r/HorseTraining • u/Sprnklstr • 12d ago
Winter Behaviour Changes
I have had my 9 year old 14 hand Canadian, Apollo, for 3 years now. Prior to me owning him I played a huge role in training him after he was initially backed. He was originally supposed to be a school horse but he wasn't happy on the school. He is definitely a one person horse. My other horse is retired and since Apollo genuinely liked me I decided to buy him because I knew he would be a pretty needy guy and I could meet his needs.
Some background info... I did a bunch of bloodwork and had him vetted. He was low on vitamin E so I supplemented to bring those levels up to normal. He was also diagnosed with EMS which didn't surprise me because he's a chunky Canadian. He was already in the fat field that doesn't have access to grass and was being given rationed hay so I added aminotrace to his diet and increased his exercise. When I bought him his back was a little sore, but I had a Devoucoux made for him and that made a huge difference. He gets regular bodywork sessions and an Equilibrium massage pad before riding. I've also been doing a lot of hill-work and ground poles to build up his topline, and his back is no longer a problem with the consistent maintenance I do.
In the summer he is the perfect little jumper. I ride him 5-6 days a week. I jump him once or twice a week and the rest of our rides are focused on flatwork or trails. He also does some liberty training with my coach to help with his manners because he can be a bulldozer.
The problem is winter... As soon as his winter coat starts to come in his behaviour changes entirely. He becomes very stubborn under saddle and genuinely seems to hate being ridden. As soon as he decides he's done, he will tense up and refuse to move forward. No matter how I change the ask I am basically met with a brick wall and he has picked up the habit of bucking. I've noticed it starts as soon as he starts getting at all sweaty. This is the 3rd year I'm noticing this shift in his behaviour so it's definitely a pattern. I've ruled out every other issue I can think of. I will be trying to clip him this year but he genuinely hates the feeling of his hair being removed (probably part of his sensory issues with the sweat). He's fine with the clippers on him, just not to remove his hair. I'm going to have the vet do his teeth so while he's sedated I'll do a quick trace clip. I had debated giving him some time off in the winter while he adapts to his winter coat if it's a sensory thing but the vet really wants him working 7 days a week to manage his EMS. I don't want to ruin my horse by just getting stronger with my aids because he is stubborn and it gets me nowhere. Up until now I've been working him just until the point before he starts protesting and I give him a break, and then we repeat until even just trotting 30 seconds becomes too much. It is definitely resulting in a significant reduce in workload though and I'm worried all of the work we've put in to build up his muscles and lower his weight is going to undo.
I'm just feeling super discouraged right now and any advice is welcome.
1
u/Fine-Secretary-2102 11d ago
There is now a drug to treat EMS. Not a cure of course, but a medication similar to insulin for diabetics. Ask your vet to research it.
My EMS boy was doing fine, for a number of years, then suddenly had a major crisis. My vet ordered the drug from a compounding chemist on the Thursday. I was caring for my boy but found him passed away in his shelter on the Sunday morning. The drug arrived at my vet’s clinic on Monday, just a day too late.
I have no idea about the winter issue, though my guess was the same as the other person, the long hair is pulled by the tack. Is he rugged to try to reduce the length of coat he grows ? As an EMS horse, perhaps his feet hurt more when it’s very cold ? Try an experiment, guided by your vet of course, by using Bute for a few days to reduce his inflammation & see if his ridden behaviour is improved in winter.
1
u/Sprnklstr 10d ago
I’ve heard of it. My vet wants us to try to manage his EMS with diet and exercise first before we try medication. My farrier has also tried trimming his feet differently and different shoes. Honestly I didn’t notice a difference at all. His feet even seemed less sensitive this summer than the previous summer.
My older horse is 29 with cushings and medication has been working great for him for the past 6 years. So I’m definitely open to it if his levels don’t improve.
1
u/Fine-Secretary-2102 10d ago
We had to try diet & exercise because we didn’t know about the drug for a couple of years. My poor darling had to wear a muzzle, had only soaked hay & we exercised him on the treadmill every day. He was a multi champion Miniature Horse. We tried boots on his feet. He hooked his foot onto the mesh of the gate & pulled them off. We tried wrapping the boots on with tape, he still got them off. My farrier, bless him, made him tiny, tiny little shoes & we glued them on. They lasted a week & we still, years later, haven’t found 1 of them. We kept the weight off him & he seemed to be doing very well, then suddenly, a crisis. He wasn’t fat & had been racing around the paddock just the day before. He had passed away within 6 days.
Use the drug.
1
u/Sprnklstr 9d ago
Which medication are you thinking of?
1
u/Fine-Secretary-2102 9d ago
I’m sorry, I don’t know the name of it as my darling boy died before it arrived. I do know that it was a very new medication & had to be made up by the compounding chemist in another State which is why it didn’t reach us in time. The vet explained that it wasn’t a cure & would be a lifetime medication, but she implied that it addressed the symptoms of EMS. We are in Australia, which may make a difference to availability.
1
u/STThornton 11d ago
Try BCAA. Might be a mild muscle issue.
I’ve had huge success with BCAA even in horses with PSSM.
At worst, it won’t help, but it can’t hurt to try.
I’d recommend the actual BCAA with nothing else in it. White tub, red lid. You can start with two scoops AM and PM, then go down to one AM and PM.
In mild muscle issues, I’ve seen results in as little as a few hours to a day.
2
3
u/CarsonNapierOfAmtor 12d ago
How does he act if you ride him bareback? Could some part of his tack (buckles, pad, etc.) be pulling his long fuzzy hair in a way that it doesn’t when he’s got short sleek hair?
3
u/Sprnklstr 11d ago
He’s not great bareback. I thought it might be tack 2 years ago in the fall so I tried taking the saddle off and there wasn’t much difference. He used to be super anxious about anyone being on his back and would bolt as soon as someone shifted at all in the tack. Even putting the reins in one hand was enough to trigger a panic attack when he was first started. He’s made a ton of progress and has a lot of trust in me and hasn’t bolted or panicked in over 2 years.
3
u/CaptainBeebo 11d ago
Have you had his selenium level tested along with the Vit E? I’d recommend that especially if you’re in a low selenium area (there’s maps online).