sad horse

nicolenlolly

nicolenlolly

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just wondering do some horses just look sad or is my boy unhappy? He makes Eeyore look chirpy!

Dont want to worry about nothing but dont like the idea of him being miserable. He looks slightly happier when food is about and when out riding he always seems happy but so sombre in the field - could he be bored?

Tried uploading photo but it didnt work...grrr to the new computer!
 
My horse used to look sad & like he'd had a hard life when i first got him..completely different now though.. My friend has a hannivarian & I have known him for about 12 years & he has always looked sad.. don't know why but he just does. He's t/o every day, ridden a lot, fed properly, is the boss in the field but just sort of lifeless behind the eyes..
 
Mine has cornered the market in the "I'm an unloved welfare case" look.

During the winter, when she thinks its almost tea time she comes up to the gate and hangs her head over, ears out like a donkey, wobbly bottom lip and stares through the kitchen window.

Given that she is unrugged with a coat like a bear and is usually covered from head to toe in mud its a miracle i've not been reported for cruelty!!! :D

ETA - she has acres of grass, additional hay when needed and a field companion!
 
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Gluttonforpunishment you did make me giggle!

Yes he has two section A's that he bosses around although I think secretly he is in love with them, we went riding at the weekend and my brother who was riding him tried to take him down a path that was running parallel with the one that we were on, now hairy chap could see us but you have never seem such a perfect pirouette (sp) in all your life, he would not leave his boys!

He will get a rug but not just yet, it isnt cold enough, they are turned out 24/7 and have 7 acres. There is a yard next door so other friends to talk to through the hedge. He gets ridden once or twice a week so I dont ask much of him but I do go and give him a cuddle and a brush every day. He doesnt have ears pinned back or anything, they are forwards/alert and one on me if I am behind him just mr. morose :(

Maybe I need to try and take him out more to stimulate him, I will make an effort to ride more in the evenings, its just I am pregnant and wont ride alone just in case so I have to rely on hubby to get home early too.
 
aww bless him, I like the comparison lol to a big dog! the only trouble is I dont have the facility to put a UV light on for him. hmmm, maybe I will go and give him a brush and try to cheer him up, might even stretch to a couple of polos just so he knows I love him :) xx
 
My lad was badly abused physically and mentally before we got him ( not by who we bought him off) and for a year he too always looked so very sad and stressed. Now he is looking much happier and is much less stressed, he has an expressive face and you can tell what he is thinking, which can be handy when he is plotting something naughty! I hope OP's horse is ok and just has a hang dog look, some horses do.

FDC
 
I think his past was less than happy. He has White lines behind his ears which we think would indicate that he had a head collar too tight as a youngster, he is only 5 now so not that long ago, he is still quite head shy, you can't slide a head collar on normally, you have to bring it from up the neck first and he doesn't like the end of his nose being touched. If you raise your hand he will back up pronto, a sensitive soul bless him. Maybe just getting over it, I think he knows that he is safe now but when we got him, it took a good 3 months to go near him from the field, he would just leg it. Wish they could talk, wouldn't it make life easier, then I could tell him he has nothing to worry about!
 
nicolenlolly said:
I think his past was less than happy. He has White lines behind his ears which we think would indicate that he had a head collar too tight as a youngster, he is only 5 now so not that long ago, he is still quite head shy, you can't slide a head collar on normally, you have to bring it from up the neck first and he doesn't like the end of his nose being touched. If you raise your hand he will back up pronto, a sensitive soul bless him. Maybe just getting over it, I think he knows that he is safe now but when we got him, it took a good 3 months to go near him from the field, he would just leg it. Wish they could talk, wouldn't it make life easier, then I could tell him he has nothing to worry about!
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My friends horse has 2 white lines behind her horses ears from wearing a snuggy hood. It rubbed its ear after one day of wearing it and left 2 lines. Shes really upset about it as it looks like she twitched him using his ears
 
This may sound very strange but my old horse used to get the winter blues!! All he needed was a bit of sun and he was a diffident horse!! How I miss him!!
 
I think that sometimes they just get a bit grumpy, like human beings really, if thats possible. Its like all of us, we arent always happy are we? I know we arent the same as horses, but it cant be too far away. I know my chap shows his feelings extremely well by the look in his eyes - mainly happy, but if he has to stay in for too long he looks really fed up, sad even. When he is happy, he actually seems to 'purr', all of my fellow liveries have heard him do it, and have commented that he sounds like a contented, purring cat.
 
Horses are all just different, - within my herd of 25 horses - three of them are always together, some their friendships are stronger and one pony is always on her own, looking sad and always away from the main bulk of the herd. At first I thought she maybe getting bullied, nope no evidence whatsoever, hungry - not getting the best bits of grass, no evidence always some hay left in morning and didn't bolt food, came to the conclusion that she just preferred her own company and that's how she is.

Just because it didn't conform to how I precieved a happy pony should look and behave I assumed something was wrong !

Prehaps if you can't ride maybe you could take out in hand for some stimulation and something different. My old girl - she's 32 now still loves to pottle down the track, stand about for a bit while I pick, Blackberries, Elderberries etc and pottle home again.
 
Have you thought of giving some bute for a few days to see if that makes any difference to their mood? I might be soft but I always wonder if they might have a head ache or be in pain somewhere:o
 
Took the hairy chap out today and much chirpier. What I have found out though is that one of the (grrr I could swear)muppets that hires space in the scrap yard has been in the field. As we were leaving for our hack he called me over to tell me that the section a's are nuts. Apparently, he was flying a kite in my field...now why on earth would you do that? And he said they were chasing it like dogs, I said to him that they were probably terrified at which point he told me I don't know my ponies. They are 3 year old babies and some idiot is scaring them silly. I went in the field an couldnt get near them, they were petrified. Once out hacking they calmed down. Thank god my daughter and her school friend were there otherwise I might have said something I regret! So maybe i have found out why he looks mopey...some moron is terrorising them in their own home..so now what do I do? He clearly thinks he knows best, the mum of the school friend who also keeps horses was also horrified. Im so cross I could cry for them, poor babies!
 
You may not believe in such things, but how about sending his picture to an animal communicator such as Julie Lines - I don't have her number.

I think they can reveal a lot - they must pick up things that most of us don't and somehow they seem to get it right.

If you think your horse isn't happy, then probably he isn't.
 
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