Strange horsey behaviour

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Horsey87

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Hi, just wondering if anyone has any advice.

I have a 12 yo tbx mare who has been retired on recommendation from vet due to arthritic conditions about 2 months ago.

In the past 2 weeks she has started to act very out of character. She has become difficult to lead to and from the field (she still comes in at night). Last week she started to bronc and be strong to lead (which she only used to do occasionally in spring) and then saturday morning she decided rearing and leaping was her new favourite pastime. Today she decided she just wanted to gallop around the field and not be caught (she has never done this before in the 3 years i have had her). She is fine in the stable and generally calm accept when leading. She is only fed 2 nets of hay and a scoop of hi-fi with her supplements in.

I have just started her on magnitude calmer on saturday to see if this makes a difference. I have spoken to my vet, who states if over the counter calmers don't work, the only thing we can resort to are tranquilizers! Has anyone ever had any experience of similar behaviour? I'm thinking maybe it could be to do with her not adapting well to retirement, but she was never in heavy work and has been left for a month or 2 before without being ridden.
 
Horsey87 said:
Hi, just wondering if anyone has any advice.

I have a 12 yo tbx mare who has been retired on recommendation from vet due to arthritic conditions about 2 months ago.

In the past 2 weeks she has started to act very out of character. She has become difficult to lead to and from the field (she still comes in at night). Last week she started to bronc and be strong to lead (which she only used to do occasionally in spring) and then saturday morning she decided rearing and leaping was her new favourite pastime. Today she decided she just wanted to gallop around the field and not be caught (she has never done this before in the 3 years i have had her). She is fine in the stable and generally calm accept when leading. She is only fed 2 nets of hay and a scoop of hi-fi with her supplements in.

I have just started her on magnitude calmer on saturday to see if this makes a difference. I have spoken to my vet, who states if over the counter calmers don't work, the only thing we can resort to are tranquilizers! Has anyone ever had any experience of similar behaviour? I'm thinking maybe it could be to do with her not adapting well to retirement, but she was never in heavy work and has been left for a month or 2 before without being ridden.
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Bored? Though you say she has already had two months off ... in season?
How odd.
Has anything else changed, at all?
 
If she is feeling that good I would get a second opinion - does she really need to be retired at 12! :confused:

I'm sure a lot of people on this forum would be able to evidence at least one horse/pony to their knowledge that had been 'retired' by a vet and then come back into full/some work!

If she is sound and happy, keeping her in work. If she is lame and in pain and her quality of life is not good, you know what should be done.

You know your horse, trust your own instinct and gut feeling.

Good luck :)
 
I would suggest she's bored out of her tiny mind! Retiring 12 year olds with arthritis is not really the sort of advice I'd expect from a vet!! It's generally the worst thing in the world for them - because regular exercise HELPS with arthritic conditions!

I have 2 oldies with severe arthritic conditions first diagnosed 3-4 years ago.

1 - aged 22 now - has high articular ringbone. He is still hunting one day a week as Field Master's horse in hill country - not much jumping. He doesn't have the summer off - he is kept hacking through the 'rest' season. He has Riaflex Complete - and one Danilon a day - and if you saw him leading the pt-to-pt starters up to the start you'd think the old bu**er was a racehorse!

The other - my 19 year old stallion - has advanced coffin joint arthritis in one front foot. When first diagnosed he was on Danilon for a couple of weeks - since then all he gets is his Riaflex Complete - still covering mares and hacking out daily!
 
Foxy53 said:
If she is feeling that good I would get a second opinion - does she really need to be retired at 12! :confused:

I'm sure a lot of people on this forum would be able to evidence at least one horse/pony to their knowledge that had been 'retired' by a vet and then come back into full/some work!

If she is sound and happy, keeping her in work. If she is lame and in pain and her quality of life is not good, you know what should be done.

You know your horse, trust your own instinct and gut feeling.

Good luck :)
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When in work she is lame on both back legs, but just abit stiff when pottering about.
Vet doesn't recommend any long term pain relief other than devils claw, so he must not think she is in that much discomfort.
It is a long standing condition now, over 1 1/2 years so it has gradually been getting worse. She was becoming dangerous to ride, due to pain in the vets opinion.
 
JanetGeorge said:
I would suggest she's bored out of her tiny mind! Retiring 12 year olds with arthritis is not really the sort of advice I'd expect from a vet!! It's generally the worst thing in the world for them - because regular exercise HELPS with arthritic conditions!

I have 2 oldies with severe arthritic conditions first diagnosed 3-4 years ago.

1 - aged 22 now - has high articular ringbone. He is still hunting one day a week as Field Master's horse in hill country - not much jumping. He doesn't have the summer off - he is kept hacking through the 'rest' season. He has Riaflex Complete - and one Danilon a day - and if you saw him leading the pt-to-pt starters up to the start you'd think the old bu**er was a racehorse!

The other - my 19 year old stallion - has advanced coffin joint arthritis in one front foot. When first diagnosed he was on Danilon for a couple of weeks - since then all he gets is his Riaflex Complete - still covering mares and hacking out daily!
Click to expand...

i think the vet has recommended retrirement as it a combination of conditions and when in work she is lame on the whole back end
do anyone know if going on a horsewalker might be suitable for her?
 
Hi :)

I also have a horse who is retired due to arthritis, and can empathise! He sometimes reminds me of a teenager - gets into trouble if he isn't kept occupied. He was a light hack for about a year from when he started feeling a little stiff (though his idea of a light hack was often different to mine), but I decided to call it a day with ridden work when he became uncomfortable carrying the added weight of a rider about 6 months ago.

He still jogs down to the field every day, hares around with his mates, keeps all the other geldings in line, and is the boss of more or less everyone though :D

To keep him busy (and stop him plotting universal rule) he is walked out in hand, occasionally long lined, and loose schooled whenever we can manage it. He has learned all sorts of games, his favourites being tag and follow-my-leader, and has done more bomb proofing exercises than any horse I've met.

I probably wouldn't want him on a horse walker tbh, because I wouldn't like to put him on a small circle that he can't escape from. Your mare might be fine, I don't know, but I tend to keep him on straight lines and wide turns. In any case I find that he needs mental stimulation and human interaction rather than physical exercise, which he manages all by himself in the field.

We mostly worked our games out for ourselves, but I guess you could try clicker training if you want somewhere to start - I've always thought it looks like fun.
 
I would try replacing her HiFi with ready grass or some such, as the alfalfa is a phytoestrogen, which may explain her behaviour. We no longer feed it, as my Appy (who has arab and Tb in her ancestry) cannot tolerate it at all (or rather I can't tolerate her when she's eaten it!)
 
Horsey87 said:
When in work she is lame on both back legs, but just abit stiff when pottering about.
Vet doesn't recommend any long term pain relief other than devils claw, so he must not think she is in that much discomfort.
It is a long standing condition now, over 1 1/2 years so it has gradually been getting worse. She was becoming dangerous to ride, due to pain in the vets opinion.
Click to expand...

When you say 'dangerous' - in what way? Me, I'd be inclined to put her on Riaflex Complete and give her 1-2 bute a day for 6 weeks. Then bring her back into work and see how she is! The Riaflex will take about 6 weeks to work to full effect - and the bute will reduce inflammation/pain far more effectively than Devil's Claw. If she is sufficiently improved, then cut down/out the bute and keep her on the Riaflex with gentle exercise at LEAST 4 days a week and plenty of turnout.
 
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