Nervous Tick

[Irishcobs]

One of our 3yr olds has recently come back from being backed. He didn't have a very nice time and now seems to have a nervous tick. I see it mainly when someone is stood by his stable or if a horse is moved about. He didn't do this before he went away.
Do you think he will grow out of it when he is older and more settled? its a bit off putting.

 

[Daisychain]

Im sure he is just a little unsettled, he will calm back down again im sure.

 

[faerie666]

Have you had his teeth checked? As a 3yo he'll be teething, so maybe either some caps are bothering him, or he's loosing some of his incisors and slightly uncomfortable in his mouth, and therefore fussing.

(you know when you've got a loose/sore tooth and you can't leave it alone?

) That's what my first thought would be.

 

[zigzag]

I agree with above poster, had a horse who did similar and it was his teeth that was causing it

 

[Irishcobs]

He had his teeth done before he went away, but his molars are coming through so many its that?

 

[TarrSteps]

Teething pain may very well be contributing but it looks to me like a "mouth fault" or "lip popping" - what, exactly, he's doing is of little concern really. It's a sterotypie (technically like cribbing/weaving/chewing etc. but obviously far less destructive). I've seen it quite a bit in horses off the track and know at least one other horse that started it while away for training in a stressful environment. It seems to crop up a lot in anxious/quick/forward horses when they start ridden work, particularly if they are taken up to strongly in front either mechanically (side reins etc.) or in the hand. I have a sneaking suspicion sometimes the standard practice of strapping on a tight noseband at the first sign of trouble, especially if there is mouth pain, just makes is worse. I've also seen it a lot in horses shown in hand in a bridle, especially started young. It seems to often start when bridled then spread to general "use" but I've also seen it in youngsters - perhaps learned from the mare?

It's like chewing your nails or tapping your foot - think of it as a safety valve (or early warning system) for tension. The thing with habits like that is the horse may have the propensity but never actually show the behaviour until specifically stressed.

It's not an enourmous deal - annoying but not dangerous. He SHOULD do it less in his everyday life as his stress level drops but odds are you'll see it again in high pressure situations.