Odd behaviour when eating!

WelshD

WelshD

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I feed one of my ponies (3.5 yr old sec A) from a hook on bucket over a gate, if I place a bucket on the ground the goats steal the food

He eats half of the food then took to keeping his head in the bucket for up to ten minutes before eating the rest - I could cope with that

But recently he has taken to behaving very strangely. He gets to the half way point then his head goes down to the ground and he stiffly moves his head and front legs in jerks almost as if he is being restrained or hobbled, now he has started to tuck all his legs under him almost like he is balancing all 4 legs on something small or he is going down to roll

He is fine and eats normally and consistently in his stable

I'm wondering if he is sinking a bit in the mud by the gate and is adjusting his balance but its almost like he goes in to a trance

He is fine otherwise and as soon as he starts eating again all is well, no stiffness or lameness etc
 
Thanks both of you

He doesnt make any noise during these odd spells or show any gulping, coughing etc and his feed is dampened down well so I must admit I dropped that as a reason

But its funny you should say that as my non horsey husband did say jokingly 'its almost like somethings gone down the wrong way'

I'll have a word with the vet and also get his teeth checked
 
How high is the gate?

What is he fed?

I also think a form of choke likely from the unnatural eating position, I'd either bring in to feed or stand with him and tell the goat to jog on.
 
I think you need to find a way to feed him from the ground. Make a small electric fence pen with lots of strands to keep the goats out?
 
I had a horse that would get very mild colic if he rushed his food.
His symptoms were much like your pony's - he would get half way through eating then just freeze, and stand very still as though in a trance for a while.
Sometimes if the pain got worse he would start to shift his legs uncomfortably trying to ease his stomach.

If your pony is competing with the goats it could be causing him to eat faster and so he might have the same problem.
 
BINGO well done guys I think between you all that explains it

The problem doesnt occur in the stable where he is fed from a bucket on the floor and thinking about it didnt when he was fed from the ground in the field its only when he is fed from the bucket on the gate!

I will start bringing him in to eat then - I'm having to wait for him to eat as it is so it will probably actually be quicker too and less stress for him. If it happens again I will call the vet for sure

Thanks again to all of you, sometimes its hard to see the blo*dy blinding obvious!
 
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I had an idea you were going to have a section A before I opened the post!

I had a little section A (the puggy type with a broad forehead) who had the most peculiar eating habit. He would chew a few mouthfuls then throw his head up in the air so his head and neck were in a straight line, then make a bit of a noise like a seal, as if he was tipping the food down his neck. Once the food had gone down, he would put his head in the bucket and eat some more.

He does this with all food, including grass, and as he is fairly fat, he can obviously eat enough. The vet felt it was probably because his oesophagus was too narrow and didn't feel it was worth scoping him as he said he has got to the age of 8 without a problem. I have a video of him doing it somewhere although it's not the same as your chap so probably of no use.

My friend owns him now and he still does it, and is still chubby.
 
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