Uncomfortable...

[NoltonSeaShell]

Just wondering if anyone has known or has a horse which is the same as mine and do they know what it is/how to treat it?

My tb seems really uncomfortable lately, can seem really depressed at times and will just stand there wind-sucking on the fence most of the day. When she is stabled she lies down a lot which I know it isn't a problem itself but she can be reluctant to get up. She always walks around in the stable, eats some hay, cribs and then settles down. She is on the yard in the day and stabled in the night as when she goes on the muddy field she will come back in with swollen back legs and it can take days for the swelling to go. She has plenty of hay, and is fed once a day, cool mix, chaff and sugarbeet.

Anyone got any help/tips/advice! All welcome... Just disheartening seeing her like this!

 

[NoltonSeaShell]

She also hates me doing the belly straps on her rugs up! Will walk around in circles to avoid me!

 

[Honey08]

The swelling bit is obviously mud rash. Keeping her out of the mud is the way forward, but is she lonely? Does she have company? How big is the yard she walks round? Could you put turnout boots on her once a week and turn her out? We are in exactly the same position with mud rash, and ours have a turnout pen at the yard, but once a week we put turnout boots on them and let them out for a blast. Even without boots, a few hours once a week wouldn't hurt..

How old is the mare? Are you riding her as well as letting her around the yard? Grooming her, spending time with her? Have you spoken to the vet about her?

 

[bumblelion]

Could it be gastric ulcers? I'd get the vet out if she's really out of sorts. Hope it's nothing serious and you get to the bottom of it x

 

[SophieLouBee]

My first advice, get the vet to her
Second bit, perhaps ulcers? Sensitive belly, and she windsucks (not directly related, but she could be windsucking more because she is uncomfortable, vicious circle)
As for the legs swelling, that could be any number of things, I have a mare who used to fill up because she stood up all night, now she's figured that it's ok to lie down in the stable she doesn't. So perhaps the filling is due to standing still for a long period of time?

Ofcourse that is all just speculation. Vet will tell you what's up.

 

[amandap]

I second thinking about gastric ulcers and or hind gut discomfort.

 

[NoltonSeaShell]

There's no rash, scabs, etc for the mud fever, even if shes out for a few hours it gets like it, but the soil where I am is quite acidic, even with barrier creams on it still doesnt last. She's not lonely, Shes really close to my other horse. It's plenty big enough for the two and they do get to have a run out once/twice a week. As i'm on my own yard I just leave the gate open and she will just stand on the yard cribbing. Shes seven, I don't ride her, she is a bit crazy when it comes to riding, plants herself, won't turn left, rears up and falls back on herself and knocked herself out. Groomed every morning and night, when i change rugs, not that she needs it but to just spend time with her.

I don't understand why she doesnt like her belly being touched and when she's lying down its like shes putting all her weight on her belly, she will be fine for a few days and then the same again.

At a bit of a loss, I am going to see if anyone knows on here and call the vet out next week.

 

[NoltonSeaShell]

So perhaps the filling is due to standing still for a long period of time?

It only happens when she's in the field! Her legs are fine when shes kept on the yard and in the stable.

Just thought I'd have a quick check on here first, as my mother said as with regards to her behavior its Smore of the change I can see rather than specific symptoms. It sounds silly but i hate seeing her depressed. She was like it in the summer but not as bad!

 

[Ladyinred]

Sounds like ulcers are a possiblity. They might even account for her ridden behaviour.

 

[bumblelion]

Sounds like ulcers are a possiblity. They might even account for her ridden behaviour.

What I was thinking. Would explain a lot of her behaviour.

 

[NoltonSeaShell]

Definitely getting the vet out, and hopefully when shes feeling herself we can crack on with some re-schooling. Thanks everyone! Anyone think I need to change/add anything to her food?

 

[SophieLouBee]

I don't ride her, she is a bit crazy when it comes to riding, plants herself, won't turn left, rears up and falls back on herself and knocked herself out.

Has she always been like this? This sounds like an obvious reaction to pain somewhere, horses can react like this to ulcers if they are bad, but it really could be anything.

If the swelling is only occurring in the wet mud, then it would figure that the two are related. Turnout chaps would be my port of call here if that were the case.

I'd be getting the vet asap, people on here can't see her and her symptoms could related to many things. She does sound like she's sorry for herself, bless.

A horse will still lie down if they have gastric ulcers too.

 

[bumblelion]

Keep plenty of hay going through her. How do you know your soils acidic? Has it been tested? This could be contributing.

 

[be positive]

It sounds like she has a physical problem, possibly ulcers or some underlying pain that causes her to feel down more during the winter when it is colder and she is not getting any grass or proper exercise. The ridden issues could be part of it . I would get the vet out to check her over maybe scope for ulcers and run some blood tests, you really need to get to the bottom of it as she may get worse if not diagnosed and treated.

 

[NoltonSeaShell]

Santa Hooves, soil has been tested. Gives mine and the next door neighbours horses mud fever. They are the only horses around there, and she has plenty of hay, as much as she wants as we haven't got that much grass.

SnowfieLouBee when we first had her there was no sign of bad belly etc. Rode her the week after I had her, thought she had settled in etc and she reared up and fell back onto me and slipped four of my discs in my back, not good for a 17 year old! haha Haven't lost my confidence, just would be extremely wary about getting on her again.

Was going to start lunging etc, bringing her back into work and thought i'd start from the bottom, but don't want to upset her even more.

I will look into getting chaps... anyone got any good ones?

 

[SophieLouBee]

Keep plenty of hay going through her. How do you know your soils acidic? Has it been tested? This could be contributing.

Good advice, plenty of roughage, and if your land is acidic, I'd be looking at taking her off the grazing/restricting it/replacing it with hay to see what happened, once the vet had confirmed it was ulcuers.

 

[NoltonSeaShell]

Good advice, plenty of roughage, and if your land is acidic, I'd be looking at taking her off the grazing/restricting it/replacing it with hay to see what happened, once the vet had confirmed it was ulcuers.

She's not on the field at the moment anyway, I need to keep her away from mud etc. Shes always happier when shes warm as well.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I'd stop feeding her on anything but grass/hay. Her behaviour sounds reminiscent of a mare that I used to have who couldn't eat sugar/cereals.
If yours improves on the restricted diet, you could then gradually reintroduce each ingredient separately until you can identify what is causing the problem,

 

[NoltonSeaShell]

I'd stop feeding her on anything but grass/hay. Her behaviour sounds reminiscent of a mare that I used to have who couldn't eat sugar/cereals.
If yours improves on the restricted diet, you could then gradually reintroduce each ingredient separately until you can identify what is causing the problem,

Thanks, what could your mare tolerate after? Did you just bump her hay up to compensate? Because as if all these problems aren't enough shes a poor doer, although she looks better now then she did in the summer!

 

[hannahmurphy]

Would get vet to check over. I have a cribber & when they are in pain the will do it more for a release and creates a bit of a vicious circle ....
Feed wise, remove all sugar & cereals. If feeding sugarbeet make sure you only feed unmolassed, same goes for any chaff like feeds. Best bet for cribbers/windsuckers is high in forage diet, though hay and not haylage. Obviously this can be hard in winter if they need a bit of weight, adding limestone flour or bicarbonate of soda to feeds helps neutralize the acidity.

 

[NoltonSeaShell]

I started the supplement anti-suck yesterday, she ate her food without cribbing, and was out in the yard and hardly cribbed! It helps get rid of the acid in the stomach, and she seems a lot happier!! So im going to see how shes going on this for a while now