Today me and my mom decided to tack up and take Red for a ride (first ride in awhile) and he decided to, well, FREAK US OUT.
We got the saddle on him and he acted like he was literally going to pass out. His legs kept acting like they were going to give out. He acted like he was having a bad colic and it freaked us out. He had acted fine (better than he has in awhile) but the moment he felt the saddle, BOOM. We immediately got the saddle off, of course, and we put him straight back in the pasture to make sure he was alright. What did he do? Walked straight to the stall and started eating hay. He literally was acting perfectly fine, he was running around happy, being sweet Red again. This horse is SO smart that we were just wondering if he had faked it. We walked inside, got a hold of my Aunt who we got him from and she said she thought he had done that for once when they hadn't cross-tied him to tack him up. We've never cross-tied him before, and she told us to make sure we do and she thought he'd do perfectly fine. She's had him for a long time, and he doesn't have any health problems at all, nothing. He is perfect. She also said we may be feeding him too much, so we're gonna cut out some of the feed and cross-tie him. We decided we are gonna wait another week, get a cross-tie thing-y built and try it again.
I've never been so stressed in my life, all I could think is, oh my goodness, he's going down. We couldn't get the girth off fast enough and the moment it was undone we threw the saddle off and made sure he was alright. He acted fine.
I'm praying that he settles down, because we just can't have a horse that is in any way dangerous, I love this horse to death and I'd be so upset if anything happened. :/ I've been crying a little (Before we got in touch with my Aunt) just not knowing what happened. Time will tell us all, I suppose. Really hoping this guy is alright and he is just wanting to be cross-tied instead of being held by the reins while being tacked. :/ :/
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ReplyDeleteFirst off, are you SURE all his tack fits correctly? Always rule out any physical issues then go on to behavior. What exactly was he doing when he "started laying down"? The more detail the better:) You also mentioned he makes a "fishy face". I'm not exactly sure how he looks when he does it but I would get his teeth checked to see if anything is bothering him there, and again, if the bit/bridle fits. The trying to lay down may be his way of saying "ouch". Or it could just be his way of getting out of work.
If you rule out any physical issues, he could be getting "cinchy". But usually they act up WHEN the cinch is being tightened. I would slowly tighten it, then walk him around so he loses some bloat, then tighten again. Keep doing this until he is completely cinched up. This way it won't shock him. You also said he starts walking around when being tacked up? He could be testing you since you are his new owner. My horse tested me A LOT when I first got him. If he starts moving around when you don't want him to, back him up hard and fast, disengage his hindquarters/forequarters, etc. Anything to make him WORK. Horses are lazy by nature. He will soon figure out it's better to just stand still and behave. You said you added oil to his diet? What kind of oil was it? That definitely could change his attitude. If he keeps weight well enough with out it, don't keep adding it.
Good luck and keep us updated!
Stacy
Thanks so much for the help. We had started to think it was a "bean" and we did some research, but we pretty much have ruled that out now. All of his tack fits good, his pad is REALLY thick and comfy, saddle fits great and everything. When we first got him he had scabs all over him (He has some skin issues) and the girth had rubbed a spot on him and it had bled a little and it took awhile for it to heal. We of course didn't ride at all until we thought it was okay and wouldn't hurt him, but then next time we tried to saddle him he freaked out. We're thinking that maybe he may be afraid of the girth hurting him again (We have it fixed now where it will not rub or hurt him) and maybe those chewing motions he keeps doing is a nervous thing. It was called HealthyCoat oil and had a lot of the Vitamin B-12 and some Omega's. He's not acting hot at all right now and we had pulled him off of it a week ago. He's so good in the pasture and I'm positive that if I decided to mount bareback than he'd be fine and let me do whatever with him. We always let him walk a little then tighten the girth to make sure he wasn't bloated or anything the first time. :) I'll keep updating you, thanks again so much for the help.
DeleteHe also does not use a bit. He has a bitless hackamore. He's never, ever needed a bit so yeah. :) and he has always used this bridle and it's never been an issue. :)
DeleteAlso forgot to say that we are going to change his feed to something with lower protein. My aunt used him as a lesson horse, he's had three kids on him several times and he's so good with them. Let's them hang on his neck and what-not. He's NEVER acted like this and it worries me. We have so many kids around and I'm an amateur myself so we can't have a horse that misbehaves.
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