Totally shocked - not like him!

Ace87

Quitus & Strike
Aug 8, 2007
6,076
0
36
Bedfordshire
Quitus is normally the perfect gent in all respects. He is gentle and affectionate to handle, he isn't spooky or silly to lead and he's normally ever so soft to ride..

The last couple days he's been a bit odd. I have no idea what it is but he's not being himself. I rode out with mum on Saturday - just a hack round the fields - he knew the route so nothing new and scary. He was a bit jumpy and silly and ran off once but I sat deep and kept hold of him.. Anyway..

Sunday I got him in he was his usual docile self.. mum tacked up Moonlight and rode her in the school and I put Q's lunging stuff on and took him into the front paddock to lunge. Normally he is an angel to lunge but I don't know what got into him. He started off walking nicely then I asked him to trot and he was fine then suddenly he pelted off galloping and bucking.

I asked him to woah and slow down and used my usual sing-songy voice to chill him that ALWAYS works.. nothing, hooning about snorting eyes wide open looking genuinely terrified?!

I never use a lunge whip with him, he had his bridle on (snaffle bit) and a lunge line and roller with side reins (still clipped to roller only use them after he's warmed up)..

Anyway, he's not balanced in canter on a circle so I threw the line out as long as I could so he wouldn't fall over but he wouldn't slow down so I pulled him in a little to try and get him to slow but he wouldn't so back out again when he started tripping all over the place..

Eventually after a good 10 mins of me stressing he was going to break a leg and him going crazy I got him to walk up to me he was shaking and puffing and snorting, as gently as I could I undid the roller and slipped it off then gently got his bridle off and he hooned away throwing himself about like a nutter.

I turned Moonlight out in the paddock with him while I mucked out and he started to chill a bit but everytime a car came past he hooned off again?! Then it took me a good 5mins to catch him - he normally comes running up to me!

I don't really know why I'm writing this, it terrified me to see him going so crazy, he's had a recent check of teeth, back tack etc. He's in a loose ring snaffle with a lozenge and a Kieffer comfort bridle so I can't see it being tack. He doesn't appear to have any signs of lameness or pain anywhere on him (checked him over thoroughly)

I'm a bit worried to get on him tonight incase he does it again, it wasn't just babyish playing the look of terror in his eyes will haunt me forever. I'm going to get my instructor to come and ride him once a week and give me a lesson with him once a week, I'm going to have to hack him to a school big enough to school him in but I don't know whether I should focus on hacking him out and traffic proofing him or really schooling him hard getting him totally aware of all my aids and me totally aware of what he's about to do etc?

At 16.3hh he's too big to be throwing his weight around and I get the feeling he's about to hit the stroppy 5's.. I want to get help with him now before it does turn into a problem. Am I doing the right thing or should I turn him away!?!? I'm very confused.
 
The hunt haven't started round your way at all have they! I always know without fail when they are near and have been round as my usually chilled out horse just goes totally loopy for a good few days and then is ok again until they come back again!

You haven't changed his feed or done anything at all out of the ordinary?

Perhaps something has spooked or worried him but i'm sure he will soon settle again.
 
Changed his feed about a month ago, off the competition mix onto cooling mix and speedi beet but have ridden him and lunged him since the change, and did it very very gradually.

It's just such a change he's normally such a chilled out dude!

Don't think it's the hunt, our land is all privately owned and only our horses are allowed to ride on it.. Farmer has ploughed now so bridle paths are 2-3meters wide max now so doubt it's that!
 
its the time of year, all mine hoon around like that this time of year same as spring :)

bet he gets back to his normal laid back self within a week ;)
 
I have to say I thought that, I seem to remember spring and autum Cheyenne was a headcase! The constantly changing weather seemed to spook him!

He is out on grass 7am - 4pm then in with hay after that if that helps!?
 
The grass may be part of the problem, it can really affect some. Also the changeable weather we're getting lately.

One other thought. You say he's turned out with your mum's mare - is she in season or coming in? Lots of mares seem to come in much stronger at this time of year & it sends some geldings absolutely mad :rolleyes:
 
Bloomin' grass! I need him to eat it he doesn't keep the weight on too easily! I guess, I could go for a starvation paddock and give him hay instead? Then what about the lack of nutrients from the grass?

Mum's mare isn't in season, nor is she coming in - he was in with another mare who is in season when I got him and he didn't bat an eyelid, he really doesn't understand what mares are for other than to mother him!! Bless!

When Ace or Cheyenne were like this I didn't mind, Moonlight has been rather excited and bucking of late but as she's 14.2 it's not a problem mum can't deal with but I'm just suddenly very aware of his height and 1. how far it is to fall and 2. I don't want to end up yanking his mouth to stop him if he does it under saddle.

Is it wise to think of having a professional ride him? Sharer is ill atm so can't ride just now (thank god I'd hate him to do it with her!) I'm not scared of riding him but worried about him injuring himself or me yanking him about if he slips again.

Or should I just get twice weekly lessons, and school all the time only hack once a week?
 
Hope so! I miss the leisurely hacks we'd been having! I'm thinking of moving yards so I have a school on site big enough for him! I don't think I thought of all the implications of having a big horse when I first got him!
 
lol love the description and sounds exactly what i went though with archie about 5 months ago- ended up in me turning him out 24/7 as noone from the yard would approach him after he'd spent a night in the stable. Tried to lunge him several times and ran for my life out of the school after he went literally insane in there. very very spooky out (so unlike him) and just a general nightmare to handle all round.
After turning him out 24/7 he did calm down, changed his food to a non sugar non starch feed and cut out anything with sugars. Didnt make much difference and have now put it down to the terrible 5's and its somehting some of them go through.
In archies defence this only lasted a few months but was terrifying- snorting , rolling eyes- look of serious terror on his face etc - really though something horrid was up.
Give Q some time and he'll come through the other end of this ok ;)
 
Changed his feed about a month ago, off the competition mix onto cooling mix and speedi beet but have ridden him and lunged him since the change, and did it very very gradually.

Speedi beet sends my horse mad, changes him completely from laid back and happy to spooky, whizzy and annoying! No idea why as it's meant to be sugar free etc...
 
If it is any consolation Molly was in a very strange mood this weekend and at one point threw a half rear, span and buggered off up the field as I was bringing her in breaking her headcollar. She them spent the next few hours huffing and puffing - so I gave her a day off and left her to it. Totally unlike her - so it may be something in the air :confused:

She was fine this morning :rolleyes:
 
The Ginger Thing has been a complete nightmare the last week or so, bucking, bouncing, shooting forwards etc :rolleyes: Think it must be the weather and the grass, he hasn't been like this for a very long time (but obviously will never grow out of it :rolleyes:) - he has been completely chilled all summer, even at RC Area sj, but his usual hacks are now suddenly very exciting ;). And he's already on mag ox so there's really nothing for it but to wait for him to settle down again!

Hopefully its just a temporary thing for all of us :D
 
Speedi beet sends my horse mad, changes him completely from laid back and happy to spooky, whizzy and annoying! No idea why as it's meant to be sugar free etc...

I just recently had the same thing with Easibeet which culminated with my sharer who has ridden for 40 years and is not phased by anything warning me not to hack out as he wasn't safe:eek:

Took him off it and he seems to be going back to normal abd we had a very chilled little hack on Sunday.
 
I was going to ask you if you'd changed his feed but then saw you say:

Changed his feed about a month ago, off the competition mix onto cooling mix and speedi beet but have ridden him and lunged him since the change, and did it very very gradually.

when trying to work out what was wrong with jerry i was told to wait a good 3-4weeks for his feed to get out his system. i'd put him back on what you were feeding before - wait a month and then see how he is. it does sound like he's reacting to something he's eating.
 
I definetly think its something to do with the seaons and every changing weather, mines gone mad just lately and last week he was perfect and good as gold.

Just give him a week of maybe and see if he calms down, hope he is back on track soon :)
 
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