Out of character behaviour - pain/fear?

joolie

joolie

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 March 2011
Messages
244
Visit site
Long sorry! Bit of background:

7 yo Connie x, owned approx. 18 months, imported from Ireland and bought from a dealer with good reputation. Quite a nervous lad on the ground with strangers (men particularly). Slightly sharp to ride but never full on naughty. Can be a bit spooky and tense but it's controllable - he may be tense throughout a schooling session but never any booking/rearing/taking off. Now producing half decent Prelim level flatwork and being placed in unaff tests. Hacks out fine (a little spooky but nothing major).

The last week his behaviour in the ménage has changed abruptly. He is tanking off to the point where it's scary. He has done this whilst attempting to school alone and with my instructor present. He gets more and more wound up and the tanking gets worse to the point of almost gallop. I have been told to sit quietly and not pull, he is let go of and turned in a circle and quietly calmed back to a walk and reassured. Once he stops and starts moving forward it continues again until it reaches the point where I have to get off, he seems genuinely spooked and increasingly agitated. Nothing obvious has happened to start this off. He will go from walking quietly to warp speed with no warning. He will lunge in the arena fine. After his last episode (Tues) he was popped on lunge afterwards and he looked awkward behind so I figured his reaction may be pain related. He has hacked out twice fine within the timeframe of this all starting.

Vet came out today, teeth, eyesight and back checked, nothing obvious found. 'Lameness' investigated, vet only thought he looked marginally skewed to one side when trotted up. Looked lovely and free moving lunged. Saddler coming in two weeks, awaiting response from osteo to check him out. Saddles don't look horrific by any means but I'm obviously no expert.

Has anyone experienced anything like this?! I'm utterly confused (as is instructor) as he's being progressing brilliantly and all of a sudden we have hit a massive big wall :( gutted doesn't even come close.
 
Last edited:
joolie said:
Vet came out today, teeth, eyesight and back checked, nothing obvious found. 'Lameness' investigated, vet only thought he looked marginally skewed to one side when trotted up
Click to expand...

That's quite an odd statement from the vet - normally I think they are a bit more technical than that. Being marginally skewed to one side would (to most people) indicate he is lame. It will be interesting to see what the osteopath says. That said, if there is something wrong in the back the vet would have investigated that too. Has anything happened to him? - an accident, fall, playing in the field?
 
So long as you have definitely ruled out gastric ulcers, a few days on bute might give you a clue a to whether or not pain is the cause (it does sound like it). You still then have to find the source of the pain! As regards teeth, is your vet good with teeth, because some have been known to miss really sharp hook as well as diastemas - a good dentist is often a better bet. Is he better without a bit (ridden on the lunge for example?)
 
I would normally say 99% of the time it is pain related, however can I ask if you have recently started these lessons with this instructor? Reason I ask is, a friend of mine had a horse with a very similar background to yours, over from Ireland via a dealer, very nervous etc. All was well until they started having jumping lessons and the instructor got too close – the horse absolutely freaked out and literally bolted around and around the school until eventually the rider came off. She did persevere but a pattern began to emerge and we came to the conclusion that someone had really got after him from the ground, maybe tried to beat him over a fence. Would be happy to jump if no one on foot in the arena / out XC so it didn’t seem pain related. He is now a happy hacker and enjoying a quieter life.

But if he has happily had lessons in the same format previously and nothing else has changed, then I would guess something is hurting him. My horse is super sensitive with his tack and I will get zero cooperation if something isn’t right. I think it is a positive as rest assured they will let you know if something is bothering them. : ) Just means long process of elimination!
 
Abacus said:
That's quite an odd statement from the vet - normally I think they are a bit more technical than that. Being marginally skewed to one side would (to most people) indicate he is lame. It will be interesting to see what the osteopath says. That said, if there is something wrong in the back the vet would have investigated that too. Has anything happened to him? - an accident, fall, playing in the field?
Click to expand...

He seemed a bit stumped really - he just said he couldn't see anything 'obvious' that would cause this kind of reaction, and that he just look slightly skewed over when trotted up on hard ground. Moved fine on lunge (minus tack).

Ulcers weren't mentioned actually - I didn't think to ask if honest as after seeing him look a bit awkward behind on Tuesday I had basically convinced myself he would come up lame today. I had a good EDT look at him 12 months ago and again just minimal rasping. I have heard my vet is good with teeth off others but I haven't used him before for this personally. He is fine bitted on the lunge (no difference to lunging just in headcollar) and doesn't seem to be showing any issues with the bit in that are obvious, also fine hacking.

I have been having lessons with a variety of instructors over last 18 months and he's never reacted like this. When it first happened also I was schooling alone. My current instructor is fab - lovely, quiet and sympathetic and she has schooled him for me previously several times without any issue.

Hmmm! Confuzzled. Thanks all for replies - I want to think it's pain and not behavioural as he has come on brilliantly so far. Also pain is something which (hopefully) can be treated, if it's irrational fear then I wouldn't know where to start!

ETA no fall or anything happening in field that I am aware of.
 
Sidney said:
Saddle?
Click to expand...

Next on hit list, sadly my saddler can't come out til 10th despite my desperation! Last checked 8 months ago, again it doesn't look terrible but I am certainly not an expert so can't discount this. Could a minimally off fit cause such an abrupt reaction?
 
joolie said:
Next on hit list, sadly my saddler can't come out til 10th despite my desperation! Last checked 8 months ago, again it doesn't look terrible but I am certainly not an expert so can't discount this. Could a minimally off fit cause such an abrupt reaction?
Click to expand...

This would be a "normal" reaction for my horse if his saddle doesn't fit. I wont bore you with our long history of saddle issues, suffice to say I had a reputable saddler fit (and re-fit) a traditional saddle but horse was still not happy. I eventually moved over to a WOW saddle and he was a different horse over night. The peeps at WOW seemed to think that his traditionally tree'd saddle was restricting his big shoulders, thus causing tightness behind.

Anyway he was so happy in the new saddle and worked so much more through from behind that he put on tons of topline. I went through 3 headplates in the end. Each time he decided the headplate was too small he would let me know in no uncertain terms and it would literally be over night. one day fine, next day forget it.
 
NellRosk said:
Nothing to suggest but really hope you get to the bottom of it! Nothing worse than not knowing what's wrong.
Click to expand...

Thank you :)

When I initially bought him he came with a saddle which wasn't an amazing fit (tipped forward on to shoulder so brand new one subsequently bought) and this didn't prompt anything like current reaction from him - though that's not to say of course that it couldn't this time. I really want to find something slightly amiss awful as it sounds as at least then there is a rational answer to this odd behaviour.

All advice/opinions greatly appreciated - thank you.
 
Have a look in his mouth, one of ours started doing a bit of this (running away) and he had a horrible cut high up inside his mouth. I assume from trying to eat the hedge or something. Vet missed it despite coming out twice! It healed pretty quickly and he returned to his normal self!
 
Pigeon said:
Have a look in his mouth, one of ours started doing a bit of this (running away) and he had a horrible cut high up inside his mouth. I assume from trying to eat the hedge or something. Vet missed it despite coming out twice! It healed pretty quickly and he returned to his normal self!
Click to expand...

Thanks - I will have a peek tomorrow see if there's anything there :)
 
Scatterbrain said:
Is it his right hind he's slightly lame on? If so, could well be hind gut ulcers. Classic symptoms include spooking and bolting.
Click to expand...

Looked off on left hind on Tues if anything though vet unconvinced there was anything obviously wrong today. Another avenue to consider though by the looks of it :rolleyes:
 
Just a thought when the teeth were checked ,does your horse have wolf teeth ,they can cause a lot of problems ,running away ect, and I was told they can be painful.
 
Frustrating for you. It sounds like you are checking all the right things. I think I would stick to doing groundwork until the saddle fitter and osteo can look at him - you don't want this to become normal or habit for him and you certainly don't want to get hurt. And if it is pain, you don't want to aggravate it. There are always good things you can do on the ground to keep him busy and strengthen your bond.

I hope you get it figured out. It does not sound like fun!
 
baymareb said:
Frustrating for you. It sounds like you are checking all the right things. I think I would stick to doing groundwork until the saddle fitter and osteo can look at him - you don't want this to become normal or habit for him and you certainly don't want to get hurt. And if it is pain, you don't want to aggravate it. There are always good things you can do on the ground to keep him busy and strengthen your bond.

I hope you get it figured out. It does not sound like fun!
Click to expand...

Thank you - I guess this is what I'm worried about, he is quite a clever chap really and I don't want something to become a habit that initially derived from fear/pain. I wouldn't mind if he was chucking in an odd cheeky buck, but this has happened now in the ménage 3 times and I don't want to inadvertently reinforce it! I guess if all clear we will have to go back to basics which is a major frustration after thoughts of novice/ele tests happening later this year :(
 
I have had a similar thing with my boy who has been an angel for 18months and then overnight turned into a rearing dangerous horse. Turns out it was his saddle which had only been fitted in July and the behaviour started in September. Have had McTimoney practitioner out twice to treat him and a new saddle fitted. Due to bad weather haven't been able to sit on him yet but he's had 2 months unridden and I'm hoping he doesn't remember that rearing is a thing he should do when ridden. He is pain free now and lunging beautifully in the new saddle so fingers crossed. I hope you get your horse sorted, it really is horrible when they're behaviour completely changes but my horse must have been in a lot of pain :-(
 
allowayhorses said:
I have had a similar thing with my boy who has been an angel for 18months and then overnight turned into a rearing dangerous horse. Turns out it was his saddle which had only been fitted in July and the behaviour started in September. Have had McTimoney practitioner out twice to treat him and a new saddle fitted. Due to bad weather haven't been able to sit on him yet but he's had 2 months unridden and I'm hoping he doesn't remember that rearing is a thing he should do when ridden. He is pain free now and lunging beautifully in the new saddle so fingers crossed. I hope you get your horse sorted, it really is horrible when they're behaviour completely changes but my horse must have been in a lot of pain :-(
Click to expand...

Thanks - I am hoping something similar will be found! Saddle is being checked in 2 weeks and just awaiting Osteo appointment. In the mean time I'll just do some groundwork, 2 weeks off shouldn't do any harm at all especially in this grim weather. It's horrible when such a dramatic thing happens without warning, be so much easier if they could talk!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top