My horse seems depressed

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Ali_Marriott

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I have a 4 year old cob gelding and for the last week or so he hasnt seemed himself and has been almost a bit down and depressed. He lives out at the moment but whenever I bring him onto the yard he becomes quiet and down. He certainly hasnt gone off his food and when his dinner or treats are involved he perks up very quickly! Any ideas as to what could be wrong?
 
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Its difficult to say without knowing your cob as there are many possibilities. Have you noticed him being a bit footy on rough ground, or reluctant to move forwards when ridden ? Is he walking normally, or does he seem stiff -or getting sweaty easily ? Any heat in his feet or a raised pulse ?

Because he's a cob, he's likely to be a good doer and living out, he could be showing warning signs for laminitis.

Equally, he could be brewing an abscess,have a low grade virus, or he might have tweaked himself in the field.

Keep an eye on him and see if anything becomes apparent.
 
Does he have horsey company?
If you are riding, is he depressed under saddle or difficult to girth? My good doer developed gastric ulcers ( no idea why) and was a bit 'down'.
Is he perhaps bored? He's of an age when he would rather be doing I would think; try some things in his field like a jolly ball, cones? Move them around each day and give him something to think about.
 
My cob was very flat a few weeks ago, was very slow, not forward going. I started giving him a tiny feed of low calorie chaff and a few barley rings, sorted! His field is very bare, he was hungry and just needed a little boost. :smile3:
 
I think he might possibly be a little bored as he hasnt been worked much the last couple of weeks and he is an intelligent little boy so maybe thats it... he as plenty of horsey company and therefore our fields are also quite bare but he is remaining slightly overweight without much grass so am reluctant to give him a feed. I might try a couple of toys in the field and also do some more work with him and see if he picks up.
 
Could be be dehydrated? Is he drinking ok?

My mare gets slight depression when she is worked hard! I find using some electrolytes in a small feed helps.

Would also suggest to keep eye on lami symptoms too
 
yep, know about the overweight bit but not feeding doesn't help the guts and the fields are so bare at the mo. You could feed a couple of handfuls of plain chaff, especially alfalfa as its high in calcium and a better buffer for acid in the stomach, without adding calories.
When one of mine got a hint of lami I was told that a half hour walk each day would really help ( since it really moves the blood around through the hooves) so maybe you could take your horse for a wander a few times a week if you can't get out to ride?
 
Both my boys (1 x 16hh cob and 1 x 17.2 IDx) used to go through 'down' times when they were young, especially if they were going through growth spurts.

Another vote for maybe a handful of good chaff but also add a good quality multi-vit so their system is getting everything it needs.
 
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