An Issue, An Injury & Feeding Suggestions

[Jessica23]

I've had a bad afternoon.... Una has developed an issue

I walk her several times a week, and she loves her walks. She's always really well behaved, a bit bouncy if we're going on a new route or one we havent been on in a while, but never naughty... But the last few times i've gone a certain way she has been a nightmare to get past a certain house. Its no more spooky than any other house, has plants and bushes, but nothing scary. Nothing has ever happened to Una there, nor has anything ever spooked her until recently. She has, for the last few weeks i've been walking her out, gone past this house with no issues whatsoever until very recently.

Now, when she's been funny about going past the previous times she has only ever been snorty and bouncy and just tried to rush past a bit. I've always made her go past slowly and let her look at anything she's been spooking at and not had a problem. But today, she completely flipped :(

She walked past it ok one way, very spooky as usual, but not too bad. So i carried on, walked her for another 10 mins or so before bringing her back. And when we got to this house again she just went mad. She first of all tried to just charge up the road past it, but of course i didnt let her :rolleyes: So she then planted on the spot in the middle of the road snorting. So i just tried to calm her down, talking calmly and patting her. Then tried to move her forward just pulling her gently. And again she rushed forward so i had to start over again :mad: This carried on for about 5 mins. She has never, ever in all the time i've had her, with all the handling i've done with her, been pushy or bulshy around me. She has wonderful ground manners all the time normally. But for some reason that went out the window... She planted again, so i did the whole thing over.. Asked her to move forward. Bear in mind i was standing between her and the house she is apparently so afraid of. For no reason i can understand she went straight forward into me!! :eek: She has never, ever done this before, and she didnt do it again. But she is a BIG girl. I managed to mostly move out of the way before being flattened but she did stand on the back of my leg and cause this:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/jess2312/una/100_4163.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/jess2312/una/100_4185.jpg

It is considerably more swollen and painful than it looks... If i hadn't moved so quickly she could have broken my ankle!!


The thing that really annoys me, is once she got past this house (which she did after i gave her a smack with the lead after trying to trample me :mad:) was that she walked home calm and happy as anything. No silliness at all.


So... What do you guys make of that???? I have one theory:

As most of you know i've been trying to get weight on Una for a while, she's growing so fast (nearly 16hands now!!!) and she has a growth spurt and the weight drops off. So on someone elses advice, experienced with youngsters i might add, i changed her from spillers youngstock mix and sugar beet, onto flaked barley and sugar beet. I did this about 4 days before the first issues with that bl00dy house! This person assured me that i will just help her put on weight and keep it and it shouldn't "fizz" her up. But i know oats have the effect of making horses a bit more excitable, i have never fed barley before, could that be doing it? The problem is, it has done wonders for her condition, she has really started to put on weight nicely and is maturing much better now.

So, if thats what people think it is. I have two choices, take her off the food that she has been doing so well on and try to find an alternative without her dropping the condition again.... Or, just quit walking her past the house.

Suggestions please. PLEASE!!

Oh, and here's some pics of Una in the garden after our walk. Butter wouldn't melt.... But those of you who have seen my previous Una pics will notice the much better condition she is in now.. conundrum!!

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/jess2312/una/100_4164.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/jess2312/una/100_4175.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/jess2312/una/100_4176.jpg

[shandy84]

Mine heats up on barley. How are you walking her out what in?

[Palomino Mare]

oh my is Una entering theKevins already!!

i would try her on her old diet again just to rule this out. how about the spillers mix and a conditioning chaff like alf-alpha oil?

[Jessica23]

I walk her out in a bridle. The same one i have always used and she has no problems in it, except when she goes past this house...

She loses weight on chaff, i did have her on alfalfa and sugar beet and the weight dropped off her when she had a growth spurt. The youngstock mix was ok, but not as good as the barley... That is the only thing that has kept the weight on during the growth spurts! She goes all ribby on anything else.

And yes she's wormed, teeth checked etc etc...

[shandy84]

What kind of Barley are you using, my NF doesn't fix up on Barley rings but will on other barley.

I have Kizz who fizzes up on them all but need weight so that one is very hard to deal with if she is like that

[Jessica23]

I just get flaked, cooked barley from my local countrywide store :) Nothing fancy.

Re Palomino Mare's comment on her going into "the kevins" (i realise it was lighthearted but it had crossed my mind!!) i dont think it has too much to do with it... She is back to her sweet, calm self again, and walked the rest of the way home perfectly. She has been in season but is an angel to handle normally even when she is in season.. I just cant work out what her issue is with this..

[posie]

poor you - hope you get better - bad friesian!
i've always been lead to believe that barley heats horses up if it is fed straight....
i was told to use the barley rings - http://www.dodsonandhorrell.com/uk/dh/horse/condition/barley-rings on my old skinny TB - as it is aparently less heating but does same conditioning job.... worked for me

[shandy84]

I would give dodson and horrells barley rings a go they are non heating so may help your problem, at least make her more controlable if she has a tantrum,next time you go that was have someone on the other side on a leadrope so you don't get hurt :)

[posie]

^^^
great minds think a'like!

[Jessica23]

Ta, will have a look into those barley rings. Charlie can finish off the flaked barley, nothing heats him lol

I havent really got anyone to come out and help with Una, which is part of the reason i plan to move her to a livery yard in a few months!!! I keep her at home, so its just me on my own lol I could tell that Una was horrified at barging into me like that, and she knew i was pi$$ed at her :D lol But i think for the moment i will avoid that route. Or maybe ride Charlie and lead her, see if he helps to calm her going past. He;s fairly unflappable!

[jaydevon]

the flaked barley is heating, the d+h barley rings can be heating, you can get barley in nuggert form i think is horsehage that makes them. they state on the bag that they are non heating, also linseed is fab for condition. as well as promoting a shiney coat,

with the house, have you had a good look to make sure theres nothing nasty near by it, even smells?? next time you go past it could you do something to distract her mind, ie rattle your keys or a small plastic bag, just as you approach so shes not looking at the house, i dont meen loud noise, just something to get her attention away for the house.

she is a big girl and id imagine very strong, she is still a baby, so could just be seeing nasty monsters. and may settle after a few more times past it.

[Jessica23]

Thanks Jaydevon.

I do try to distract her by chatting away to her as we walk up to it. She loves me chatting at her, usually turns at stares at me :D lol But theres something about this house that upsets her... And i cant think what it is. We're on a little country lane so nothing noisy, smelly or spooky that i can see. There's some TB broodmares and foals in the field behind the house but th field comes right up to the road either side of the house and she's fine going past them there.. Its just odd how its suddenly come into her mind that she must spook at this house. She must have been past it at least 20 times, and only the last 4 or 5 have we had any spooking.

Maybe walking her past with Charlie could be a good idea?

[Nik-n-Kia]

I would stay away from cereals in that form to be honest. I havent came across any straight cereal yet that doesnt fizz some horses up.

I would agree with who ever said add oil. It is pure calories and cannot be heating as it cant be converted into sugars as easily as cereal is.

I have weight issues with Kia and he gets alpha a, spillers pony cubes and beetpulp with generous cups of oil added.

Doesnt fixx him up at all. The nuts are cereal free as Kia is cereal intolerant.

Just a suggestion for you. I used corn Oil and now I use Rapeseed oil and found them both to be cheap (15 bottles from lidls £10) and palatable.

Nikki xxx:)

[Camyds]

Apart from the food, I would agree that there may be a smell round the house. Someone has already mentioned this. As we all know, our equines are very sensitive in that area. There may even be a foxes lair (home?) somewhere there with the mummy protecting the little ones and may be making warning sounds that only your hossy can hear? Just a thot, but, yeah, you could try leading, but, i would probably have someone else there on the ground, just in case.

good luk!!

[Palomino Mare]

taking the oil thing a step further, if you PM whatanejit r.e. EPSM diets she can tell you what Cooper gets.

I did a bit of research on EPSM and i'm sure i read that they find it hard to maintain their weight. you do need to feed alot of oil but as Nikki said when fed in large quantities it provides a more natural energy so will be non heating

[devonlass]

Naughty Una B trampling your footsie:eek:

Am sure she was sorry afterwards,she such a sweet girlie:)

Just to comment on the oil thing.I feed copious amounts of corn oil to my clydie mare in the winter as she such a big girl to keep weight on,and would be a nightmare to get it back on if she dropped any.
It works a treat.I don't feed cereals as work along the lines of the EPSM diet,my mare hasn't been diagnosed with EPSM,but ALL the draught types are very prone to it,so I figure better safe than sorry,and this diet is safe to feed ANY horse,just high fibre and high fat.
Seems to be working for my big girlie,so maybe would work for Una to put on/keep on weight??

Anyway hope you sort something out,she's far too sweet to have 'issues':)