TB poos A LOT when stressed!

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StarcatcherWilliam

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I have a very sweet ex racehorse who is generally very laid back and chilled out. However, when he is ridden with other horses (group lesson or sponsored rides with lots of others) he gets quite stressed and just poos and poos!! I'm talking to the extent of pooing every two minutes or so, and they get progressively looser and looser. Eventually I would like to take him to comps, but would like to get this under control really. Is it just a question of the more stuff he does the more he will learn to relax? He is currently fed on Saracens Essential Balancer which contains probiotics, but this hasn't helped at all. Any advice?

Thanks in advance :)
 
I have an arab x (part tb, part appaloosa) who can be very stressy/nervous and also poo an insane amount! With time he has gradually been pooing less and less when ridden or in a new environment, however I also started him on magnesium calmer (equine america magnitude) and found that with being generally more relaxed in himself, comes less nervous poops! Worth a try if you think he may benefit from a calmer before going out on sponsored rides or to comps)
 
also, as you say he is an ex racer, we can't forget that being around other horses in a group is something he will associate with racing.. which is a very stressful time for them! I think with time he may become more confident and no longer associate those types of events with racing days, but maybe someone with their own ex racer is best to help you with that :)
 
My daughter's ISH does this - not from stress but more from excitement. She and another rider had a bet on last time they were hunting and he either Poo'd or wee'd over 100 times in about 3 hours. Its just him, certainly doesn't do him any harm as long as we are careful about his fluid intake and electrolyte balance. Outside the exciting things he is completely normal. He hunts, competes BS and BE, does Pony Club including teams. The Poo-ing does him no harm - although we have knocked a lightweight top pole in competition when he poo'd on it as he jumped. You just have to clear up more in the school and give up on grey back legs ever looking presentable at a show! We do have a feed with probiotic and make sure he has water and electrolytes available especially at shows etc.

Stress or excitement he might get more laid back the more he goes out and about. But even if he doesn't don't worry about it. It isn't a bar to competing etc.
 
We call it dumping ballast - it is a self preservation mechanism in case a rapid exit is called for. The best thing you can do is make sure his digestion is in A1 condition by feeding a probiotic such as yeassac, as well as salt to ensure he is fully hydrated, and then desensitise him to the stressors.
 
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