Wonder if my horse was tranquilised yesterday??

Spyda

Spyda

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One of my horses is quite a handful (not nasty) just big and very sharp. Due to my work hours I pay to have him turned out and brough in by the yard. I have already complained because he's suddenly becoming headshy when being led in hand (I can't prove anything as I've not witnessed anything) but it doesn't take a genuious to work out what's been going on.

Now, I am wondering if my horse was sedated yesterday. He was in when I went up in the evening to do him and we thought it odd that he didn't give the usual whinny of welcome. Then when I went in to remove his rug he stood still by the open door and lowered his head right down low - his nose about 6 inches off the floor. Very odd. Whilst I mixed his feed he stood by the closed door, resting his chin heavily on the top of the door - his eyes half closed. He was really dozy. Then when I put the corner feeder in, he went over stuck his head into it and rested his chin on the feed, dozing again. He just stood there, not eating, just resting his head with his eyes dropping. Now this is NOT normal. Naturally I checked him over carefully. He wasn't colicy, not hot or seem to be in pain anywhere. He'd move over co-operatively in the stable when I asked him and didn't seem un-cordinated, but just kept planting himself when he could, to doze again.

Hmmmm.... what to do? I can't say for certain he was drugged but his behaviour was extremely odd and a one off so far. What do you all think?
 
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It was a out a little. Nothing abnormal for him in the evening though. Not fully 'loafing' but not entirely tucked away into his sheath, either. His ears were at half-mast most of the time and his eyes were half closed as he dozed. Thought maybe he'd worn himself out being a plonker in the field but when he's been playing-up he's usually left hot and steaming. No signs of that last night.

As for looking for a new yard, I'd move in a heart-beat but there ISN'T anywhere else. Really isn't. Once the clocks go forward I'll be able to take over getting in and letting out, but that's still a month and a half away. Ordinarily I'd simply arrange with one of my fellow liveries to turn out and get in for me, but he's not your normal plod and needs an experienced handler. 17.1 of sprightly Trakehner at the end of the lead rein is a bit too much for most people. :(
 
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does sound odd and the head shy bit as well. i'd personally be looking for a new yard, ok they may not be hitting him deliberately or anything like that but the fact is he's now nervous/wary of his head. that's not good.

my horse had got very head shy but i hadn't really noticed anything new, i moved him away for 4 months to recover from an injury and in that time he had gone back to being fine, within a month of him being back on my own yard he was head shy again. turned out the owners were playing stupid idiots and basically my lad had been smacked in the head on a regular basis by tennis balls. i moved within 2 days of finding that out.
 
Behaviour that out of character and I'd have been calling out the vet. I would have made sure that the YO knew what I was doing as well.

I know what you say re. yards, but how can you keep a horse at a place where you think they've done something to make him headshy, and now you're just about willing to believe that they would have sedated him?

If he's an ar&e to lead out, more ground work; lead in a bridle or a chifney if necessary, if you have someone you can trust to manage him with that extra bit of help.
 
If you think that your horse has been sedated I would have a word with your vet NOW there maybe some residue that a blood test could tell.

As for being hit around the head I would approach the yard owner / manager.

All the above is unexceptionable. I would look for another yard and maybe do some more work on your horse. As said turn out and bring in with either a bridle or control head-collar
 
get a vet out immediately and have a blood test. In the mean time I would look for somewhere else. There is always somewhere else to go even if it is a but further or a bit more expensive.
Good luck
 
MrsMozart said:
Behaviour that out of character and I'd have been calling out the vet. I would have made sure that the YO knew what I was doing as well.
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After checking him over thoroughly last night I didn't feel he needed an emergency vet. That said, I am VERY concerned and have arranged an extended lunch break today. I'm leaving in about 45 mins to go up and check on him. If he's even SLIGHLY odd this morning I am calling the vet out.

MrsMozart said:
I know what you say re. yards, but how can you keep a horse at a place where you think they've done something to make him headshy, and now you're just about willing to believe that they would have sedated him?
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God.... you don't have to tell me. Since last week when I brought him in myself for the first time in a couple of months and couldn't hardly manage him because he kept rolling his eye and swinging his head and body away every time I so much as twitched my right arm whilst leading him - I've been feeling ill about it. I bawled out the YM at the time and said if they found him too much to handle without smacking him in the head area, not to bother in future. That's not what I paid them for. I really lost it :o but was furious at the time. The horse wasn't a little bit sensitive - he was almost unmanageable in hand because his reaction was SO dramatic. He's sharp as it is. This has just made him worse. Thank god I lead using a lunge rein. I guess after last week and now having him act so dopey in the stable, I'm wondering if they haven't resorted to something else to manage him. Can't prove it.... wonder if a blood test taken today would show up anything?

MrsMozart said:
If he's an ar&e to lead out, more ground work; lead in a bridle or a chifney if necessary, if you have someone you can trust to manage him with that extra bit of help.
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I lead in a Stephen's controller. Always have. I've spoken to the yard about them using it but they say they have a policy of not using any 'gadgets'. Too much bother with all the horses they have to turnout and bring in each day, apparently. Hmmmm.

On a good note, I've just found a private house with a couple of stables and paddocks. I need to back my boy his year, so it's not ideal without a menage but I am going to have a look tomorrow and see whether one of the paddocks would be suitable for schooling in. Keep your fingers crossed :)
 
my yard turns out 25 + horses each morning, they range in all shapes and sizes and temprements, the YO is not against using 'gadgets' if that's what is needed to keep her and her employee safe. it's better to take an extra couple of minutes per horse to be safe than to be harmed and out of action for a few days/weeks from rushing to turn out.

if you think your horse has been sedated then the vet can do a blood test to find out if it's true or not. i don't know whether it will still show up though. if it does show up then you should leave, even if it's just grass livery for now. i'd also be pointing out to the YO that they must not sedate to handle unless you give permission.
the thing that i would say though is that if they do sedate him to handle then it will end up costing them alot of money, can't really see them doing it if only just for the extra expense to themselves!
good luck with viewing the paddock.
 
Mmmmmm sounds like someone has slipped him ACP's thats how my big one behaves if he has ACP's, it's awful along with the headshy thing as well, lets hope the stables your going to view are spot on and you can move, and I would deffinately get a vet out if he shows the same behavour again.

Isn't there some recourse in law here if someone gives your horse drugs without your permission? also don't vets like to check a horse over before such drugs are administered? what if said horse had a reaction to them!!
 
If you are paying them to bring your horse in for you then they should use the head collar you use, especially as their own safety is important.

You do not need a school to break and work a horse. When I first started I had just a field with a shelter in it. I broke horses and schooled them out on a hack. I would then hire a school if I needed too.

I hope you quickly get this sorted out, it sounds as if your present yard do not know how to handle horses.
 
Well, just got back from checking him over. He seems absolutely fine this lunchtime. Happily munched several carrots and was his usual cheerful and on-the-ball self. I rechecked him over carefully. I remember the last time one of my horses behaved this way she'd somehow sustained a deep gash to her forehead whilst out grazing, which needed stapling, and was obviously concussed from the accident. Whilst I'm glad to report nothing's amiss with him, that leaves me all the more confused about what went on last night. :confused:

Sundays are a "problem day" at the yard; insomuch as it's when their most experienced person has their day off so the less confident ones are left to do the yard duties. Maybe slipping Silas something on sunday was their way of making life easier on themselves??? Can only guess it's a possibility since it'll be impossible to prove without definitive evidence. I've called both local vets this morning and neither were willing to treat a blood test as an emergency, so wouldn't come out until tomorrow - by which time it would be a pointless exercise to prove doping. If there's IS a next time, I'll call the vet out THAT evening. Mind you, from now on I think I'll ask for Silas to be left in on Sundays. Until we can find somewhere else.
 
OMG I would be going NUTS! I'm not surprised you reacted the way you did over your horse being headshy! What was YM's reaction?

Good luck with the other yard, I really hope it works out so you can get him as far away from that yard as poss!

I would feel sick with worry.
 
mymare said:
OMG I would be going NUTS! I'm not surprised you reacted the way you did over your horse being headshy! What was YM's reaction?
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She just gave me a Mona Lisa smile and shrugged one shoulder. To me that proved it! Cos if someone accused you of striking their horse in the head and you hadn't, you'd go nuts. She didn't.

When I got home and told my OH what had happened, he said I had no proof anyone had been hitting Silas and that I shouldn't go blabbing my mouth off. He was really p*ssy with me. Said he expected I'd be given notice to leave now. I haven't! And no ones said anything about it. When I arrived home last night and said I thought S was doped he said I was being ridiculous. He really made me doubt myself.

I'm a bit nervous moving from a livery yard environment to a private yard since I won't have any back-up. What happens when I go on holiday or am sick???? In one way it would be fabulous to have a place of my own, but then again it also means I wont have anyone to hack out with. Not great when I'm backing a couple of youngsters this spring. I'll go and have a look tomorrow and ask lots of questions!
 
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IF it happens again I would say to the YO "he's not right so either he's ill or someone has doped him. Either you can be honest with me now or I can call the vet out and if it turns out he has been doped and you have lied to me I will be taking further action"

You are paying them for a service and I'm fairly sure doping your horse isn't in the contract!
 
Elbie said:
IF it happens again I would say to the YO "he's not right so either he's ill or someone has doped him. Either you can be honest with me now or I can call the vet out and if it turns out he has been doped and you have lied to me I will be taking further action"
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Absolutely! I won't think twice if it happens a second time.

Elbie said:
You are paying them for a service and I'm fairly sure doping your horse isn't in the contract!
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I just thank god he's not backed yet. Surely they wouldn't have done it [if they DID do it, of course :rolleyes:] if he were in work???? :eek: Can you imagine riding out a horse out that you didn't know had been trank'ed. The mind boggles.
 
Problem is its so easy to do. Sorry you're young'un is having a tough time!

I just can't stand people who take liberties and cause upset when they are being PAID to look after the horse.

And I can't believe they're saying they don't have time for 'gadgets'. Absolutely ridiculous. Not saying your boy is a danger but having 'gadgets' that can help control a horse better is for they're safety.

Hopefully you can find somewhere good to move to.
 
When my horse is sedated he really sweats around his head and ears when he starts to come round. This was an injection thou - dont know whether the same happens with oral sedation.

Did you notice anything like this?
 
Katd66 said:
When my horse is sedated he really sweats around his head and ears when he starts to come round. This was an injection thou - dont know whether the same happens with oral sedation.

Did you notice anything like this?
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No, no undue heat on him last night. I checked for that. I do keep ACP and use it on him occasionally. I can give him x10 tablets and he wont get warm on that dose. But on that dose he also won't get as 'tired' as he appeared to be last night, either. Like you, I find the stronger injected sedative given by the vet will cause heating up but he showed no signs of that. Cool as a cucumber, but just mega dozy.
 
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