Lively horse!!

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Emma1703

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In Nov 2015 my mare who is the most docile dope on a rope really started playing up. Spent lots of money on teeth being done, wolf tooth removed, new saddle, back being done almost monthly but never any improvement. In June I eventually requested her to be scoped and she had severe grade 4 ulcers. She was on peptizole for 2 months, she weighs 500kg so I had 250ml left in each tube so she's still having 100 a day until I've completely run out.
After a few weeks on peptizole she was a completely different horse and back to her old self. Then we encountered lots more problems with allergies and very itchy skin so spent the whole summer with the vet out!
I moved yards last month and turns out she was allergic to the grass in field at her old yard! She loves the new yard and settled so quickly however she seems to have found a new lease of life!
I'm not sure if she's just happy because she's spent a year feeling so rubbish but she has so much energy. She's a 14hh podgy cob who is normally worn out after half an hours work but I'm now having to school or hack for an hour in the morning and lunge for half an hour in the afternoon and she's still raring to go!
Obviously if she's more forward going I don't have a problem as saves me kicking so much but she's got very spooky and also bucking a lot. I've had other riders on her to check it's not just me. Back saddle and teeth have all been done in the last 6 weeks. I don't think her ulcers are back as she looks too well in herself.
She currently has a soaked haynet at night and soaked hay in field during the day. And has the tiniest feed imaginable. I did try her on a hack up bespoke calmer but made no difference! Obviously due to the severity of her ulcers I don't want to cut down her hay in hope she'll have less energy. But equally I think if I keep her in this much work she's just getting fitter and fitter and will be harder to tire her. Has anyone got any tips how to put a top to all the bucking/spooking?
Sorry for the essay!
 
Honestly, I would really consider getting a performance work up done. Ulcers are most commonly caused by pain, great you have treated them, however the fact that she is bucking would be a warning sign for me.

Horses are amazing for keeping going when there is something wrong, sorry to be a rain cloud. You've got to trust your gut feeling, if you have a feeling that something is going on, get it investigated :)
 
Demented Elf said:
Honestly, I would really consider getting a performance work up done. Ulcers are most commonly caused by pain, great you have treated them, however the fact that she is bucking would be a warning sign for me.

Horses are amazing for keeping going when there is something wrong, sorry to be a rain cloud. You've got to trust your gut feeling, if you have a feeling that something is going on, get it investigated :)
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Did consider putting her on Abler as can be used for prevention as well as treatment and insurance won't cover ulcers again. So abler seems like my cheapest solution. Will be so upset if it is ulcers again as thought we were back to a healthy horse :(
 
She has a tiny handful of TopSpec ulsakind cubes and tiny handful of dengie happy tummy with one scoop of Protexin acid ease.
 
Mine is absolutely ridiculous on Alfalfa. Dengie Healthy Tummy sent him to the point of me considering retiring him due to his dangerous spooking.

He is now fed- Mollichaff calmer (unmollassed and no Alfalfa), unmollassed speedi beet, baileys Lo cal balancer (one of the only balancers that doesn't contain traces of Alfalfa).

He is now in full work and is like a different horse.

Must add that he also had ulcers at one point and an Alfalfa diet was recommended by Leahurst, but he was frankly dangerous on it.
I did an experiment a few weeks ago and gave him a handful of hi fibre cubes (that contained trace alfalfa) in his treat ball for a week. The stupid behaviour returned. Amazing what such a small amount can do.
 
I recently had a topspec weigh in and food advice session. Very informative, they seem to really like to use alfalfa in their feeds and when I questioned it, in regards to native horses, I was told, as it was grass it was totally fine. I have had two native types really react to it, one came up in hives and they other went mental. While I think alfalfa is a great feed and really good for some horses, kept my elderly mare going for years, for some native sorts it's a nightmare. My little traditional was frankly dangerous on it and when I stopped the feed it took him a good couple of weeks to settle. I now avoid it like the plague for my natives. However I also agree with the demented elf, there could be a problem that caused the ulcers. However, I would start by eliminating certain food types first and see if that helps.
 
Ah didn't even think It could be the happy tummy! Will definitely take her off it and see what happens.
When she had ulcers before she'd only buck going into canter as obviously when it hurt the most but for example I was walking round the school the other day she spooked at nothing then threw herself into the middle of the school and bronked with me clinging on for dear life! Also got very spooky on the road which worries me!
Thanks x
 
Emma, my little traditional pony moses , who was to small for me to ride was being ridden and schooled by a professional rider. After three weeks on Alfa A ( he had lost a bit of condition, instructor said feed him up on Alfa a) he was spooking and planting in the road. At one point he reversed at speed down the road backwards in to a tractor. Luckily the farmer saw him coming and stopped! The fearless , professional got off and said no more. I had the vet out to check him, he was fine, no problems, it was like trying to fly a kite lunging him. Decided to change to Moli chaff , within two weeks had a Sane and sensible pony again. He is now ridden by a novice fifteen year old child and he is a dream. First line of loan agreement says no Alfa A :D
 
Emma1703 said:
Ah didn't even think It could be the happy tummy! Will definitely take her off it and see what happens.
When she had ulcers before she'd only buck going into canter as obviously when it hurt the most but for example I was walking round the school the other day she spooked at nothing then threw herself into the middle of the school and bronked with me clinging on for dear life! Also got very spooky on the road which worries me!
Thanks x
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Once on Alfalfa, mine went from being an absolute bomb proof Angel to shattering my confidence and making me question whether he was actually safe to put a human on. It took me a long time to work out that it was the Alflafa doing it, he'd had previous bouts of colic and because these stopped on the Healthy Tummy, I felt I couldn't contemplate taking him off it. It was some internet research and a chance finding of an old forum thread when someone mentioned about extreme reactions to Alfalfa that I finally clicked. There was an improvement the minute he came off the healthy tummy, but still not perfect. That's when I started reading ingredients of the balancers and realising there was Alfalfa in it. Within a week of being Alfalfa free, I had my horse back. I was annoyed that it took me so long to realise, but I got so hung up on him not colicking that I couldn't see beyond it!

Finding an Alfalfa free diet is actually quite difficult, as small amounts are used in so many cubes and balancers, but I've not looked back since this revelation. Horse has also stayed colic free (touches wood), I have him on Brewers yeast and a supplement called colickare that gets rid of built up gases (a problem that his grass allergy causes).

Fingers crossed that it's the Alfalfa with yours too.

Interestingly, I could never understand why mine would go so utterly ridiculous on so called non-heating cubes. I was racking my brains for so long and then I realised that it was the Alfalfa that form part of the ingredients.

Good luck!
 
She will definitely be coming off it as of today! When I first got her she was fearless now leaves are scary!
Thanks for your help! Fingers crossed!
 
Really hoping that is the cause for mine. I'd bought her after I had several nasty accidents on my old warmblood and she boosted my confidence massively but don't want to end up back at square 1. She is now worse than the psycho warmblood!!!
Annoying as I've just bought a new bag of happy tummy! But would rather waste the £12 and have a sane horse again!
Thank you x
 
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