Stallion like behaviour while being fed ?

[Shysmum]

Within the last three months or so, Shy, 13, fully gelded (I was there!), has become a bit of a loony around feed time. Basically, he drops his bits, and while they are down he is very "strongly unhappy" about any contact at all, and can be scary. Absolutely NOTHING has changed in his routine. He'll stand and kick his feed bowl over, refuses to let me get near him, and is a complete k***. I'm very happy to stay away for these three minutes or so, but wondered if anyone has any ideas ? No change to feed, regime, handling, but it's quite strange. Thanks x

 

[Cowpony]

Any new horses nearby? Change in the ingredients of the feed?

 

[Shysmum]

Absolutely nothing new ! Such a gentleman turns in seconds.

 

[Parrotperson]

when was he gelded?

 

[planete]

When I do not know what is triggering a behaviour, I change the whole routine around it: place, time, order I do things in and anything else I can think of.

 

[Sossigpoker]

I would honestly speak to your vet. Maybe they will do a blood test to check that hormones and everything else is in order?

 

[Sossigpoker]

Has the order of feeding changed? Wondering if thus could be a sign of frustration that his feed isn't coming as quickly as usual ?

 

[Lois Lame]

I'm surprised he drops his... I mean, my gelding would drop his when he was relaxed, not when a meal was being served. To ask a delicate question, is it... flaccid or-

 

[SEL]

Ask your vet to blood test. We had an ancient gelding on my old yard who suddenly thought he was a stallion and we wondered about a tumour. Vet ran some tests and gave him a short course of regumate and he went back to his normal self.

 

[Shysmum]

Thankyou everyone, I will speak to my vet. He's just done it again. The positive side is that if I'm quick enough, I can spray on sheath cleaner, no rinse type. Working a treat !

 

[Antw23uk]

Thankyou everyone, I will speak to my vet. He's just done it again. The positive side is that if I'm quick enough, I can spray on sheath cleaner, no rinse type. Working a treat !

Always a positive, I like it, lol!

 

[Widgeon]

Thankyou everyone, I will speak to my vet. He's just done it again. The positive side is that if I'm quick enough, I can spray on sheath cleaner, no rinse type. Working a treat !

Crikey you're brave Hope you can find a clear cause and get it resolved, sounds a bit upsetting.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Where do you feed?
I just ask as years ago I used to get into such trouble at my livery yard because people fed in the field or just outside the gate and at this time of year, cold and getting hungry but not yet in at night to eat in private my gelding would go beserk. It was the stress of other horses over looking him and I guess him thinking they could take it and also him being desperate to eat other horses food.
He was fine the rest of the year.
In hindsight it was a bloody idiotic thing to do but he was my first pony and that was how the livery yard worked.
I literally had such bollo**** over him from people ?

 

[scruffyponies]

This doesn't sound like 'stallion' behaviour at all. It sounds like food-obsessive stress behaviour.
One of mine got much more stressy after being gelded. I wonder if this chap might be feeling a little neurotic too.

 

[Shysmum]

Atm he is fed in the stable. When fed out on the yard, or in the field, he is exactly the same. I'll try and get a video of what's going on.

 

[[153312]]

Why do you say it's "stallion" behaviour out of interest? Just because he drops his bits?

 

[Lois Lame]

Yes, I don't understand that either. In my experience, dropping 'bits' is from relaxation.

 

[Shysmum]

It's getting out of hand now. Handling = unflaccid bits. Unhandleable, I just have to stay out of the stable or he barges me, marches round the stable, and kicks his feed bowl over. If I try to do up his belly straps all hell breaks loose .I have managed to clean his penis via spray (was urgent). I'm very upset, told him tonight I want to sell him, having had him since a baby. Seriously considering it now, I cant cope with it, he has the very best of everything ?

 

[[153312]]

Did you speak to a vet?

Selling him because of this would be both irresponsible and unfair to the horse and potential new owner.

 

[DizzyDoughnut]

Have you had a vet out to see him yet? If this kind of behavior is new for him there must be a reason for it, I'd get the vet out asap and be looking to find cause. Even if you seriously did want to sell him you'd still need to try and find the cause of the problem first as I imagine very few honest buyers would take on an unknown problem like that.

 

[Floofball]

Sounds like he absolutely LOVES his bucket food in his stable. Is he ok the rest of the time? If so I’d just leave him in peace while he eats it.

 

[Lois Lame]

And absolutely nothing at all has changed?
When does he kick his bucket over? Only after finishing the feed?
A video would be good.

 

[PurBee]

Sounds too drastic a behaviour change to his normal, if the food/surroundings/context has remained the same.

hormone level changes cause change in emotions and behaviour, so i suspect that asking a vet for a hormone panel to be tested would be A wise first step. Testosterone levels increasing could cause more power/ aggression to tactile stimuli, yet we would expect the behaviour to occur all the time when being handled, rather than just bucket food time.

Is the behaviour happening at sporadic times or just bucket feed?

 

[PurBee]

My gelding this summer exhibited weird dropped genitals and stamping of back legs, ears back annoyance behaviour, shifting his back end about trying to escape something, after coming in from the fields - i was searching for a wasp/fly/bite….scratching him all over his back end and under the belly, inner thighs thinking he had an almighty bite/itch. He was very annoyed by it and i thought the dropped genitals was a weird response ive not normally seen with him. At times the penis would sporadically spring erect, then go flaccid too. So perhaps erect = annoyance.

This was outside and if in a stable with him in this state i would sense aggression, when really he was annoyed at something and wasnt being aggressive TO me.

He then tried to show me where the problem was - pulling his rear heel bulb up to his mouth and trying to itch. I itched all over and under the heel bulb, once i saw this. He seemed to like it. Couldnt see anything odd there at all. Perfect healthy hairy, dry, glossy hair, no bites - it was a mystery, half hour later he was fine. Repeat next day coming in from fields, then soon fine, once again. Then no repeats.

Someone on another thread mentioned warm winter weather and crab fly bites. Is it warm where you are? Any insects?

 

[onlytheponely]

Is he weeing normally? It can be the sign of a UTI or other urinary related problems so the aggression may be related to discomfort.

 

[Nasicus]

Yes, I don't understand that either. In my experience, dropping 'bits' is from relaxation.

I think Shy is trying to politely say he's got an erection. So no relaxed, flaccid dropping, more landing gear engaged dropping.

Shy, I think you need to get the vet out, it's a very dramatic, sudden change in your boy.

 

[criso]

My gelding will drop and get stiff when doing carrot stretches. He's not aggressive and doesn't seem unhappy, just seems to find carrot stretches very 'exciting'.

 

[Shysmum]

Before our recent COPD scare ( other post) I changed the routine. I sent him into the stable, where his feed was waiting for him, shut the door, and walked away. Snuck up to take a look, no willy flopping, no bowl kicked over. I guess it's a dominance thing, but I'll let him eat in peace from now on.