Serious advise needed

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hgriffiths

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Dear fellow horse owners,

I have a beautiful 4yr old 17.1 hh Irish Draught x Irish sports...that ive had since a yearling, he has never put a foot wrong, bombproof in traffic and kind natured and basically a perfect horse.

2 weeks ago, due to the land being sold, I had to move him to new accommodation, the grass was good, approx 2 acres, but he is on his own.

Since the move, I have rode him daily without any problem whatsoever, last Saturday I had him shod (this is his 9th set of shoes) and wormed him (Equip Blue), rode him the same day and all was good....... then... it all went wrong.. The next day I rode him again and he was like something possessed...I noticed within minutes of riding him he was very 'Energetic' and 'up-beat' trotting rather than his usual steady walk.. Then within 30 minutes he was lathered up (soaking wet) .. Wouldn’t go forward, trying to turn round, rearing up (not a full rear) and stepping sideways up the road, pulling ont he bit, snatching my hands on the reins and dropping his head forward........frightening actually as I was on a busy country lane.......
He was spooky; going crazy when we passed horses in fields and 'Hyper'... eventually I got him back to the farm......
My initial thoughts were his feed, so I immediately stopped his 1 feed a day ...which was just Meadow Mix (oats and barley free) 1 x scoop.
I’ve not changed his bridle, bit or any of his tack.
Tonight I rode him to have exactly the same thing happen.....to the point where I had to get off him and lead him back. When we got within sight of the farm he seemed to settle down....
I have noticed 2 things... firstly when I’m riding him and he 'poo's' he makes a terrible noise, and secondly his poo's are very loose.....
My concerns are:-

Is he in pain in anyway, maybe stomach pain?
Could his grazing cause this by being maybe a little too good?
Maybe his shoes are too tight

Any advice is very welcome, in the yard he is his beautiful gentle self, but as soon as I ride him it goes horribly wrong.....and this all started on Saturday.

Please help

Helen
 
Yes, he had been wormed regular when needed, I used the 'worm count' procedure, but as this was new land, and horses where on here previous, i thought it better to use an actual wormer.
 
I'd be inclined to think the change of grass and the wormer has upset him somehow. Especially if he now has 2 acres all to himself. Can you restrict grass for a couple of days to see if he settles down?
 
Well as I say it could be many things, but the first thing that came to my mind, especially if he's been a bit loose, is the worming.

Worm counts can be helpful but depending when they are done they cam miss some types of worms. When you then worm after a long period of not worming it can cause problems in the gut.
This could explain the loose bum and possible pain reactions when riding.

It could also be that he's taking a bit of time to settle to a new place. What is the grass like there? Lots of horses have been going loopy at the moment with the lush grass.
 
Could it be the fact that he is on his own? How many horses was he with previously? He could be having a panic attack and as soon as he sees home he settles as he is safe...... If his shoes were too tight he would go lame from my experiance, loose poos are normal if the grazing is good our tb has perminate cow pats at the moment......how is he riding in the feild? If fine then its prob behavoural, maybe being alone all the time if not then i would get vet out to check.

Xx
 
My bets go on the grass. Any way you can restrict or cut out grazing ltogether. It could possibly b the move as well. Think we underestimate ho traumatic this can be for a horse sometimes.
 
It sounds to me like he's having a bit of a meltdown. A few questions...

Has he been kept alone before?
Do you usually ride on your own or is that a change for him?
Does he know your new hacking or is it a different area?
Do you have a field suitable for lunging and riding in or a nearby arena you can hire?
Is your new hacking route a "go out, turn round and come back the same way" route, or is it circular?
 
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Am I reading to it right that he is on his own in the field?
If thats the case it is stress and the stress is upsetting his stomach and why he is napping at other horses, he wants company.
 
Regarding possible back problems, I have the vet coming out tomorrow to check him over, also I will have the vet check for possible worming issues, either from the wormer or possible worm infestation.

The grazing is good, not exactly 'Lush' but ample, and I will tape the field off to restrict his quantity..... all great advise thank you to everyone.
 
I'm no expert but when you were at the previous yard, did you initially go hacking together with other horses/riders until your horse became familiar with the area, and only then started going for a hack alone?

Isn't it maybe the combination of new/rich pastures which is starting to kick in, and making him feel more fresh/energetic, plus the fact that he is now in an unfamiliar area and having to explore the lanes unaccompanied by others?

If I was you I would maybe go with another rider/get someone to walk with you the next few times you go on a hack - just to prevent your horse from getting into the habit of napping every time he set foot outside the yard. You don't want him to start thinking that he can get away with this behaviour every time.

If he settles down every time you get back to the yard, then I wouldn't have thought the problem is due to worm burden/sore feet.
 
I'd put it down to having 2 acres of good grass to go at, plus the fact that if he is kept alone and getting excited when he sees other horses it might be worth trying a companion with him.

Try restricting grazing and see what happens, you could also add some yea-sacc to help settle his tummy.
 
Mine went silly when I tried to keep him on his own. I think this combined with the good grass may be your problem.
I would suggest cutting out the hard feed,perhaps offering speedibeet with some unmollassed chaff to carry some magnesium oxide(new grazing may be short on this mineral.)
Can you get him some company?
 
this is his first time on his own, however I have ridden alone.

He is familair with the area, and he knows the routes very well, I am trying to get him company at the farm.

There is a yard (thats sadly full) up the road that I could ride him to and use the menage, only problem is getting him to go there ! lol ...

I will tape off the field, restrict his grazing and hee how he goes, thank you to everyone for the advise.
 
I tend to agree with Npage123 - He may have been ok to start with and then had a sudden loss of condifence. Seeing the other horses made him realise what he is missing company. If you can then try to hack with someone.
Also remember the grass can change a lot at this time of year - we're having a later spring so maybe it might be too rich and taken a few days to kick in - lots of fresh new shoots. Was he on grass 24x7 before? Maybe a bit of hay would help balance it out.

Also you could try an off the shelf gastric product. Horse Health have several. I'm no expert but I seem to remember that if a horse has an upset stomach it loses all its natural gut flora as they leave quickly when dunging so much and it takes quite a while to get that back - like many days, poss weeks. I think people can recover from gastric issues very quickly but horses struggle to get the gastric balance back so a gastric product could help his natural gut flora return and settle it. A bit like us having a probiotic really....but ask your vet about this.
 
I would really consider getting him some company or moving him asap. He sounds like he's just in a state about being alone.
He is telling you this by acting up even more when he sees the other horses.
What is he like when you go to the field, does he seem stressed or relaxed?
The loose poop could well be anxiety/stress.
One of mine had to be on his own for a while (even tho he could see other horses) and 'seemed' ok but was constantly on edge, nervy, spooky. Completely changed horse when he was turned out in company again.
My other 2 I wouldn't even get out the field without them coming through the fence if I left them on their own.
Most horses need company, you can't just think 'oh its only for a few weeks' because they can get incredibly stressed in that time.
 
bless him, it sounds like he is really unsettled, and the changes in his life have made his stomach a little more sensative than normal... they can change behaviour and make the droppings loose.... give him time to adjust, hopefully he will get there soon...

Can you imagine if this was a "just bought him" case - such a change in behaviour would make it seem like he was "mis-sold" or you were "conned" (thinking of a thread from the other night) - just goes to show that these lovely animals we have the pleasure of knowing are a lot more sensative than we think.

Im sure it wont take long and youll have your old boy back...

:)
 
hgriffiths said:
t

There is a yard (thats sadly full) up the road that I could ride him to and use the menage, only problem is getting him to go there ! lol ...
Click to expand...

Work wise, I'd try lunging in your field a bit and if you can get him to settle into work that way then try riding. Then try taking him to the arena to do the same. If you are schooling you are going forward more and giving him more to think about than when you're out hacking.

It would be better for his overall stress levels if he wasn't kept all alone, that can be very distressing for horses. Think about it from his POV, not only is he "lost" but he's lost and all by himself. :(
 
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