seasonal napping? horse leaving me scratching my head.

[charlie76]

I have a horse on my yard that was bought last year in september as a weak four year old, we took him slowly and he came on nicely and was going well until we hit November, he suddenly out of the blue became a nappy sod. It started in the school BH it he then napped out hacking both towards and away from home and other horses, he would even nap in the middle of the ride, his napping consisted on spinning round then when asked to move forward he would reverse , if you told him off he would rear. Sitting it out didn't work and if you turned him he would reverse in circles.
We had the usual checks done, back, eyes, tack etc and he was fine.
We tried everything, in the end I asked a dealer friend to come and ride him, he sorted him out, he didn't smack him but rode him with two whips, left him alone and rode him forward and he tried it on, ran backwards, reversed into a stable, backed up a bank but he rode him through it, he has been fine ever since, hacking on his own, hunting, lessons, jumping, been spot on, until last week, almost a year to the day and he has started it all again, this time he is bigger and stronger so means it.
It just seems a coincidence that he has been fine all year since being sorted out and now he is being a sod again, he won't leave the yard , reversing, rearing, her boxes and strikes out in temper if pushed. Once out he isn't too bad, but he will do the same coming back in the yard.
Any suggestions as to why the month of November seems to cause him to behave this way?

 

[AppaloosaPonyHorse]

Is there anything you can think of that is changed at this time of the year? Food, turnout etc?

Has he been doing this with anyone who has rode him recently, can someone else try if he was just doing this with one person at yard. He could just be testing the rider and taking the p big time, but strange if he wasn't up til now.

Can someone try the methods your dealer friend used with the two sticks to try and nip this in the bud?

 

[webble]

Mine has gone like that in the last few weeks too so will be watching with interest, good luck with sorting him out

 

[charlie76]

Same rider, with two sticks, this isn't working now, same feed, same turn out, same exercise

 

[_HP_]

Ulcers? Is he getting enough hay?
Is he clipped? Cold maybe?

 

[baby_dudley]

Also want to follow this as sounds just like my mare! She is not quite rearing but learnt a good way to block her doing this last year, but she has been going all summer hacking like a dream and then last Friday she just decided no! It took me 50 minutes to go 2 minutes from yard.
Help!

 

[Hedwards]

Could it be gut discomfort, less grazing, colder, potentially greater amounts of 'hard feed'? How is he for girthing/grooming around the girth area? Particularly likely if he was in poor contrition when you got him last year...

 

[Kelly1982]

Snap!! I'm having the same problem with mine in the school. I spoke to my instructor and she says a few of hers have gone like it too and she finds it happens this time of year.

Maybe it's coz routines change due to darker nites so stabled longer etc and takes them a while to adjust

 

[deicinmerlyn]

Was also going to suggest Ulcers. Grass has gone down, colder etc. Knew a horse who behaved similarly for no obvious reason. Turned out he had Ulcers.

 

[charlie76]

He is clipped but well rugged and ridden in a exercise sheet, he is out during the day on good grazing for the time of year and he has ad lib hay when in . hard feed wise he just has nuts chaff and beet. He isn't at all girthy or sensitive. He's a mystery!

 

[FubsyMog]

First-off, I will state that I am currently just a RS rider so of very limited experience. But this is my second winter at the RS I'm currently at, and both times I have seen normally totally sensible/plod horses go a bit silly at this time - RI has said several times that they seem to get like this at this time - and to make sure we actually RIDE them, not bimble along - possibly the cold and being clipped having some effect. Light levels, both in the indoor school and outdoors, are also quite different and shadows change and some things are less visible/possibly more spook-inducing?

 

[p87]

I got my boy in January this year, discovered he had ulcers. Got them under control with 24/7 turnout, adlib forage, eliminating hard feed and giving him a holiday from being ridden. He's been great all summer, but a couple of weeks ago he started getting a runny back end again (which he hasn't had since early spring), girthy, agitated and napping with me on his back, both in and out of the school.

He is still turned out 24/7 and since the ridden work seems to be stressing him again I'm giving him another wee holiday and getting the vet out to see where to go from here, as it's obvious the ulcers are bothering him again.

 

[Hippona]

Try giving him a small chaff feed before you ride.
Mine used to be similar when the grass goes off...little feed before we go out has sorted him

 

[catkin]

First-off, I will state that I am currently just a RS rider so of very limited experience. But this is my second winter at the RS I'm currently at, and both times I have seen normally totally sensible/plod horses go a bit silly at this time - RI has said several times that they seem to get like this at this time - and to make sure we actually RIDE them, not bimble along - possibly the cold and being clipped having some effect. Light levels, both in the indoor school and outdoors, are also quite different and shadows change and some things are less visible/possibly more spook-inducing?

I think you could be right about the light levels - being prey animals horses are instinctively cautious at dusk/dawn or of shadows that could have anything lurking in them. One situation we've found over the years is that our horses can react oddly to familiar tracks if the sun is gleaming on a wet surface - must look very different to them, quite disconcerting if it is a familiar place.

Add that to feeling fresh in the cold, differences in routine and possibly food, weather turning etc etc etc.....

 

[chestnut cob]

He is clipped but well rugged and ridden in a exercise sheet, he is out during the day on good grazing for the time of year and he has ad lib hay when in . hard feed wise he just has nuts chaff and beet. He isn't at all girthy or sensitive. He's a mystery!

Was he out 24/7 in the summer? If so then that seems to be the only thing that has changed (clipping shouldn't have *that* much effect, surely?) so could maybe be that stabling doesn't suit him? Clutching at straws a bit but am thinking vaguely that maybe less turnout, or just stabling itself, doesn't suit his character. It's a bit of a stab in the dark though. Were you feeding him through the summer, and last winter too? On a basic level it could be as simple as needing more turnout (I don't mean you aren't turning out enough, just that maybe he needs 24/7?), his hard feed not suiting him (ulcers?), needing more work.

Is he a stressy type? Could be maybe he has low level ulcers which flare up when he is stabled and given hard feed?

 

[_HP_]

He is clipped but well rugged and ridden in a exercise sheet, he is out during the day on good grazing for the time of year and he has ad lib hay when in . hard feed wise he just has nuts chaff and beet. He isn't at all girthy or sensitive. He's a mystery!

Perhaps, although the grass is good for this time of year, there may not be enough of it. Perhaps the horse needs supplementry hay while turned out and a small chaff feed before being ridden.

 

[LizzyandToddy]

Interestingly I have known a couple of horses before now that wouldn't ride out on the roads between february and august - That is to say until they knew that they were getting fit for hunting it would seem!

- very bizzare if you ask me, but it's not as uncommon as you think. That said the horses in question would quite happily be ridden at home in the arena / compete through the summer it just seemed to be going on the roads.