Equine Misbehaviour- why it’s worth a vet visit

Picture it: you’re mid-ride and ask for a simple transition as you have a hundred times

before. Instead of responding, your horse throws its head, attempts to bolt or even

spooks. Frustrated you tighten the reins and ask again, this time getting a buck for an

answer. The next week you go to put the saddle on and your horse shifts away, maybe

even pins its ears. Thinking your horse is simply being moody you tell them to knock it

off. After chatting with friends you conclude that your horse is upset with recent

changes at the barn, maybe has ulcers or needs a training reset. You start them on

various supplements and crack down on training, but instead the problems only get

worse. What’s the problem here?

Contrary to popular belief, the equine brain does not have the capacity to contemplate

things such as revenge, spite or other humanoid emotions related to specifically

performing a bad behaviour to either anger their owner or prove some sort of point.

When keeping that fact in mind we can also take a step back and look at the basics of

equine behaviour, most of which results in them being a generally agreeable and willing

animal, one that bonds closely to it’s companions (including human ones). Therefore,

when we see any of the above noted behaviours we need to consider pain as the root

cause and have a qualified veterinarian out for a lameness assessment. The vast

majority of undesirable equine behaviours, particularly under saddle are directly related

to musculoskeletal pain, with or without discernible lameness. Related to this, the

largest cause of gastric ulcers in horse is musculoskeletal pain.

What does this mean?

In short, addressing potential or confirmed gastric ulcers without addressing underlying

lameness is likely to result in recurrence of ulcers. Anyone who has had a horse with

gastric ulcers is aware of the high cost of medication and therefore would likely opt to

not have to treat them on several occasions especially knowing that as lameness issues

go undetected the frequency of ill or even dangerous behaviours will increase.

Another thing to remember is that as a prey animal the horse is exceptionally well

adapted to hiding symptoms of pain that a predator could pick up on. The behaviours

listed above (head tossing, bolting, unexplained spooks, bucking, ear pinning) are only

those that are the most obvious, the ones that come out when underlying pain goes

undetected for long enough. More subtle symptoms that can be seen under saddle can

include pulling the bit to one side, being behind or in front of the vertical for prolonged

periods, an intense stare, exposure of the whites of the eyes, increased or decreased

blinking, a clamped or swishing tail, too fast or irregular gaits and inability to maintain a

canter lead…just to name a few! This is not to say that every horse who exhibits some

of these behaviours is in pain, however, it does warrant consultation with a veterinarian

to rule out lameness before issues get worse or even dangerous.

What Next?

Before starting your horse on various supplements, training regimes, or new equipment

it would be ideal to book a soundness evaluation with a qualified veterinarian to rule out pain as the cause first. These exams take anywhere from 2-5 hours and include a variety of different options to best suit your needs. Don’t hesitate to reach out for more information today!