SecretSquirrell379
Well-Known Member
Really sorry that this is a very long post but I'm at my wits end I've got a 20 year old mare who has always been on the spooky side, she's never needed much of an excuse to be naughty However her spooking has been getting worse and worse over the last 3-4 months. First of all I thought it was Spring coming, then it was her being in season, then the wind........I'm now running out of excuses for her. She spins VERY fast and if I manage to be quick enough to stop her spinning then she just leaps/runs to the side.
To give you a bit of back ground, about 8 weeks ago my friend was hacking her out with another livery when for some reason she reared and span 3 times, this sort of spooking is totally out of character for her, she just spins, never rears. My friend also got hurt as on the 3rd spin my mare when over and landed on my friend badly bruising her ribs. As the behaviour was so out of character and she had gone over I had the vet out to check her over. She had hurt her back so I had her back done as well. The vet coudn't find anything specifically wrong with her, the only thing he could find was she has got 'floaters' in her eyes, not huge one but 'maybe' this could be contributing to her spookiness. Some horses can live with them with no side effects at all, some more sensitive horses can be affected, but this is just a maybe. I have also had her teeth done, back done, saddle checked (and very slightly adjusted) everything I can think of. I took her off of haylage and put on just hay about 5 weeks ago, it doesn't seem to of made any difference. She is now fed Alfa A Hi Fi Light and 1/2 to 3/4 scoop of 16+ a day, turned out about 5 days a week and ridden 6 days a week.
I have a feeling that she can't see properly but the vet said her eyes look fine. The lady who brings her in for me at lunchtime has said that she is very jumpy and she's noticed a difference in her. She seems fine with the big things, cars/coaches/buses/lorrys, its the things she can't see and the pigeons flying out of the hedges and pheasants in the crops that she totally loses the plot over. Tonight for the first time in over 2 years I came off of her out hacking. My fault as I was leaning forward (just going into trot!) she span to the right I came straight out the side door. She looked terrified, wild eyes and snorting but she didn't run off. I've tried telling her off when she spooks, I've tried ignoring it and to be honest it makes no difference at all so now I am just trying to ignore it.
I just don't know what to do with her. I am going to speak to my vet next week and see what he says/suggests.
Has anyone got any suggestions?
Sorry for the huge long ramblings!!
ps I've put cheek pieces on her bridle to see if they help and they don't!!
To give you a bit of back ground, about 8 weeks ago my friend was hacking her out with another livery when for some reason she reared and span 3 times, this sort of spooking is totally out of character for her, she just spins, never rears. My friend also got hurt as on the 3rd spin my mare when over and landed on my friend badly bruising her ribs. As the behaviour was so out of character and she had gone over I had the vet out to check her over. She had hurt her back so I had her back done as well. The vet coudn't find anything specifically wrong with her, the only thing he could find was she has got 'floaters' in her eyes, not huge one but 'maybe' this could be contributing to her spookiness. Some horses can live with them with no side effects at all, some more sensitive horses can be affected, but this is just a maybe. I have also had her teeth done, back done, saddle checked (and very slightly adjusted) everything I can think of. I took her off of haylage and put on just hay about 5 weeks ago, it doesn't seem to of made any difference. She is now fed Alfa A Hi Fi Light and 1/2 to 3/4 scoop of 16+ a day, turned out about 5 days a week and ridden 6 days a week.
I have a feeling that she can't see properly but the vet said her eyes look fine. The lady who brings her in for me at lunchtime has said that she is very jumpy and she's noticed a difference in her. She seems fine with the big things, cars/coaches/buses/lorrys, its the things she can't see and the pigeons flying out of the hedges and pheasants in the crops that she totally loses the plot over. Tonight for the first time in over 2 years I came off of her out hacking. My fault as I was leaning forward (just going into trot!) she span to the right I came straight out the side door. She looked terrified, wild eyes and snorting but she didn't run off. I've tried telling her off when she spooks, I've tried ignoring it and to be honest it makes no difference at all so now I am just trying to ignore it.
I just don't know what to do with her. I am going to speak to my vet next week and see what he says/suggests.
Has anyone got any suggestions?
Sorry for the huge long ramblings!!
ps I've put cheek pieces on her bridle to see if they help and they don't!!