Problems with Horse

[Islandoftheapes]

I've had my horse for 3 years now. She arrived just before the first lockdown and had been out of work for a while so it was a bit of a slow start getting her going with fitness etc. Over 2021 we started getting out and about a bit and did some local shows etc (jumping) and had a good time apart from one 6 week wobble in behaviour in the Autumn when we had issues with rearing when overexcited/stressed and reacting to horses coming past her in group lessons. When I say rear, it isn't huge hi ho silver with risk of going over it is more of a controlled statement of "no".

Then all was good again for about 6 months until May last year. Since then we have developed a problem with her not wanting to go into the ring and having to be assisted in by stewards/other lovely helpful people etc. Normally just planting and refusing to move but sometimes with the rearing. Once in she goes forward fine, if a bit tense, then relaxes as soon as done the first jump and seems to enjoy the rest of it.

I've been trying really hard to work on this, doing lots of back to basic groundwork and working to get her to respond better off the leg (she can be quite lazy and I had fallen into the trap of nagging her), which does seem to be improving how she goes overall.

At the same time, since last summer she has started being a bit nappy when hacking as well when previously she has always hacked really well.

I thought we were getting somewhere with it all and that it was getting better - we went to a clear round event with a trainer recently and she was foot perfect with no drama and it felt like having the trainer there was a waste of time (for this issue, still helpful for riding the course).

Then, only a week or so later we had a complete disaster day where she wouldn't even contemplate leaving the warmup to the ring, had to have another horse come in with us and the steward helping.

I am at my wits end with it. I have tried talking to a few trainers/coaches about it but most seem to only really deal with the jumping a course etc rather than behaviour problems. I have found one I really like recently who gave me some tips on the napping which worked really well (have only had one opportunity to use it as she doesn't always do and wet ground has limited hacking options lately) and I am having another lesson with her soon. It's just so hard as it's so inconsistent and typically she behaves when instructor is there!

I don't really know what I'm looking for from this post, I'm just completely miserable and don't know what to do. All I want is to be able to go out and about to a few local events and have a fun time with no drama - I should add she had been a SJ in the past and I'm only doing very little courses and she is most definitely not being overfaced. When she wants to do it she does it with ease.

But I also want her to be happy and don't want to make her do it if she really doesn't enjoy it (though she seems like she does a fair amount of the time). I feel like I've ruined her as she wasn't like this before and I just want the horse back that I had :-(

I've put my heart and soul (and a not inconsiderable amount of money with trailer etc) into this over the last 3 years after taking the leap to go back into having a riding horse (have an old retired horse as well that she lives with) and feel like I've lost my identity if I have to give up on it now - my career has stalled over the last few years and I've thrown my energy into this instead to get some fulfilment and sense of achievement. I honestly don't know what I'd do with myself if I didn't ride but totally lacking in motivation to do anything at the moment, I'm rubbish with just pottering about doing things, I need to have a goal/reason for it.

She's up to date with back/teeth/saddle etc, have spoken to vets and experienced horse people who agree they don't think it's pain related as it happens so randomly and other times she is absolutely golden.

If anyone has any success stories from coming back from similar situations that would be much appreciated!

I'd seriously consider having a look at Ryan Rose on YouTube. He's brilliant. If you join his patreon page (I think its 10 per month) he will respond to you personally. As you've checked that she's not in pain etc, it's obviously a behavioural issue and you need some techniques to sort it out. Good luck

I know you say you’ve spoken to a vet but have you considered ulcers or arthritic changes? My friends gelding was “sound” but would get nappy in the ring. Turned out to have arthritis in his hocks.

Also do you ride differently in the ring, are you more tense/hold on to their face/more hung ho, they might be “worried” about that

Has she had a full performance work up? I don’t see how your vet can definitively say it’s not pain unless they’ve checked things like ulcers, possible star of arthritis etc. If she’s in pain or discomfort somewhere you could do all the behavioural interventions in the world and not get anywhere

Sounds like pain to me, sorry. Most horses don't suddenly just decide to turn nappy and backwards in activities within their comfort zone and that they've previously enjoyed without good cause, and unless something else has changed (move of yard or change of diet or similar) the obvious culprit to me is a physical issue. I know you've had various people out to look at her, but what tests have actually been done? I wouldn't say the fact the issues are intermittent means it definitely is a behavioural or a training issue, potentially the reverse in fact. Yes of course if a horse is hopping lame its not going to completely clear up from one day to the next but not all physical problems are as clear cut as that or easily diagnosable without proper work ups.

Put it this way, if you had some kind of physical niggle, bad back or shoulder or knee or similar and you're feeling quite achey and like you'd rather just lie down, but your boss comes up to you and jollies you along to do a very important task, and you've no way of explaining to them in words that you'd really rather not, and besides you are an obliging sort of person and you like your job and want to please the boss, so you probably get on and do it, maybe a bit slower or more grumbly than usual but still you do it. Then the next day the same thing happens and you grumble some more but they don't listen so you do your job again. Then the next day you really are in lots of pain so you say absolutely not, not working today. But then you get a bit of a rest and feel better so maybe next day you actually feel you can do the job quite enthusiastically, and maybe you're even up for some fun with your friends/colleagues afterwards too. But then you've overdone it and the niggle hurts again and you're even slower than before. You'd feel pretty insulted if your GP told you there couldn't be anything wrong with you and it's just a behavioural issue because you felt a bit better and did your job fine the day before yesterday. Not a perfect metaphor obviously but do you see what I mean?

Going down the road of a full loss of performance work up at a vet hospital is an expensive and potentially heart breaking road to go down but might just be the only way to actually get to the bottom of what's going on. But before doing that you could try a few things, a Bute or painkiller trial doesn't do much harm and if she's much better on it that will definitely tell you she's hurting somewhere. Similarly it does no harm to treat her as though she has ulcers even if she doesn't, that may improve things. As a last resort I've sometimes turned problem horses where I suspect some kind of niggle out for 6 months complete break and that often seems to help them come right without us ever having worked out exactly what it was...

Thank you, I will take a look

Thank you, that's really helpful and I hadn't thought of it quite like that before. I'm not 100% convinced as at clinics etc she is pretty consistent and works harder at those than at a competition, and don't have problems in warmup etc.

But I am going to call and speak to the vets again today - I have recently changed vets and the new ones do also seem a bit more pragmatic in their approach to this sort of thing, rather than just trying to bankrupt me with an endless parade of obscure tests which is what my old vets wanted to do when I first discussed it with them.

I have thought about the riding differently point and it probable is (or at least was) the case. I then tried consciously not maybe pushing more as it's a competition and focusing on just being very reassuring to her in the round and riding quietly but it didn't seem to make any difference.

I have noticed a slight annual cycle that over winter I think it's getting better then at some point in the spring it gets worse again so I do wonder whether hormones are a part of it and I have started trying to keep a diary of behaviour to see if I can spot any trends.

Has eyesight been tested?

I would stick her on regumate.

Sounds mareish behaviour to me linked to hormonal changes.

How is she when not jumping, particularly hacking? Just to get a wider picture of whether it's the jumping. I think a lot of horses have soundness issues relating to jumping wear and tear, many of which have injections into hock of various results which mask issue for while and make more comfortable. If she is still hacking/ trail riding or you could do showing in an enjoyable way perhaps more emphasis could be placed on that so you are both getting something nice out of your time together possibly? Although I realise riding out isn't for everyone and if you really want to be out jumping that is different but there are lots of more enjoyable ways of riding than tense warmup etc. Sorry you are having this difficult circumstance I had a warm blood that was so difficult in warm ups it was terrible and so deflating.

not tested as such but a lot of attention paid to her eyes as she managed to injure one last year. This was after problems had already started btw and all fully healed and vet is happy no damage to vision

we did actually put her on regumate for a period last year but it didn't seem to make much difference - and it's such nasty stuff to be dealing with. Hormones get mentioned a lot by people about her though as when she wants to go she is super and it just seems like sometimes she just doesn't want to play. And she's lovely to do on the ground and handle etc, a real sweetie

we started having problems with hacking last summer too - initially refusing to go in a certain direction (open terrain rather than trails) and rearing if I tried to insist and then some napping and refusing to continue on set routes too.

Only on her own though, stayed fine in company. Haven't hacked much over winter due to ground conditions but has been mostly ok when have been able to get out.

Showing isn't for us as I hate faffing around with presentation 😂and she isn't keen on plaits and she's got various nicks etc from old field scratches. But we did have a go at in hand agility over the winter and we quite enjoyed that :-)

Vet, vet, vet!

My horse had similar issues, not naughty but the odd explode, turned out to be kissing spines which is now medically managed and horse is no longer misbehaving.

As they say, if it’s not pain, it’s pain and if it’s not pain it’s pain.

My gelding went through a phase of planting on hacks and refusing to enter the ring. Turned out he had really bad ulcers. Once they were treated he was fine. He's still on ulcer supplements from the vets and we feed him chaff before riding.

You've had lots of great advice about your horse - maybe it would be worth thinking about working on yourself?

feel like I've lost my identity if I have to give up on it now - my career has stalled over the last few years and I've thrown my energy into this instead to get some fulfilment and sense of achievement

I've worked successfully with people who have horse problems - from a fear of riding up or down hills to someone who had a full panic attack at just the thought of riding, having previously competed in junior national trials. Would be very happy to have a chat with you - free and with absolutely no commitment.

feel like I've lost my identity if I have to give up on it now - my career has stalled over the last few years and I've thrown my energy into this instead to get some fulfilment and sense of achievement

Just wanted to say I get it. I bought my first horse in lockdown and absolutely love it, her and the whole things. Its my happy place in the middle of a very stressful career and a rather barren social life. So much so that when my horse had a significant injury and has to be off work for a long time (about a year) I was so depressed I bought another horse ... Im no expert, but behaviour that happens in one place and not another sounds behavioural ?

My mare would only explode in the arena, worse on deeper rubber, better on sand, never on grass and was always good hacking, it was 100% medical.

I'd say vet too! My lovely, well behaved horse went from being 100% in all situations to rearing, bucking, spinning, spooking. Absolutely no signs of lameness, no girthiness etc. Literally no other signs of anything. Turned out to have gastric ulcers, sacroiliac joint disease and suspensory ligament issues! There is always a r was son in my opinion.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions and experiences.

I spoke to the vets yesterday and they have suggested a bute trial to see if that changes the behaviour and therefore suggests pain. So I will do that from next weekend when I then have 2 local things I can go out and do the subsequent 2 weekends to see if there is any difference.

She lives out with 24 hour access to forage so should be low risk for ulcers but never say never!

Interesting the comments about different footings, she has done it on pretty much all types I think but all of the worst ones have been on grass I think.

How much does she get ridden on grass at home? If never it’s a big ask to expect her to go and compete on it.

I'd insist on her being scoped.

Yeah me too. My horse was such a good boy a lot.of the time but started having absolute meltdowns when he'd just freeze and look scared. Grade 4 ulcers.

Hacks regularly in the summer and school/jump on it as well