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Discussion on Mare runs herself sick with nerves | |
Author | Message |
Member: Kasson |
Posted on Saturday, Nov 16, 2002 - 11:44 pm: We have been caring for my mother's 5yo QH mare for about a year now. Mom comes and rides her usually once per week and sometimes more, just easy trail/pasture riding around where we live for a couple of hours. The mare is kept in a 200 x 200 area with a barn with a gelding. I have another mare who runs in a pen next to them (they get along well) and then they are all turned out together on a larger pasture at least 2-3 times per week for several hours.The problem is that she will be in the corral or pasture and hear a motorcycle or 4 wheeler and just go nuts. She is only slightly more nervous if you are riding and allows you to keep control, but if she is loose in the pasture she will run herself into a total lather and give herself diarrhea. It is not even when they are close to the house and she doesn't need to see them. It is hunting season and we have a creek about 2-3 miles away and so they have been riding 4 wheelers back there on and off and it is driving her crazy. She was totally lathered with sweat twice this week and the diarrhea lasts about a day each time (it is almost watery after a bit). She does keep eating and drinking fine once she settles down. She is in with other horses and they do not run with her, they just look at her and wonder what is going on. I'm just worried that with it getting much colder out that she will make herself sick. She ran for over an hour straight back and forth at a dead run today and then trotted around for about 3 more hours with some more running also. I really don't know what to do - I've never seen anything quite like it. If anyone has any suggestions I would appreciate it. |
Moderator: DrO |
Posted on Sunday, Nov 17, 2002 - 10:28 am: 4 wheelers, 2 miles away? It would take some unusual accoustics for that to be heard. I think I would tape the sound then play it at the level that it does not bother her say an hour a day for a week, slowly increase the level, always keeping it at a level that does not trouble her, eventually you will be able to adjust to the level of the sound coming in.DrO |
Member: Jojo15 |
Posted on Sunday, Nov 17, 2002 - 10:40 am: Its got to be something she had a bad experience with in the past... Don't you think? Unless you have always had her and can say that motorcycles have always been around her.What about ear problems? Something that could make her more sensitive to certain pitch sounds? Does she go ballistic to gun fire? or fire engines? police sirens? or just this? Don't they make ear muffs for horses? jojo |
Member: Kasson |
Posted on Sunday, Nov 17, 2002 - 10:57 pm: My mom's had her for between 2-3 years and she has been at our house since about March. We live in a pretty quiet, secluded area with our closest neighbor being about 1-2 miles away so I can verify that if you go out you can hear the 4 wheelers - but you really have to listen and be tuned on to them. It seems to be the same with motorcycles.The riding mower doesn't bother her - you can even drive right up to her and she doesn't care. We have had to shoot a couple of skunks/possums around the yard and the shooting never bothered her. The chain saw will make her slightly hyper when we start it up - but not as much the motorcycle sounds. Our neighbor up the road has a teenage son and they rode by a couple of times on dirtbikes this summer and she freaked out. She will also run to the corners of the pasture long after they are gone and keep looking for them. She may well have had some sort of trauma in the past that I am not aware of but other than that she is a fairly quiet mare and doesn't spook easily. I may try having the sound recorded and playing it like suggested - she never challenges the fence like she is really scared and trying to run away - just around and around and around and around. I just wanted to be sure that she wouldn't cause herself to get totally sick by doing this. |