What to do?

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malibu211211

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D is driving me nuts
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Short of locking him in a big cupboard I don't know what to do with the grumpy bu**er.
He is TB, semi retired, very grumpy and opinionated. He is now limited to what he can do due to a problem with his pelvis and arthritis in his coffin joint. He is now only allowed to hack twice a week for no longer than 45 mins and once a week groundwork in the school. No lungeing and cannot long rein as he pi**es off. He also hates any kind of change to routine or his life.
So has anyone got any idea's of what I can do to make the grumpy g*t any happier?
I need to try getting him out more often but with the weather and chrimbo coming up it's difficult
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HELP please as I am losing the will to live
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How about getting the vet out to re assess him to see if anything has changed?

Put him on a joint sup?

Get his saddle checked to see if it fits well?
 
Find a friend so you can do things together? Horses like company. I usually ride and lead as I have no one to ride with but the horses prefer to go out together.
 
my oldie is 27 and extremely grumpy the last few years, he is fully active, even hunting but did find cidar vinegar helped?!

With weather being pants other than some boredom toys in stable not a lot you can do.....
 
my TB is a grumpy boy at the mo, so this week i have-

*put carrot and apple in his hay pile.
*moved his hay about in his stable-its been in all the corners this week and he's decided he likes it away from the door.
*done some loose schooling- he has really enjoyed this.

he's in a better mood today, but he's worse than me, has terrible mood swings!
 
Sounds to me as if his arthritis is genuinely causing him pain. If he were mine, I'd speak to the vet about possibly putting him on bute or danilon (even at a low level), as I presume you are not competing.
Is he worse in the winter? Could be the cold temperatures are making his pain worse.
Can you think of anything that has changed in his routine/surroundings/management that may account for the moodiness?
 
I agree with MWM about the bute. Is there any chance you could do a bit more groundwork to keep him interested? Make him really have to use his brain on the ground might stop him from being bored/grumpy?
 
I'm probably going to shock you...but can you turn him out 24/7...preferably in a field with a slope....and a bit of natural shelter. And rug him well.
My nearly 19 yo TB lives out all winter and is never less than smiley...keeps good condition and doesn't get stiff or sorry. Before everyone tells me how awful I am...I do feed her, groom her and hay her twice a day...and she has an extensive rug wardrobe. I have stables ready...but she always wants to go back out...
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He's already on Newmarket Joint Supplement and physio looked at saddle about 6 weeks ago when she treated his back.
He's not lame or anything just seriously grumpy.

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Sorry you're having problems.

Don't mean to be rude but I don't trust physios to tell me if a horse is right - they're great for certain things but others only a vet can diagnose in my opinion.

Agree though that keeping him moving is best x
 
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I'm probably going to shock you...but can you turn him out 24/7...preferably in a field with a slope....and a bit of natural shelter. And rug him well.
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I can't keep him out 24/7 at his present yard as YO won't allow it but he does get as much turnout as poss through the day as he has been hobdayed aswell.
When the other horses had to come in at night he got to stay out at night for another month with friend's filly because of his hobday and he was a complete nightmare. He was stood at the gate trying to make me feel guilty
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It worked but I made him stay out
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I can't keep him out 24/7 at his present yard as YO won't allow it but he does get as much turnout as poss through the day as he has been hobdayed aswell.
When the other horses had to come in at night he got to stay out at night for another month with friend's filly because of his hobday and he was a complete nightmare. He was stood at the gate trying to make me feel guilty
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It worked but I made him stay out
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Did he get hay in the field when he was at the gate? Sometimes they're waiting for the food in the stable, rather than the stable itself...
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I do trust my physio although my vet does think she expects him to move perfectly when in fact he's never going to because of his problems.
I will get a saddler to check his saddle as he has changed shape and lost muscle since I last had it checked
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I think he is genuinely bored but the trouble is he is not going to be able to do what he was doing before because he will go lame and then be even more stressed when he's put on box rest
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He is allowed to loose school over some jumps (and he loves jumping
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) so I will do that in the morning to see if that helps.
He was on Buteless which I think it did help so I could put him back on that or give him a little bute to see if that helps as maybe he is feeling it a little. My main aim is to keep him happy and comfortable as poss as he has'nt had the best of life and has taught me so much in the last 2 years and we have had so much fun
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Did he get hay in the field when he was at the gate? Sometimes they're waiting for the food in the stable, rather than the stable itself...
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Only when it was raining he had hay. He had his tea although when I bought him in to eat his tea I could'nt get the bu**er back out again without a fight
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He is just so stroppy when you don't keep to HIS routine. I normally bring my friends mare in with him at night whilst my friend leads her filly but the other night it was windy so I led D and the filly and my friend had her mare so she could hold the gate open. He threw the toys out the pram and refused to move
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I took her mare back and he was fine.
I like my idea of locking him in a cupboard
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Can horses have seasonal affective disorder?
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Hi sorry to hear your boys so grumpy. You mentioned he has arthritis so what about putting some stable bandages/leg wraps to keep his legs warm it might help.

Hope he feels better soon
 
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He is TB, semi retired, very grumpy and opinionated. He is now limited to what he can do due to a problem with his pelvis and arthritis in his coffin joint. He is now only allowed to hack twice a week for no longer than 45 mins and once a week groundwork in the school.


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Why is he only allowed to hack twice a week. If he can do it twice a week for 45 minutes then he'd be FAR better off doing it 5 or 6 days a week for 30 minutes at a time. He's be less stiff - AND less grumpy.

If he were mine, he'd be on Riaflex Complete for the arthritis and one bute/Danilon a day - and he'd be light hacking/ground work EVERY day that turnout wasn't an option.
 
If you find any thing that helps let me know!!! I have the same problem with my 13 year old tb x wb, He was diagnosed with arthritis of the Coffin joint in May, I did have him out 24/7 until Saturday, he coped surprisingly well considering he has always been pampered! I think his problem is lack of work because he has always been horrid when he's not had enough to keep his brain active, as a 2 year old he was terrible as soon as he was broken at 3 his whole attitude changed. I have moved him back to livery because they have a sand school so im going to try to walk him about in there a few nights a week & see if that helps im sure he's just board coz he's always worked. My problem is he gallops around bucking at the moment making him self lame, so im going to try walking round the school to see if that helps? hacking to at weekend is not for him, there is no way he will retire yet even if I wanted him to! last week he jumped the fence got in with my old 32 year old mare & chased her round the field all afternoon, He doesn't realise that he has a problem its always later that day or the next that that he's lame.
 
I have been advised that he do no longer than 45mins twice a week ridden and once a week groundwork with no longer than 3 days off in between.
He could'nt cope with 5/6 days a week of 30 mins because of his back and his joint. On days when turnout is not possible (which is really only when the weather is awful) he does groundwork. Stiffness has not been the problem, in fact he used to come out of the stable alot stiffer when he was ridden 5/6 days a week. Grumpyness has been the problem.
 
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