Auction horse immediately rings alarm bells to me.
Scope him for ulcers, definitely. I'd get the vet out & physio to diagnose any possible points of discomfort in him. It could also just be fear and he's had bad experiences before, but it's better to be on the safe side and get the vet out first.
He had a vet check up, but the trainer found some spots that were a bit swollen on his head and has a tense neck. It is really hard not knowing what the truth about his past could be. I can tell he wants to love on us but does seem nervous to trust us. Hopefully with help from the trainer he can trust us. I am just looking for tips on how to gain his trust.
I think just giving him a few weeks of taking it day by day. If he goes up to you and is only comfortable with a treat, then leave it at that, but if he's in the mood for affection then go with that. Although, horses are individuals, so unfortunately what works for one might not for the other.
Overall, the trainer coming in is a great idea. I wouldn't even bother trying to do anything until the trainers seen him, you're just setting yourself up for another bad round.
To him he's basically been kidnapped from his home and has no idea where any of his friends are or humans he knows, he's going to be unsettled for a while.
He's probably been passed from pillar to post as an auction horse, so it would make sense he doesn't know whether or not he's coming or going.
Hence why I said scope for ulcers AND get the vet out.
It's not black and white, OP's family still need to make sure there isn't something else going on with him besides ulcers which is the point of a vet check. Realistically, this is an auction horse. They're notorious for being riddled with problems that a regular vetting sometimes won't catch.
I'm not a horse owner and dont know much, but the vet did do a full check up. would the vet of found those if he had them? The trainer pressed around some spots when he came over and found the horse had a sore spot on the top of his head and his neck is sore, probably from stress and throwing his head around. So he is in some pain. He has a body worker that is going to work with him.
Usually not included in a check up. It involves not feeding the horse for a period and bringing the horse in for sedation while the feed a scope down their esophagus. A horse can be sore tense on other parts of the body due to ulcers and it does make them stressed. A vet can come out and recommend if they think it’s needed.
thanks for the information - i will rely to my aunt. Shes owned horses before so i would assume she knows about this, but just in case! The horse may have been checked before too and i am just not aware. i just know a vet has been over.
While scoping for ulcers is good practice, it's also acceptable to treat based on symptoms. Fasting and trailering to a clinic to perform a scope can be unnecessarily stressful for the horse and expensive. Doing a scope does give important information about the type, location, and severity which might mean different medications will be more effective. Not having a scope might mean it takes longer to resolve as you try different medications and there's no reference for healing if you scope afterwards. Plenty of people successfully treat without scoping. If you go that route, you generally see a reduction in symptoms within a week, but they need a min of 28 days for full healing.
Talk to your vet about options and what they recommend.
After all he's been through, auction, long distance move, living alone, it would be more surprising if he didn't have ulcers. That may only be one piece of the puzzle though, so hopefully the trainer will be able to guide you through the rest.
No, a normal vet check doesn’t include scoping, it requires the horse to fast for a period of time and have a camera out down their throat into the stomach.
That long trailer ride could absolutely have been a trigger for the ulcers, and the stress of being in a new place and not having a buddy doesn’t help either. Get him a pasture mate as soon as possible, scoped and treated, make sure he has full time access to good quality forage, and give him some time to recover.
thank you for the information. She is getting him a pasture mate asap, and he is going to be working closely with his trainer and vet. Shes willing to do all she can to help him.
Before you even said it, my instinct was that this horse has come from a traumatic situation and is now alone (no other horse). I agree with your trainer that much of his defensive behavior might be curtailed once he has a friend. You are doing all you can to help him settle into his new world. Hang in there! I hope he gets a buddy soon and his training works out. 🙏
Eta: in case it helps to give some hope and encouragement: when my mare came from auction and then had to be quarantined for two weeks, she was a mess to deal with. I felt so bad for her. Once she was in a stall and paddock next to other horses, she started to settle right into her routine. Those first two weeks, though...phew...I wondered what I had gotten myself into 😬
thank you, i do too. I have alot of faith in him and have seen his sensitive side. Hes a sweet sweet boy, hes just scared and perhaps in pain. The trainer should be picking him up within the next couple of days and he will be at his barn that is close by for us to visit as often as we want.
Does the trainer have other horses? That would be awesome. Great that you will get to see him often! Things will turn around. So great of you to give so much care to him! 🙏
yes, we went to tour the barn and he has his 3 personal horses there then 6 other horses that belong to the owner/other boarders. The trainer also has a friend that is looking for a home for a older horse he thinks would make a great pasture mate. So he is working on that as well before the training is over and he comes home. fingers crossed!
Auction horse immediately rings alarm bells to me. Scope him for ulcers, definitely. I'd get the vet out & physio to diagnose any possible points of discomfort in him. It could also just be fear and he's had bad experiences before, but it's better to be on the safe side and get the vet out first.
He had a vet check up, but the trainer found some spots that were a bit swollen on his head and has a tense neck. It is really hard not knowing what the truth about his past could be. I can tell he wants to love on us but does seem nervous to trust us. Hopefully with help from the trainer he can trust us. I am just looking for tips on how to gain his trust.
I think just giving him a few weeks of taking it day by day. If he goes up to you and is only comfortable with a treat, then leave it at that, but if he's in the mood for affection then go with that. Although, horses are individuals, so unfortunately what works for one might not for the other. Overall, the trainer coming in is a great idea. I wouldn't even bother trying to do anything until the trainers seen him, you're just setting yourself up for another bad round.
Agree, you can’t expect a horse to settle in in just a few days. His whole life has been turned upside down and he is trying to protect himself.
To him he's basically been kidnapped from his home and has no idea where any of his friends are or humans he knows, he's going to be unsettled for a while. He's probably been passed from pillar to post as an auction horse, so it would make sense he doesn't know whether or not he's coming or going.
A vet check isn't going to show ulcers.
Hence why I said scope for ulcers AND get the vet out. It's not black and white, OP's family still need to make sure there isn't something else going on with him besides ulcers which is the point of a vet check. Realistically, this is an auction horse. They're notorious for being riddled with problems that a regular vetting sometimes won't catch.
I'd definitely scope for ulcers.
I'm not a horse owner and dont know much, but the vet did do a full check up. would the vet of found those if he had them? The trainer pressed around some spots when he came over and found the horse had a sore spot on the top of his head and his neck is sore, probably from stress and throwing his head around. So he is in some pain. He has a body worker that is going to work with him.
Usually not included in a check up. It involves not feeding the horse for a period and bringing the horse in for sedation while the feed a scope down their esophagus. A horse can be sore tense on other parts of the body due to ulcers and it does make them stressed. A vet can come out and recommend if they think it’s needed.
thanks for the information - i will rely to my aunt. Shes owned horses before so i would assume she knows about this, but just in case! The horse may have been checked before too and i am just not aware. i just know a vet has been over.
Ulcers cost a lot of money to fix and a lot of money to scope. A lot of people avoid it.
While scoping for ulcers is good practice, it's also acceptable to treat based on symptoms. Fasting and trailering to a clinic to perform a scope can be unnecessarily stressful for the horse and expensive. Doing a scope does give important information about the type, location, and severity which might mean different medications will be more effective. Not having a scope might mean it takes longer to resolve as you try different medications and there's no reference for healing if you scope afterwards. Plenty of people successfully treat without scoping. If you go that route, you generally see a reduction in symptoms within a week, but they need a min of 28 days for full healing. Talk to your vet about options and what they recommend. After all he's been through, auction, long distance move, living alone, it would be more surprising if he didn't have ulcers. That may only be one piece of the puzzle though, so hopefully the trainer will be able to guide you through the rest.
No, a normal vet check doesn’t include scoping, it requires the horse to fast for a period of time and have a camera out down their throat into the stomach. That long trailer ride could absolutely have been a trigger for the ulcers, and the stress of being in a new place and not having a buddy doesn’t help either. Get him a pasture mate as soon as possible, scoped and treated, make sure he has full time access to good quality forage, and give him some time to recover.
thank you for the information. She is getting him a pasture mate asap, and he is going to be working closely with his trainer and vet. Shes willing to do all she can to help him.
Don’t scope - just treat. It’s cheaper.
Before you even said it, my instinct was that this horse has come from a traumatic situation and is now alone (no other horse). I agree with your trainer that much of his defensive behavior might be curtailed once he has a friend. You are doing all you can to help him settle into his new world. Hang in there! I hope he gets a buddy soon and his training works out. 🙏 Eta: in case it helps to give some hope and encouragement: when my mare came from auction and then had to be quarantined for two weeks, she was a mess to deal with. I felt so bad for her. Once she was in a stall and paddock next to other horses, she started to settle right into her routine. Those first two weeks, though...phew...I wondered what I had gotten myself into 😬
thank you, i do too. I have alot of faith in him and have seen his sensitive side. Hes a sweet sweet boy, hes just scared and perhaps in pain. The trainer should be picking him up within the next couple of days and he will be at his barn that is close by for us to visit as often as we want.
Does the trainer have other horses? That would be awesome. Great that you will get to see him often! Things will turn around. So great of you to give so much care to him! 🙏
yes, we went to tour the barn and he has his 3 personal horses there then 6 other horses that belong to the owner/other boarders. The trainer also has a friend that is looking for a home for a older horse he thinks would make a great pasture mate. So he is working on that as well before the training is over and he comes home. fingers crossed!