Not really CR, but worrying myself sick... and you guys know about comp horses..

Ali16

Ali16

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Once again.. only really posting as there is no one here at work who I can speak to. We are absolutely tearing our hair out about the OH's horse (the ginger in my sig).. he has had a rather dramatic personality change in the last couple of days.

He has gone from being happy and chilled about life in general - loved his routine, which is strictly adhered to, to worried and stressed. There has been no downturn in his ridden work either - still working well as usual. TPR all raised as he is literally throwing himself around his box.

NOTHING has changed in his routine/ on the yard/ people around him... However, he has become increasingly anxious over the last couple of days and stopped eating yesterday evening. He is still drinking, but not sure how much longer this will last as he is winding himself up about the smallest things.

Every time anyone, horse or human, moves on the yard (even if a horse lies down/gets up in the middle of the night) he panics - calls, kicks out, basically works himself into a frenzy.

Vet called to take bloods/see if there are any other symptoms of anything at all... Spoken on the phone to a horse behaviourist, who was no help at all... had no answers and just made us worry more about brain tumours etc (and made me want to cry).

So now I think it's just a waiting game for the bloods (which will be marked as urgent), but I think if he carries on like this it might not be too long before he stops drinking and is on a drip at the vets...

Anyone who knows us/our yard will know that we have done literally all we can think of to make him comfortable and settle again, but to no avail. I have never experienced anything like this before, but have seen horses with brain tumours. Of course this is what automatically springs to mind, but I cannot bear to think about that possibility until the bloods come back.

OH GOD.. sitting here at work is making it SO much worse! Sadly not an option to take the day off otherwise I would be there in a shot. The OH and groom are there trying to keep him calm.

Sorry.. a bit of a useless post, but my brain is working overtime and I have banned myself from Googling 'Dramatic change in horse's behaviour'. If anyone has experienced anything like this before perhaps you could share?
 
So sorry for you what a worry. Only dramatic change in behaviour I have experienced with a horse is through diet change. Suspected gradual sugar build up )horse is sugar and cereal intolerant) through being fed the odd apple, then some haylage and the horse getting access to fallen acorns and then bang horse was stressy and grumpy overnight. It has taken a few weeks for him to settle again - I gave him a gut detox using green clay and chlorella.

Sorry cannot be of more help. Good luck - hope the bloods shed some light.
 
I am afraid I don't think I have anything to add in terms of investigations as it sounds like you will take a very thorough approach. Hopefully you will get to the bottom of it before long and I will keep everything crossed that he starts eating and stays hydrated. There is nothing worse than not knowing what is wrong and seeing your horse suffering.
 
Has something arrived at the yard that has freaked him out, pigs, goats, large combine harvester anything he's seen but doesn't know what it is.

Any chance of anyone ' interfering' once liveries have gone home. Horse were all let out of their stables once where I was by a bloke with a grudge and a couple were really upset.

Conversly anything gone from his routine, stable mates, field friends causing him distress.

Whatever it is sounds like its provoked an extreme reaction and if it proved not to be a medical call I'd look to his environment for an answer.
 
amymay said:
Diet was my first thought too.

But do you turn out??
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Yes - we were thinking of diet too. He has been on the same thing as advised by nutritionist for the last four years now and had not issues before, but horses do change, just as people develop diabetes etc, so not ruling that out. Hopefully bloods will show anything like this/vet can advise.

Yes - he does get turned out.
 
hi i hope your horse gets better not really experienced anything like that before especially if nothing has changed in terms of diet, even if hard feed has not changed have you had new bale of hay / halage that may have triggered something off, how was he this am? keep us updated xx
 
Can you reduce his grub, up his hay/haylage?

Is he ok when he's out?

Has anything at all changed in his work, however small?

Did the vet look at his eyes??
 
something to ponder

Has something happened to or in his stable? or can he see something that is upsetting him?

Are you in a position to try a different stable?

is he better out than in?
 
BBH said:
Has something arrived at the yard that has freaked him out, pigs, goats, large combine harvester anything he's seen but doesn't know what it is.

Any chance of anyone ' interfering' once liveries have gone home. Horse were all let out of their stables once where I was by a bloke with a grudge and a couple were really upset.

Conversly anything gone from his routine, stable mates, field friends causing him distress.

Whatever it is sounds like its provoked an extreme reaction and if it proved not to be a medical call I'd look to his environment for an answer.
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Nothing changed at all - the yard is generally quiet.. nothing added, nothing taken away. Our training livery boxes are well away from him so he shouldn't be affected by them coming and going.. he never has done before anyway.

Groom is there all day so no chance of interfering liveries... plus CCTV.
 
What have you tried so far?
Have you swapped boxes for him?
Does he get turn out and what is he like - if good any chance he can go out 24/7 in short term?
 
omg that's horrible, he's such a beautiful horse too - my absolute favourite of all the horses i've seen on here. :(

I really hope you sort it out, diet would be my first port of call as well but other than that i have no other advice to give.

Roger Hatch at Trinity Consultants may be able to help, he's a nutritionist and knows all symptoms of all diet issues and may be able to shed some light on it. He's so helpful, even if he can't offer any light on the situation i know he'd do his best to advise and maybe rule things out for you.

Healing vibes and best wishes for you!!! xxxx
 
This is probably of no help but here goes.

Whilst my warmblood and his late buddy were living at home, they could both suddenly go from being chilled foodies to neurotic and just snatching at hay. This state would last for several hours.

I did see them staring out of their backdoors (pens attached to back of stable) but couldn't figure out the problem.

Have recently discovered that neighbours keep (or kept - another neighbour had a go at them when he found a shot turtle dove in his garden) an airgun by their backdoor so they could take potshots at wildlife on their veg garden.

I had no idea, but it now makes sense.

Good luck with your horse.
 
Thanks so much for all the replies.

Have tried a different stable - no change, in fact made him worse.

He is the same consistently, in, out, handling etc.

Had a full MOT, eyes breathing etc all OK.

He has reduced feed/haylage/hay on his own - not eating at all! Have tried to tempt him with warm mash etc, but nothing will settle him enough to pay attention to it.

No change in his work at all. Doing all the same things as usual, hacking nicely, no more or less spooking, work was still great yesterday.
 
Given the weather is now starting to change, have you checked for any sign of rats?

I do know a horse that became a very poor eater due to rats geting into the stable.
 
PooJay said:
omg that's horrible, he's such a beautiful horse too - my absolute favourite of all the horses i've seen on here. :(

I really hope you sort it out, diet would be my first port of call as well but other than that i have no other advice to give.

Roger Hatch at Trinity Consultants may be able to help, he's a nutritionist and knows all symptoms of all diet issues and may be able to shed some light on it. He's so helpful, even if he can't offer any light on the situation i know he'd do his best to advise and maybe rule things out for you.

Healing vibes and best wishes for you!!! xxxx
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Thanks PooJay - I will get in contact with Roger Hatch.

mtj - I would like to think that there is no way that rats/mice can get into our bins as they are metal, tall and away from the walls. Unless they are getting in at the source ( you would like to think not!) I don't think there is any way that rats could get to our feed. They'd be pretty brave rats too with all our cats and dogs patrolling.
 
i was going to say was his vision checked by the vet but you have said later it was.

I hope you get to the root of the problem soon.

My only other suggestion would relate to if he is better outdoors? My pony at he age of 15 ish very suddenly (as in basically overnight) became claustaphobic to point trying to force himself out through door/walls, we think the trigger was being kept in once when the hunt passed close by and he wound himself up hearing the horn. He now cannot be left in a stable unless sharing one with a friend (that apparently is fine despite being crowded!) as even if another pony in stable next door he still goes nuts. For the last 7 years he has lived out 24/7 365 days a year because of it and is as happy as Larry like that!
 
I have nothing useful to add except to second trinty consultants. They really have been fabulous with our yard of "special" horses.

I hope you get to the bottom of it.
 
The rat problem did come as a surprise. it was just one horse, and it is a smart yard. Horse was very picky about food, had lots of bloods and caused lots of worry. Yard did and does have various rodent control methods including cats.

Rather than attack the feed, the rats were getting into the stable (brick, with a non drafty door). Horse had forage in haybar and hardfeed in bucket.

Appears it had been bitten on nose and then refused to eat anywhere the rats could get to.
Horse now has nets and eating normally.
 
Sarah_Jane said:
Poor you woud it be worth trying to lightly sedate him i.e. a few acp tablets just to see if you can break the cycle of stress?
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Thanks Sarah_Jane - I did give him some Sedalin last night in the end, after another horse made a noise at about 1am and set him off. He's right outside our bedroom window so can keep a close eye on him (although each time he whinnies it's like having him right inside our house!). It did do the trick to settle him so we could get a couple of hours sleep, but it began all over again at 6am.
 
Could he have seen/heard something in the distance that he's getting himself worked up about?

We rarely get the Hunt near us but if they do come close enough for either of mine to see or hear them, they can be wound up for days afterwards?
 
mtj said:
Given the weather is now starting to change, have you checked for any sign of rats?

I do know a horse that became a very poor eater due to rats geting into the stable.
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I second this idea. I have known a rat in the stable to really freak a horse out.

Don't shoot me down but have you considered getting a communication done with him ? £35 that's what Jackie Weaver charged and it was very accurate and revealing whether you believe in it or not is immaterial if it helps!!
 
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Ali16 said:
Thanks Sarah_Jane - I did give him some Sedalin last night in the end, after another horse made a noise at about 1am and set him off. He's right outside our bedroom window so can keep a close eye on him (although each time he whinnies it's like having him right inside our house!). It did do the trick to settle him so we could get a couple of hours sleep, but it began all over again at 6am.
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One last shot - Hormones??

He almost sounds like a mare who's experiencing a severe season.....
 
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