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Rachelle E. Morris
Member
Username: rtrotter
Post Number: 157
Registered: 4-2008
| | Posted on Sunday, Feb 22, 2009 - 10:43 pm: |   |
In another thread I posted about my racemare that was involved in an accident causing deep wounds to her knees. She recovered very well and is currently racing just about every week.
In her last 3 out of 4 races, she has raced well but after the race she has acted like a looney tune in the race paddock, almost kicked my husband's head off twice as he was trying to give her a bath or drying her legs off after the bath. She does not normally act like that either in the paddock or at home.
The first time it happened the only thing we could think of was that the driver was hitting her left-handed( not necessarily her body, but the shaft of the racebike or the saddlepad, she had no marks on her at all). However, we had another driver this week and she did the same thing. My husband says, she did it when he went to dry her left knee with the towel.
Her knees have no heat, seem to be completely healed from her accident and do not bother her on a daily basis even when hosed with warm or cold water as long as the water is not forceably sprayed hard on her legs.
Do you think she could have some sort of residual skin sensitivity in her knees from the accident and if so, is there anything I can do to ease her sensitivity. She reacts like she is in pain, yet ten minutes later she's fine.
She does not react like this when she trains or jogs, but she is pretty high strung and nervous and I am wondering if once her adrenalin gets pumping after the race,it makes her more hypersensitive to what she perceives might hurt her.
When she was recovering from her accident, I spent an awful lot of time hosing and cleaning her knees and she didn't like it much, but since she has recovered, I hose, and dry her knees all the time and she's fine.
Maybe she ( or me) needs a psychiatrist!
Rachelle |
Sara Wolff
Member
Username: mrose
Post Number: 4606
Registered: 1-2000
| | Posted on Monday, Feb 23, 2009 - 2:00 am: | |
Rachelle, I personally think all horse owners should get some kind of group discount at the psychiatrists!
I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't have some nerves that are extra sensative. After one of my knee surgeries I couldn't stand for even bed sheets to touch my leg around the knee. It took quite awhile for sensitivity to go away. (My other knee, however, had no sensitivity at all after it's surgery, and 10 years later still doesn't. It's very weird feeling to kneel on the floor because I can't feel the floor under my knee.) Any wound that's deep would involve at the very least the surface nerves.
So glad your mare is able to race again!
As an aside, one of the biggest thrills of my life was driving a Standard Bred around Del Mar track when I was in High School. Wow! My family had friends that were trainers and owners and I spent as much time as possible "backside" while in H.S. |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: dro
Post Number: 22410
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Monday, Feb 23, 2009 - 7:47 am: | |
Rachelle, if I understand your post the only time she behaves this way is immediately following the race. While I can only conjecture on the cause (pent up energy not released during the race?), why not give her the 10 minutes it takes to get normal before washing.
DrO |
Angie J.
Member
Username: ajudson1
Post Number: 2388
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Monday, Feb 23, 2009 - 7:50 am: | |
Skin sensitivity, retained memories, or maybe something under the skin yet? Or a combination of the above?
There is a reason, I don't think horses lie, but some do have a mighty strange sense of humor I swear! |
Diane E.
Member
Username: scooter
Post Number: 3705
Registered: 9-2000
| | Posted on Monday, Feb 23, 2009 - 8:07 am: | |
Rachelle, Tho I am not a horse When I fell off Hank in my limestone arena I got road rash on my backside where I landed...It felt weird up until recently, didn't really hurt, but different. Especially if I rubbed it or soaked in the tub. So from my human experience I would say it's possible she is still sensitive. |
Rachelle E. Morris
Member
Username: rtrotter
Post Number: 159
Registered: 4-2008
| | Posted on Tuesday, Feb 24, 2009 - 3:50 pm: | |
Dr. O,
I would love to try and wait, but sometimes a later race needs to use the same stalls we race out of and I barely have enough time to get her stripped and bathed as it is.
I had more of a delayed reaction this week, I left her bridle on and stripped her equipment off and gave her a bath with her bridle still on, it was only after I took the bridle off and my husband tried to dry her legs that she went berserko. So, she really did have about 10 minutes to calm down.
This week I am going to resort to an old trick and see if she's better, a blanket clamp on her chin. It doesn't hurt her, but it keeps her mind off any thing else she might get into trouble with.
Thanks for your suggestion.
Rachelle |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: dro
Post Number: 22435
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Wednesday, Feb 25, 2009 - 9:27 am: | |
Is there also an association that she behaves this way only with your husband?
DrO |
Rachelle E. Morris
Member
Username: rtrotter
Post Number: 160
Registered: 4-2008
| | Posted on Wednesday, Feb 25, 2009 - 1:31 pm: | |
No association with Hubby at all, he gets along really well with her, he jogs her and trains her if her and his schedule permits. He has always gotten along really well with mares, he is really very calm, cool and collected around all horses and with her he is no different and he likes her because of her toughness.
She is racing tomorrow, I am going to try and get my husband to let me deal with her after the race to see if her attitude is different. Maybe if I handle her my way, with the praises and good girl and I am not in a rush to get her stripped and bathed we might have a better end result.
There is another thing with this filly. She goes everywhere either in a hood or a blind bridle or you can not walk her, jog her or tow her or get her on and off a trailer ( She ships with earplugs and a hood). Even if she's seen things 50 times the 51st time it will freak her out. With the hood for the most part she acts normally. That's why I think she did not flip out last week until we took her bridle off.
I may just try putting her hood on to see what happens. At this point anything is worth a shot.
Thanks
Rachelle |
Rachelle E. Morris
Member
Username: rtrotter
Post Number: 162
Registered: 4-2008
| | Posted on Saturday, Mar 7, 2009 - 6:39 pm: | |
Update:
Well, Dr. O you were right it was my husband that this mare was freaking out about. I am just not sure why.
I raced her last week and I handled her after the race and while I left her bridle on until after I gave her a bath, she did not freak out.
I raced her today and decided to let my husband take her bandages off ( this was before she raced) as he bent down to take off her left front bandage, she squealed and tried to kick him. ( this mare usually races during the week and I deal with her before the races, my husband works a half day and gets there just in time to put her on the track). I was watching from a significant distance away.
After the race, I dealt with her and I took her bridle off and she was fine.
I am not sure what she associates him with but it is apparently something, so his job is now walking her after the race where she is fine.
Thanks again
Rachelle |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: dro
Post Number: 22498
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Saturday, Mar 7, 2009 - 7:22 pm: | |
It can be hard to figure why some horses behave so differently around some individuals, some association with the past. Usually careful retraining using conditioned responses will correct it and often very rapidly and it can be fun. For more see Training & Conditioning Horses » Behavior and Training » Modifying a Horses Behavior: Conditioned Responses.
DrO |
