Too much adrenaline

[longdog]

Our ex racer has problems with being over sharp. When hacking/schooling, she is super alert to everything going on around her & will blow up at an apparently trivial happening eg a tractor 3 fields away, or spotting a dog walker in the woods. Her flight mechanism kicks in hugely whereby she is oblivious to the rider, or her surroundings. Her heart races & she will go backwards, or spin & drop her rider & then gallop off. Bizarrely she is better at a competition or a clinic where she will be hyper for around 10 minutes, then settle & thoroughly enjoy herself. I am on the ground helping daughter when this goes on & I can feel the tension coursing through her (horse). It is also very obvious when she comes down out of it as she literally takes a breath & relaxes then she is just the same sweetie she usually is.
Any ideas please? Particularly with feeds/supps you may have used.
Please take it as read that her saddle/teeth/feet etc are all fine.
Cheers LD

 

[Swirlymurphy]

Have you had her scoped for ulcers? We had our ex-racer scoped last week (partly because of behaviour similar to yours) and he had a number of them. The vet is hoping that the prescribed Gastroguard will help him to settle more. We are only on day three so I will let you know how we get on

 

[longdog]

She is not at all girthy or bad tempered, so we had discounted ulcers. Would be interested in hearing why you scoped yours and how you get on.
LD x

 

[kinnygirl1]

Have you had her scoped for ulcers? We had our ex-racer scoped last week (partly because of behaviour similar to yours) and he had a number of them. The vet is hoping that the prescribed Gastroguard will help him to settle more. We are only on day three so I will let you know how we get on

Totally this. My gelding had no other symptoms of ulcers other than a tenseness and anxiety under saddle..his heart would race too. Vet scoped just to exclude ulcers as a cause and there they were, grade 2 and 3 ulcers on pyloris. Looked so sore on scope! Defo worth excluding them as a cause if nothing else. Good luck.

 

[longdog]

Totally this. My gelding had no other symptoms of ulcers other than a tenseness and anxiety under saddle..his heart would race too. Vet scoped just to exclude ulcers as a cause and there they were, grade 2 and 3 ulcers on pyloris. Looked so sore on scope! Defo worth excluding them as a cause if nothing else. Good luck.

Thank you, it would seem that we should get her checked out by our vet. Many thanks for your input

 

[kinnygirl1]

Thank you, it would seem that we should get her checked out by our vet. Many thanks for your input

Even my vet was surprised my boy had them.... Good news is they are easy to diagnose and relatively easy to treat if it does turn out to be them. Let us know how you get on. I have had loads of good advise re ulcers on here since my boy was diagnosed. X