Filthy weather yesterday, she and Suze stayed on the yard and were stabled last night as their paddock was 'floating'. Survived the night indoors and were fine, so she is back to her old self.
Fleur is on her way home
- Thread starter diplomaticandtactful
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I'm so pleased to read this, must be a huge relief for both of you that she feels safe again.
They have been on the concrete stable yard during the day with straw and then on the front yard at night as the paddock is still going to be trashed as it is so soft. She is back to her old self, nothing bothers her.
I had to move them to the larger field, as ours was so muddy. She had plenty to eat there, not ideal for her or Suze who is a hippo, but it was old long stalky grass. Lasted 2 weeks, she has now taken all the fencing down again. I have had to move her to another tiny paddock which is post and rail. She never used to break out of fields or break down stable doors. She has I think been starved to get weight off her, and she is now paranoid about it. She used to stay where she was completely happily no issues but that's the third time she has taken down all the fences, just can't keep her in at all, she is so utterly desperate and driven in her search for food. Where she was she had plenty of low value grass to eat. She is completely ruined. Suze stayed where she was, she didn't go out of the field as she is a good girl. The last thing i needed, given i have had flu for over a week and been in bed, just doing the minimum was to have to go and move her again. I put her up there as the field was so wet and muddy and i couldn't muck it out as i was too weak and wobbly. Now I will have to skip this one out which at the moment will be hard as i am still so feverish.
Vet was out for Sapphire so we had a look at Fleur. We both agree that she has lost too much weight and is a bit thin, no neck, looks pot bellied, too quiet. She has not received anything about why she was lame. Agree that we may have to split her and Suze up at night and have Fleur on the yard so she gets more hay as she is looking a bit poor. She has been worm counted, no worms, and due a worming in December with Pramox. She was quite shocked by her, not the horse she has seen over the years.
Maybe it's time to get a lameness workup done in case there's a pain issue causing her to not put on weight? And maybe run some bloods? In two months I'd have expected her to gain weight and condition if it had just been a lack of feed.
Vet suggested upping her feed for a month and then see how she looks, so will yard her to up her hay, she has plenty of straw. She can babysit Sapphire. She doesn't appear lame but neither of us knows what her issue was so where do you start. Her feet are good, she has just lost a lot on her neck, and back. She has a big tummy, you can feel her ribs, her mum does not have any ribs never has done. She has no shine in her coat just looked a bit down.
Haven’t you had her back home a while now?? Surely you upped her feed and hay and grazing when you saw she was thin? If she’s still that bad then maybe more investigations are due?? Bloods at a minimum is what I would do if I had a horse that was giving extra too all these months with no improvement. Surprised the vets never took any 
I am bringing her onto the yard for the day so she can eat a lot more as she is looking a bit rough
Hmm. I'd be running bloods (has she been tested for PPID? That can cause weight loss, pot belly and lethargy etc) and then looking at scanning for ulcers and getting a loss performance work up done personally.
I'm surprised blood weren't taken at the last vet check to be honest, but whats done is done *but* I'd get them done ASAP now.
With regards to where to start? Well, that's what a loss of performance/lameness investigation is for. I couldn't specify P's issue a few years ago, just that he wasn't himself. Vet's are used to operating on a broad 'my horse isn't right, help' basis.
If she's lame bilaterally, that is much harder to see so won't show in the same way as a lameness affecting one limb or area.
I'm surprised blood weren't taken at the last vet check to be honest, but whats done is done *but* I'd get them done ASAP now.
With regards to where to start? Well, that's what a loss of performance/lameness investigation is for. I couldn't specify P's issue a few years ago, just that he wasn't himself. Vet's are used to operating on a broad 'my horse isn't right, help' basis.
If she's lame bilaterally, that is much harder to see so won't show in the same way as a lameness affecting one limb or area.
she was in perfect health when she was rehomed, she is very stressed, and anxious and difficult to manage. there was no reason to do anything with her when she arrived back as we didn't think there was anything wrong with her and she was doped with acp so we left her well alone. The vet will be attending Sapphire regularly so she will keep an eye on Fleur and see what we think. I am more concerned by her behaviour, she is quite dangerous at the moment, won't be stabled, totally terrified of that, sweats up, has the runs, tries to break the door down. This is a horse who used to be perfectly happy in a stable when needed.
I appreciate this has been stressful for you but for your own good, meant in the nicest and kindest way, I really think you need to let go of the 'She was fine before she was re-homed' narrative. It doesn't help you and it doesn't help the horse as she's obviously not fine now.
P was perfectly healthy three years ago only for the wheels to fall off physically and mentally he deteriorated 12 months later (coincided with a yard move that wasn't a huge success). It was no one's fault, it could have happened anyway, who knows? Perhaps it was solely the yard move. Perhaps it was other stuff. But simply saying well, P was fine before so it must be the yards fault, wouldn't have helped him. To help him, we needed to work with what we had and investigate.
Behaviour can be closely linked to pain so I'd still be questioning pain as a potential reason and cause to her behaviour.
Stress can also trigger metabolic conditions as well as gastric ulcers (and they can cause huge behavioural issues). So she may be in a cycle of physical and psychological discomfort that needs to be broken.
But, if she is that bad you currently can't handle her safely then you may also need a professional behaviourist to help move forwards.
Good luck and I hope she picks up.
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I would also be wondering about ulcers, and the behaviours you describe are quite common with them, plus they can also produce lameness.
It's probably no one's fault, and anyway trying to allocate blame won't help. She had a lot of change in a short time, some horses don't cope well with that and it can cause long term problems - been there, done that, got the T-shirt. All you can do is work with what you have now.
It's probably no one's fault, and anyway trying to allocate blame won't help. She had a lot of change in a short time, some horses don't cope well with that and it can cause long term problems - been there, done that, got the T-shirt. All you can do is work with what you have now.
Considering the changes she has had in her life, I would be leaving her for six months easily in a field with shelter and a friend doing absolutely no thinking at all. Then I would start back at the beginning, expect nothing and don't rush.
I think she was born with you and always been with you and her mother? Moving her from that situation is enough to cause all these issues. Robin has moved field in the same yard and got himself completely wound up and gave himself ulcers.
As for sedation. It does not cause long term issues. Robin was doped every day for a couple of weeks. Another horse had domosedan every day to deal with a bandage change for months.
I also think you have not ridden her before so also equally possible that her lameness issue alerts not apparent.
As has been said you need to stop trying to find blame. It has happened and you have to deal with the horse you have in front of you. Robin developed multiple issues leading to very nearly have to pts. Just because he was fine before did not mean he stayed like that.
As for sedation. It does not cause long term issues. Robin was doped every day for a couple of weeks. Another horse had domosedan every day to deal with a bandage change for months.
I also think you have not ridden her before so also equally possible that her lameness issue alerts not apparent.
As has been said you need to stop trying to find blame. It has happened and you have to deal with the horse you have in front of you. Robin developed multiple issues leading to very nearly have to pts. Just because he was fine before did not mean he stayed like that.
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Still very disturbed, still breaking down fences. Manners gone totally. Wouldn't come in at night, went out to bring her down, before she would have plodded in happily on a loose rope, she was pulling, had to do circles with her - ground icy not very safe. In the end once i got her to where i could close a gate to prevent her going back up the hill i let her go for my own safety. Total pain in the a at the moment. Took the fence down last night, she was with her mum, in the big winter field with a big bale but she takes the fence down to get into a small muddy field with no shelter. Bonkers.
What else is around that paddock? she must be going to get to something, is it the way to the yard or the donks?
I’d definitely be testing the electric on the fences, once they learn to go through them, fences off or not putting out a decent whack aren’t a sufficient deterrent. Dan needs 10,000v to stop him from wandering off on a daily basis.
I’d definitely be testing the electric on the fences, once they learn to go through them, fences off or not putting out a decent whack aren’t a sufficient deterrent. Dan needs 10,000v to stop him from wandering off on a daily basis.
the big field she is in leads to the yard so she can see everyone, The one she went into she has been in it and gone the other way up to the bigger field so inconsistent. I can't have the power on at the moment due to Sapphire being on the yard as a bit of the yard fence is connected to the entire circuit. Suze doesn't go with her, it's only Fleur. but she took down 5 perimeter fences in the summer field one by one so she just is destroying all the fencing.
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