Bee3
Member
My very sweet mare who was very rarely mareish (pulls the odd face every now and then!) is becoming a bit of a handful to work and I am rapidly losing my confidence and will!
I can't think of any particular reason for this behaviour or at what point it started. She is still well mannered generally but her attitude towards work has really gone downhill. I am not sure where to begin as I feel there are a couple of things to consider here - PSSM (type 2 I imagine) and ulcers, as a while ago she was kept on a yard where I believe she didn't get enough forage. Admittedly I have no previous experience with either, so for me, it's just a guessing game. I don't feel it's mareishness - although that was my initial thought and have tried a mare supplement as thought I would delay looking at Regulate until spring.
She has become grumpy to tack up, especially when doing up the girth, but she has no problem with me touching her otherwise.
She is reactive to work - lungeing or riding, she feels like a coiled spring, she is also spooky doing groundwork in the arena.
She currently has turnout for a few hours a day, the grass is average, access to ad-lib hay, and feed is chaff, balancer, pony nuts, plus hoof and mare supplement.
She is a native breed but does feel the cold, and doesn't cope well with wind and rain (hence me thinking about PSSM2). Her muscles seem to tighten very quickly and she would require really regular physical therapy despite her being in very light work to keep on top of this, and even my non-horsey husband commented on how tight her neck muscles are. She has never tied up to my knowledge.
She moved yards last month, and it's taken her some time to settle. The behaviour started before the move, but is worse than ever at the moment. I wonder if the yard move has tipped her over the edge and I may have to move her back to where she was previously settled.
Today she was spooky and bit me whilst doing groundwork, with a few more attempts to nip during the session. She was pleasant to deal with before and after. I have decided there must be something causing this behaviour. I am not really sure the symptoms are enough to suggest it's one thing or another. I wondered about ruling out ulcers in the first instance, but are the symptoms what you would expect from ulcers? Or could I try a PSSM2 diet and exercise plan and see if there's an improvement?
Sorry it's a lot, any thoughts welcomed, thanks in advance.
I can't think of any particular reason for this behaviour or at what point it started. She is still well mannered generally but her attitude towards work has really gone downhill. I am not sure where to begin as I feel there are a couple of things to consider here - PSSM (type 2 I imagine) and ulcers, as a while ago she was kept on a yard where I believe she didn't get enough forage. Admittedly I have no previous experience with either, so for me, it's just a guessing game. I don't feel it's mareishness - although that was my initial thought and have tried a mare supplement as thought I would delay looking at Regulate until spring.
She has become grumpy to tack up, especially when doing up the girth, but she has no problem with me touching her otherwise.
She is reactive to work - lungeing or riding, she feels like a coiled spring, she is also spooky doing groundwork in the arena.
She currently has turnout for a few hours a day, the grass is average, access to ad-lib hay, and feed is chaff, balancer, pony nuts, plus hoof and mare supplement.
She is a native breed but does feel the cold, and doesn't cope well with wind and rain (hence me thinking about PSSM2). Her muscles seem to tighten very quickly and she would require really regular physical therapy despite her being in very light work to keep on top of this, and even my non-horsey husband commented on how tight her neck muscles are. She has never tied up to my knowledge.
She moved yards last month, and it's taken her some time to settle. The behaviour started before the move, but is worse than ever at the moment. I wonder if the yard move has tipped her over the edge and I may have to move her back to where she was previously settled.
Today she was spooky and bit me whilst doing groundwork, with a few more attempts to nip during the session. She was pleasant to deal with before and after. I have decided there must be something causing this behaviour. I am not really sure the symptoms are enough to suggest it's one thing or another. I wondered about ruling out ulcers in the first instance, but are the symptoms what you would expect from ulcers? Or could I try a PSSM2 diet and exercise plan and see if there's an improvement?
Sorry it's a lot, any thoughts welcomed, thanks in advance.
