Horse laying down

[MissFliss]

I'm very concerned about Toby! I fed him today and he only ate half his feed, then went and lay down. He didn't seem to be at all distressed, in fact he nibbled at the grass while he was lying down and was very unconcerned about me being nearby. I put a halter on him and got him up and led him to the paddock, where he sauntered off and lay down again. I waited awhile, got him up again and led him to the water buckets. He had a little drink then I led him to his mates, where he grazed for awhile then lay down again. I waited till he was standing, then I had to come home, but I'm very worried.

He isn't sweaty and doesn't seem to be in any pain. He wasn't biting his belly and had nornal gut sounds. He even did a poo after dinner which was normal and he didn't seem to be strainig at all. In fact he seems perfectly healthy except for the loss of appetite and wanting to lie down. Weird. Another horse I owned would do this in spring if he was full, but it's winter here and Toby spent his afternoon dozing in the sun.

Can you reassure me? Is this a new way for horses to drive me crazy with worry? Thanks for reading,

MissFliss

 

[artemis]

check his temperature, pulse & respiration - that should tell you if something is wrong.

 

[MissFliss]

Just went to check on him and he's fine

It's 9:00 pm here and I thought I might have difficulty seeing them in the dark, but all four came trotting up and assumed their breakfast positions. I think they feel quite ripped off I didn't feed them!

As I was leaving Toby was picking a fight with Maxx (16.2hh vs 10hh). I think he feels OK.

MissFliss

 

[sidesaddlelady1]

Assuming all else is OK....

It's a fallacy that horses never lie down. If they are secure in their surroundings they will often lie down for a nap. The WH does it nearly every afternoon at around 2.30pm when he's in his stable - I've lost count of the times newcomers to the yard have come running to get me because they think he's ill. He lies on his side, tucks his legs in like a dog, stretches out his neck and lays his head on his bankings and goes spark out, frequently snoring like a grampus. He often does the same while out with his herd in the field where they seem to take it in turns to lie down and sleep.

As far as not eating his feed, are you giving him long enough? Some horses like to eat in fits and starts.

 

[galadriel]

The first clue I had of Kat's REALLY bad impaction was that she just didn't want to stand up. She had normal appetite, seemed perky enough, but just wanted to lie down; she resisted when we tried to get her to stand. 2 vet visits and mineral oil tubings laters he still didn't want to get up, and was getting gradually worse. (She continued to pass manure and to have gut sounds throughout.) That whole episode ended a couple of days later with being transported to the nearby equine hospital--fortunately she didn't need surgery, but she did need IV fluids and several more tubings of mineral oil.

A horse acting abnormally can be a symptom of something bad going on. Our horses do have times during the day when they typically nap, but they'll often stand up if we ask them to, and they're always willing to get up for food. That's what's typical for these guys; you just have to know what's typical for your horse, and start taking vital signs if something seems worrisome. First thing I'd check--easy to do on a horse who's down, and easy to read--is a dehydration pinch test. More about vitals here:
http://lorienstable.com/articles/owning/125-costs-fak/

 

[MissFliss]

Thanks for your replies, very helpful!

Galadriel, this is what has got me stumped. I did the pinch test, checked his gums, listened to his belly and all was fine. He wasn't reluctant to stand up, but lay down a few minutes later. He was happy to walk with me and move about. When I saw him a few hours later he was lining up for his food (optimist!), and was playing with his mates, no problems!

He is SUCH a sweet horse, I think it's just because he is terribly relaxed and layed back. As I was leading him yesterday, I fell over a rock and landed flat on my face (fortunately in long grass!) and gave his leadrope an almighty yank and he didn't flinch or spook or anything, just waited for me to stand up and get going again.

Off to give them breakkie for real this time!

MissFliss