Please help! Horse acted v oddly tonight :(

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Cash

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Ok sorry if this gets really long.

So this evening I got to the yard about 4, one of the first to arrive. Pouring with rain. I mucked out (normally try to muck out first thing, so the floor can air, but didn't have time as I had GCSEs today. So ATM quite often muck out PM), and forked up the clean straw into banks at walls of stables, and swept the floor. Then went to get Cash from the field to ride, with the intention of tying him in stable (straw still banked) to groom and tack up, so he didn't have to stand outside in the rain. I do this regularly, he is fine with it.
Cash came over as usual, seemed fairly relaxed but alert. Brought him out of the field and it was like a fuse had blown! As soon as we turned for the yard, he started rearing vertical and bucking. I got him under control by being firm and using lots of voice, but he continued to jog and do little leaps- just very on edge. He didn't seem to be scared of anything in particular. He can be quite silly (ie spooky) on way from field, jogging occasionally and trying to be a little bolshy, but not this bad!! :(
He had calmed down by the time we got to the yard, and I took him over to his stable after walking round the yard a couple of times to settle him down. Got to door of the stable, I walked in first as usual- and he would not go in! He was terrified of something in there. So first thing I did was tie him up outside and go into stable to check the little yard cat was not in there scaring him or anything. Nothing there. Initially I just stood inside the stable, holding the leadrope, letting him stand outside and look around. He was very tense at first- head high, eyes wide etc, but relaxed a bit after a few mins. So I started applying gentle pressure to the lead rope, immediately relaxing it and praising when he stepped forward, and making him back up if he took a step back (this is what my instructor taught me to do with my old horse who was a nervous loader). But he would NOT go inside. Put the straw down to make an ordinary bed (in case bare floor was worrying him, although not sure why it would, as like I say I often have him in there with bare floor before riding!). Tried taking haynet and waterbucket out..nope.
By this point the other liveries were arriving, and offering help, suggestions etc. I had been doing the pressure/release for around half an hour with no progress. So with the help of others, I tried numerous things, including resting a schooling whip on his bum (NOT hitting, I know that hitting a scared horse is NOT on!) and applying light pressure (again, not pushing or pulling vigourously) with a lunge rope round bum. Both just stressed him more. :(
Tried coaxing with food, but being a silly TB he is not at all food orientated, and was not interested. Also tried letting him watch his best mate walk in and out of the stable with no fuss- no improvement :(
I had now been at it for about two hours, and had tried taking him for a couple of breaks to chill out (went for a wander round the paddocks and let him graze- still quite tense). Someone suggested I have a ride to tire him out a little and get him thinking about something else. I just rode in the school, focusing on simple stuff like circles and walk/trot transitions, to prevent his mind blowing and get him concentrating and relaxed. He was actually quite good, albeit quite spooky (but he often can be TBH) and one explosion when my dad came up to the school with a huge umbrella :mad:
Got off after about 20 mins (still p!ssing it down!) and had another go, with the help of two lovely liveries who had stayed to help me for the whole time :o He went in after another 15 mins or so resistance.
He was stressed at first, and paced his box, blowing through his nose. Sniffed all the walls and pawed the straw away so he could look at the floor :confused: and got a bit hot. I waited about half an hour to check he woudl settle (he did) and left him with haylage.
I went up to check on him and feed about an hour ago and he seemed ok but still a tiny bit jumpy. :(

So, suggestions as to what spooked him?! Me and other liveries checked through the straw for anything nasty (eg dead mouse?), no nasty smell to indicate dog (or even fox?) had been in there during the day. We checked the walls, and even went behind the stable block to see if anything weird was there! Nothing.
I haven't used disinfectant or anything like that on the floor which might smell strong, no new type of bedding or hay..can't think of anything else :(
Help please. I've only had him 9 weeks or so, but he has not done anything like this so far- and it didn't seem like he was trying it on, he was scared. :(

PS. Did I do the right things? Did all I could think of, and feel bad that he was stressed and I don't know why. :(
 
Strange, two things spring to mind, my first pony started refusing to go in her stable, turned out that she had banged her hip on the door frame, which was at a funny angle, secondly, if it was raining, is there a metal roof to the stable?, the noise of rain on the roof could be a factor, we have a tree that brushes the barn roof behind our stables and the noise it makes is freaky, my mare is also very spooky just now, haven't worked out why yet.
Good luck
 
Wow sorry just realised how long this is :eek: Expect people are opening it up then closing it once they see how long I've rambled for!!
 
Could he have got stung or bitten by anything?


Or just had the wind up his tail and a had 'TB day'? If there's thunderstorms about, he's probably picking up on it perhaps?
 
Did he get cold because it rained? The reason I ask is that one of mine is an absolute idiot to bring in at the moment if it is overcast/windy/rainy. In fact, yesterday morning he waited for me in the field for his breakfast and was leaping up and down and bucking on the spot (he had had a rug on during the night, but was still arsey). Once he had eaten his breakfast he then proceeded to gallop up and down the field (and this horse is my retired cripple).

This same horse used to have straw in his stable, but I had to change him to rubber matting and shavings because of really obscure throat problem he developed in 2006. The first time he saw the black matting he was convinced it was a dark hole, and I had to go in before him and jump up and down, sit down on it etc. in order to convince him that he wasn't going to be swallowed up by the void.

As your horse is a TB do you think he could have got himself into a state due to the weather and then worked himself up even more when he saw the bare floor (even though as you say he had seen the bare stable floor before)? If I were you I wouldn't read too much into it. Horses can be incredibly stupid and contrary sometimes.
 
Were his buddies still out? Am I right in thinking you've not had him long? aybe he's just trying his luck because outside eating with his buddies is more fun than riding and a night in?
 
flirtygerty said:
Strange, two things spring to mind, my first pony started refusing to go in her stable, turned out that she had banged her hip on the door frame, which was at a funny angle, secondly, if it was raining, is there a metal roof to the stable?, the noise of rain on the roof could be a factor, we have a tree that brushes the barn roof behind our stables and the noise it makes is freaky, my mare is also very spooky just now, haven't worked out why yet.
Good luck
Click to expand...

I did consider knocks/bangs in the stable previously..but he was an angel coming out this morning and going in last night (and night before that, and before that!) no knocks I don't think :confused:
Don't *think* it would be rain noises- roof is tiled. Plus, when I brought him in during a thunderstorm a couple of evenings ago, he was really good, despite thunder, lightening and loads of rain!
Thanks for suggestions though, will have a think. :(
 
Not such a nice break after an exam :(

Rain noise on roof? Rain bouncing off something weird? Rat in water bucket? Banged head/bit of body going in/coming out? A field buddy left early? A change in routine?

The rain and sun are going to be sending the grass growth pretty haywire, so it could be a result of that?
 
Well done on being so patient! Could there have been thunder in the air, it does sometimes upset ours and the old Appy could be very stressed in a stom. We think ours may have been chased by a loose dog today, it looks as if the current Appy has slid into the wall, very very unusual. One of the problems of course is that we can't be there all the time (have to work :( ) let's hope it was a one off.
 
JoG said:
Were his buddies still out? Am I right in thinking you've not had him long? aybe he's just trying his luck because outside eating with his buddies is more fun than riding and a night in?
Click to expand...

I don't think so- he genuinely seemed panicked and scared- sweaty, heart rate up (could feel it thudding when I stroked him!) eyes wide, tense. He is not really 'cheeky' in that way TBH (that I know of, so far!)- is more of a spooky, slightly babyish-but-genuine type. He was the second horse to be brought in, and everyone else's came in within half an hour of him and went into stables for the night. (no one else really rides in the rain!)
Thanks for suggestions.
 
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MrsMozart said:
Not such a nice break after an exam :(

Rain noise on roof? Rain bouncing off something weird? Rat in water bucket? Banged head/bit of body going in/coming out? A field buddy left early? A change in routine?

The rain and sun are going to be sending the grass growth pretty haywire, so it could be a result of that?
Click to expand...

3 exams today actually :( :(

Not sure about rain noises, could be. Definitely not rat in water bucket or anywhere else that i could see. Can't recall any bumps, he is normally quite careful and aware of his body. No change in routine that I can think of, will have a think though.

Yes, could be grass- but wouldn't that make him energetic/silly rather than nervous and on edge? :( (Forgive me if i'm wrong!)
TBH I am thinking it could be something to do with the odd air pressure caused by the storms recently (like YorksG said). Just bewildered as he was fine yesterday, and throughout bad weather in recent days. :(

Yep yorksG that's the trouble, can't be there all the time! Got another exam first thing tomorrow, so will turn out as usual, then pop in after exam to see that he's ok out in the field.
 
maybe last night something got into his stable, maybe a rat or ferret. One owner on our yard was greeted be a dead rat one night and a dead ferret another in with her horse. It's a bit evil so had just killed them. A more normal horse would probably just be freaked out.
We also heard of a peacock in another stable, luckily horse wasn't in at the time.
Any of these things would worry another horse, well it would with my tb anyway.
Hopefully he will get over it and go back to normal. Poor thing must have got a real fright.
 
I've had 2 egs of things like you have got - last year my pony totally lost the plot about his stable (he's only the one in during the summer at night down the row I'm in of 6 stables) when the YO was attempting to rehabilitate a pigeon chick and she put the chick in the next door stable, they are half wooden partitions, half bars - therefore he could see it and hear it - he absolutely freaked. The pigeon was doing no more than sitting on a pile of hay as was poorly and weak but I arrived the next morning to find pony pinned to the back of his stable really wound up and desperate to get out. He was fine to be ridden and to stand outside his stable though was on edge but I couldn't get him actually back in his stable for 3 nights..and thankfully at that point the chick had died. I couldn't smell anything when the chick was alive or dead but it did arrive in a cat box from a vet's so I did wonder if that was what he could smell or just maybe he could smell a dying pigeon I have no idea. I did also hear that someone had tried to see if the pigeon chick could fly so I did wonder if it had had a crash landing through the bars into my stable....and had been retrieved. I had to wear my hat during the attempts to get him into his stable and in the end decided he was better out than in and once the pigeon was gone he was totally fine again though a bit on edge the first night. So just wondering if you have any swallows nests in beams or nearby your stable which may have dead birds in them? Or maybe rats or mice died behind walls though it sounds like he was in a state before he even got to his stable..if so...

My 2nd experience was when he'd met one of his great fears out hacking when I hadn't had him very long. A field full of quad bikes racing. Again totally lost it hacking home and when we put him in his stable started rearing so someone helped me get him out to the field. He was so nervous I could just about get him back on the yard from the field for the 2 days after but he couldn't cope with being in his stable as was still in flee mode and didn't want to be constrained but wanted to be with the other geldings as I think he felt safer. I tend to listen to him when he's like that as his responses are a reflection of deep seated animal instincts so I'd rather he was allowed to have space and company to chill out with.

So maybe something happened in your horse's field during the day? Or the weather pressure, did you have any lightning nearby at all? He may be fine with thunder and lightning but just wondering if lightning had maybe hit anything in your field like a tree or telegraph pole as that makes an utterly terrifying crack of noise!
 
I bet something - and you may never discover what - has traumatised him and the last thing he wanted to be was trapped in his stable with no means of escape. You haven't had him long and have altered his routine, which to some horses is the end of the world.
 
My TB is very similar in very, very heavy rain.

He won't come in, he won't come near the gate, he won't walk into the yard, he spooks when the light flickers even though he sees it flicker ever night... hes scared of everything, even me! ha.

In a thunderstorm I can't put him out at all, cause theres no chance I'll get him back :P
 
I had this a few times with my mare on each occassion I found something had happened earlier in the day
On once occassion a man had been on the roof of the neighbouring house banging roof tiles .On another occassion a herd of young cows had got out an galloped up and down passed the field .A deer had got stuck in the fence but had freed itself.
a couple of terriers had got into the field and chased the horses about .
She has got much better as she has got older and more experienced with things happening.
I found that the nervousness about going into a closed space sometimes lasted for several occassions after the incident.
I found that puting her in and out / in and out gently no hiting or waving arms shouting just gentle encouragement and then a feed as a reward got over it .
She isn't a particularly 'nervous' horse but a sensitive T/B.
 
thunder in the air sends even my mums very laid back chap a bit scatty, my TB tends to roll loads, leap up, bronc on spot, roll etc until he's all foamy white sweaty.worse if left out as gallops up and down skidding in to fence. i pop a thermatex on, bandage legs and leave him to it.

so could it be him sensing a storm brewing?
 
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