The bl**dy horse

[poiuytrewq]

Same time as last year. He’s started to loose his mind.
He has a definite tendency to slight hysteria. He’s very difficult to get his attention and hold it.
Last winter I fully admit to being at my wits end with him but also, I’m not sure scared is really correct as I still got on him every day but I felt relief at getting home in one piece and was unable to ride alone/go off road.
Had decided to call it a day but he has done physical issues and I can’t see is sellable (unless someone as gullible as me turns up)
Spring and summer came, as did a bit of head shaking but a huge improvement. Got to the point I was taking him for lessons with a fantastic teacher who has mainly focussed on getting and keeping his attention but in a really chilled way, he started to actually go nicely for more of the lesson than not now.
This was echoed in our hacks.
Until last week when he turned into a nightmare again.
Dashing from door to window in his stable (he’s slept all summer, lip by his knees)
He won’t settle in the field pacing around with his head in the air and eyes on stalks, grabs a mouthful then darts across the field to start again.
Very in his toes to ride. He has p’d off on the road once and tried several times.
If we meet other horse all hell breaks loose.
He instead of walking the last bit home nicely canters sideways with me literally just keeping a hold of him. I’d not dream or riding him out alone at the moment.
I can’t bear the thought of another winter like this.
Last winter I tried various calmers but nothing makes any difference, I’ve spoken last week to the guy from Trinity and we are trying Evenkeel but only a few days in. I don’t ever ride weekends as I work more but he’s spent the day dashing round the stable and was like turning giraffe out! He’s now pacing round like he can hear the hunt.
Nothing changed, he’s on the same feed/routine as all summer. He could live out but from last years experience the next stage is ploughing through fencing and not being there in the morning.
Any ideas? I’m just gutted that this has happened again, especially when I really thought this summer we had made such huge progress.
Saddle/teeth/physio etc all very much up to date.
I’ve just moved him onto better grass incase he was hungry but it started before that so that’s not the cause. It’s made no difference.
He has company in with him both stabled and turned out.
He could probably do with more work but my only riding companion (which I need when he’s like this) is a very calm influence but not up to doing more.

I’m just a bit devastated really, that sounds a bit drama queen but his mood really seems to
Impact my entire life as much as I try not to let it!
Several people have commented it’s a really mental thing with him. I can and do daily ride him off the yard alone with no issue, it only takes one thing to set him off though and once he is wound up that’s it.
For example, this week we come up behind two very quiet horses plodding along, they let us pass and as I turned for home he completely lost his rag, this continued til
I got home, at which point I can drop the reins and sit and chat with people.
Second a horse trotted up behind us and I was gone, pulled up to a slow canter and was back
In some kind of control but was saved by the fact the lady was going past my house and we got chatting so I bounced alongside! God knows where I’d have ended up had she passed me or gone the other way

The emotional highs and lows with this prat are just massive!!
Sorry that’s an essay but any ideas would be really gratefully received because right now I’m actually finding my brain consider a dealer and that’s really not me at all.

 

[SantaVera]

Sorry to hear of your troubles. How long are you riding him for? What are you feeding him?

 

[Palindrome]

If he calms down instantly when you are back at the yard, I'd be tempted to make him work hard and not allow him back at the yard until he has settled. It looks like he is looking for any excuse to take you back to the yard at high speed.
ETA : one thing to try is every time he tries to take you back to the yard at high speed, turn back so you are not facing home and walk him further away from the yard until he has calmed down.

 

[ycbm]

Well that's a weird one. Worse behaviour as the days get shorter, with no change in hours stabled?

Is it possible he's sub clinical PSSM while the weather is warm enough but badly affected by the cold? He wouldn't be the first.
.

 

[TPO]

Goodness out of the grass so a deficiency? Maybe try feeding mag ox, cheap and harmless to try.

 

[poiuytrewq]

He probably does 45/60 min hack, as I say not enough but as I can’t take him alone like this and he’s kept at home I’m very much in the hands of my only riding companion.
He gets half a scoop of chaff and one cup balancer, been the same for a year.
Palindrome. I’m nearly 99% certain he would ditch me! I tried circling him and getting him to leg yield etc to take his mind off things and I surprised myself at staying on! Turning on the road is a definite no go!
I get your theory though.
YCBM, no no change in anything at all. Being a horse down I’d hoped to keep the same routine all year round, especially as he’s been so relaxed. How do I check? Is there a blood test? If so i know there’s not a cure but is it improvable?
TPO thank you, I’ve tried mag ox last year and it made no difference, in cheap powder form he refused to eat so tried magnesium based liquid calmers which he eats but made no difference at all.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Could you try feeding Vit E, in case it is either a deficiency or PSSM.

 

[Pippity]

YCBM, no no change in anything at all. Being a horse down I’d hoped to keep the same routine all year round, especially as he’s been so relaxed. How do I check? Is there a blood test? If so i know there’s not a cure but is it improvable?

There's a hair test from Animal Genetics that will test for PSSM1. There's no reliable test for other variants.

If it is P1, I've found it fairly easy to manage so far - 8000iu of vitamin E daily, and so rugged up she looks like the Michelin man.

 

[expanding_horizon]

Do you have an arena at home?

 

[Palindrome]

Palindrome. I’m nearly 99% certain he would ditch me! I tried circling him and getting him to leg yield etc to take his mind off things and I surprised myself at staying on! Turning on the road is a definite no go!

My mare is also very dominant and tries to take charge on hacks but she is more nappy. Waiting, Circling, leg yield and backing up didn't work but putting her head to the side until she decides to go along with what I ask seems to help (I am just asking her to walk calmly on a road she has walked dozens of time, I let her straighten her head as soon as she starts walking in the direction I am asking as a reward). I had been watching training videos from a western trainer called Tim Anderson and that's where I saw this technique.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Do you have an arena at home?

Sadly not. Over summer off the back of the lessons I’ve been schooling in a field but think right now I’d be taking my life in my hands going out there.
I can certainly try vitamin E thank you!
I will also look up the hair testing place, anything’s worth a try. Thanks

 

[SEL]

A friend of mine has just finished a course of Remount (Ron Fields) after her gelding turned into a napping horror. He's back to being sane and she is ready to worship Ron Fields.

 

[poiuytrewq]

My mare is also very dominant and tries to take charge on hacks but she is more nappy. Waiting, Circling, leg yield and backing up didn't work but putting her head to the side until she decides to go along with what I ask seems to help (I am just asking her to walk calmly on a road she has walked dozens of time, I let her straighten her head as soon as she starts walking in the direction I am asking as a reward). I had been watching training videos from a western trainer called Tim Anderson and that's where I saw this techniqu

Putting his head to one side is all I can do currently if he gets like this. I can keep to a trot or collected canter this way. I’ll Google Tim Anderson thank you. I’m doing it as the only way to hold him rather than a technique so that could be helpful.

 

[poiuytrewq]

A friend of mine has just finished a course of Remount (Ron Fields) after her gelding turned into a napping horror. He's back to being sane and she is ready to worship Ron Fields.

I have used remount on a laminitic pony and rated it. I’d not considered it in this situation though. Thanks

 

[poiuytrewq]

The guy from Trinity said I should try Evenkeel for two weeks before deciding if it works. He’s only been on it a few days so far.

 

[poiuytrewq]

There's a hair test from Animal Genetics that will test for PSSM1. There's no reliable test for other variants.

If it is P1, I've found it fairly easy to manage so far - 8000iu of vitamin E daily, and so rugged up she looks like the Michelin man.

Weirdly as an after thought. Previous owner claimed never to have had a problem but imo did massively over rug, I kept him at that level at first as I had him mid winter but have since dropped him back to what I thought suitable (I err on under rather than over rugging)
I wonder if that’s anything relevant.

 

[AmyMay]

Could be. Put warmer rugs on.

 

[tda]

Maybe drop the balancer for a while. I once had quite a giddy reaction in a previously bombproof pony with a Baileys balancer

 

[tyner]

A lot of PSSM horses seem to have seasonal changes in their symptoms. Maybe it has to do with the seasonal rose in sugars in grass.

I thought the only way to definitely prove PSSM was through a muscle biopsy?

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Maybe drop the balancer for a while. I once had quite a giddy reaction in a previously bombproof pony with a Baileys balancer

We had 2 horses react very badly to NAF PinkPowder and HaylageBalancer

 

[catembi]

FWIW, mine (TB, PSSM type 2, p2/p3/px) recently had a few days of being absolutely nuts. He was behaving as if someone had turned a load of pigs out onto the field i.e. super stressed, staring, weaving - he weaves anyway but this was super frantic weaving. I stopped all his supplements & the mad behaviour tapered off & he is now (4 days later) back to normal. He was on pea protein powder, natural vit E, magnesium & spirulina. I have no idea which the culprit was as I stopped them all at once, but the super-stressedness tailed off with each successive day.

All those supplements are strongly recommended for type 2s but one of them obviously doesn't agree with him. The point of telling you this is that sometimes 'good' things can give bizarre reactions, so it might be worth stopping an 'innocent' supplement for a few days to see what happens. You would not believe that mine was the same horse from 4 days ago.

Bloody horses! Who'd have 'em...?!

(If 'anyone' would like to pick holes in me/my mgmt of my horses/etc, don't bother as you're on UI.)

 

[DabDab]

Has he ever been hunted?

 

[ycbm]

Weirdly as an after thought. Previous owner claimed never to have had a problem but imo did massively over rug, I kept him at that level at first as I had him mid winter but have since dropped him back to what I thought suitable (I err on under rather than over rugging)
I wonder if that’s anything relevant.

Easily could be. Most PSSM horses have a problem with being cold. Try rugging him up again.
..

 

[SantaVera]

Was going to suggest taking him out for a very long hack, mostly at trot,at least 4hours ,but I expect that will be difficult if you can't get him out alone.

 

[Caol Ila]

Fin became a bit of a nutbar at this time last year. He seems to be on the same track again. Last year, I wondered if it was Hermosa moving into the stable next door (from a different yard) and a subsequent change in routine because I was managing two on DIY, but she's been there almost a year now, so it isn't that. He's nowhere as extreme as yours -- he's just a bit more reactive to ride and has some days where he's so wired and spooky he's unridable. Usually when big low pressure systems are coming in. For most of the year, he's happy going out with OH as a foot soldier and no other horses. But come late October, he's much sharper and more anxious and prone to trigger stacking unless he has the comfort blanket of other horses. Suddenly, me and Mr. Caol Ila don't quite cut it, even though we've been perfecty acceptable hacking buddies all year. Baffling.

I have him on Mag ox and ashwaganda powder, added to grass chaff.

Last year, he was a fruitcake from late Oct/early Nov until January, then he improved throughout Jan, and I had a sort of sane horse by February.

He's not rugged because he's an ex-feral Highland.

So I dunno. But it's weird.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I will drop the balancer.
I will rug him up better, I feels warm enough under his rugs and I kind of worked on the theory that if I used as light a rug as possible, whilst keeping him warm to the feel that he’d be less reactive to cold bring unrugged to ride I could dig out the exercise sheets though.

Dab dab yes he’s been hunted. As I know just twice (may be wrong) the guy I bought him off told me and we laughed at how terrible he was! The first time however, weird co incidence was when he was owned by s previous previous owner and on schooling livery at a yard I worked on at the time.
Not my boss but the guy we rented from broke and reschooled horses and he broke him to ride (originally driven but had an accident) then took him to a quiet meet. Said he was great but back then I had no reason to take much interest in him other than a polite “how was your day” when they returned home.
He was an exceptionally good rider though imo

 

[Slightlyconfused]

Def try more rugs if his old owner had more on.
Mine if i dont get the rugging right would try and dump me, politely, if i tried to ride him when he was chilly/cold. I treat as pssm 1 but since he has been diagnosed with cushings he temp regulation has been odd. He is more of a hotter horse than before


Also have you tried Valerian? Its by lincon and its worked wonders on my sisters boy. She was at her wits end and then went *Bleep it* and tried the banned substance under FEI

And its only £15 a bottle and lasts at least a month.

 

[Ceifer]

I had a mare a few years ago that I purchased knowing she was ‘a bit sharp’. I got her relatively cheap and had a good summer on her.
Late autumn/early winter arrived and she completely changed personality. Sharper than sharp. I came off her badly three times, the yard staff didn’t want to handle her - she was loopy to handle and was only happy in her stable.
I was convinced by a trainer that it was my riding and I wasn’t good enough. I persevered through winter and sold her in the spring with total transparency. She flew through the vetting and the new owners had a good summer and a repeat performance in winter. They investigated and found chronic neuralgia triggered by wind. In hindsight every time I’d come off her it had been windy and I’d been riding her outdoors.
I wish I had investigated myself but I was convinced it was my riding.

 

[deicinmerlyn]

I’d try a good gut balancer something like Protexin.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I vaguely remember but again didn’t take. Lot of notice as it was irrelevant at the time. Equivit vitamin e isn’t the best, which is good?