No rest for the wicked (Nightly stable issues)

[TheBrokeHorse]

Hi... Again.

For those have seen my previous post you know my horse is possibly a nutter if not then we'll she's aggressive and crazy. Her aggression was improving but now it's seem to gone back to square one but only in the evening when we put them to bed.

She has started grinding her teeth at me and lunging for me and kicking her stable again.

Now when she is on edge she bounces her head up and down and kicks out. She also bounces her back leg as if she wants to jump the door.

We found this mostly happened on weekends so we decided to give her calming medz in the evening but now she is also starting it in the week. I've given her twice the dosage and it does not seem to have an effect on her lately.

Should I find a stronger calming medicine? I only want something to keep her calm at night so she does not hurt herself or break down the stable. Any ideas would be grateful.

Also it is not possible to put her out at night at all. That also won't solve my problem either.

Thanks in advance

 

[Sparemare]

You say you are giving her calming medicine? What are you giving her?

Also, is she making a fuss when you (or other humans) are near her stable,or does she do this when she's on her own?

 

[Shay]

Some types of calmer can have the opposite effect and actually cause the horse to hype up. What are you using? Whereabouts in SA are you? I know a couple of natural horsemanship folk in the Cape who might be able to help and can make inquiries for you if you are elsewhere.

 

[TheBrokeHorse]

You say you are giving her calming medicine? What are you giving her?

Also, is she making a fuss when you (or other humans) are near her stable,or does she do this when she's on her own?

She's on rescue remedy. She usually gets more hyper when we go out to put them to bed and the calm down when we leave but lately she still acts up even when we are not around.

 

[TheBrokeHorse]

Some types of calmer can have the opposite effect and actually cause the horse to hype up. What are you using? Whereabouts in SA are you? I know a couple of natural horsemanship folk in the Cape who might be able to help and can make inquiries for you if you are elsewhere.

I am using rescue remedy. It was helping, it helps for a few minutes but then after awhile she's all hyped up again. I am in Pretoria East Gauteng.

 

[Shay]

I spent my childhood in Nelspruit - now Mpumalanga (although Transvaal when I was there). As an adult outside Wilderness in Western Cape. I still have relatives in still in Guateng, but most of my horsey contacts are in the Cape. Are you in the hills to the North?

Rescue remedy won't cause your mare to hype up. It has its uses - this probably isn't one. Handling horses in SA is very different from the UK. A lot of the advice you get here you won't be able to put into practice there. Can you get hold of Valerian at all? In cordial or as a dried herb. That may help.

The UK advice about magnesium as a calmer doesn't really apply in SA as the forage is typically high in magnesium. Teff can be very high in sugar too which really won't help you. I know in the Cape we had access to European forage - but on the farm outside Nelspurit we just had the Veld which was what it was. But certainly as not high in sugars! Can you get a low sugar chop at all?

Th previous advice about horses short on food still applies -and she is clearly food possessive. But you need to be able to get her enough low calorie forage that she can fell satisfied and safe but without blowing her brain on sugar. In an earlier post you said she was appaloosa / TB. Does she have any outcross from an African breed to help her cope with the native conditions? A Boerped, Basuto or Vlaarmperd? Or are you stuck with having to source feed etc suitable for an American or European horse?