit down, Dill was porperly lying down and they were all fine, happy in themselves and all good once they got up.

My boy had a tendancy to stretch when he's been having a sit down or if he's been his stable all night, I've never seen this as a problem and think it's quite natural. As far as I knew, horses do like to sit/lie down and it's only if they're doing it for prolonged periods that you should worry.

Then again, Harry might just like his lie downs and you know your mare, so maybe get it checked just to put your mind at ease :)
 
hmmmmmmm I agree with getting the vet.....the most important thing is that the behaviour is out of character for your horse, suggesting something is not right. Do let us know how it goes. sm x
 
Just got back from checking Orla & she seems fine, happily grazing with her fieldmate! :) I will go back down later to bring her in for the night & get someone more knowledgeable to check her over.
She is in season at the moment though, do horses get tummyache like women do each month & if so, can you do anything for them?
 
is it a sign of being cold backed if they go down after saddle is put on? Don't know much about it but I'm sure I have heard that. I am so paranoid that I would have been on the phone to my poor patient long suffering vet immediately for advice!
 
Yes mares can get tummy ache. My mare was showing similar signs to colic. she had had colic a while before. The vet came and said she was ovulating or the egg was passing down. Dont know if its the same thing. But she was OKay.
 
get her ovaries checked, she might just have a cyst. Very simple, causes discomfort etc. The vet can deal with it easily enough.
 
My connie x mare sometimes leans back when standing in the field, and will do the cat stretch like thing as well and I have noticed that this coincides more with her seasons (she shows no other sign of being in season other than being more sensitive around her teats). When I bought her I discussed laminitis her owner and whether she had ever had it and the owner had said not i nthe 4 yrs she had her and no known previous history but she had seen her do this leaning and had had the vet check her and no it wasnt lami, so I was prepared when I saw her do it. I do still worry and check her pulses and watch her for lying down more than usual as well as restrict grass etc. Anyway, it would seem that my mare does feel some discomfort and 'sags' her back and widens her stance to ease any pain from her seasons. Doesnt affect her ridden work or temperament.

BUT and its a big BUT I would definitely get vet out to your girl and check for lami and take precautions now - no grass, soft deep but supportive bed at least for 48hrs as it doesnt seem particularly normal behaviour. My little Welsh A who did suffer lami would lie down at first sign of discomfort (even before she did any leaning back).
 
Thanks everyone for your advice. She seemed much happier last night, no more stretching or trying to lie down, but a bit of biting at her belly - though there were lots of midges about too. Asking others on the yard they all thought she may have had a bit of tummyache earlier but she was happily grazing & then eating hay when she came in, so it hasn't affected her appetite!
I'll see how she is this morning & will get the vet if there's any repeat of yesterdays odd behaviour. :)
 
Thanks everyone for your advice. She seemed much happier last night, no more stretching or trying to lie down, but a bit of biting at her belly - though there were lots of midges about too. Asking others on the yard they all thought she may have had a bit of tummyache earlier but she was happily grazing & then eating hay when she came in, so it hasn't affected her appetite!
I'll see how she is this morning & will get the vet if there's any repeat of yesterdays odd behaviour. :)
 
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