keepitugly
Well-Known Member
I have an 8yo gelding whom I've owned for 8 years. He's not done much work in his life due to lack of my time, his illness and in recent years his unsoundness. He has always been a handful, very explosive at times. Other days he can come out and be quiet as a lamb and not put a hoof out of line.
I moved him to a new yard a few months ago, the set up of the stables is different and he was very stressy at first, he was also going back and forth to the vets and he dropped a fair bit of weight. He's now in his routine and he's looking fantastic. He's now sound enough to bring back into work. I'm meant to walk him for 15 minutes the first week then increase etc.
Now his behaviour is odd, I mean he may just be that sort of horse, I've never come across something quite like him before. I reschool/break horses for a living, he has me stumped. I can get him to work and get through to him, I do a lot of groundwork with him to get him using his brain and he does settle, but sometimes the explosions we go through to get there are so over the top. At the moment he's even stressy around the yard, walking to his field he's got eyes on stalks, he's flinchy and jumpy at every noise etc. He is not rude, he really wants to try for you, but sometimes it's like he can't contain himself. He is also not a nervous horse to handle, you could hang off his ears and he wouldn't care, it's just his environment he can't seem to cope with change.
a few people have mentioned the possibility of ulcers, does this sort of behaviour correlate with that? Also what about a magnesium deficiency?
Just any thoughts you have. He's not always like this, it seems he's struggling to settle in the new stables especially, he is absolutely fine and chilled in the field with his buddies, and was fine in his stable at the last yard but it was a very open set up where he could see others. Although he's always been a tigger at feed times rearing up and bouncing at the door, to give you an idea of his general personality.
I moved him to a new yard a few months ago, the set up of the stables is different and he was very stressy at first, he was also going back and forth to the vets and he dropped a fair bit of weight. He's now in his routine and he's looking fantastic. He's now sound enough to bring back into work. I'm meant to walk him for 15 minutes the first week then increase etc.
Now his behaviour is odd, I mean he may just be that sort of horse, I've never come across something quite like him before. I reschool/break horses for a living, he has me stumped. I can get him to work and get through to him, I do a lot of groundwork with him to get him using his brain and he does settle, but sometimes the explosions we go through to get there are so over the top. At the moment he's even stressy around the yard, walking to his field he's got eyes on stalks, he's flinchy and jumpy at every noise etc. He is not rude, he really wants to try for you, but sometimes it's like he can't contain himself. He is also not a nervous horse to handle, you could hang off his ears and he wouldn't care, it's just his environment he can't seem to cope with change.
a few people have mentioned the possibility of ulcers, does this sort of behaviour correlate with that? Also what about a magnesium deficiency?
Just any thoughts you have. He's not always like this, it seems he's struggling to settle in the new stables especially, he is absolutely fine and chilled in the field with his buddies, and was fine in his stable at the last yard but it was a very open set up where he could see others. Although he's always been a tigger at feed times rearing up and bouncing at the door, to give you an idea of his general personality.
