Sad horse!

[Sallinello]

Anyone got any ideas on how to cheer up my horse?! He just seems a bit down in the dumps lately, maybe the weather I don't know. Any ideas would be appreciated by us both!! Thanx!!

[cvb]

does he have company ? what time do you get with him ? is he in/out ? what do you do with him ?

[Sallinello]

He is out every day, in at night. Stabled in american barn style internal stables so can see all his chums! I go down every night to groom and ride and generally make a fuss of him. His preevious owner told me he has never been keen on being groomed but he seems to be more grumpy than ever at the moment!

[cvb]

social contact is important, but if he is out in company and can see (touch?) horses at night, then the only problem might be if he's bullied or something like that ?

How interesting is his stable enviroment ? I know horses do sleep when its dark, but are there things to keep them amused when its light ? e.g. toys, licks, feedball, hay, people around etc ?

When you say he is grumpy about being groomed - is this general or specific spots ? Put yourself in his shoes - if you're feeling out of sorts, how would you like someone to interact with you ? Sometimes its about just being quiet and being there, maybe just a calm hand on their side. Get to know your horse's quirks i.e. do they have spots they like to be touched ?

One other thing - is there any sign he has had a virus ? Horses can be depressed, just like we are, after they've been ill. A mild virus may not affect them much but they may feel "down" after. Then you're looking at ways to support and boost the immune system.

i.e. its all about promoting physical and mental well-being

[Sallinello]

Thanks for your advice. I can't see any evidence that he has had a virus of any sort, or that he is being bullied, he shares a field with another gelding and they r the best of friends! He has a Likit Boredom Breaker in his stable although is not too impressed with the fact that he has to work with it to get a treat along with as much hay as he wants really!

He is a bit ticklish and I always bear this in mind when grooming but he seems to be less tolerant. I just want him to be happy!!

P.S. I have just read Fifi's training log on the link from your post, v.interesting!

[Tina&Dale]

I found my horse was a little "depressed" looking and I decided to try a vitamin suppliment... It has been great. He's really perked up and as a bonus he's looking better than ever!

[Sallinello]

I hadn't thought of that. What do you use?

[lisae]

My mare was looking so depressed even my husband noticed! She had a big foal in May and her back end was dragging so I had the vet approve a chiro for her. She just had her second adjustment last night. The chiro had found muscle wastage along her lower back from that big belly dragging her down. But since the first adjustment, her mood and attitude were so much better! Head held higher, a lift in her step, etc. It is expensive, she's not a performance horse, just my backyard friend, but it was worth it and happily there is no chronic injury, she just needs to be brought back into work.

So maybe your guy took a spill in the field and has some part of himself feeling sore.

[Tina&Dale]

Originally posted by Sallinello
I hadn't thought of that. What do you use?

Oh gosh!Now you're testing me! lol :D

I really don't know how to spell this guys last name, but here goes...

I use "Khonkies (I think thats right) Own" Mineral and Vitamin supplement. It is in a pellet form and I find my horse eats it with no hesitation. :)

[Sallinello]

I will ask the YO and see if she knows of any supplements I could use. As for him possibly hurting himself in the field, it could be that but I get the feeling it's kind of a horsey bad mood!! You know when it comes to horses you have a gut feeling but can't quite put your finger on what's wrong!

[TBEventer2002]

Have you tried to teach him anything new lately? Do something different to spice up his life? Sometimes (and I see this especially with the horses at our school) horses just get so utterly bored with the same routine that they get depressed like we do (of course, if they have a ton of energy, this translates into pacing, weaving, things of that nature).

Try introducing something new. Better yet, don't even groom him the day you teach him something new. Make the whole day unexpected. :) And lots of treats!

[Sallinello]

Thanx TBeventer2002, I think u have hit the nail on the head there. The thing is, the horse was bred for dressage and this is more or less all he has done since then. He is now ten and I think basically bored with trotting round and round the school. I have only had hime for two months so don't really want to start taking him out to shows or anything yet, what can you suggest that I could teach him at home? I think I might give him say a week off working in the school and just hack out?

[TBEventer2002]

Hacking out a school horse (safely, of course) is one of the best things I think anyone could ever do! I often take my horses out after a good long workout and just let them walk around, taking in some fresh air and sights. It's a great reward, a great way to cool down after a workout, and it's a fab mental break for both horse and rider.

If hacking out isn't available right at that moment, you could always try NH, free-schooling, or teach them tricks. Also, I am a HUGE fan of desensitization of even the most rediculous things. For example, I am so used to just throwing things around my gelding's paddock (muck buckets, usually) that I forgot the other day that my mares and babies might be scared if I lobbed a big pink muck bucket over the fence out of no where! :eek: So what did I do? I left an empty one in there with them while I picked poo and used another bucket! It sure didn't take long for the babies to walk over and start picking it up, kicking it around, and even tossing it themselves! Now I can lob the bucket over the fence with no serious reactions from them. Of course, you can use all sorts of things on the ground: bags, tarps, those silly clown punching things that stand back up after you knock them down... And once they're not so scary from the ground, try riding around the arena doing your normal routine with all those things in there with you!

We can do all sorts of things to our horses at home, everything from mowing (Mom got very angry with Rumby the other day because she got the mower right up about three feet from him to mow the fenceline and Rumby refused to budge; he was dead set on getting that grass before the mower did!) to driving a tractor around the barn, to driving our manure-spreader around the horses in the fields, to all sorts of things. It is absolutely unending what you can desensitive your horse to, and I really don't see a downfall to it at all. :)

Good luck, and have fun!!!

EDITED TO ADD: Be sure that what you use in desensitization is safe for the horse! I would NEVER leave any of my horses unattended with something in their paddock that could potentially harm them. I always supervise & get involved in some way so that I can see a problem coming.

[pandapotato]

Making a mock trail course is always fun and engaging for your horse. Its very easy to do using the things you can find around your house and your barn. Here are some ideas:

Fill a small plastic grocery bag with some tin pop cans. Tie the bag securely shut. Place it on a railing or a barrel in the arena. Ride up to it, pick it up and shake it a few times. This helsp adjust your horse to picking things up, even scary plastic things! haha.

Drap a rain slicker over the arena wall. ride up to the wall,pick up the jacket, put it on, ride around and then take it back off.

If you can find a bridge like they build for trail courses, practice going over it.

Set up poles on the ground in an L shape. Back through them.

Set up one pole on the ground. Try to sidepass over it with two legs on each side.

If you can find a mailbox, set one up. Ride up and open it, remove something, close it and ride off. Then put the stuff back.

Ride bareback!

Set up cones. Weave between them at a trot and a canter.

Lastly, sometimes a nice hand-gallop wakes up you and your horse and gets the adrenaline pumping. (Of course make sure you have control and are comfortable.) YOu can even set up a barrel or a cone to gallop down to, turn around and gallop back. Horses love a good frolick. For once, don't worry about headset and hand set and perfect equitation. Just ride and enjoy it and dont try to discipline him every second!

Hope this is fun. :)

[Sallinello]

I have been making an effort the last couple of days to not discipline him all the time and to let him just have fun but I can't help thinking all the hard work I've put in up to now will go out the window!!

[pandapotato]

Hey, I know how you feel. I had a horse a few years back that was an Arab and I was using her for Western Pleasure. She had a horrid headset when i got her, and then sometimes tossed her head so high she actually hit my face once when I was leaning foreward! I had just gotten her to where I wanted her head to be, then she got loose and was hit by a car and broke her jaw. THANK GOD that was all. She fully recovered within 2 months, but I had to ride her in a hackamore for a while, which did nothing but UNDO what i had done for months.

You don't have to go "discipline-less" every day...just pick a day that is a nice, relaxed day-maybe Sundays or something. Use those days as fun days. That way every week he gets one break...that both of you can remember.

If at all possible, get out of the arena too! Even if you're just riding around in the driveway or in a yard or what not....just let him see new things. :).

[Sallinello]

Thanks for the advice. We are working towards a dressage competition at the end of this month so don't want to completely stop his schooling but I'd hate for him to become stale and start dreading every time I turn up at the yard!!